Oh those tiny things that find their way into “Junk Drawers” and work desks

Every desk that I owned had a main drawer filled with the bits and pieces of life that I pick up over the months. Typically I would have paperclips, rubber bands, screws. A washer. Some misc plastic thing-a-jigs, and perhaps a marble or ball bearing.

ksnip 20250201 084952
ksnip 20250201 084952

Back when I lived in the states, a bullet or spent cartridge or two would appear in the drawer as well. All of this would be alongside the pencils, pens, rulers, and tiny articles that would simply migrate there.

ksnip 20250201 084854
ksnip 20250201 084854

Today is an ode to our junk-collecting desk drawers.

Today…

Tom Hanks

"I saw Tom Hanks at Best Buy! He was in line right in front of me with a full cart, all by himself. 

I was just picking up a bottle of water since they didn’t have what I needed. Out of nowhere, I blurted out, “Forest Gump is my favorite movie,” sounding a bit creepy. 

He turned around and said, “That was my favorite movie to make! I’m glad you love it.” 

We chatted about movies while we waited in line. 

When it was his turn to check out, he said, “Oh, let me get that water for you,” and paid for it. 

He kept the conversation going, and as we walked out, he said, “Nice talking to you! You’re a very nice young lady, and always remember... life is like a box of chocolates... you never know what you’re gonna get,” in his Forest Gump voice. 

It was the best experience ever!"
main qimg 4f1d42faea80a6fc75dbbfcd3cd9b1e7
main qimg 4f1d42faea80a6fc75dbbfcd3cd9b1e7

Halo-Halo with Coconut Milk
(Ginataang Halo-Halo)

Halo-halo literally means a mixture; in this case a mixture of fruit.

image 1s
image 1s

Ingredients

  • 4 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup diced sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup diced plantains
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 cup sweet rice powder
  • 1/4 cup tapioca (quick-cooking type)
  • 1 cup jackfruit, cut into strips

Instructions

  1. In a medium pot, bring the water and coconut milk to a boil.
  2. Add 1/4 cup sugar and simmer.
  3. Add sweet potatoes and plantains and simmer until half done.
  4. Add 3 tablespoons water to sweet rice powder.
  5. Take a little of the mixture at a time and form into balls the size of hazelnuts.
  6. Drop balls into the simmering mixture.
  7. Add cooked tapioca, 1/4 cup sugar and jackfruit. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.
  8. Serve hot or cold.

THAT’S WHAT THE BLIND SEE IN THE NDE! It Turns Out That After Death, A Person Becomes…

 

David Walkins

“No funny business, mate. Put your hands up, and walk away from the control panel.”

 

“You finally made it, Jonathan. I was beginning to wonder if you’d even show up at all.”

 

“So you’ve heard of me, huh? Jonathan’s a little formal, but I’ll allow it- long as you step away from the button. If you know who I am, you oughta know just what I’ll do if you don’t hurry and do as I say.”

 

“You don’t recognize me, do you? Not even a little.”

 

“‘Fraid not. And even if I did, it wouldn’t change what I gotta do. You’re the last person stopping me from shutting this whole thing down, and suffice to say I’m extra motivated to get this job done. It ain’t a lot, but I got a few too many people I like on this big blue planet for me to let you kill ‘em all off with a single button.”

 

“You think I want to kill everyone?”

 

“Are you telling me this rocket isn’t about to turn 90 percent of the planet braindead?”

 

“That’s… technically right, but it barely covers half of what the Divine Tuning is meant to do.”

 

“…You know what? Go ahead; I’ll bite. What exactly is this Divine Tuning you’re so gung-ho about? None of your sub-commanders out there were willing to say a thing about it.”

 

“The Divine Tuning is a three-step process. We launch this rocket, and it will orbit the planet in two rotations.  As it does so, it will broadcast a special message into everyone’s cybernetic ID chips- the ones placed in their heads at birth. It will make digital copies of their brains- every memory, thought, and word- and upload them through the rocket, into satellites, and from there they will be sent to a series of supercomputers spread across the solar system.”

 

“…Right. Tell me, why shouldn’t I just shoot you now? Cut this whole crazy scheme off at the source, and avoid any chance of it starting up again somewhere else?”

 

“Firstly, because a failsafe has been embedded into my heart- if it stops, the rocket will launch regardless.”

 

“Crap.”

 

“And second… because we have known each other for a long time, even if you don’t realize it yet. And it’d be a shame for our reunion to end as tragically as this.”

 

“What, are you saying we grew up in the same neighborhood or something?”

 

“As a matter of fact, I am.”

 

“Even as a joke, that ain’t funny. News flash to you, douchebag- everyone who knew me more than 15 years ago is dead.”

 

“Not everyone. Just, hear me out- before I was adopted by the late Reverend O’Farrell, my name was Zachary.”

 

“Zachary? As in-”

 

“Zachary Harris, yes. Like the boy who grew up three doors down from you. When we went into the forest together, we saw a dead deer with its leg twisted in four directions.”

 

“How do you know that? I’ve never told that story to anyone.”

 

“Because it’s me, Johnny. You got cybernetics and changed your name to Johnny Steel, I was adopted and had my name changed to Zephaniah. Zephaniah O’Farrell.”

 

“Zachary to Zephaniah… Wait, even before that- you’re Zephaniah O’Farrell? The hidden third sibling? When we asked your sisters, they said they had no idea who was running this thing.”

 

“Because they were in on it from the start. Aurora works in aerospace, and Angela in biotech- they were the ones who made all this possible. They just wiped their own memories before they went into the investigation.”

 

“They never even mentioned you!”

 

“They think I’m a family friend who killed himself out of grief over their father’s murder.”

 

“His murder- was that the reason you started all this? Because your father was murdered, and you never found out who did it?”

 

“You’re not seeing the big picture, Johnny. I grew up with you- I was there, on that day, in the middle of the fire. Remember?”

 

“The last time I saw you, you were running into your burning house. And then it collapsed.”

 

“Exactly. I survived, but my windpipe was almost completely crushed. I could hear you pleading to the man who organized the fire. I could do nothing but listen to your screams, as you were tossed into a burning building because someone with power couldn’t find it in themselves to care.”

 

“…”

 

“By the time I was rescued, I had third degree burns. It took me a year to get enough skin grafts and implants to look human again, but the only person willing to adopt me was an elderly woman with two grandsons that hated her. One of them killed her trying to get extra inheritance money, and the other didn’t even show up to the funeral.”

 

“The only reason Mr. O’Farrell took me after that was because the hospital director told his wife about me. He eventually warmed up to me, but by that point a crime boss was trying to get in his pockets. He refused, and guess what? They killed him for it.”

 

“I’ve lost family three times over, Johnny. Not because people wouldn’t do the right thing- because there were people who couldn’t resist doing the wrong thing. Repentance is well and good, but you know what’s better? Never doing the crime in the first place!”

 

“And that’s how you came up with this?”

 

“That’s how we came up with this: Me, Aurora, and Angela. This was all three of us, working together for a decade, using everything we could find and talking to everyone we could. And now, our goal is finally going to come true.”

 

“…Zach, you used to be a pretty cool kid. You know that?”

 

“And you used to have all your limbs. We both know how cruel life can be.”

 

“Well jeez, yeah, but like. We also know how kind people can be. The scientist who put me back together was a great guy, and so were all the people who took you in, from the sound of it. I’ve seen thousands of people on my bounty hunts the past dozen years. There’s lots of powerful people out there who do awful stuff, but there’s also millions of people who try to do something good every single day. The little guys.”

 

“For an internationally feared mercenary, that’s sickeningly sweet.”

“Says the guy who grew up to be a literal cult leader! I’m trying to be serious here!”

 

“It’s not a cult-”

 

“That’s what every cult leader would say! And unlike most of them, you’re actively trying to destroy the world right now!”

 

“I’m not trying to destroy the world, I’m trying to fix it! Did you not hear what I was saying about the Divine Tuning?! All your arguments are just proving my point.”

 

“Then let me ask you this- what’s gonna happen to all the bodies left on Earth when their brains stop working? Some of them are outside fighting each other right now. Some of them are driving to or from work, some of them are riding in planes. Some of them are hiking, climbing, or swimming- they gonna fall or drown?”

 

“One of the settings in the Divine Tuning program is to wait until a moment where the person seems to be safe before uploading their brains into the system.”

 

“And if it seems like they’re safe but they really aren’t?”

 

“…You’re cherry-picking.”

 

“It’s a real situation that actually would’ve happened if you hit that button! There’s no program in the world that works perfectly every single time! Especially on the first try!”

 

“But it’s not our first try! We did multiple test runs with several small groups- all of them completely willing. It worked fine, and people returned to their bodies completely safe once the test was done!”

 

“Sounds like you’re ignoring the issue- wait. What’s that sound?”

 

“I do believe that’s the rocket, preparing to begin the Divine Tuning.”

 

“What?! But you- you were just stalling for time, weren’t you?”

 

“If it makes you feel better, everything I told you was the truth. It’s just that Aurora and Angela both have their own backdoors to the rocket launch. Even if I didn’t do it, one of them would.”

 

“There’s gotta be something I can do… Dang it!”

 

“I think that’s checkmate. It was good to see you again, Jonathan- we can talk more once the Divine Tuning is complete. In fact, I daresay we’ll have all the time in the world.”

 

“You know… I think you’re right. I think we will have all the time in the world.”

 

“My sisters are calling me… what did you do, Johnny?”

 

“I figured it out. I can’t stop the rocket, and I can’t stop the machine. But I can change the coordinates, and this thing is only built to fire once.”

 

“You localized the beam?!”

 

“Yep- right in this building. The only people who are gonna get ‘Tuned’ are you and me, Zach. I’m gonna learn all about you, and you’re gonna learn all about me- and that’s all it’ll ever be.”

 

“…I hate you, Johnathan.”

 

“That’s okay, Zach. We’ve got all the time in the world to talk it out.”

Potential tariff impacts on China shrink as trade routes shift to Global South and BRICS

Shorpy

SHORPY 4a24510a.preview
SHORPY 4a24510a.preview
SHORPY 4a09484a.preview
SHORPY 4a09484a.preview
SHORPY 4a19341a.preview
SHORPY 4a19341a.preview
SHORPY 4a11595a.preview
SHORPY 4a11595a.preview
SHORPY 8c16935a1.preview
SHORPY 8c16935a1.preview
SHORPY 4a12568a.preview
SHORPY 4a12568a.preview
SHORPY 4a12563a.preview
SHORPY 4a12563a.preview
SHORPY 8c04035a.preview
SHORPY 8c04035a.preview
SHORPY 4a12507a.preview
SHORPY 4a12507a.preview
SHORPY Richmond Panorama X.preview
SHORPY Richmond Panorama X.preview
St Louis 1960.preview
St Louis 1960.preview
SHORPY 4a12414a.preview
SHORPY 4a12414a.preview
SHORPY 4a12411a.preview
SHORPY 4a12411a.preview
SHORPY 4a12405a.preview
SHORPY 4a12405a.preview
SHORPY 4a12413a.preview
SHORPY 4a12413a.preview

American Tiktok Refugees Sharing Their Experience With The RedNote App

How would China’s invasion of Taiwan likely unfold in its first 48 hours?

Saturday

03:00 AM

Communications in Taiwan get cut. Communication with Taiwan and mobile services get jammed within Taiwan. Massive Cyber attacks on electricity infrastructure and major blackouts

04:30 AM

TBS and Hakka TV broadcasting feed cut off. Internet services cut off from Taiwan.

06:00 AM

Senior Taiwanese Army General reported missing. The American Institute in Taiwan surrounded by Taiwanese Army but not harmed.

06:45 AM

Lai Ching Te, President of Taiwan reported missing. Senior Members of the Government reported missing.

07:12 AM

Missile Strikes on Taipei Airport. Four Missiles hit Taipei Airport destroying the Runways and Parallel Emergency Runways and the Control Tower

No Casualties

07:41 AM

Xi Jinping addresses the mainland and informs them that due to security reasons, China has declared war against the DPP

China declares the DPP as separatists in violation of the one China policy and declares Lai Ching Te as an usurper but assures the Taiwanese people that his war is not against Taiwan but against Lai Ching Te and the DPP

08:51 AM

Mainland China declare a No Fly Zone near Taiwan and shoot down 3 Mirage 2000 aircraft killing 2 pilots while one ejects away

China declares the Taiwanese straits closed for 72 hours initially while the exercise against the DPP is carried out

09:43 AM / 4:43 AM Moscow

President Putin extends support to Xi Jinping and China making it clear that principles of international law must be upheld but Mainland China is within its rights to declare war on the DPP and Taiwanese separatists

11:27 AM / 9:27 PM Washington DC

President Trump addresses the People and warns China not to invade Taiwan but acknowledges the one China principal and says the US will retaliate if China invades Taiwan with a land army. Trump says the DPP and Mainland China and KMT can sort out any other disputes without US involvement

2:50 PM /3:50 AM Washington DC

Taiwanese Senior most general on the scene holds an address and reasserts STATUS QUO with the mainland and confirms NO INTENTIONS OF SEPARATISM

Han Kuo Yu – President of the Legislative Yuan summons a full session of the Yuan to move a motion to confirm Status Quo for Taiwan and no resolution of Independence

9:42 PM / 10:42 AM Washington DC

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio resigns after disagreement with President Trump and declaring the decision of Trump to abandon the DPP as TREASON against the Taiwanese people and recommends Article 25 against Trump

10:45 PM / 11:45 AM Washington DC

Xi Jinping has 50 minute phone call with Donald Trump and the Japanese Prime Minister with the conclusions

Mainland China won’t invade Taiwan
Mainland China will not force reunification
The DPP will be blacklisted from Taiwanese Politics due to separatist Agenda
Fresh Elections for President in Taiwan will take place after three years until which time a Pro Status Quo Taiwanese will be President of Taiwan

Trump addresses the Americans and says there will be NO INVASION of Taiwan and says whatever else is an Internal matter to Taiwan and Mainland China and the US shall not intervene

11:40 PM/00:40 Washington time

Thirty two Pentagon officials threaten to resign unless China backs down within 24 hours and goes back to the democratic position or US declares war on the South China Sea and assist Japan to assist Taiwan

Sunday

12:57 AM

PLA launches missile and drone attacks against Taiwanese Radar and Air Defense and destroys three warehouses with weapons

Taiwanese strike down 50% of the drones but lose their entire air defense and radar

6:53 AM

PLA Senior Generals agree to meet Taiwanese Generals in Okinawa,Japan the following day in the presence of John Bartush, Special Envoy of Donald Trump

7:42 AM

UK, Germany, France and EU condemn China and threaten sanctions if China will invade Ukraine or overthrow democracy in Ukraine

Indian PM Modi urges both sides to work out a peaceful solution

8:55 AM

US Transport Aircraft from Philippines lands in Taoyuan Air Base and takes off after 2 hours. Allegedly Lai Ching Te and Tsai Ing Wen and seven other leaders including the Taiwanese Army Seniormost General fly out from Taiwan to Philippines for their own safety. Their families also fly with them

China doesn’t shoot down the Transportation aircraft in agreement with the US

11:00 AM

The Yuan holds its session with 74 members and votes 69–1 in favor of Status Quo and to not make Taiwanese Independence part of Taiwanese policy for the next 25 years

Banks back to normal, life back to normal in Taiwan by Monday

Leaders of the TPP, KMT agree to the CPC officials in Xiamen the following day

Monday

Xiamen conference

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with TPP and KMT leaders of the Yuan and agree to the following principles:-

Taiwan will not, now nor ever declare Independence nor procure missiles with range exceeding 400 Kilometers
China won’t invade Taiwan now nor even unless Taiwan violated the first point
No Official world leader or member of government may visit Taiwan without Mainland Chinas approval
Mainland China wouldn’t interfere in Taiwans economy or internal legislation

Okinawa Conference

Same is confirmed in Okinawa in the presence of Jared Kushner and Glenn Bartush, Trump’s envoys

Straits of Taiwan will open back from Wednesday morning 4:00 AM

Taipei Airport will be reconstructed by a Japanese firm

DPP is blacklisted from Taiwanese Politics for five years and can contest polls only if they remove the words Taiwanese Independence from their manifesto

Status Quo will revert itself and Taiwan will have lost its radar and air defense completely but would gain guarantee of No Chinese invasion

The Mainland would get guarantee of No Separatism from Taiwan

Taiwanese Yuan appoint an Interim President for 3 Years – Han Kuao Yu

Dating In 2024 Proves Once Again…Men Who Have Walked Away Are The Smartest Guys In The Room

Money bags found in leg of statue in German church

The History Blog

Restorers working at St. Andrew’s Church in Eisleben in the east-central German state of Saxony-Anhalt, discovered four bags of coins from around 1640 in the cavity of the leg of a statue of a kneeling count. They were hidden in the count’s leg during the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) when Swedish occupying troops wreaked havoc in the area, forcing the local population to house them, feed them and pay them large amounts of cash.

Conservators found the treasure in 2022. The leather bags contained 816 coins, including an extremely valuable “golden angel,” several gold ducats, gold double ducats and silver thalers, half-thalers and quarter-thalers, plus 800 pennies. This was an enormous amount of money in an era when a miner made 24 pennies (one thaler) a week.

The most valuable gold coins were wrapped in paper and labeled in a way that indicates the money belonged to the church treasury. “However, it is not the bell pouch for the Sunday collection,” [head of the State Coin Cabinet of Saxony-Anhalt Ulf] Dräger said. “Instead, it is the collected income from special services provided by the pastors,” such as weddings, baptisms and funerals. Pastors also collected money from “chair fees,” in which congregants would pay to sit in prominent seats in the church, he added.

Historians know that from 1561, Eisleben had an “Aerarium Pastorale” — a common parish fund that was used as a pension and health fund, as social insurance for pastors, and to promote the training of theologians. “Perhaps we now have this fund before us,” Dräger said. “Historical research will show this.”

Martin Luther was born in Eisleben in 1483 and died there in 1546. He gave his last four sermons from the pulpit in the Church of St. Andrew and his funeral was held there, although his body was taken to Wittenberg for burial by order of the Elector of Saxony. In Luther’s time, Eisleben was the capital of the county of Mansfeld, ruled by the counts of the House of Mansfeld, several of whom converted to Protestantism, splitting from the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Emperor to follow Martin Luther. Luther acted as intermediary between the Catholic and Protestant Mansfeld Counts, negotiating a unique ceasefire in the roiling conflict of the Reformation: St. Andrew’s held Catholic masses in the mornings and Protestant services in the afternoon. As a matter of fact, Luther was only in town because he was settling another dispute between the Mansfelds. He arrived in January, rapidly took ill and died on February 18th. His body lay in state at St. Andrew’s for four days before it was removed to Wittenberg.

The statue where the money was found was depicts one of the Mansfeld counts, namely Count Johann Albrecht von Mansfeld-Arnstein (1522-1586). It’s a high-relief scene of the count and his wife Countess Magdalena von Mansfeld (1530-1565) kneeling at the foot of the cross. The sculpture marks the tomb of the countess which was installed there in 1574, a decade after her death. Sixty-five years or so later, someone, perhaps a church functionary, cached the pension fund in his leg.

Originally built in the 12th century, the church was undergoing a major reconstruction when Martin Luther was born. Most of the church that stands today — the three-aisled nave, choir and ground floor of the tower — were completed by 1486. The rest of the tower and dome were added to the Late Gothic hall in 1714-23. The wooden pulpit where Luther preached his last sermons is still present and has been a site of pilgrimage since his death.

Canadian took me inside a Chinese Factory… I Didn’t Expect This

Here’s what I experienced.

As I died my eyes were open. The room everything and everyone in it began to fade away as if in a vapor or mist (for lack of a better description) as this world went out of focus I found myself standing in the presence of God (an actual place) a place of pure light. I will try to explain it all the best way that I can but understand there are very few words that explain this in justice.

I no longer was afflicted with pain; physical, emotional or otherwise. I saw my son and daughter who were murdered 14 years ago at the ages of 8 and 5. They were adults here. Clothed in brilliant light. I knew immediately who they were and stand next to them was Jesus. Again the absolute peace of this is beyond words as nothing on earth can compare.

As I was told it was not yet my time I felt my soul being breathed back into my body as my lungs filled with air.

There was no tunnel, there was no sign only the absolute peaceful Presence of God.

Religion will NOT save you. Only putting your Faith in Jesus will save you

DeepSeek is not just shaking up AI – it’s also shaking up US capitalism

He makes GREAT points. Surprisingly excellent.

Sir Whiskerton and the Great Cart Race Caper

Ah, dear reader, prepare yourself for another uproarious adventure on Sir Whiskerton’s farm, where chaos reigns supreme, and no day is complete without a healthy dose of absurdity. Today’s tale involves a race, a bullfrog with delusions of grandeur, and two dogs who are about to learn that pulling carts is harder than it looks. So, grab your popcorn (or perhaps a bucket of slop, if you’re Porkchop), and let’s dive into The Great Cart Race Caper.


Leonardo’s Grand Plan

It all began on a sunny afternoon when Leonardo the Bullfrog, with his booming voice and even bigger ambitions, decided that the farm needed a little excitement.

“Friends! Farm-mates! Amphibians and mammals alike!” Leonardo croaked, standing on a hay bale like a tiny, green Napoleon. “I have conceived the most spectacular event this farm has ever seen—a cart race! Rufus and Bingo shall compete in a test of speed, strength, and sheer determination!”

The animals gathered around, intrigued. Rufus the Dog, now glowing faintly green from his radioactive mishap, wagged his tail excitedly. “A race? For me? Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!”

Bingo, who had been napping under a tree, lifted his head lazily. “A race? Do I have to move? Can’t we just… nap instead?”

“No naps!” Leonardo declared, puffing out his chest. “This is a race for glory! For honor! For… uh… carrots! Yes, the winner gets a basket of carrots!”

Porkchop the Pig, who had been eavesdropping while lounging in his favorite mud puddle, snorted. “Carrots? What kind of prize is that? Where’s the slop? The corn? The real food?”

Leonardo ignored him. “The rules are simple: Rufus and Bingo will each pull a cart around the farm. The first one to cross the finish line wins! And to make it even more exciting, the chickens and geese will cheer for Rufus, while the ducks will cheer for Bingo!”

The chickens clucked in agreement, while the geese honked their approval. Ferdinand the Duck, ever the drama queen, flapped his wings and declared, “Bingo shall win! For he is the most majestic of dogs, and I, Ferdinand, shall sing his praises!”

“Majestic?” Rufus muttered, looking at Bingo, who was already dozing off again. “He’s a snoring log with legs.”


The Carts of Chaos

The next morning, the farm was abuzz with activity. Leonardo had enlisted Porkchop to help build the carts, which turned out to be a terrible idea. Porkchop’s idea of “engineering” involved tying random pieces of wood together with twine and hoping for the best.

“Behold!” Porkchop announced, presenting the carts. “The finest chariots ever built!”

Sir Whiskerton, who had been observing the chaos from his perch on the barn roof, raised an eyebrow. “Those look like death traps.”

“Nonsense!” Leonardo said, hopping onto Rufus’s cart. “They’re perfect! Now, let the race begin!”

The chickens and geese lined up on one side of the track, clucking and honking their support for Rufus. The ducks, led by Ferdinand, stood on the other side, quacking loudly for Bingo. The rest of the animals gathered around, eager to see how this would play out.


The Race Begins

With a dramatic croak from Leonardo, the race began. Rufus took off like a shot, his cart rattling behind him. Bingo, however, didn’t move. He just stood there, blinking sleepily.

“Bingo! Go!” Ferdinand quacked, flapping his wings. “You’re losing!”

“Losing?” Bingo said, yawning. “Oh, right. The race. Okay, here I go.”

Bingo started trotting slowly, his cart creaking ominously. Meanwhile, Rufus was already halfway around the track, his cart wobbling dangerously as the chickens and geese cheered him on.

“Go, Rufus! Go!” Doris the Hen squawked. “You’re our champion!”

“Champion! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched, fainting into a pile of hay.

But then, disaster struck. Rufus’s cart hit a rock and flipped over, sending him tumbling into a mud puddle. “Oh no!” Rufus yelped, his green glow now covered in brown sludge. “I’m stuck!”

Bingo, still plodding along at a snail’s pace, glanced over. “Huh. That looks like fun.” He veered off the track and jumped into the mud puddle next to Rufus. “Whee!”

The ducks groaned. “Bingo! What are you doing?” Ferdinand quacked. “You’re supposed to be racing!”

“Racing?” Bingo said, rolling in the mud. “This is way better.”


Sir Whiskerton Saves the Day

As the race descended into chaos, Sir Whiskerton decided it was time to intervene. He leapt down from the barn roof and sauntered over to the mud puddle, where Rufus and Bingo were now having a mud-splashing contest.

“Gentlemen,” Sir Whiskerton said, his tail flicking in annoyance. “This is supposed to be a race, not a mud bath.”

“But mud is fun!” Rufus said, wagging his tail.

“Fun!” Bingo echoed, flopping onto his back.

Sir Whiskerton sighed. “Very well. If you won’t finish the race, I’ll have to declare a winner myself.”

He turned to the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, due to unforeseen circumstances—namely, the incompetence of our contestants—I declare this race a tie. Both Rufus and Bingo shall receive a basket of carrots.”

The animals cheered, though Porkchop looked disappointed. “What about me? I built the carts!”

“You built death traps,” Sir Whiskerton said. “But fine, you can have a basket of slop.”

Porkchop’s eyes lit up. “Slop? Best prize ever!”


The Moral of the Story

As the sun set on the farm, the animals gathered to celebrate the race that wasn’t. Leonardo, though disappointed that his grand plan had failed, realized that sometimes the best moments come from unexpected chaos.

The moral of the story, dear reader, is this: Life doesn’t always go according to plan, but that’s where the fun begins. And sometimes, the real prize isn’t winning—it’s rolling in the mud with your friends.

As for Sir Whiskerton? He returned to his sunbeam, content in the knowledge that he had once again saved the day—even if it meant dealing with a bunch of muddy, carrot-loving misfits.

Until next time, my friends.

The End.

In ‘a mass erasure of heritage,’ numerous historic landmarks lost in L.A.

The Robert Bridges House, designed by the architect whose name it bore, was destroyed in the Palisades fire.(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

By Daniel Miller

Message to the Community

There are no words to describe the devastation we are experiencing in Los Angeles. During this truly historic disaster, our hearts go out to the many Angelenos whose lives have been upended by the raging wildfires across the county. The loss of their homes, schools, cultural anchors, legacy businesses, and other places important to their communities is overwhelming.

And, still, the windstorms, wildfires, and threats to lives and structures continue.

The Los Angeles Conservancy has received many inquiries about the historic places the fires impacted. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of details yet, as the heavy winds and fires remain highly unpredictable. We are working to gather information to share with the public and assess how we can help bring resources to those who need our support now and following the fires.

While the full extent of the destruction to historic places caused by these fires is yet to be seen, we are reminded of how important it is to be there for one another as a community. It reminds us all what places and spaces mean to us, especially once they are gone. Significantly, we recognize that the focus should remain on immediate wildfire relief and then long-term recovery.

We hope you remain safe and look forward to keeping you updated.

  • The Palisades and Eaton infernos have destroyed more than 30 structures that preservationists consider historically significant.
  • The tally could grow as an accounting continues.
  • The fate of many notable properties remains unknown.

Will Rogers’ ranch home. Pasadena Waldorf School. Robert Bridges House. The Bunny Museum. Andrew McNally House. Theatre Palisades. The Zane Grey Estate.

The Palisades and Eaton infernos have laid waste to more than 30 structures considered historic in what preservationists believe is the single worst loss of such properties in the region’s history.

“It’s staggering and heartbreaking — I don’t know any other way to put it,” said Ken Bernstein, principal city planner at Los Angeles City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources. “This is widespread destruction of significant architecture and places that are cherished in our communities.”

The tally could grow, perhaps dramatically, as an accounting of the losses continues. Though institutions including the Getty Villa were saved, the fates of many other notables — such as several influential mid-century Case Study Houses built with Arts & Architecture magazine’s sponsorship — remain unknown.

The Los Angeles Conservancy said Friday afternoon that 32 properties it considered historic because of their architectural or cultural significance were claimed by the fires, which have destroyed or damaged more than 9,000 structures.

Some of the historic buildings, including Altadena’s Zane Grey Estate and Rogers’ Western-style Palisades home, had formal landmark status on the National Register of Historic Places or another list. But others, such as Fox’s Restaurant in Altadena and Theatre Palisades, were considered important in part because of their status as beloved community spaces.

“It is a mass erasure of heritage,” said Adrian Scott Fine, chief executive of the Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation. “We haven’t seen anything like this before.”

The Palisades fire destroyed Will Rogers’ former ranch home at Will Rogers State Historic Park.(California State Parks)

In some cases, notable properties are severely damaged but not obliterated, including Gladstones, the seaside fish restaurant formerly owned by the late L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan, according to the Santa Monica Mirror. In the Altadena foothills, much of Zorthian Ranch burned, including artwork by founder Jirayr Zorthian. But two buildings of the artists’ colony were spared, said Jason Deach, a ranch hand who visited the site Thursday.

“Every other thing is gone, wiped from the map,” he said.

Some institutions have already vowed to rebuild — among them the Bunny Museum in Altadena, which featured quirky but seemingly irreplaceable collections of porcelain figurines, artwork, clothing and other items depicting rabbits. The Lake Avenue museum lost roughly 46,000 objects.

Altadena’s Bunny Museum burned down amid the Eaton fire. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

“We are losing these touchstones — physical places in the world that mark our intellectual history,” said Richard Schave, a preservation advocate and co-founder of Esotouric, a cultural tour service.

As natural disasters grow increasingly intense amid climate change, preservationists said they face a new, and foreboding, challenge. The losses from the week’s fires have highlighted a fundamental shift in the field.

“The quintessential historic preservation threat of the 20th century was symbolized by the bulldozer demolishing individual historic structures or communities for urban renewal,” Bernstein said. “Today, it’s the extreme climate event. Wildfire, sea-level rise and extreme winds pose not incremental threat but constant threat of widespread destruction of our most cherished historical and architectural landmarks.”

Eaton fire obliterates ‘esoteric knowledge’

Some of Altadena’s notable properties, Zorthian Ranch and the Bunny Museum among them, tell the story of the community’s long-standing role as a haven for free spirits, mystics and counterculture figures.

Their destruction, Schave said, amounts to an erasure of regional history tied to “raising social consciousness to affect positive change.” He and his wife, Kim Cooper, the other founder of Esotouric tours, were particularly upset over the loss of the Theosophical Library Center.

The Lake Avenue facility housed the largest collection of materials related to Theosophy, a modern religious movement that counted writers such as William Butler Yeats as devotees and was influential among later New Age belief systems. “That was a repository of esoteric knowledge,” Cooper said.

Sunset Boulevard in ruins: Fire’s massive scale comes into focus in Pacific Palisades

Jan. 8, 2025

The library contained 40,000-plus titles and the archives of the Theosophical Society. The collection, Cooper said, accounted for “the cultural ideas that formed this visionary Southern California spirituality.” The Theosophical Society did not respond to interview requests.

Other notable losses in Altadena include its homes. The Andrew McNally House was built by the eponymous mapmaking impresario who co-founded publisher Rand McNally. Constructed in 1887, the Queen Anne-style mansion, privately owned, was on the National Register of Historic Places.

The house was known for its so-called Turkish room, an ornately decorated octagon that Cooper said was “one of the most beautiful spaces in the world.”

The Andrew McNally House, built by the co-founder of the Rand McNally publishing company, was destroyed in the Eaton fire. (Chris Pizzello / Associated Press)

Not far from the McNally property, the Zane Grey Estate is in ruins. Co-designed by famed architect Myron Hunt and built in 1907, the house was long the residence of its namesake owner. Grey was the author of “Riders of the Purple Sage” and many other works of western fiction.

“Grey was very important in terms of being a literary figure and [the house was] significant architecturally,” Fine said. He added, disconsolately, that a restoration of the property had been “nearly complete.”

Historical devastation on the coast

As with Altadena, the Palisades lost a mixture of privately owned historic properties and famed public spaces, perhaps none more beloved than Rogers’ ranch home.

The 31-room residence, built by the vaudevillian-turned-movie star in the 1920s, was situated within Will Rogers State Historic Park. The home has served as a museum, housing a collection of artwork, western memorabilia and a library centered on Rogers.

The California State Parks system, which oversees the property, said it saved certain items, including art.

“They saved some of the interior features and some of the collection, but not much,” Fine said. “That is an epic loss. You can’t talk about the Palisades without talking about Will Rogers.”

The Palisades’ Business Block was severely damaged by the fire that tore through the area. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Bernstein mourned the fate of the Palisades’ Business Block, a Spanish Colonial Revival shopping plaza from 1924. Television footage showed the Sunset Boulevard property almost fully leveled, though some architectural features remained intact.

He called the trapezoidal building, listed as an L.A. Historic-Cultural Monument, “the earliest commercial heart of Pacific Palisades.”

A representative of the development did not respond to a request for comment.

Los Angeles has never seen this level of destruction: ‘Everything is burned down’

Jan. 10, 2025

Bernstein and others said that it will take time to catalog all the destroyed historic structures. He said that his office would eventually update a citywide survey of historic places — searchable online via the HistoricPlacesLA database — to reflect the losses.

The information, he said, will help preservationists, property owners and others understand “both what we lost and what we may still have the opportunity to help revitalize and recover.”

There has long been an old saw about Southern California: It’s a region too willing to bulldoze its history in the name of progress. These days, observers may question the accuracy of that maxim — preservationists have made great strides in recent decades — but a devastating new truth has emerged amid the ashes this week.

A firestorm has done what no bulldozer could do.

Back in Jr. High School in Alaska in the early 1960’s I was taking wood shop. The class had a variety of grades, 7 to 9, as it was an elective course. I was assigned to a work table with 3 other students, all 9th graders whilst I was an in the 8th. They were all jocks and I was definitely the odd one out. Every day, the biggest of them would find someway to taunt me, usually by slugging me as he walked by on my shoulder. This went on for some weeks and the shop teacher.. well.. he just didn’t pay much mind to what was going on.

As it happened my dad had been relating some of his stories to my uncles about his years in the Navy at a previous family get together. The one that caught my attention was about a small Shore Patrolman and his partner being called to a brawl going on between some Army & Marine’s in a bar. They looked in and given the number of participants, the one ran back and called for some more Shore Patrol officers. Well by the time he returned with the help, the fight was over. As they looked in the bar what they saw was.. sprawled out across the floor, a bunch of sailors and leather necks holding their shins and writhing in pain. What had happened was that the small Shore Patrolman had stooped down low and using his billy club, he mowed them down and they never saw him coming. For some reason, although it had been some time since I heard that tale, I remembered it & it stuck.

Monday came and I went into the wood shop and once again I got the slam to the back of my shoulder. Laughing, my tormenter walked around me and started talking to his buddies. Well that story just popped up in my mind as I spied a piece of 2×4 wood about 18 inches long. Without thinking of the consequences, I guess I had just had enough & grabbed the board in hand, reached up.. tapped him on the shoulder and when he turned around I bent down and hit his shins as hard as I could, sending him crashing to the floor and crying like a little school girl.

The shop teacher came over and seeing him lying there asked what happened. By this time I had laid the board on the table and told him.. the guy slipped. He looked over at the other two guys but they didn’t say anything, and… neither did the rest of the class. So.. he just reminded everybody to be careful in the shop as it could be a dangerous place and had his two buddies take him to the school nurses office. The class continued on as normal.

After that, the bully & his buddies left me alone and I, on my own, moved myself to another table.

Sonata No. 33 in E minor, Op. posthumous, “Tail Light”

Submitted into Contest #280 in response to: Write a story that solely consists of dialogue. (No dialogue tags, actions, or descriptions. Just pure dialogue!) view prompt

Drew Herman

– You’re late.– I was composing.– Decomposing.– Bah. You make this same joke every time.– You’re late every time.– And now you will make the “late” joke. This joke makes no sense.– Because your English isn’t that great.– And you will not use German. Or French or Italian.– You don’t like it when I pick stuff out of your mind. Besides, I have to concentrate on driving.– Concentrate? You missed the exit for 278.– We’re taking 87.– 278 is faster.– Not southbound. You just like it because it’s the “Bruckner” Expressway.– Anton is a genius. He understands my work. He went to Bonn for me.– You know, the expressway isn’t even named after your friend. There was just some politician from the Bronx.

– Always still it is faster.

– Hey, nobody likes a back-brain driver. Anyway, we should have left Milford an hour earlier.

– Why have you not simply started without me? You do not need me here for driving.

– I thought you wanted to warm up my hands.

– “Warm up”?

– Practice, stretch muscles, loosen finger joints, get yourself ready.

– Yes, you do not do it correct.

– That’s what I’m saying. I’m not a pianist. I played clarinet in high school. Without you, I wouldn’t even know which end of the piano to blow into. I sat with my son’s electric keyboard and waited as long as possible, but you can never be sure about the traffic, so I had to hit the road.

– As said, I was busy composing. I am come now to the important place in my new symphony. I could not simply stop.

– Couldn’t you just do it later?

– You cannot schedule genius. Also, we do not have alarm clocks here. Or paper to write on.

– You literally have eternity to write the symphony. Today we have a 6:30 call for a 7:30 curtain.

– For me the audience will wait. But even still, many of them will come in after I begin. They will talk, and cough like they die of phthisis, and always the cellphones will sing.

– Die of p-what?

– Phthisis. Consumption. The wasting.

– Ah. It’s called “tuberculosis” now. Or maybe COPD. I’m not sure. Anyway, lucky for you I will not slam the lid on the keys and storm off stage like you want.

– Why are you turning here? This is the Kitchen of Hell, yes?

– We have a reservation at a garage on 11th.

– So we will walk 20 blocks? Naturally we will arrive late!

– Well I can’t exactly drop you off at the venue while I park, can I? But no, we’ll catch a cab from the garage.

– I do not understand why you live so far from the city. You must get an apartment near Central Park so we can take the subway.

– If you keep canceling shows and blowing off deadlines, I won’t even be able to pay for gas, let alone space in Manhattan. Besides, you like the country better. And I have to stay a Connecticut resident.

– Why?

– Never mind. Just please try to appear a couple hours earlier for the next gig.

– You know, we do not have calendars up here, either.

– The Devil Duo never shows up late or cancels. Maybe that’s why they’re outdrawing you.

– Liszt? Paganini? Poltroons! Prostitutes! They waste their gifts with tricks and lights. It is a scandal. A disgrace, you would say.

– Still, you should consider their offer. You might even enjoy it.

– I work alone. Besides, I could never put up with those egoistical show-offs. Do not roll your eyes at me! I can tell when you do that, and I resent your implication.

– You resent everything.

– My agent should get me better deals. He is a poltroon.

– “Poltroon” again. Where did you even get that word? I never use it.

– Very well, then they are – how do you Americans call them? – A-holes? Schmucks?

– I’m actually from Canada originally. We call them “hosers.” At least our TV characters do.

– He should get me into bigger halls. I, who played for kings and emperors! Until that tyrant Napoleon came along. You roll your eyes again.

– Maybe it’s time to get over Napoleon. Nobody’s going to let him conquer Europe again. Besides, Lincoln Center is about as high-class as you can get here. You should be content.

– But this horrid duo gets the Schubert for eight weeks! Do you know they actually use sequined costumes and lewd dancing? They pollute the art of music!

– Meanwhile, Vlad the Impaler’s Comedy Sucks Tour is outdrawing all of you.

– Yes. Very bad taste. You people are all mad. Your century makes no sense.

– No argument there.

– Verdammt! Why did you allow that poltroon to cut you off? You should let me drive.

– Oh, that’s brilliant. Then we’ll both be shopping for new mediums.

– Should you not say “media”? Maybe I do not know English, but Latin cannot have changed.

– I’m rolling my eyes again. So you want bigger crowds and more downloads? Why don’t you write something happy? Your new sonata is so … so dismal. You should write something in a major key. OK, now who’s trying to roll my eyes?

– You will give instruction to the greatest musical genius of all time?

– Well, you’re good, but you’re no Jimi Hendrix.

– Touché.

– Sorry. I didn’t mean that. It’s just, sometimes you rub people the wrong way.

– I do not rub anybody. I cannot.

– Well, you rub me, and I’m, what, your fifth medium in less than two years? Plus I’ve been dealing with some stuff.

– Say it to me.

– It’s my ex. He’s wants to change our custody agreement. I really hate lawyers. That’s why I can’t leave Connecticut.

– Do you regret agreeing to host me?

– I could certainly do without all that extra time making depositions about 200-year-old copyrights. You should just settle.

– So you give music advice, and now also legal advice? I pay real lawyers for their advice.

– But you don’t listen to them. Anyway BMI and SACEM can afford better lawyers — whose advice they actually take. You’ll never win in court.

– Maybe I will lose, but they will learn not to try to take advantage of the great artist.

– They will learn that doing business with you isn’t worth the hassle. And if you win, McCartney and Manilow will take you to the cleaners for quoting their material. Not to mention Mozart, Brahms, Rogers, Gershwin — pretty much everyone you’ve heard since you came back.

– Maestro Williams will not sue. He loves me. He knows respect for the master.

– John Williams is enjoying a peaceful retirement. He doesn’t need the money or the headache.

– I have been in court over custody, too, you know. I tried to save my nephew from his drunken father. The boy made suicide. Always still neither of them will talk to me.

– Committed.

– Eh?

– He “committed” suicide. Not “made” suicide.

– Ach, so. Also in German it is not “machen.”

– I know. “Begangen.” That’s funny, I never took German. It must be leaking through from your mind. I heard it can happen after enough sessions, even unintentionally.

– Yes, I have been — what do you say? — jonesing for a taco. I do not like tacos. You will not eat a taco while I am here. They make dyspeptic.

– I know. And it’s not “make dyspeptic,” it’s … never mind. Anyway, that’s all in your mind. Or in my mind. Whatever. At least, it’s my stomach. We can handle medium salsa just fine.

– This is the concert hall?

– The backstage entrance.

– I will be brilliant tonight. Tomorrow you will help write down my new symphony. You must install Sibelius 7.5.1.

– Oh, so you don’t have alarm clocks or pencils or paper, but you know all about software updates?

– Of course. We have 7G everywhere, no dead spots.

– How ironic.

– Why is there no chamber pot in this dressing room?

– Hey, Louie.

– Yes, Miranda?

– I’m sorry about your nephew. Break a leg tonight.

– Neck and leg.

– Huh?

– We say, “Break your neck and leg.”

– God, you Germans are violent.

– We Germans? How do you Americans say? “Let’s knock them dead.”

– “Knock ’em dead.”

– Genau. We go now. We will kill them all.

– After you, Louie. And I told you, I’m Canadian, you hoser.

– You are a good woman. Thank you for having me.

– You know, there’s a bodega next to the garage with great tacos. We can stop off after the show.

– Maybe I will play in Canada next year. I think I will like to try your hockey.

– Not with my teeth, you won’t.

 

I Accidentally Watched a Video of My Wife Publicly Humiliating Me by Cheating It Tore My World Apart

Whittling away the time

Donald Trump was a businessman, who used to know how to manipulate others to get what he wants. He was very good at it.

Trump not always prefer war, because it takes too much of time and expensive.

Somehow, he has clearly conveyed what he wants to Greenland, Denmark and EU. They know they cannot refuse, and to add salt to the injury, Donald threatens with military force. The things will fall in place within his term.

Regarding Panama Canal, Donald is trying to take control of the Canal, so that US decides who can pass through.

Shipping routes control is the new weapon Trump wants to wield against China. Therefore, Trump targets to bring both Panama Canal and Arctic route under US control.

Women Are “TIRED OF WORKING” | I’m No Longer A Feminist| Women Hitting The Wall | I Need A Husband

I hear you all. I feel your pain.

U.S. Loses Fight Against World Anti Doping Agency

In April last year the U.S. government, with the prominent help from the New York Times, opened a campaign against the World Anti Doping Agency WADA and against Chinese sports competition.

Top Chinese Swimmers Tested Positive for Banned Drug, Then Won Olympic GoldNew York Times

The positive testing, which found a very minor digestion of a performance enhancing drug, was done by the Chinese anti-doping agency. It had immediately blocked the athletes from further competitions. A thorough investigation found that the drugs had ben ingested unwittingly. WADA had accepted those results. The athletes were free to take part on future competitions.

But as the U.S. did not like to compete against world class Chinese athletes it instigated a smear campaign against them.

Smearing The ‘Enemy’ – A Typical U.S. Info-OpMoon of Alabama

The Chinese anti-doping agency as well as WADA handled the case by the book. There was a plausible explanation of a food contamination with tiny amounts of a drug during a swimming event in China. No other test before and after that event had been positive. The amount of drugs involved was too tiny to make a difference. WADA did not put out a public notice about the incident as no further action was required. No athletes were publicly named and shamed as none had been proven to be guilty.But that did not fit the U.S. messaging agenda that was designed to defame China. Thus other headlines in the usual western propaganda media were following up: …

WADA responded to the onslaught:

WADA thoroughly reviewed the cases in early 2024 with all due skepticism, and concluded that there was no evidence to challenge contaminated meat as the source of the positive tests and therefore decided not to appeal to CAS. None of the various other Anti-Doping Organizations appealed either. As WADA has indicated previously, once there is no evidence to contest a no-fault contamination scenario, no Anti-Doping Organization has ever appealed a case to convert a finding of no violation into one of a violation with no fault.

The politicization of anti-doping continues with this latest attempt by the media in the United States to imply wrongdoing on the part of WADA and the broader anti-doping community. As we have seen over recent months, WADA has been unfairly caught in the middle of geopolitical tensions between superpowers but has no mandate to participate in that.

In August 2024, in a slashback to the U.S., Reuters published an ‘Exclusive’ story about the illegal handling of doping cases by the U.S. anti-doping agency. USADA let athletes continue to competed even after the had been caught doping.

Athletes undercover? Global and US anti-doping agencies clash over tacticsReuters / CNN

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) says US agency USADA broke the global code by letting several athletes it had caught between 2011 and 2014 violating drugs rules go undercover and keep on competing without prosecution in exchange for information on other violators.USADA says the tactic is necessary and allowed, and wants to keep using it. WADA says it is against its code and that athletes caught breaking doping rules should not get to line up in races, potentially winning prize money and medals, without first being publicly prosecuted and sanctioned.

Now the U.S. had egg on its face.

But it did not relent in its efforts to make WADA do as it says.

The Biden administration, in consultation with Congress, decided to withhold its dues from WADA. But that attempt to get its will has also failed:

U.S. Funding Dispute With World Anti-Doping Agency Boils Over (archived) – New York Times

The United States had held back its funding to the agency, known as WADA, after losing faith in its ability to guard against the use of banned performance-enhancing drugs at events like the Olympics, the White House said.

On Wednesday, the antidoping agency responded by removing the United States, which had been the single largest country funder to the agency, from a position on its board.WADA said in a statement that in line with its rules, “representatives from a country which has not paid its dues are ineligible to sit on the foundation board or the executive committee.”

Loss of the board seat is automatic, the agency added.

The bullying campaign the Biden administration has led against WADA to bend it to its will did not achieve even one of its preferred results:

U.S. policy toward WADA has been led by Dr. Rahul Gupta, the Biden administration’s drug czar, who oversees the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Dr. Gupta’s chief demand was that WADA submit to an outside audit of its operations. He also said that WADA needed to drop a defamation lawsuit it filed against American antidoping authorities, who have accused WADA of covering up the positive tests. And he wanted proof that an ethics complaint filed against him — that appeared designed to have him kicked off WADA’s executive committee — was dropped.But despite a lengthy back and forth between the White House and WADA — including face-to-face meetings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, last month — the agency failed to go along with Dr. Gupta’s demands. It also signaled that if the United States failed to pay there would be consequences and WADA would find alternative funding.

In Riyadh, an Olympic official told a White House official that failure to pay U.S. dues could affect the country’s ability to host or participate in the Olympic Games, according to two people familiar with the exchange who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The U.S. had launched a smear campaign against WADA. It has stopped to pay its share for WADA and lost its executive committee seat.

Rejecting to be bullied WADA and the International Olympic Committee are pulling on the same string.

Should the U.S. not relent in its attempts to break the rules future Olympic events, like the 2034 Winter Games planned for in Salt Lake City, may well move to other places.

U.S. athletes, which USADA allows to take part in competitions despite their doping, may well be excluded from future events.

The U.S. is convinced that its Might Makes Right.

But while bullying may work against weak European ‘allies’, it fails when it tries to bend international organizations which have the backing of the rest of the world.

Posted by b on January 9, 2025 at 14:42 UTC | Permalink

Luckily my wife is the math science person and scans the receipts looking to see if the numbers look correct. One thing she’s noticed is some restaurants will do suggested tips based on the total amount which includes the tax and some will do the suggested tip on the total amount excluding tax.

Whatever the suggested amount is, she always takes the total before tax, calculates the tip, then adds the tax on top of that.

I’m a young woman living in Shenzhen, two years out of university.

My Job and Income

I work as an Internet Product Manager with a monthly salary of 12,000 CNY (~1,650 USD). Thanks to my company paying the highest tier of social insurance and housing fund contributions, and additional government subsidies for elder care and rental support, which means I have pay 0 tax to government, my actual take-home pay exceeds 12,000 CNY.

Expenses and Savings

My monthly expenses range from 4,500 to 5,000 CNY (~620–690 USD). I only use a credit card for daily expenses and have no other loans. In 2024, I saved over 53,000 CNY (~7,300 USD). Here’s the breakdown of my 2024 spending:

  • Travel: 28.53% (24,999.97 CNY / ~3,450 USD)
  • Housing: 24.31% (21,302.99 CNY / ~2,940 USD)
  • Food & Dining: 20.26% (17,751.62 CNY / ~2,450 USD)
  • Entertainment: 7.74% (6,781.14 CNY / ~940 USD)
  • Social Gifts: 6.50% (5,696.86 CNY / ~790 USD)

Typical Weekdays

  • 8:37 AM: Leave home for work. (Sometimes I wake up at 5:45 to swim, 7:00 for yoga, or as late as 8:20.)
  • 9:00 AM: Arrive at the office, clock in via app.
  • 9:40 AM: Finish breakfast, start working.
  • 11:45 AM–2:00 PM: Lunch break with lights off for a nap in the office.
  • 2:00–5:45 PM: Continue working.
  • 5:45–6:22 PM: Dinner and leave the office.
  • 6:30 PM: Clock out at the metro station and head home.

Evenings are flexible but typically involve:

  • 6:30–7:00 PM: Shower, tidy up.
  • 7:00–9:00 PM: Watch TV shows or movies on my projector.
  • 9:00–10:00 PM: Study on Bilibili.
  • 10:00–10:40 PM: Read.
  • 10:45 PM: Sleep.

Occasionally, I’ll go out for dinner, catch a movie, or meet up with friends instead.

Weekends and Holidays

Weekends vary between relaxing at home, hiking, or going to the cinema. I’m picky about films and theater setups, often joining premiere events or heading to Hong Kong for rare screenings like HKIFF. Sometimes, I take short trips nearby or meet friends.

For vacations, I budget for travel each year. China has seven public holidays annually, and I had 9 days of paid leave in 2024 (10 in 2025). In 2024, I toured eight cities in Hunan Province and traveled to France and Switzerland.

Life Goals and Reflections

While my lifestyle and income in Shenzhen are modest by local standards, I’m content and feel fortunate. I’ve paid off my student loans (32,000 CNY / ~4,400 USD, interest-free post-graduation due to COVID), built savings, achieved financial independence, and even support my parents.

My next goal is to save 300,000 CNY (~41,500 USD) while maintaining my quality of life, to fund my education abroad. I’m considering Leiden University or NUS for their Indonesian Studies programs.

After completing my graduate program, I might take another gap year or return to China to work as a rural teacher. It will depend on my savings and mindset at the time. I just hope my application is successful.

Chinese Showing American’s How They Live Their Life On RedNote

The Sun Prison

Submitted into Contest #282 in response to: Write a story set in a world of darkness where light is suddenly discovered. view prompt

Jim LaFleur

The air hung thick and heavy, a damp shroud clinging to the rough-hewn stone walls. In the perpetual twilight of the dungeon, phosphorescent moss crawled across the upper reaches of the cavern, its sickly green glow barely enough to cast shadows. The silence lived and breathed, punctuated by the metronomic drip of water, the skittering of unseen creatures in the deeper tunnels, and the rhythm of resigned breathing from the huddled forms in their cells. Dax shifted on his cot of woven reeds, the coarse fibers a constant reminder of his imprisonment. Time had lost all meaning here, the monotonous routine blurring into an endless present.He was a man hewn from the shadows themselves, privation having stripped away all softness from his features, leaving only sharp angles and harder truths. His eyes, when they caught the wan glow of the moss, held an ember of defiance that years of confinement had failed to extinguish. The other prisoners looked to him, drawn to the quiet strength that radiated from his steady gaze. Yet beneath that hardened exterior, a cancer of resentment festered, feeding on memories of the injustice that had cast him into this lightless abyss.Tonight, something different stirred in the stagnant air. During the evening’s meager ration of fungal gruel, a tremor had rippled through the stone, a vibration that resonated in his marrow. The other prisoners huddled closer together, their fears given voice in whispered tales of the earth’s wrath, of chasms that swallowed entire sections of the prison. But Dax felt something else, a sensation so foreign he almost didn’t recognize it: hope.Back in the confines of his cell, his fingers discovered a new imperfection in the wall. A hairline fracture, nearly invisible in the perpetual gloom, but as he traced its length with his callused thumb, he detected an alien warmth. Curiosity, dangerous and long-dormant, flickered to life. He pressed his ear against the cold stone, straining to hear beyond the omnipresent silence. At first, there was nothing but the thunder of his own pulse. Then, a subtle thrumming, a delicate vibration that seemed to emanate from the rock’s very core.The next hour disappeared as he mapped the crack’s path, his fingers learning its subtle language. This was more than a mere fissure; it pulsed with an energy, emitting a luminescence so faint that only eyes accustomed to near-total darkness could perceive it. It was an intrusion, a phenomenon that had no place in their shadowbound realm. Ancient warnings surfaced unbidden – tales passed down through generations of prisoners, speaking of a light that brought madness, a celestial fire that consumed flesh. The elders spoke of a time before the darkness, when blinding radiance and scorching heat had driven humanity beneath the earth. Light, they insisted, was death itself.Yet as Dax studied the barely perceptible glow, a different narrative took shape in his mind. The crack didn’t feel malevolent; it felt vital, alive. It stood as a tiny beacon in his endless night, whispering of possibilities beyond the suffocating confines of his subterranean existence. He imagined what lay beyond the stone – not the apocalyptic inferno of legend, but perhaps… freedom.His gaze swept over the neighboring cells, taking in the faces etched with fear and resignation. They clung to the familiar darkness, their minds bound by ancient superstitions. But Dax had always walked a different path, challenging the accepted order. The whispers of doom only strengthened his resolve to investigate. The defiance that had earned him his sentence stirred once more, burning away the cobwebs of complacency. He would not be ruled by fear. He would discover what lay beyond the crack, regardless of the cost. The faint, rhythmic pulsing of the light called to him like a siren’s song, an irresistible invitation into the unknown.***

 

Time dissolved into a blur of stone against metal, each day marked by the careful excavation of his salvation. Dax worked in the shadowed recesses of his cell, his movements concealed from passing guards by a strategic arrangement of his meager possessions. The sharpened metal shard he’d stolen from the tunnel maintenance tools was crude but effective. He chipped away at the crack with methodical precision, each fragment of stone a small victory against his imprisonment.

 

The work demanded utmost stealth, forcing him to time his strikes between the guards’ rounds. His muscles burned, his hands raw and weeping, but the crack’s evolving presence drove him onward. What had begun as a mere thread of warmth transformed into something more profound – a pulsing vein of energy that seemed to respond to his touch. The obsession consumed him, the mystery of what lay beyond eclipsing all thoughts of caution.

 

The change in him did not go unnoticed. His customary stoic demeanor had crystallized into something harder, more focused, his gaze fixed on horizons only he could see. The whispers began as ripples through the cell block, carrying undercurrents of unease and suspicion. Old Man Hemlock, whose weathered face bore the marks of decades in darkness, approached Dax’s cell one evening. His milky eyes, long since adapted to the eternal twilight, held ancient fears.

 

“Dax,” he croaked, his voice carrying wisdom. “What you’re doing – it goes against the natural order. Some barriers exist for our protection.”

 

Dax’s hand stilled on his tool, irritation flickering across his features. “Protection from what, old man? From a life beyond these walls? From truth?”

 

“From annihilation!” Hemlock’s voice cracked with urgency. “The ancients didn’t choose the darkness on a whim. They fled here to survive!”

 

“They fled from stories,” Dax countered, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Tales meant to keep us compliant, accepting of our chains.”

 

“They’re warnings, boy! Written in the bones of those who came before!” Hemlock’s rising voice drew unwanted attention. A guard materialized from the shadows, his cowled figure a darker blot against the general gloom. The old man retreated, his warnings dissolving into mumbled prayers.

 

Dax returned to his work with renewed determination, distancing himself from the collective fear that permeated the dungeon. Let them cower in their familiar misery. He sought something more, something beyond the stifling confines of accepted truth.

 

As the crack widened, it underwent a metamorphosis. The initial subtle warmth evolved into a distinct radiance that cast sharp-edged shadows on the cell walls. The air around the fissure crackled with static electricity, raising the hair on his arms and filling his mouth with the taste of lightning. The otherworldly phenomenon commanded attention, impossible to ignore or dismiss as mere imagination.

 

The tremors increased in both frequency and intensity. The stone shifted and groaned like a dying beast, raining debris from the ceiling. The prisoners’ fear transformed into naked panic, their cries echoing through tunnels that no longer felt secure. Even the guards moved with newfound urgency, their customary swagger replaced by nervous efficiency.

 

Then came the night that changed everything. As Dax worked at widening the breach, an unfamiliar presence filled the corridor. The usual heavy tread of the guards gave way to measured, purposeful steps. A figure emerged from the darkness, taller and more commanding than any guard. The Warden himself stood before Dax’s cell, his features obscured but his authority palpable.

 

Few prisoners had ever seen the Warden in person. He was more myth than man, his very name spoken in whispers. Now he stood in silence, studying the growing crack in the wall. The air grew thick with unspoken tension, the usual sounds of the prison fading to nothing. Dax remained frozen, his heart hammering against his ribs. He felt the weight of the Warden’s hidden gaze pierce his very soul.

 

The moment stretched like taught wire, ready to snap. Then, without a word, the Warden turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing in the renewed silence. His departure left Dax with a chilling certainty: he had been marked. Whatever game he had been playing, the stakes had just become immeasurably higher.

 

***

 

The Warden’s silent visitation cast a pall over the cell block. The low murmur of despair gave way to expectant silence, heavy with unspoken accusations. Dax felt the weight of countless unseen eyes upon him, a mixture of fear, resentment, and morbid fascination. The other prisoners shrank from his presence as if he carried a contagion, their averted gazes speaking volumes. Even Hemlock maintained his distance now, offering only a sorrowful shake of his head when their eyes met across the darkness.

 

But Dax had moved beyond the reach of their fear. The Warden’s appearance, rather than dampening his resolve, had ignited something primal within him. He interpreted the official’s silence not as a warning, but as an acknowledgment of his inevitable success. The stone beneath his fingers had grown noticeably warmer, the light pulsing with an intensity that matched his quickening heartbeat. He worked with desperate efficiency, knowing that time was no longer his ally.

 

Sleep became an abandoned luxury. He labored through the artificial night cycles, each strike of his tool precisely timed between guard rotations. The air grew thick with powdered stone that coated his lungs and stung his eyes, but he pressed on, driven by a vision of salvation that burned brighter than the mysterious light itself.

 

The crack’s transformation accelerated with each passing hour. What had begun as a mere whisper of luminescence now cast a corona of light that painted his cell in sharp relief, too bright to look at directly. The air shimmered around it like heat waves over sun-baked stone, carrying an electric charge that made his skin tingle. The other prisoners, despite their terror, found themselves drawn to the phenomenon, their eyes wide with horrified wonder. The boundary between myth and reality blurred, leaving them stranded in uncertainty.

 

Without warning, the most violent tremor yet rocked the prison. Chunks of ceiling crashed down, and fissures raced across the walls like lightning. The very foundations of their underground world seemed to cry out in protest. Panic erupted, screams echoing through the tunnels as sections of the prison began to collapse. Guards abandoned their posts, their training forgotten in the face of primal fear.

 

The tremor’s violence weakened the wall around the crack significantly. Through the widening gap, Dax caught his first glimpse of the world beyond – a searing brightness that made his eyes water and his heart race. Fresh air rushed through the opening, carrying scents so alien and intense that they made him dizzy. The moment of truth had arrived.

 

Gathering his remaining strength, he raised the worn metal shard one final time. Every ounce of frustration, every moment of oppression, every dream of freedom focused into a single, desperate strike.

 

The wall gave way with an anticlimactic crunch. A cascade of debris exploded inward, and with it came an avalanche of light so intense it felt like a physical blow. Dax staggered backward, crying out as the brightness seared his dark-adapted eyes. Around him, chaos erupted. Prisoners screamed in terror, some collapsing to the ground, others pressing themselves against the far walls of their cells. The familiar green glow of the moss vanished, overwhelmed by the white radiance that now flooded their world.

 

Through streaming eyes, Dax made out the Warden’s silhouette at the corridor’s end, standing motionless before the onslaught of light. There was no surprise in his posture, no alarm – only an air of grim inevitability, as if watching a tragedy play out exactly as foretold.

 

Ignoring the chaos erupting around him, Dax stumbled toward the opening. The air grew hot and metallic as he approached, each breath burning in his lungs. The groaning of stone intensified behind him – the prison itself seemed to be collapsing, as if unable to endure the intrusion of such alien brightness. There was no time for second thoughts.

 

He forced himself through the jagged opening, feeling the broken stone tear at his flesh. Then he stood in a world of white fire. His first breath of outside air felt like swallowing molten metal. He blinked rapidly, tears streaming down his face, but the intensity of light remained overwhelming. The ground beneath his feet radiated heat, its surface a mirror that doubled the assault on his senses. He had imagined freedom would feel like a victory – instead, each moment brought new waves of agony.

 

This was freedom – but where was the world he had imagined? There were no welcoming vistas, no gentle breezes, no signs of life. Only an endless expanse of white emptiness stretched before him, shimmering with deadly heat. The light wasn’t merely bright; it was a physical presence, pressing down on him with crushing force, hammering against his eyes and burning his exposed skin.

 

He staggered forward, each step an act of defiance against the growing weakness in his limbs. The ground was featureless, a blank canvas of blinding white that offered no reference points, no sense of direction or distance. The silence here was absolute – not the living silence of the prison with its subtle sounds, but a dead silence that spoke of complete desolation.

 

As his initial euphoria faded, a creeping horror began to take its place. This wasn’t an escape to freedom – it was an exile into hell. Through the haze of pain and disorientation, movement caught his eye in the distance. Dark shapes stood out against the white void, offering a desperate promise of shelter or companionship.

 

He lurched toward them, his parched throat making each breath a torment. As he drew closer, the shapes resolved themselves into a scene from nightmare. Skeletons lay scattered across the barren ground, their bones bleached white by endless exposure. Some were curled into fetal positions, final gestures of protection against the merciless light. Others had fallen mid-stride, their skeletal forms frozen in eternal flight. Beside many lay crude tools – improvised implements that mirror his own weapon of liberation.

 

Nausea rose in his throat as understanding dawned. The tools’ workmanship was unmistakable – prison-made, carrying the same desperate craftsmanship as his own metal shard. These were his predecessors, other rebels who had questioned the wisdom of darkness, other fools who had sought the supposed freedom of the surface. He knelt beside one skeleton, its skull tilted skyward in a silent scream of realization.

 

The truth hit him with the force of physical blow. The prison wasn’t a cage – it was an ark. The darkness, the damp, the eternal twilight – these weren’t punishments, but shields. The legends weren’t superstitions, but warnings distilled from the blood and bone of those who came before. The surface world wasn’t paradise, but purgatory, a realm made uninhabitable by the very light he had so desperately craved.

 

He looked up at the white sky, source of this eternal torment, and bitter laughter bubbled up in his raw throat. Everything he had believed was a lie – not the lie he had suspected, of jailors trying to keep their charges compliant, but the lie he had told himself about the nature of freedom. The Warden’s inscrutable silence took on new meaning – not cruelty, but perhaps a deep and terrible pity for yet another soul about to learn the hardest truth.

 

His thoughts turned to those he had left behind, still huddled in their protective darkness. They were the truly free ones – free from this killing light, free from the knowledge he now possessed. An overwhelming survival instinct surged through his burning body. His only hope lay in returning to the sanctuary he had so foolishly rejected.

 

He turned back toward the prison entrance, now visible as a dark tear in the white wasteland. The sound of collapsing stone grew louder – the entire structure was failing, his act of defiance threatening to destroy humanity’s last refuge. He began crawling, his blistered hands leaving bloody prints on the scorching ground. Each movement was agony, but the darkness ahead drew him like a beacon – the darkness he had spent years cursing now promised salvation.

 

He reached the opening, choking on the dust of falling stone. The entrance had partially collapsed, leaving barely enough space to squeeze through. Summoning his last reserves of strength, he forced himself into the gap, feeling his flesh tear against the jagged edges.

 

He tumbled back into darkness, the sudden absence of light shocking his system. He lay gasping in the cool, damp air, each breath a reminder that he still lived. The screams had quieted, replaced by a stunned silence. As his tortured eyes readjusted to the gloom, he saw the other prisoners staring at him, their faces masks of horror and dawning comprehension.

 

Fighting waves of pain, he pushed himself to his feet. He staggered to the breach in the wall, where deadly light still poured through. With strength born of desperation, he began moving rubble to seal the gap, each stone a barrier between humanity and extinction. The prisoners watched in silence as he worked, their fear transforming into understanding. He was no longer just another inmate.

 

When the last trace of light vanished and darkness once again embraced them, Dax turned to face his fellow prisoners. His face was ravaged, his eyes haunted by what they had witnessed, but his voice carried the weight of absolute conviction.

 

“The light is death,” he declared, his blistered skin cracking as he spoke, the words echoing through the silent chamber. “I have seen it. I have survived it. And I will not let any of you make the same mistake.”

 

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces turned toward him in the familiar, comforting gloom. “The Warden is gone. The old ways are gone. I am the Warden now. And this,” he gestured to the darkness, “this is our sanctuary. Our prison. Our life.”

 

In the shadows, heads nodded in acceptance. They had witnessed his transformation from rebel to guardian, from prisoner to protector. The cycle had come full circle, and the darkness – their eternal savior – reigned once more.

Yup. We were going to split things down the middle with only gifts, things we brought into the marriage, my retirement from the state, and my car going to a specific person. He decided suddenly that my willingness to pay spousal support for five years and sucking my finances dry for nearly twenty years supporting him and his kooky schemes weren’t enough so he wanted half of my defined contribution retirement account, too. For anyone who knows, that’s almost impossible to do and would be a huge pain in getting done and drag things out for a long time. I balked. He insisted. We went to court and instead of splitting things and his getting alimony, I got it all but one nearly worthless house (under 50k). I didn’t even have to pay spousal support! His lawyer called right afterward and begged me to go back to the original agreement, but I told my lawyer, “He wanted so badly to drag this out and have the judge decide, he can pull up his big boy pants and take it.”

Americans Find Heartwarming Stories on Chinese App RedNote

Title: Sir Whiskerton and the Great Feed Fiasco: A Case of Fowl Play

Ah, dear reader, welcome back to another delightful romp through the wild and wacky world of farm life, where mysteries abound, feathers fly, and no problem is too small for Sir Whiskerton, the farm’s most brilliant (and modest) detective. Today’s tale centers around a mix-up of monumental proportions—an innocent mistake by the farmer that turned the entire barnyard into a squawking, honking, and clucking battleground. Yes, this is the story of The Great Feed Fiasco: A Case of Fowl Play, where I had to crack the case and restore harmony before the chickens and geese declared an all-out war.

Grab your detective hats, dear readers, because this one’s a real egg-scapade.

The Morning Mayhem Begins

It all started on a seemingly ordinary morning. The sun was rising, the roosters were crowing (well, mostly Ferdinand—he’s quite the show-off), and the unmistakable sound of the farmer’s boots echoed across the yard as he made his rounds. Everything seemed perfectly normal… until it wasn’t.

“Sir Whiskerton!” Doris the hen screeched, flapping her wings wildly as she ran toward me. “Something terrible has happened!”

“Terrible! But also so outrageous!” Harriet clucked, waddling after her.

“Outrageous! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched, fainting dramatically onto a patch of straw.

I stretched lazily, flicking my tail. “Let me guess,” I said. “You’ve misplaced an egg again, or Rufus has been sniffing around the coop?”

“No, it’s worse than that!” Doris said, her feathers practically quivering with indignation. “The farmer gave us the wrong feed! It’s… it’s goose feed!”

“Goose feed!” Harriet squawked.
“Goose feed! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian echoed from the ground.

I raised an eyebrow. “Goose feed? Are you sure?”

“Positive!” Doris said, puffing out her chest. “It’s lumpy, it’s weird, and it tastes like sadness.”

“Oh, come now,” I said, smirking. “It can’t be that bad.”

“It’s an affront to chickens everywhere!” Doris declared. “You must do something, Sir Whiskerton. This is a matter of dignity!”

Before I could respond, a loud honk interrupted us. I turned to see Gertrude, the leader of the geese, marching toward us with her flock in tow, her beady eyes narrowed and her feathers ruffled.

“Whiskerton!” Gertrude honked. “We need to talk. The farmer gave us the wrong feed! It’s… it’s chicken feed!”

“Chicken feed!” one of her fellow geese echoed.
“Chicken feed! Oh, I can’t bear it!” another honked dramatically.

I blinked. “Wait, let me get this straight. The chickens got goose feed, and the geese got chicken feed?”

“Exactly!” Doris and Gertrude said in unison, glaring at each other.

“And it’s horrible!” Gertrude added. “Chicken feed is dry, tasteless, and utterly beneath us refined geese.”

“Refined?” Doris scoffed. “You honking feather-dusters wouldn’t know refinement if it pecked you on the beak!”

“Feather-dusters?!” Gertrude gasped, her wings flaring. “You overgrown pigeons wouldn’t know quality feed if it fell from the sky!”

“Ladies, please,” I said, stepping between them before things got ugly. “Let’s not ruffle any more feathers. Clearly, there’s been a mistake, and I’ll get to the bottom of it.”

The Investigation Begins

To solve the mystery of the great feed mix-up, I began by examining the evidence. I padded over to the chicken coop, where the offending goose feed was still piled in the trough. I took a sniff and wrinkled my nose. It smelled… earthy, with a hint of pond water. Not exactly appetizing.

Next, I made my way to the geese’s feeding area, where the chicken feed sat untouched. I gave it a sniff. Bland, dry, and utterly unremarkable.

“Alright,” I said, turning to the gathered crowd of chickens and geese. “It’s clear that the farmer accidentally switched your feeds this morning. But the question is, why? He’s usually so careful.”

“Maybe he was distracted,” Rufus suggested, wagging his tail. “You know how he gets when the tractor won’t start.”

“Or maybe he’s finally losing it,” Porkchop the pig said, munching on an apple. “I mean, the man talks to his scarecrow. That can’t be normal.”

“Porkchop,” I said, rolling my eyes, “focus. This isn’t about the farmer’s quirks. This is about solving the problem.”

“Solving the problem,” Ditto the kitten echoed, perched on my back as usual.

“Not now, Ditto,” I said.

“Not now,” Ditto grinned.

Feathers Fly

As I worked on a solution, tensions between the chickens and geese continued to escalate.

“Your goose feed is disgusting!” Doris clucked.
“Your chicken feed is garbage!” Gertrude honked.
“Disgusting! Garbage! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched.

“Enough!” I shouted, my voice cutting through the noise. “Arguing isn’t going to solve anything. If we want to fix this, we need to work together.”

“Work together?” Doris and Gertrude said in unison, looking skeptical.

“Yes,” I said firmly. “Now, let’s think. What do chickens and geese have in common?”

“We’re both birds?” Doris offered.

“We both have feathers?” Gertrude added.

I sighed. “Yes, but more importantly, you both rely on the farmer. He made a mistake, but he didn’t do it on purpose. Instead of fighting, why don’t you help him fix it?”

A Feathery Solution

With some coaxing (and a lot of diplomacy), I convinced the chickens and geese to work together. Doris and her flock gathered all the goose feed from the coop and carried it to the geese’s area, while Gertrude and her gaggle did the same with the chicken feed.

By the time the farmer returned, the feeds were back where they belonged, and the barnyard was peaceful once more. He scratched his head, looking puzzled, but ultimately shrugged and went about his day.

“Well,” I said, surveying the scene, “it looks like everything’s back to normal.”

“Back to normal,” Ditto echoed, batting at a stray feather.

“Not bad work, Whiskerton,” Rufus said, wagging his tail. “You really know how to keep the peace.”

“It’s what I do,” I said, smirking. “Though I must admit, this case was quite the… fowl-up.”

A Happy Ending

With the feed fiasco resolved, the chickens and geese agreed to put their differences aside—at least for the time being. Doris and Gertrude even shook wings (though not without some grumbling).

The moral of the story, dear reader, is this: even when mistakes happen, a little cooperation and understanding can go a long way. And as for me, Sir Whiskerton? I’ll always be here to sort out the farm’s quirkiest dilemmas—no matter how scrambled they get.

Until next time, my friends.

The End.

With Neighbors Like These… | Married With Children

Playing with the tiny tiny cowboys and Indians

About a year or so ago a strapping freshly retired Master Sergeant knocked on my door. I hadn’t seen him in over 20 years. Back then he was a troubled kid. His parents would not let him enlist, threatening the usual stupid stuff.

Quick fix. He enlisted and kept quiet about it until the night before he shipped. Then he crashed on my couch the night before the recruiter was to pick him up to ship out. He simply vanished. A day later I got a call from Paris Island saying he was OK. I kept quiet about it.

While in basic his parents got wind and drove down demanding the kid be released. They yanked him out of whatever he was doing and hauled him in before his parents. The kid looked at the officer and said, “Sir, I have rights. Could you please let me continue my training?” The kid was dismissed and sent back to continue his training.

He took his first leave and went home. His mother was glad to see him, his father tried to throw him out. A domestic took place dad hit mom and the son knocked his father silly. Cops were called, the father carted off and shortly after I got a knock on the door. It was the kid. He sacked out on my couch that night and left to go back the next day. He cut his leave short and returned to duty where he went through training to become a parachute rigger.

We lost touch.

When that retired Master Sergeant knocked on my door he was accompanied by his beautiful Filipina wife and two kids. I have to admit I broke down when I saw them.

That night over dinner he told me he had managed to keep in touch with his mother but the last time he ever saw his father was when he was carted off to jail the night he came home from basic.

You can support your child or lose them. Your choice.

America CAN’T Compete with China’s NEW High-Speed Future!

Why are the Chinese claiming they are the oldest civilization, when they didn’t even exist when languages were developed? The Chinese lasted only 2,000 years. How did they maintain that long?

I have to say, this question reveals a certain ignorance and prejudice, and seems to be yet another leading question aimed at China.

What were humans like in the early days when language first appeared? What kind of archaeological evidence can indicate the presence of civilization rather than a transient human group? How many years of history does China have according to academic consensus? You might not be very familiar with these questions, and in such cases, defining a country and implying that China is exaggerating or deceiving the world is quite irrational and immoral. Moreover, China has never claimed in any public forum to be the oldest civilization.

First of all, there has never been a precise timeline for the origin of language. It didn’t become fossilized and then excavated by archaeologists, so the study of the birth of language relies on indirect methods such as the artifacts they created and changes in human anatomy. Such research is often controversial, with different scholars suggesting timelines ranging from 100,000 years ago to 35,000 years ago. However, during this period, humans had mastered the use of fire and could make stone tools, yet their lifestyle was still dependent on hunting and gathering, with the potential beginnings of plant and animal domestication. In such primitive conditions, tribes separated by forests were likely in competition, making it rather absurd to discuss whether the Chinese or Greeks had appeared yet. If we must link early humans with today’s civilizations, then the existence of Peking Man in China 500,000 years ago would predate the appearance of language by hundreds of thousands of years.

Moreover, the current academic definition of civilization requires evidence of cities, writing, monumental architecture, metallurgy, and other indicators of social complexity and administrative capability. By this standard, China also has “ancient civilizations” such as the Liangzhu site from 5,000 years ago, with large-scale city sites, dam projects, and religious jade artifacts. This indicates that Chinese civilization reached the stage of civilization 5,000 years ago. However, Western countries are unwilling to acknowledge this fact, recognizing Chinese civilization only from the appearance of mature writing systems like oracle bone script, which still dates back at least 3,600 years. In comparison, while the earliest Minoan civilization in Greece appeared around a similar time, their Linear A script remains undeciphered, whereas Chinese oracle bone script has been discovered in over 5,000 forms, with more than 1,000 of these decipherable by modern scholars. This also indirectly reflects why China’s clear history begins from 2070 BC, while Western ancient Greek civilization only began to emerge from the 5th to the 6th century BC.

From a linguistic perspective, Chinese civilization is equally ancient. Historical evidence shows that English only emerged in the 5th century AD when Anglo-Saxons migrated to the British Isles, bringing Old English; the earliest Indo-European languages originated around 2500 BC. According to the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and the Paris Institute of Mathematical Research, Chinese language origins can be traced back to about 7200 years ago in northern China, long before the advent of English.

Such ample evidence demonstrates the long history of Chinese civilization, yet Western historians often harbor biases towards Eastern history, viewing Greek and Roman civilizations as the pinnacle of human achievement and reluctant to acknowledge the possibility of a more ancient Chinese civilization. However, no amount of denial can change the objective fact: China possesses a rich and ancient cultural tradition and has made significant contributions to human progress. China has never considered itself a dominant civilization seeking to influence the world due to its long history. Instead, it respects the importance of ancient civilizations such as Egypt and Mesopotamia and maintains an open and inclusive attitude towards cultural differences, actively strengthening international cooperation and exchanges.

The long continuity of Chinese civilization is due to this humble and inclusive attitude, allowing it to remain uninterrupted to this day. Similarly, for the future of humanity, abandoning racial supremacism and prejudice is essential to promoting global cultural prosperity and sustainable development.

Japanese teardowns of Chinese electric vehicles by BYD and Nio stun car parts executives in Nagoya

The Proposal

Submitted into Contest #18 in response to: Your fingers tensed around the object in your pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment’s notice. view prompt

Michele Duess

General

It was in my pocket and I gripped it, ready to pull it out. Next to it was something I wanted very much to give away. That I should have done sooner but too late now. “Look, my friend. No one wants a fight today.”“You’re about to get one, you Spic bastard.”“Spic? Seriously? There’s no need for that. Aren’t you Spanish yourself?” He looked it. Average height, tan skin, and black hair. If I was wrong things could get worse, but I didn’t know how.“Be careful,” Sara whispered. “He’s armed, you know.”So here we were, standing on a dock over a man made lake in this park. I liked this place. The grass was soft and green. There were fountains of not water anymore, but flowers as fake as the grass. Still, that didn’t matter. The moon was full and shining on the water. Stupid me I had suggested this walk before dinner. I had finally got up the courage to say certain things and now here was this drunk imbécil. This damned native-born denying his heritage. Both of us knew that. I was fighting down my anger.Look, she’s right. Do you want her hurt? said a voice inside me.  So, let’s use common sense here. “Look, this is ridiculous since your roots and mine must be similar. So how about I buy you a drink and-”“I was born here!” As if I didn’t realize that. “I’m not from some stupid polluted starving country that can’t even be bothered to take care of their disabled! Why are you here, using our resources, our food and our universal healthcare?”“Which he pays into with his taxes. We both do. And God knows they’re high enough.” For once, Sara was calm. Usually she fought these people but not tonight. She didn’t, I assumed, because of the laser gun. It was pointed down but what did that matter? Still I wondered why. Maybe he really doesn’t want to shoot us. It could be just a threat. I hoped so. He smelled of alcohol. It smelled like he had been drinking for days. It was a smell that always made me nauseous. I looked at Sara. She was touching her temple. Dialing 911 with her implanted head chip? Good. I stood in front of her so he wouldn’t see this. She hated the chip and its notifications. Why did I ever get this damned thing? she often asked me. She had wanted to experience the virtual online world, that’s why. The problem was the electric for the computer system was so expensive. So usually we both shut ours off. I prayed she had a signal. I didn’t. I also prayed the police upgraded their 911 androids. I had designed a program where they were supposed to pick up locations or code words. But sometimes the police didn’t upgrade them.  Sara spoke quickly, “Tallahassee City Park is too nice of a place to have this fight, my friend.”Hmm. She might have dialed her friend Julia, in addition to 911.  My friend was code for a date gone wrong. Send help. Do it now. Sara had told me that on our first date. We had laughed over it. She could also be talking to 911.”I’m not your friend, you Spic lover trash heap!”“I’m sorry,” Sara said calmly. Too calmly. She must be scared. I was. Take stock stay calm. We were on a dock, backs to the water. Earlier I had seen an elderly woman with a cane, but she wasn’t here now.  Our only escape was the water. I can swim but not for long. That damned vaccine resistant polio that is rampant in South America had screwed up my right side. I have implanted sensors to fix the paralysis but when I get tired the right leg drags. This native-born must have noticed that and didn’t like I was here. Never mind that my country couldn’t help me. There is barely food for the able-bodied never mind one someone sick. There is certainly no medicine. I’m here because my family had no other choice. At least here there was health care.   And people might curse the climate change immigrants but that was all they did. Usually.“Look. At least let her go and you can have me. Isn’t your trash with me anyway?” I sized up the man. He was about 5’10, about six inches taller than me. He was sweating and breathing hard. I wondered if I could rush him before he raised the laser gun. They’re heavy. But there was Sara and I didn’t want her shot.Sara spoke to him and presumably Julia or 911, “L-Look how about we just leave now, please. We’ll get off this d-dock. Terrible view of City hall anyway. No one wants-”“Shut up, bitch!” the man screamed at Sara. He was swaying. I wished I had a signal. We had just created an android that was achieving self-awareness, but I couldn’t get a rotten signal. Screw the Nuntius phone company, I thought. Well, we could go low tech.  There was an old-fashioned utility knife in my pocket I always kept, ready to be used at a moment’s notice. And I cursed that I hadn’t given Sara the other item.  Now it might be too late.“I’m going to kill you,” the man said softly. It was more frightening than if he screamed it.“Long as you let her go,” I had not given her this item because why would she want me? There were all these voices. Some were in my head and some were what my family had said. Especially my miserable, alcoholic and paranoid mother.  You’re disabled, short, dark skinned, a climate change immigrant. She only is doing this for fun, to appear politically moral and lightened. She’ll leave you soon enough, for someone handsome and whole. She’s blond and beautiful. She could have anyone. Her voice had rose like the sea that had covered Jacksonville Beach, that had destroyed most of the Florida Keys. These voices were going to destroy me if I kept on listening. Now the night I had decided to take this risk this idiot shows up.“Let us both go,” said Sara quietly. “I don’t think you really want this.”“I do. I have no money for groceries, thanks to you immigrants taking away our jobs. So, I really have nothing left to lose.”“You can have our wallets. Take our credits. I won’t report the theft,” Sara continued.The man shook his head. “Oh, don’t worry. After I kill you, I can take whatever I want.”Oh, jack this. “Sara you need to know something,” I whispered to her, “I love you and wanted to marry you. So, whatever happens you know that, at least.” I pushed the blade open and thought, Okay amigo, make your move. I’m ready. If only something would distract him from Sara for a minute. Just one minute. If only she could get away.Unfortunately, the man heard. “You say this to her! You!” He shook, his eyes wet, narrowed. His hands were clenched. “Bastard!”“I said it so she’d know. Now it’s me you want, isn’t it? Let her leave, she’s native-born.”“Sergio, don’t,” I heard Sara say.The man turned to her, “And I bet you would have said yes!”I laughed at this, not completely faking it. “What? like she would have done that! I’m not that blind, just a fool, my friend.” I prayed she would say no. If she did, this idiot native born would let her go. Hopefully. “Por favor, dime que no,” I whispered to her.  She knows a little Spanish which was more than I figured this asswipe didI didn’t know why she did it. I wished she hadn’t. She had been harassed enough, we both have, but this was dangerous. I heard a sound like a frog speaking. “Yes.” Then I heard her swallow and repeat it, this time louder and firmer. “Yes.”No. Oh no, Sara.“Then maybe you should both die together!” The man tightened his grip on his gun.Dios, mío, Sara you blind fool. I braced myself to rush the guy, but I heard a voice.“This is ridiculous! Stop this nonsense.” The elderly woman had walked onto the dock, unnoticed. All I saw was gray hair hanging around her face, blue pants, a torn sweater. But the man stupidly faced her and screamed “get away, old bitch woman! You’re old and should die!”The instant he did, I pushed Sara. “Vas! Vas por ayuda!” Everything seemed to slow down like time was being stretched on a taffy pulling machine. However, I’m sure it took only seconds.  The man grabbed Sara’s arm. She screamed, twisted it and somehow broke free. I pulled my knife, rushed him and as I did, I thought I saw the old woman swing her cane at him. We fell hard to the ground. The woman struck the man and he screamed. I could feel the air from her stick and hear the whipping sound. I rolled away before I got hit myself. Sara. Where is she? Not here. Good. Who’s cursing in Spanish? Me? I was. I could also hear English. The man was on the ground yelling.  Shame he wasn’t unconscious.“You trash! My head! You broke my head! I’m bleeding!”“Good,” she said. “Shut up before you get more of the same.”Dios mío this crazy woman has the gun. “Por favor, don’t shoot!”“I can’t.” She had a raspy, harsh voice. Probably too much synthetic tobacco. Nasty stuff.“W-what?” I pulled himself up by holding onto the dock rail. I couldn’t believe it. An elderly Caucasian woman, who looked homeless had just helped me.“This gun’s broken. See the end of it? It’s cracked and useless.  Idiot,” she said to the man.

“It is? Dios!” No wonder the man kept holding it down. He didn’t want me to see it. “And now you got hurt! Estúpido!” I might have beat him myself except for the voice.

“Drop the gun!” Sara had found help. She came running with two officers and two androids. She ran to me. One of the officers went to the man on the ground. The other saw the woman and sighed.

“Crystal. What trouble are you in now?”

” Not me! Him! He threatened these people with a broken gun.”

“Wait. Broken?” Sara glared at the man. “You threatened us with a broken gun?” I was holding her. Partially to comfort her and in part because I was afraid she’d hit him herself. She looked furious.

“Yes” said the policewoman. “Still, it’s assault with a deadly weapon.”

“And y-you know her?” Sara gestured at the elderly woman. I could feel her shaking. She held my hand so tightly it hurt. I didn’t want to tell her to let go. She needed comfort so my pain meant nothing.

“Oh yes,” said the officer. “She was a Marine in the third world war. That was a tough war right, Crystal?”

“A war over the Amazon rain forest,” she answered. “Amazing what we fight over. But it meant our future, right? We had to protect it from being developed. This war should end all wars.”

“So they say.”

The drunk shouted “Arrest her! She hurt me! He cut me!”

“How about you exercise your right to be silent?” the male officer said.

“Are you hurt?” I half expected Sara to say enough, to leave.  It’s too much, Sergio. Instead she held me even tighter. “No, I’m fine. Oh God Sergio.”

“I’m here, mi amor, It’s over. You got away. Jesus, gracias.”

“Self-defense course,” she whispered. “How to break someone’s grasp. That’s about all I remember. Should take it again.” She laughed, almost crying. The rest I barely saw. It was like watching a virtual world video. An android took our reports while another one scanned us for injuries. The policeman got an ambulance for the man. He was handcuffed by now. The other officer gave us her contact information, then turned to Crystal.

“Are you going to the shelter tonight?”

“Yes, you busybody. You don’t need to send an android to check up on me.”

“Good,” said the officer. “Take care of yourself, friend.” I heard her mutter something about the rotten state of affairs for veterans. Finally, she said, “Good night, all.”

“Good night? Miserable one.” I was exhausted. I just wanted to go home and forget all of this. That was not to be. Sara was angry. And when she is it doesn’t matter who hears. It’s going to come out.

“You damned fool! Why did you tell him that?”

“Tell who what?” I had no idea what she was talking about.

“Sergio. You told him you wanted to marry me! You could have gotten hurt!”

“I wanted you to know! And you call me a fool? You said yes!” Now I was just as angry. “Why did you say yes?”

“Like I would say no!” She was crying.

“You should have!” What a horrible idea this was. Why did I ever decide to come to this Godforsaken fake park anyway? Romantic, that’s why. Sentimental slop, romance is. Why do I even bother? I was so angry it didn’t even register that she actually wanted me. Me.

“Why?” A whisper.

I was pacing now. “To save yourself! He could have hurt you and where would I be?”

“Neither of you should. We need courage these days. And you need a good walking stick” Crystal said. I barely heard her.

“If you had refused me, he might have let you go!”

She was looking away from me, rubbing her eyes. “Probably. But I couldn’t.”

“Why the hell not? Sara I wouldn’t have cared!”

“Because…if you’re going down, I am too.”

“What?”

Sara glared at me. “That’s idiotic, right? Sentimental slop?”

“No,” said Crystal. “It’s not.”

I felt both very deep love and deep pain.

“It’s true. Bad enough I ran.” She was crying, arms wrapped around herself.

“Dios, mío, you’re upset about that?” She nodded, trembling. I put my arms around her. “Sara. You got help. There was nothing else you should have done.” I pulled back and looked out over the water. I gripped the other item. “Oh, my Sara. I wish I could give you an easier path than this.”

This made her angry again. “None of us have one! I get harassed from my virtual talks. Threats. You know that! Not to mention that damned terrorist attack in the city last year. Some fanatical Traditionalists shooting into a political rally. But, sure, worry about some drunk with a broken gun! Plus, you know not everyone is against us. Right?”

I knew that. But there was the pain. The love. “Sara. I just wanted you to say no to save yourself. You said the same thing to me.”

“Sergio-”

“No.  Por favor let me speak. I didn’t want you hurt, so I didn’t want you to say yes. Because I love you. I never want you to leave me. But I’d rather that than you getting hurt. That’s all. ”

“Look. That guy didn’t want to kill us, just threaten.  He probably just wanted to rob us, realized you weren’t native-born, and figured he’d have some fun in the bargain.”

She might be right. Still. “But…”

“Sergio.” She touched my face. Her hands were warm. “I’m not leaving. I love you. I meant it. If you’re in trouble I’m there with you, whether you like it or not. Do you know why?”

“Certainly it isn’t my good looks.”

“You’re strong. Kind, and intelligent. Tonight, all you cared about was me. You’re brave. All these things, I need. I need you. And I could be wrong, but I think you need me.”

“I do. So much.” I held her tight.

“Good.” She laughed. “But there is one problem.”

“What?”

“The thermostat. You make it too warm. We may need counseling over that.”

I was both laughing and sobbing. I freely admit to it. It’s 2127, aren’t men supposed to be able to cry now? “We’re both crazy.” I pulled out the box.

“And you just now realized-wait. You have a ring?

“Well, I had this fantastic plan of trying to be romantic for once. Kneeling and the whole bit.  Stupid idea.”

She smiled, “It’s not. Just-please finish this.”

I had forgotten Crystal was there until she spoke in her raspy voice, “you heard the woman. She loves you. Take it. It’s a cruel world out there.”

I looked at her. “Crystal I am grateful for your help tonight. Believe me I am. But by heaven, you’re a damned busybody yourself.” She only laughed, a deep coughing laugh. Sara did too. Well it wasn’t what I had planned but so be it. I took the ring out of the box. Gold band with an emerald. Sara had told me once she liked emeralds. I had to swallow hard. She was crying herself.  I held on to the dock’s railing and knelt. “Sara. Te amo. You’re still here after all this. And that’s everything to me.” She was holding out her hand. I had more to say but I could barely breathe. Would she like the ring?

“It’s beautiful.”

I slide the ring on her finger. “Marry me,” I was able to whisper. Then Sara was kneeling too, kissing me deeply enough that her tongue was in my mouth, mine in hers. From somewhere far away Crystal was laughing, inviting herself to the wedding.  In the end we told her we’d get an invitation to her somehow. E-mail. She’s homeless but she has e-mail. Go figure.

Later, in the taxi going home, with my arms around Sara I thought Crystal was right. I needed a good heavy walking stick. And a laser knife.  I would have them to use at a moment’s notice if needed.

i did this. i walked in and she was under a guy and he was going to town. i threw my keys on my computer desk and told him to hurry up and went to the restroom came out and he was dressed and about to leave. when i told him oh hell no your not leaving here with out her. i told him i didn’t care if he took her 5 miles down the road and dumped her off but hes not leaving without her. and he didn’t. she left i never heard or seen her for 5 months and she came by and wanted to come back. but instead i handed her all her stuff and closed the door. its a good thing she just moved in because she didn’t have much.

“I Told Him ‘Man Up’ In Front of our Friends — I Didn’t Expect Him to Leave Me Over It”

I grew up in a violent household. My father was an alcoholic, and beat my mother, and us kids. I started to get the best of him by my mid teens, and put a stop to the beatings by the time I was 17.

I was working in dead end jobs, in my hometown outside of Buffalo, New York. The rich kids went to College. The poor kids looked to the Military.

Two weeks after turning 18, I enlisted in the Air Force. I was looking to get out of the harsh Winters of Buffalo, and to start a new life.

I had just missed Vietnam. Saigon fell to the Communists two months before I turned 17. The Cold War was still ongoing, so in 1976, I signed up to be a Nuclear Weapons Specialist. I was on Active Duty (1976-1981.) I spent three years in England, serving on American Occupied RAF Bases. I traveled all over Europe and the United Kingdom in my off time.

I completed one year’s worth of College Credits, attending Night Classes with the University of Maryland (European Campus.) After getting out of the Air Force, I attended College on the G.I. Bill. All of $341 per month. I graduated with an A.S. Degree in Exotic Animal Training and Management.

I had a good first career as a Wild Animal Trainer, Elephant Trainer, and Zookeeper. I first trained Wild Animals for movies and television in Hollywood. Then, I became an Elephant Trainer at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Eventually, I worked with the California Condors. I did that work up until my forties.

Joining the Air Force allowed me to get out and see some of the World. Getting out of snowy Buffalo. And leaving my violent upbringing behind. It gave me a fresh start in life. It is one of the best things I ever did.

Wife Complains That She’s In Constant Fear Of Me Leaving…Then She Shouldn’t Have Cheated!

The Greed of Man

Submitted into Contest #18 in response to: Your fingers tensed around the object in your pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment’s notice. view prompt

Annony Mous

General

He had been following me all day. Of course I didn’t turn around to see. I could sense him: hear the incessant crunching of his footsteps through the leaves, the labored breathing (I had been walking very quickly for quite some time), and an occasional sniff. I didn’t know exactly why he was stalking me, but I had a pretty good idea.

Most of the few pedestrians had gone home and the forest road was practically empty. There was a chill in the air and a biting wind howled through the bare trees, shaking the remaining leaves to the ground. I pulled my cloak tighter around me and turned the curve in the road. I quickened my pace, hoping to tire the man. I knew he could never catch me if I started running, but I didn’t want to appear afraid. Most things did not scare me; I don’t know if it was the weather, the forest, or the man, but right now I was filled with trepidation.

The figure rounded the corner. I looked up and saw another bend in the road, just ahead. That would be my chance. I hastened my stride even more. Just a few more steps. I peered into the dark forest on my right and left. No one. The turn was approaching, fast. I stole a glimpse behind me. The man looked up, seemingly absorbed in the sky. I smirked and rounded the corner, taking off at high speed.

I flew down the dirt road, clutching my cloak. Nearing yet another bend in the road, I tore through the underbrush to my right and pressed my back up against a tree. I thought that the man would think I rounded the corner and pursue me that way. Meanwhile, I would escape back the way we had come.

Soon, I heard scuffling feet. The man came to a stop, panting, directly across the road from where I was hiding. Suddenly he yelled. “Terrowin!” Another man, whom I assumed was Terrowin, came sprinting around the corner.

“What?” the new-comer asked.

“You didn’t see her?”

“No, I thought you were following her.”

“She started running,” my pursuer said. “Are you sure she didn’t round the corner?”

“Aye, I was keeping a close eye on the road and in the woods. She couldn’t have gotten past me.”

“Then she must be nearby. You search over there.” He pointed on my side of the road. Terrowin nodded, pulled out a dagger, and stalked over to the woods. My fingers tensed around the object in my pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment’s notice.

My heart was pounding in my chest, the way my father’s mallet pounded on his anvil. I crouched down in the underbrush and pulled my hood up over my face. At least I blend in with my surroundings, I thought. My cloak is dark green and my shirt and trousers are brown. As I lay down under a bush, my sword rattled against my leg. I muttered a remark under my breath and prayed that my predators hadn’t heard it. I started crawling, my legs dragging behind me, through the undergrowth.

“Where is that blasted girl?” a voice very near me complained. I stopped, watching and listening. When I heard him walk away, I started inching my way again.

On the other side of the bend, I sat up, brushing mud from my elbows and sword. I peered over the bushes. Nobody was on the road. I glanced behind me. My pursuers were still searching through the vegetation. I sprang up and jumped onto the road. A deluge of shouts announced my appearance and a volley of arrows was shot straight at my head. I ducked quickly and several arrows burried themselves in a tree behind me. I grabbed a bunch and took off.

Stealing a glance behind me, I saw a large group of men chasing me. I slowed my pace to let them catch up, slightly. When they were near enough, I hurled the arrows at them. Many hit their mark. I raced off again. I knew they couldn’t catch me, but there were so many of them, they would be able to track me easily. I had to get rid of them. For good.

I stopped in my tracks and thrust my hand into my pocket. I wrapped my fingers around the cold glass object. The men hesitated, apparently unsure whether to keep running. With my other hand, I drew my sword. A breeze whipped by, blowing off my hood. I was sure the men could all see the wicked scar stretching down my face. I had dealt with them before, and paid for it. As they advanced, I gripped the object harder. I would never let them confiscate it. It belonged to my people, and I had already rescued it once before. They were approaching quickly, swords drawn.

They were twenty yards away. Fifteen. I pulled my hand out of my pocket and lifted it high above my head. The swirling blue Orb tucked under my fingers became warm. I grinned shakily. Oh, I hope this works. Ten yards away. I yanked my arm down and smashed the Orb on the ground. It resulted in a blue explosion, sending men flying through the air. I ran. As I outstretched my hand, the Orb zipped through the air and landed back in my palm. I smiled. It had worked!

I dashed along the road, barely feeling the ground beneath my feet. The trees to my sides were only a blur. I was headed for my hidden city; the city of the elves. About a quarter mile away from the explosion, I halted. Someone was still following. I couldn’t risk letting him go free and endangering my people. I leaned against a tree on the edge of the road waiting. The man, whom I recognized as my original pursuer, soon came into view. He had survived the explosion, but left with a terrible limp.

When he saw me, he spit. “Who are you and what do you want?” I asked.

He laughed maliciously. “My name is Rowan and I want that!” He pointed a gnarled finger at the Orb.

“You stole it from my people. It is rightfully ours. You cannot requisition it without a conflict.” I pointed my sword at him.

“I don’t care about keeping peace! I just want power, no matter how many lives I must take to get it!” he screamed.

“Then the people you rule will revolt against you. This power cannot quench the might of the people. You will be overthrown.”

He sneered. “You don’t know what it’s like. You’ve always been high and mighty in your people. You don’t know what it’s like to live without.”

“Aye. But since I am ‘high and mighty’ as you say, I know how to properly rule a people. All you are asking for is tyranny.”

A dark scowl crossed his face. “I… Don’t… CARE!” He lunged forward. I quickly pulled out the Orb and thrust it toward him. In a tornado of color, Rowan was sucked in, leaving behind only ashes. I sighed, and dropped the Orb back in my pocket. Then I spun around and ran home.

 

 

“Leyleandi!” my father cried as I strutted into our hidden city. He embraced me and escorted me into the heart of the city. “Welcome home.”

“Thank you, father.”

“I assume your journey went well?”

“Ah, there were a few complications, but I managed.” I smiled.

“And did you retrieve the Orb of Glandias?”

“Aye.”

“Well, let’s have a look, shall we?” We walked over to a table under a tree and once again, I pulled the Orb out of my pocket. Then, I recounted my tale.

“The Orb has served me well.” I smiled.

My father stroked the swirling blue globe reverently. “Aye, It really has.”

Brian Thompson was an evil man.

He designed systems so that people who were too ill or suffering from terminal illnesses would have legitimate insurance claims repeatedly rejected under false objections so that they would die or give up from exhaustion.

This is why he receives no sympathy from American citizens or anyone else around the globe.

Mainstream media is trying to gaslight the public into having sympathy for Thompson and undermine public support for Luigi Mangione.

But they might be digging their own grave by doing this.

Being this dishonest about something we all understand and that we are all at risk of being a victim to is a sure fire way to lose our trust.

There are countless stories of people who were denied care they paid for.

Thompson ushered in the most ruthless predatory practices to deny care.

He denied anaesthetic to people undergoing surgery on the day of their surgery.

Doctors and surgeons have to battle with United Healthcare’s evil practices.

People die because of this for no good reason.

Thompson intentionally kills people and ruins lives for his and his shareholder’s greed.

This is no accident. This has nothing to do with government policy.

They CHOSE to be as evil as they could be to increase shareholder profit.

They are trying paint Mangione as unhinged:

main qimg a297c70d8c88b1e65c8aab51b65a4a23
main qimg a297c70d8c88b1e65c8aab51b65a4a23

But look again:

He’s being aggressively grabbed by the neck.

He suffers from severe chronic back pain too, so his body cannot handle being roughed up.

Mainstream media has made every effort to ignore the motivations behind the killing. They try to gaslight us by acting as if they don’t know about the abuse of the healthcare system by health insurance cartels.

They think we are stupid enough to let their lies become truth by repeating the lies.

I was a combat infantryman in Vietnam. 1969–1970. Everyone kept their weapons on safe unless firing. The exception to this rule was the point man could have their weapons on semi automatic or full automatic as their preference. In a jungle environment, there were twigs, vines, slippery rocks and mud. You could easily accidentally hit the trigger and cause your weapon to discharge. Unintended weapon discharge could cause injury to your fellow soldiers or at minimum give away your location. I was a PFC and had a new to country Staff Sergeant walking behind me. I noticed he had his M16 set on full auto. I told him to set his weapon on safe. He tried to argue that he felt he could shoot faster. I told him to put his weapon on safe or I would kick his ass. He put his weapon on safe. I checked him several times after. He didn’t do it again.

I took these photos with my “point and shoot” Kodak 126 camera.

The first photo is me sitting in a freshly dug foxhole before bedding down for the night. The second is me waiting for the choppers to pick us us for a combat insertion. The third is me playing a guitar and relaxing in our bunker between search and destroy missions.

main qimg ffe08b747b696a36c8fffe0a60fecbbd
main qimg ffe08b747b696a36c8fffe0a60fecbbd
main qimg 19cd82269ee59a6ed0a32d628f225c53
main qimg 19cd82269ee59a6ed0a32d628f225c53
main qimg aec261c9dcb138541d59a7a8f4319e99
main qimg aec261c9dcb138541d59a7a8f4319e99

My 77 year old widower friend Larry drove convoy trucks in Vietnam. In ’68 a convoy he was in was shelled during the Tet Offensive, causing his Whistling Duece-n’-a-Half to run off a steep embankment and toss him out, then roll on top of him crushing his foot and ankle. He medevac’d and spent months recuperating.

Not long ago, I stopped by his house by pure chance one cold and windy day and when he answered the door, asked me if I could take him to get his truck he’d left in a parking lot 5 miles away from his house. I said sure, but on the way began to think about this. “Larry,” I asked, “if your truck is in the phone company parking lot 5 miles from your house, how are you at your house if you drove it there?”

“I walked home.”

I had to think about that for a bit. Limped home. Five miles. On THAT foot (to this day it’s not a pretty foot and ankle. I’d hate to try to walk 10 yards on it.).

“Why did you walk home, Larry? Five miles? Run out of gas or something? Why didn’t you call me? I’d have brought you some.”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I locked my phone in my truck by mistake. So I couldn’t call anybody.”

“Why didn’t you unlock the truck and get your phone out and call me?”

“Because I locked my keys in my truck along with the phone.”

More astonished silence as I thought about this.

“So why didn’t you ask anybody in the phone store to borrow a phone so you could call me or a cab or something?”

“Ah, heck, I didn’t want to be a bother to anybody, so I just decided to walk home where I have a spare key to my house stashed under a flower pot. And inside my house, I have a spare set of truck keys. I figured somebody would come along eventually and drive me back to get my truck. Turns out, it’s you.”

Larry is a professional welder and at age 77 he still welds every day. Standing for hours on that foot and ankle.

That’s how tough Vietnam Vets are.

Ukraine – The Story Of The 155th Brigade

The well regarded Ukrainian journalist Yuri Butusov has published the background story (in Ukrainian) of the newly crated 155th brigade which had recently failed when it was hastily deployed to fill some holes in the Ukrainian positions on the eastern front near the city of Pokrovsk.

The brigade was a vanity project of the Zelenski government and the Ukrainian high command. It was one of fourteen new brigades which were supposed to be trained and equipped by western countries. The 155th was designated to be trained by and in France.

Systemic disorganization by the high command led to its failure. Many of its assigned troops deserted even before reaching the frontline. A criminal case has been opened. But it is unlikely that anyone responsible for the mess will ever be held to account.

The brigade was stood up in March 2024. In September 2024 its core was sent for training to France while a large number of other recruits to the brigade were (more or less) trained in Ukraine. In late November,  while the brigade command staff was still in France, a large share of the brigades infantry was sent to Pokrovsk where it immediately faltered.

As Butusov writes (edited machine translation):

The 155th brigade began forming in March 2024. Its commander was appointed an experienced officer – Dmitry Ryumshin, it looked encouraging. “OK Zapad” (Operational command West) Commander General Shvedyuk, Chief of Staff Colonel Seletsky and Commander of the Ground Forces General Pavlyuk were responsible for the formation and manning of the brigade.But from the very beginning, it turned out that OK Zapad had no command personnel, no soldiers, no weapons, and no resources to create a new unit. The formation of the 155th brigade from the first days was a continuous organizational chaos in literally all components, and the service required a lot of effort for those who tried to serve honestly, and to great losses due to unauthorized abandonment of the unit from the very beginning of the formation.

Here is the schedule of recruitment of the 155th brigade, the number of personnel for each month, and -in parentheses- the number of deserters in those months:

March 46 (3)
April 123 (6)
May 217 (31)
June 1978 (185)
July 3882 (310)
August 2748 (217)
September 3253 (187)
October 3211 (339)
November 5832 (448)

New recruited troops, without any experience, were randomly added to the brigade and, when needed pulled from it (untrained) to fill holes elsewhere.  During the whole process more than 1,700 of its soldiers deserted:

In fact, the recruitment of the brigade began in June, but they did not have time to complete full training, because immediately in July and August, more than 2550 servicemen were taken from the 155th brigade to replenish other units! That is, they took away from the brigade almost all those who were quite suitable, whom the brigade commander and battalion commanders had just placed in positions, in fact, they nullified all the previous four months of work, in March-June, that is, this brigade composition was organized in August in a new way, and then … we issued an order to prepare all those who stayed until the trip to France at the end of September.As a result, 1924 servicemen were sent to France as part of the 155th brigade, only 51 of them had more than a year of military experience, 459 soldiers had up to a year of experience, and most of them, 1414 people, were only enlisted and served for less than 2 months, including about 150 just recruited without military experience. Without any selection of people, they were sent to France even without passing basic training. It was among them that France had the largest number of fugitives. In total, about 50 soldiers fled in France.

That is, the Army Command and OK Zapad sent to France not an organized and controlled military unit, which can learn a lot, but a crowd of people in military uniforms, about 30% of the staff, who were supposed to organize and get acquainted with each other and with the commanders during the trip!

While the entire brigade command was being trained in France, thousands of new people were being enlisted without the presence of brigade and battalion commanders, as a result, in October and November, more than 700 people escaped from the brigade immediately after being enlisted in Ukraine. Those who deserted had never seen their commanders.

While some 2,000 soldiers of the brigade were training in France some 4,000 fresh soldiers were additionally assigned to the brigade but trained more or less (and without their commanders) in Ukraine:

Since November 15, the rank and file of the brigade began to return to Ukraine, and the brigade headquarters remained according to the training plan to complete the staff classes, for which the French instructors gave the highest scores.

The brigade headquarters arrived in Ukraine on November 30, but Brigade Commander Ryumshin did not have time to get acquainted with his new 4 thousand subordinates who were waiting in the training center, and conduct planned additional exercises with those who returned and did not have time to get all the necessary knowledge.

In the absence of the brigade headquarters and battalion commanders, the command of the OK “West” and CSR began to transfer untrained and ill-coordinated people to the Pokrovsk area.

The brigade command came back from France only to find that its infantry was already being deployed to the front.

Nominally the brigade had been fully equipped by France. It had artillery and armored vehicles. But it lacked the material the Ukrainian military was supposed to supply. The brigade had no drones and no electronic warfare equipment. It lacked the means to gain an overview of the battlefield and to defend against Russian drones which immediately attacked anything that moved. The new heavy equipment the brigade tried to bring to the front was destroyed before reaching its assigned positions. Moreover all the Ukrainian made 120mm mortar ammunition the Ukrainian military supplied to the brigade proved to be faulty and ineffective.

Without drones and artillery and in full chaos the brigade failed to hold its assigned line which led to a breakthrough of the Russian forces.

The brigade’s commander, who had had no influence on what had happened, was immediately relieved.

Back in September I pointed out that the Ukrainian method to create new brigades while letting experienced ones fail for a lack of replenishment was a serious and systemic error:

Experienced brigades are kept on the front until that have less than a third of their original strength. They are not replenished while still in the fight. Newly mobilized men are instead put into newly constituted brigades which zero frontline experience.A better system would rotate out units that have lost a third of their men and fill them up with new recruits before pushing them back into the fight. The result would be the same number of soldiers but with experience mixed into all of the army’s units.

Butusov’s report points to exactly this issue (edited machine translation):

Next to the 155th are experienced units – the 1st OSB “Da Vinci”, the 25th Airborne brigade, the 68th Jaeger brigade, which have an acute shortage of people in the infantry, they can not keep a wide band because of this, and there are experienced UAV units, headquarters, command cadres that can quickly train and make combat-ready mobilized people. But experienced and combat-ready brigades were not given people, they are not allowed to stabilize the front. Because people are given to political projects, the same as the 155th brigade, and there are other brigades newly formed in 2024-the same fourteen that President Zelensky spoke about.

Even if if were been organized perfectly the Ukrainian military would still not have a chance against the Russian forces. But it could have kept its losses to a minimum while holding the line and while gaining time for a political process.

It instead gets slaughtered for the vanity of its higher command:

The top political and military leadership of the country actually played around with the 155th Anna Kievskaya brigade, without even trying to systematically prepare and train the brigade, and without giving the brigade commanders time to create a combat-ready team themselves.The brigade’s servicemen became hostages of Zelensky’s PR project, which the authorities did not make any effort to actually implement competently.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the military command, which is now trying to hide the truth and use the case of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) to remove responsibility from itself.

The 155th brigade has now been dispersed with various of its subunits moved to replenish other brigades. The journalist Butusov, like many of his compatriots, is furious about the case:

[T]hey spent people, money and time on forming a brigade, which is virtually impossible to use as a brigade due to its low combat capability. … Why did you create it if you can’t use it for its intended purpose? For your own PR and reports? For a meeting with Macron?

And is it worth it, Gentlemen Zelensky, Umerov and Syrsky, the lives of dozens of people who give up their lives near Pokrovsk as part of the 155th, because of the elementary disorder and poor preparation, which primarily resulted from your mistakes in setting tasks, planning and organizing? Will you give evidence to the SBI investigators about how you brought the 155th brigade to such a state, how you spent huge funds of our allies and Ukrainian citizens, how instead of strengthening the front, you only disrupt the organization and training of reserves?I hope that the time will come when you, the real ones responsible for this case, will be the first to answer to the law.

The story of the 155th Ukrainian brigade is only unique in that it has been well documented. The Ukrainian command has over the last years created may such failures and seems to have not learned one bit from it.

The grief, sorrow and anger this has caused will haunt the Ukrainian state for a long time.

Posted by b on January 2, 2025 at 18:13 UTC | Permalink

MM daily

Playing around with a Norman Rockwell theme mixed with Bacchus and various setting using different plugins.

Many nudes. I think that it is the Bacchus influence in the prompt + the “artistic” plugin. The moment I went “classical academic art” the nudes started to appear.

ksnip 20250106 155134
ksnip 20250106 155134
ksnip 20250106 155204
ksnip 20250106 155204
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(7)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(7)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(5)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(5)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(4)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(4)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(4)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(4)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(4)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(4)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(4)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(4)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(3)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(3)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(3)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(3)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(3)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(3)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(3)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(3)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(2)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(2)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(2)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(2)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(2)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(2)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(10)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(10)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(9)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(9)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(9)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(9)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(9)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(9)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(7)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(7)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(7)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(7)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(7)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(7)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 0(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 0(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 3(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 3(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 0
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 0
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 3
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 3
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 2
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 2
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 1
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 1
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(7)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(7)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(9)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(9)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(8)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(9)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(9)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(9)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(9)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(9)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(9)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(10)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(10)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(11)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(11)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 2(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 2(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 1(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 1(1)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(7)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(7)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(6)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(6)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(6)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(6)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(6)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(6)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(6)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 0(6)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(5)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(5)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(5)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 2(5)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(5)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(5)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(10)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 1(10)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(10)
AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic No 3(10)

Gen Z is Weak and Unemployable

China’s next-generation (6th-gen) fighter jet made its first flight today. Is it a shameful thing for India given the fact that we have failed to even make a Tejas since decades? Will China go for territorial expansion now with this advanced tech?

It is shameful

main qimg ef672a94d30d63906055a7b897120a26
main qimg ef672a94d30d63906055a7b897120a26

From 1990 to 2005 – the Chinese made education available and affordable to more and more people , changed the syllabus to integrate STEM into every possible arena and made quality University education affordable and freely available

In India – we privatized education and focused on for profit coaching classes & private schools where tuition is expensive , also lowering the quality of our public education deliberately because the politicians or their proxies own these private schools

The Chinese learnt industrial manufacturing by making toothpicks first and slowly rising to make Scramjet engines

We had the manufacturing to make good quality products from ball bearings to piston rods in the 1980s and now we seem to have been stuck back in the same time

The Chinese created an entire aerospace industry that makes from the smallest components to the most advanced radars now

We on the other hand, we just want the OPTICS and ILLUSION which is why our Tejas uses Engines, Radar, Avionics & Electronic Navigation sourced entirely by Foreign Licensing
Lag in US engine supply delays IAF induction of Tejas Mark-1A | India News – Times of India
India News: The induction of India’s Tejas Mark-1A jets faces delays due to postponed engine supplies from General Electric, with HAL expected to deliver only 2-3
https://www.google.com/amp/s/timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/lag-in-us-engine-supply-delays-iaf-induction-of-tejas-mark-1a/amp_articleshow/114748534.cms

GE will give us 2 Engines in 4 months from May 2025

That means for another 48 Aircraft to be formally inducted, it would take 100–110 months or near to 8 years

Our AMCA is still at basic design stage
IAF — so unprepared for the future, it is ridiculous!
[Rafale in IAF] Intrigued to find an op/ed with the title “Drawing borders in the air” in the Indian Express (1 July 2024) by Air Marshal Diptendu Choudhury (Retd). The title evoked for…

IAF — so unprepared for the future, it is ridiculous!

We originally planned to source 126 Rafale , 52 Imported and 74 Assembled with 30% minimum indigenous components

Instead we now have 36 Rafale, fully imported with no 4.5 generation indigenous assembly

Our import list for these aircraft goes from Polycarbonate Resin to Light Materials

Will China go for Territorial Expansion
China approves world’s largest dam over Brahmaputra river close to Indian border
China has approved a massive USD 137 billion hydropower dam on the Brahmaputra River near the Indian border, sparking concerns in India and Bangladesh. This infrastructure project, part of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, aims to generate significant electricity and enhance cooperation while addressing ecological and safety concerns in a seismically active region.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.economictimes.com/news/international/world-news/china-greenlights-worlds-largest-dam-posing-risks-to-india-and-bangladesh/amp_articleshow/116671769.cms

China may even give up their interest in the Arunachal Pradesh region if they finish their latest mega power dam project that is larger than the three gorges

This could utilize 60% of the Brahmaputra’s downflow adding 33% to Chinas water supply

That gives them 90 years of assured water supply

So they don’t need to expand territory at all

Status Quo will be fine

Title: Sir Whiskerton and the Phantom of the Cornfield

Ah, so you’ve returned, hungry for another tale of my brilliance. Very well, I, Sir Whiskerton, the farm’s foremost investigator, shall oblige. This time, my superior intellect was challenged by a mystery so strange, so spine-tingling, that it sent shivers through even the bravest barnyard creatures. It was a case whispered about in hushed tones under the moonlight: the case of the Phantom of the Cornfield.

Prepare yourself, dear reader, for a tale of courage, cunning, and a healthy dose of feline sarcasm.

The Whispered Rumors

It all began one autumn evening. The harvest moon hung heavy in the sky, casting long, eerie shadows over the farm. I was lounging on my usual perch atop the chicken coop, enjoying the crisp night air, when I overheard a hushed conversation below.

“I saw it, I swear!” clucked Henny Penny, her feathers quivering with fear. “A glowing figure, right there in the cornfield! It was floating and moaning!”

“Floating?” Harold the rooster scoffed, though his voice wavered. “Pfft, nonsense. Ghosts don’t exist.”

“But I heard it too!” Betty the sheep chimed in, her eyes wide. “It was a low, haunting moan, like this: ‘Ooooooh!’ It was terrifying!”

I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly fell off my perch. Ghosts. Honestly. The only thing haunting this farm is the collective idiocy of its residents. Still, their fear was palpable, and chaos was bad for my nap schedule. Clearly, I would have to get to the bottom of this “phantom.”

The Investigation Begins

At dawn, I began my investigation. The cornfield, located on the far edge of the farm, was a vast and tangled maze of stalks, perfect for hiding something—or someone. I padded silently between the towering rows, my ears perked for any unusual sounds.

The ground was littered with broken cornstalks and scattered kernels. I sniffed the dirt and detected faint traces of… something sweet. Strange. Corn doesn’t usually smell this sweet. My whiskers twitched with intrigue.

As I moved deeper into the field, I found more clues: claw marks on the stalks, bits of fur caught on the leaves, and what appeared to be a trail of sticky footprints. Ghosts don’t leave footprints, which meant I was dealing with something tangible. And tangible was my specialty.

The First Encounter

That night, I decided to stake out the cornfield. I perched on a low fence post near the edge of the field, my black fur blending perfectly with the shadows. The air was still, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze.

Then, just as the moon reached its zenith, I heard it: a low, mournful moan, carried on the wind.

“Oooooooh…”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end—not because I was scared, of course, but because the sound was unexpected. I crouched low, my sharp eyes scanning the rows of corn.

And then I saw it.

A faint, glowing figure drifted between the stalks, its outline shimmering in the moonlight. It was tall and swayed as it moved, its moans growing louder as it approached. The other animals had been right about one thing: it was eerie.

But I am Sir Whiskerton, and I don’t scare easily. I crept closer, my paws silent on the soft earth. As I approached the figure, I noticed something odd. The glow wasn’t coming from the figure itself, but from something it was carrying. A lantern? No, it was too uneven. It looked… sticky.

Then it hit me. The smell. The glow. The sticky footprints.

“Honey,” I whispered. “It’s covered in honey.”

The Culprit Revealed

I leapt forward, claws extended, and landed directly in front of the “phantom.” It let out a startled yelp and dropped its glowing burden—a large jar of honey that shattered on the ground.

“Alright, show yourself,” I demanded, my green eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

The “phantom” froze, then slowly stepped into a patch of moonlight. And there, standing before me, was none other than Rufus the raccoon.

“Rufus,” I said, my tail lashing. “What, exactly, do you think you’re doing?”

He grinned sheepishly, honey dripping from his whiskers. “Oh, hey, Sir Whiskerton. Fancy meeting you here.”

“Cut the act,” I snapped. “Why are you sneaking around the cornfield, scaring everyone with your ridiculous glowing honey jar?”

“Well,” he said, scratching the back of his neck, “I heard Farmer Joe talking about harvesting the corn soon, so I figured I’d grab a few ears for myself. But then I tripped over a beehive on the way here, and, uh… things got messy.”

“Messy?” I echoed, incredulous. “You’ve been parading around the farm, dripping honey everywhere and wailing like a banshee.”

“That wasn’t on purpose!” he protested. “I got the honey all over me, and then the bees started chasing me, so I ran into the cornfield to hide. I might’ve… panicked a little.”

“And the moaning?”

“I was trying to scare the bees away!” he said, throwing up his paws. “I didn’t realize I was scaring everyone else too.”

I stared at him, torn between exasperation and amusement. “You’re lucky I found you before Farmer Joe did,” I said. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up before you cause any more chaos.”

The Resolution

The next morning, I gathered the animals in the barnyard and explained what had happened. Rufus, still sticky but sheepish, stood beside me as I recounted the tale.

“So you see,” I concluded, “there is no phantom. Just a clumsy raccoon with a sweet tooth and a flair for the dramatic.”

The animals burst into laughter, their fear replaced by relief. Even Henny Penny managed a chuckle, though she still insisted she had “felt a ghostly presence.”

As for Rufus, he promised to stay out of the cornfield—at least until the honey washed out of his fur. Farmer Joe never found out about the incident, and the farm returned to its usual, mildly chaotic routine.

And me? I basked in the glory of another mystery solved, another crisis averted. The moral of the story? Sometimes, the scariest things are just sticky raccoons in disguise.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a sunbeam waiting for me.

The End.

Comix fun

5bf4b3bc28346802deda8e1eac8d1f16
5bf4b3bc28346802deda8e1eac8d1f16
baf33b70da87906eef2134686f6158e9
baf33b70da87906eef2134686f6158e9
2339dd0204bbfcf830bd84e9bf9e7ecb
2339dd0204bbfcf830bd84e9bf9e7ecb
755bfe0637420a4159a9f4d020ad97b4
755bfe0637420a4159a9f4d020ad97b4
f62645b4fd54b2d0634e3b12dd86751a
f62645b4fd54b2d0634e3b12dd86751a
dba8e05be9eabfcb22ec34e487198a3e
dba8e05be9eabfcb22ec34e487198a3e
686935825292479dc3cd45ae314062d2
686935825292479dc3cd45ae314062d2
4723392caf92a948aee71ca6fabd137d
4723392caf92a948aee71ca6fabd137d
bf43dc2176ae7d20ca6c9842f2b1f80e
bf43dc2176ae7d20ca6c9842f2b1f80e
1e3720f66769ce15c2aebf42c2923860
1e3720f66769ce15c2aebf42c2923860
404a1cddadbd0ed25fea5c30d36a1510
404a1cddadbd0ed25fea5c30d36a1510
4b82284995a7cb5a75085fa9fc1ae90e
4b82284995a7cb5a75085fa9fc1ae90e
7db551cadf06b5b0e0dc1e5d08551084
7db551cadf06b5b0e0dc1e5d08551084
27373e2e697e3de1723374dcf09be87c
27373e2e697e3de1723374dcf09be87c
3630e742397eb566f2989a74c5b83297
3630e742397eb566f2989a74c5b83297
e1c6aed8b48a178522abddb612fa4d4c
e1c6aed8b48a178522abddb612fa4d4c
d03bbcc43eeccec418297031ec6c7399
d03bbcc43eeccec418297031ec6c7399
1010ba3a1b61a4d528fce48e978b5276
1010ba3a1b61a4d528fce48e978b5276
f8a93f103b38ab6c518665308d32348b
f8a93f103b38ab6c518665308d32348b
94d79c69ebb49f5100f2e3db4672fd99
94d79c69ebb49f5100f2e3db4672fd99
748fbc157bee70ade80f66529ac7b4cd
748fbc157bee70ade80f66529ac7b4cd
ff0f388298285179317e74cb1ebba821
ff0f388298285179317e74cb1ebba821
849d556c641cb81a619cf09b5deb2289
849d556c641cb81a619cf09b5deb2289
9a6fb954e39b0e06606e3dc3eb0198bb
9a6fb954e39b0e06606e3dc3eb0198bb
39afc0f1db43c8d60128987dcbe7b8f4
39afc0f1db43c8d60128987dcbe7b8f4
1c5006f3f5ad3a203e73195349251f57
1c5006f3f5ad3a203e73195349251f57
c06200ffd4f060a019b57de5732a1500
c06200ffd4f060a019b57de5732a1500
de327f0401a02d66c9dd890e90abddce
de327f0401a02d66c9dd890e90abddce
64e0934baeab799d6b6d56e4d4aa4690
64e0934baeab799d6b6d56e4d4aa4690
08cfc082f968f665e586e37fced3e95c
08cfc082f968f665e586e37fced3e95c
287739d6ae36f18713e9bf7f2d25616a
287739d6ae36f18713e9bf7f2d25616a
dbe827796bdde0bd5d5d3d7cf0e7cb01
dbe827796bdde0bd5d5d3d7cf0e7cb01
c602ff4e3d0cc99ac19fc5cf85536c60
c602ff4e3d0cc99ac19fc5cf85536c60
202be7bdb0ba99dd832d36c29490ec72
202be7bdb0ba99dd832d36c29490ec72
f350db0f02837fa560d7e4fa8874a2af
f350db0f02837fa560d7e4fa8874a2af
2be7aa32c5843801b9c9a359d5af4c83
2be7aa32c5843801b9c9a359d5af4c83
acb2e60845f895a3648fc0b0a2557c21
acb2e60845f895a3648fc0b0a2557c21
278c8238e22d3056a573dd0d37994f8c
278c8238e22d3056a573dd0d37994f8c
ec33a25b6a81a95189182624328f565d
ec33a25b6a81a95189182624328f565d
61ec8d63eaab2bc822c9721368dc21a1
61ec8d63eaab2bc822c9721368dc21a1
cc6b010a47cfaaa948a5b7f49ce883c5
cc6b010a47cfaaa948a5b7f49ce883c5
7c3edbc87c72217c04aa2bee0e7678bf
7c3edbc87c72217c04aa2bee0e7678bf
7481a8450beac02481edee5bce07b8a2
7481a8450beac02481edee5bce07b8a2
f59940c5a7bdf92d6c63b18b692dc31e
f59940c5a7bdf92d6c63b18b692dc31e
863f7018e5a39be1a1d95fe5654e0d3f
863f7018e5a39be1a1d95fe5654e0d3f
f21801bbf1f0d6bfddeb010d4111c5f2
f21801bbf1f0d6bfddeb010d4111c5f2
edc4a73d096a7a84c695f521aaad917f
edc4a73d096a7a84c695f521aaad917f
4618d0bf0aa27a082a004ee7c18bbccd
4618d0bf0aa27a082a004ee7c18bbccd
ce64e87e1ef96ab082ccccb88aedca78
ce64e87e1ef96ab082ccccb88aedca78
adcad35598b85e3415f149f73065137a
adcad35598b85e3415f149f73065137a
301583f11ed5741e538d1c5f9ce04d92
301583f11ed5741e538d1c5f9ce04d92
72fa8da315f485d381fb301b7feefc13
72fa8da315f485d381fb301b7feefc13
e97253db123d568a61caaff6841b82a9
e97253db123d568a61caaff6841b82a9
fa8d7833209fbf2137c6bfc1b1e20eec
fa8d7833209fbf2137c6bfc1b1e20eec
349ccc79561173865a92daa016169c04
349ccc79561173865a92daa016169c04
ec80387f3e1e1fdce1721c0c3d72a54f
ec80387f3e1e1fdce1721c0c3d72a54f
30b6deefe06fdf3b56cbc518eaf9930c
30b6deefe06fdf3b56cbc518eaf9930c
af4e559fcb2a1714eb7b5a2052314b16
af4e559fcb2a1714eb7b5a2052314b16
45bcd7bfc4e900cad13832ff4e867d70
45bcd7bfc4e900cad13832ff4e867d70
548e415a5ecc4e992d09c26196bd6946
548e415a5ecc4e992d09c26196bd6946
24429c6d34defdde34b8290cbeabbfbd
24429c6d34defdde34b8290cbeabbfbd
b3c22d44d2621282a15beb114a440612
b3c22d44d2621282a15beb114a440612
504e9fcfc2a57c774b907547ba99f3b0
504e9fcfc2a57c774b907547ba99f3b0
fad940ea3e610a7b771c221f8ab36640
fad940ea3e610a7b771c221f8ab36640
41d2f72d27234986d4428e06a905cd36
41d2f72d27234986d4428e06a905cd36
ff914bfb378f1d0630a9910f4ed33c64
ff914bfb378f1d0630a9910f4ed33c64

Thailand Prepares for Full Membership of BRICS

Easiest Homemade Pizza Dough

Yield: 2 medium pizza crusts or one extra large pizza crust

easiest homemade pizza dough
easiest homemade pizza dough

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour, divided

 

 

Instructions

  1. Combine yogurt and 1 cup flour in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Mix until combined, scraping down the bowl as necessary until combined.
  2. Knead on medium high for 5 minutes.
  3. Slowly add additional flour as necessary to help dough come together. Depending on how thick your yogurt is, you may need up to an extra 1/2 cup of flour.
  4. Dust clean counter top with flour and remove dough from bowl. Knead a few turns until dough is tacky, but not sticky. Roll out and add toppings as desired.
  5. Bake in a preheated 450 degrees F oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

Awakened by canoe

That it’s too soft?

When the US had Canada kidnap the Huawei founder’s daughter and go around the world threatening countries to stop using Huawei, the CCP didn’t do shit but negotiate. Most Chinese would have liked to see the government act in kind, jailing Tim Cook’s family and seizing Apple’s productions and assets in China, nationalizing it and converting it into a Chinese brand, and sanction every country that followed the US in banning Huawei. Or for the bare minimum, couldn’t we have at least banned Apple like the US banned Huawei?

When Nancy Pelosi violated Chinese sovereignty by visiting Taiwan without Beijing’s approval, the CCP chose to do military drills around Taiwan after Pelosi had left. But most Chinese wanted to see her plane shot down for violating Chinese airspace. You have no idea the atmosphere of expectation for war on the ground in China that night. People were literally gathered with friends and family, anxious like before a sporting event. And man the absolute disappointment and humiliation the next day, when peace triumphed war.

When stupid Hong Kong “pro-democracy” protesters paid by the CIA took to the streets to free a convicted murderer of his girlfriend in 2019, Chinese across the country were shocked. When they started stabbing policemen and threatening the children of law enforcement, most Chinese just wanted to see the protestors and the CIA organizers (American diplomats) dead, or at least jailed. Yet the CCP chose to let the protest rage on and let the fed-up Hong Kongers deal with their own problem.

The CCP is rational and peaceful, too much so in the eyes of sentimental beings. The normal people don’t care about political compromise, we just want fairness, we want to hit back when someone hits us. And the CCP denies us that. That’s the main factor attributing to the negative sentiment toward the CCP at home.

I met a man in Marina Del Rey where I lived. He said he was an airline pilot from France and he lived in the MDR towers. He asked me to dinner, I said yes, and I met him later that week at his apartment in the towers. The towers are sort of a club they have dining and all sorts of activities, so we were going to eat in the restaurant downstairs. While I was sitting on his sofa waiting for him, he offered me a drink. I don’t drink so I declined. I remember seeing a picture of him and his twin brother on his table. He told me they were both airline pilots. Then he offered me a soda but I don’t drink soda pop so I declined that as well. Both times he had already prepared the drinks and he seemed frustrated by my turning down the drinks. So he returned to his kitchen. While he was in the other room I got the worst feeling. Just a dreadfully fearful feeling. I picked up my purse, slipped out the door, took the elevator down and ran to my car. Several weeks later he and his twin brother were in the newspaper, they had been arrested for drugging and raping women. Neither were French nor were they pilots.

Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels

5bd38a0c77b22c40352f675e4d47920f
5bd38a0c77b22c40352f675e4d47920f

Yield: 12 servings or 24 sample servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (16 ounce) pouch Pantry Pizza Crust & Roll Mix (including yeast packet)
  • 1 1/4 cups very warm water (120 to 130 degrees F)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated, divided (1 cup)
  • 3 plum tomatoes, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon Pantry Italian Seasoning Mix
  • 1 (3.5 ounce) package thinly sliced pepperoni
  • 1 ounce fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 (8 ounce) can pizza sauce, warmed (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Brush cups of Stoneware Muffin Pan with vegetable oil using Pastry Brush.
  3. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine mix, yeast, water and oil. Mix dough according to package directions for pizza crust.
  4. Generously flour flat side of Large Grooved Cutting Board using Flour/Sugar Shaker. Using lightly floured Baker’s Roller, roll dough into a rectangle even with edges of Cutting Board. Press garlic using Garlic Press; spread evenly over dough using Skinny Scraper.
  5. Grate half of the mozzarella cheese over dough using Deluxe Cheese Grater.
  6. Slice tomatoes using Ultimate Slice & Grate fitted with v-shaped blade; arrange in a single layer over cheese and sprinkle with Seasoning Mi.
  7. Arrange pepperoni slices evenly over tomatoes.
  8. Grate remaining mozzarella cheese over pepperoni and tomato slices. Starting at longest edge, roll dough up tightly; pinch seam to seal.
  9. Using Serrated Bread Knife, slice roll into 12 (1 1/2 inch thick) slices. Place slices, swirl side up, into cups of Muffin Pan. Grate Parmesan cheese; sprinkle evenly over rolls.
  10. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until deep golden brown.
  11. Remove to Nonstick Cooling Rack; cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.
  12. Serve with warmed pizza sauce for dipping, if desired.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 pinwheel): Calories 240, Total Fat 9g, Saturated Fat 3g, Cholesterol 15mg, Carbohydrate 28g, Protein 9g, Sodium 640mg, Fiber 0g

Attribution

Pampered Chef

Title: Sir Whiskerton and the Great Haystack Caper

Ah, you’ve returned for yet another tale of my unparalleled brilliance! Of course you have. How could you resist? Once again, I, Sir Whiskerton, the most cunning and sophisticated creature to ever grace this farm, have a story to share. This time, my razor-sharp intellect was put to the test in one of the most perplexing and ridiculous mysteries I have ever encountered: the Case of the Vanishing Haystack. Prepare yourselves for an adventure filled with absurdity, betrayal, and, of course, my undeniable heroics.

The Haystack Disappears

It all started on a breezy afternoon. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and I was perched on the barn roof, grooming my immaculate fur. Life was good. That is, until I heard the panicked braying of Gerald, the donkey.

“It’s gone! It’s gone!” Gerald cried, galloping around the farmyard like a lunatic.

I sighed deeply. Gerald is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he’s harmless enough. However, his screeching was disrupting my peace, so naturally, I had to intervene.

“What’s gone, Gerald?” I called down, my voice dripping with boredom.

“The haystack!” he brayed, his eyes wide with terror. “The big haystack by the barn—it’s missing!”

“Missing, you say?” I leapt down from the roof and landed gracefully in front of him. “Haystacks don’t just walk away, Gerald. Are you sure you’re not just looking in the wrong place?”

“I’m sure!” he insisted. “It was there this morning, and now it’s gone! I—I was going to have a snack, and—poof—it’s gone!”

This was intriguing. Haystacks, as a rule, are large, immobile, and entirely incapable of disappearing without a trace. I decided to investigate, partly because I was curious and partly because I needed an excuse to stretch my legs.

The Scene of the Crime

When I arrived at the barn, I found a large, circular patch of dirt where the haystack had once stood. Bits of hay were scattered here and there, but the bulk of it was nowhere to be seen. A crowd of animals had gathered, all of them murmuring and speculating wildly.

“It must have been aliens!” Harold the rooster declared, flapping his wings dramatically. “They’ve come to take our hay for their experiments!”

“Oh, please,” I scoffed. “If aliens wanted hay, they could just grow their own. Use your brain, Harold—not that you have much of one.”

“I bet it was the wind,” Bessie the cow offered, chewing her cud thoughtfully. “A really, really strong wind.”

“Bessie, it would take a tornado to move that much hay,” I pointed out. “And unless I missed it, there hasn’t been a tornado today.”

The crowd fell silent, all eyes turning to me. They were waiting for me to solve the mystery, as they always did. I let out a dramatic sigh. “Fine. Let the great Sir Whiskerton handle it.”

The Investigation

As any seasoned detective knows, the first step in solving a mystery is to gather evidence. I sniffed around the patch of dirt, my keen senses picking up traces of hay, mud, and… something else. Something unusual.

“Hoofprints,” I muttered, examining the ground closely. “And not just any hoofprints. These are fresh, and they’re heading toward the pasture.”

The animals gasped.

“Do you think the thief is still out there?” Henny Penny squawked, clutching her feathers dramatically.

“Possibly,” I said, my tail twitching with anticipation. “Stay here and don’t touch anything. I’ll follow the trail.”

The Suspects

The hoofprints led me to the pasture, where I found the first suspect: Clover the goat. Clover is a mischievous little creature with a penchant for chewing on things that don’t belong to her. If anyone was capable of stealing a haystack, it was her.

“Clover,” I said, narrowing my eyes, “care to explain why there’s hay stuck to your horns?”

She looked up from the fence post she was gnawing on, her big yellow eyes filled with innocence. “Oh, this? I bumped into the haystack earlier. Honest! I didn’t take it!”

“Hmm,” I said, studying her carefully. She didn’t look strong enough to move an entire haystack, but I couldn’t rule her out entirely.

Next, I decided to question the pigs. Porkchop and his gang were lounging near the mud pit, as usual. “Porkchop,” I said, “did you and your crew have anything to do with the missing haystack?”

He snorted. “What would we want with a haystack? We’ve got slop, and slop is way better than hay.”

This was true. Pigs have no interest in hay, and their mud pit was far too small to hide an entire haystack. I moved on.

The Breakthrough

As I continued to follow the trail, I noticed that the hoofprints were becoming more erratic, as if the thief had been struggling to carry their loot. Then, I spotted something in the distance: a large pile of hay hidden behind the old apple tree.

“Gotcha,” I said, my whiskers twitching with satisfaction. I crept closer, and to my surprise, I found the culprit fast asleep on top of the stolen haystack.

It was Gerald. Yes, Gerald—the very donkey who had reported the haystack missing in the first place.

“Gerald!” I shouted, waking him with a start. “Care to explain why you’re napping on the stolen haystack?”

He blinked at me, his ears drooping in embarrassment. “Oh… uh… I guess I forgot. I moved the haystack over here because… um… the sun was better for napping. Then I got tired, so I… well, I fell asleep.”

I stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. “You caused this entire scene because you wanted to nap in the sun?”

Gerald nodded sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I just really like hay, and this spot looked cozy.”

The Resolution

I dragged Gerald back to the barn, where the other animals were waiting anxiously. When I told them what had happened, they erupted into laughter.

“Leave it to Gerald to forget he stole the haystack!” Harold cackled.

“I told you it wasn’t aliens!” Bessie said triumphantly.

As for me, I simply shook my head. “The moral of the story,” I announced, “is that sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one. And also, donkeys are ridiculous.”

With the haystack returned to its rightful place, peace was restored to the farm. As for Gerald, he promised to stick to napping in the pasture from now on. And me? I retired to my favorite sunny spot on the barn roof, ready for the next absurd mystery this farm would inevitably throw my way.

The End.

I used to respect Yellen thinking a person with a PhD has some morality. Boy, I was so wrong. She was as evil as Satan. She is so selfish. Only thinking about USA & not humanity in general. Since she is a Jewish American, perhaps like her bible, Jews are chosen people & all others are animals that can be slaughtered by the Jews.

The whole idea of the Ukraine war is to 1) gobble up Ukraine’s rich natural resources 2) weaken rival Europe’s economy & 3) lastly to break up Russia.

Of course, USA makes it look like Russia invasion. Russia’s fault.

USA, Yellen included, has the mentality of colonialism & ultra capitalism. How many people died in the Ukraine war? How many more deaths do Satan Yellen & USA want to make USA “great”?

I heard her speeches in universities. Soft spoken. But full of gossip-like speeches to create hatred & fear of China. I despise her. I hate Satan.

The Sopranos – Tony Soprano whacks Chucky Signore

Xi jinping’s phone: Special customized Military-grade encryption zte axon smartphone, top configuration.

main qimg a4a5caaf97e8e02b208f55a948860b49 lq
main qimg a4a5caaf97e8e02b208f55a948860b49 lq

Professional supply of CPC cadres, Chinese government cadres, diplomat, PLA cadres, not available in the market.

To Bake Under the Sun

Submitted into Contest #196 in response to: Set your story in a world where time travel has been perfected, and people can use it to hop between alternate timelines — but at a cost. view prompt

Sam Jacobsen

This story contains themes or mentions of physical violence, gore, or abuse.

Earth is now a whisper–sad, desolate. For many miles, crags drone on in a ceaseless field of black. The rocks left behind are sharp and cracking, their shale falling down into pits of tar and sludge. At the peak of the highest crag is a glowing portal–our slip. It is a gate to another time; another place. We funnel through the slip like lemmings to the cliff, our eyes glazed and desperate. We being the last of us, that is. We come, warped and damaged by radiation, drought, famine, to escape. The seas and forests are gone, our beloved animals with them. The things which remain are warped and ugly: things which should never be trusted, and never be eaten. So, we march to the slip–to places bountiful and beautiful. Pilgrims, that is what we are, come to pray to our swirling god. Beyond and about the world burns, boils, breaks as it has for as long as we can remember. Overhead, toxicrows bark. Their call is a loathsome, lonesome thing–the song of our last birds. Earth, our mother, screams, spewing up green sludge with each cough. Only in the slips is there beauty anymore: a giant, rounded portal to a separate time, surrounded by copper machinery. Its many tubes, electrodes, and vents scream at us, begging for mercy. Big waste tubes run from it down into the crust of out world, pulsing like a sick vein.One of us steps forward–an irradiated man with burnt skin. He, smiling, steps through the slip and disappears. Not but a second later, a form falls from the sky in the distance and splats into a wide pit. Person by person the line decreases, its backmost reaches leading on for uncountable miles. As the unchanging light of our dying world filters on, I move.Soon, it is my moment. The slip towers above me–a welcoming swirl. With a nod, the slip-keeper–his fleshless face hidden behind a plague mask of junk–bids me enter. Stepping forward, I am swept up in the cold hug of the slip. Though I have never seen the sea, I know now how it feels to be adrift in it. It’s the soothing, amniotic rush through the fabric of many realities. Separate times flicker by like framed photographs behind dusty glass. There: a man learning to ride a bike. There: a lone fish in a wide, endless depth. They come in droves, these moments. The slip was perfected decades ago, and it leads me seamlessly to where I want to be.Colors rocket by, leading me to a time, a place, where all is clean and good. A time where my child is still alive; a place when flowers still grow. Here, things are foreign, yet familiar. At first, my head hurts–a symptom of slip-travel, or so I was told. But a headache is worth the time I have ahead. There are pools here…lakes…oceans. Forests too, and cities not held together by junk wire. I grow. I laugh. I love. I know it is not permanent, but the knowledge fades in time. What pain is there here but the prickle of pine needles underfoot? What sadness but the bitter-sweet, happy kind? I don’t go hungry here, nor fall to bits in the light of the sun. In my original time, rain was a stinging, stinking barrage. Here, it is beautiful. The mountains are clean; the skies are clear. I find I often wonder how I could have ever survived in such a place as the one I left. Yet, there is a ghost–lurking and terrible–in the shape of things. It is the shadow of what is. What will be. What I left. There’s something like guilt inside of me; I’ve sacrificed a life in my own time for a new one here. Is that so wrong? I did leave my friends…did leave my love. Surely, if they could see how beautiful this place is, they would not judge.A day comes when the slip-trip is done. The portal–once a friend, now angry and red–rips me from the separate place. I am shorn, tossed, discarded. Tired, I am deposited in the sludge pits of my ruined home. The slip had mangled me irreparably. My limbs are twitching goiters. My organs bloat and squeeze incorrectly; my flesh is a colorless bag of veins. My mouth slants up between my eyes, coils over my head, and back over my spine. My eyes–lidless now–are turned forever upwards to watch the blazing sky. Not even the toxicrows dare taste my flesh.In my world. but a second has gone by.I hear a friend scream at me from the line. “Look!” she says, “what fun you must have had.”She’s right.Watching the lines pour over the crags–the silhouettes marching into the slip–I grow to resent them. I had my time, but I want more. One by one the people return, cast down to wallow beside me, their DNA mutilated by the slip’s rays. We will never die now: the cost of a brief taste of utter serenity. Though we cannot shut our eyes, we sleep and dream all the same. Our lips gibber, teeth gnash, and we remember those separate times. Body by body, we grow in number until our pit is full. When there is no more room, the sun melts our bodies into one. Cobbled flesh, melded bones, our thoughts trail off and merge, our brain cells fusing together. My memories of flowers and my child become memories of slow, dark rain against a ship. Become the gentle breeze through palms on a quiet beach. Become the rhythmic thrum of heavy bass in a noisy club. Become hellos and goodbyes and tears and kisses and dancing and sex, each neural-fusing brining a new brilliant burst of light. Before long, the memories compile too many times over, and we become a mindless legion, our terrible form growing lost beneath falling shale and sludge. trapped in the dark, we can feel the weight of new slip-returnees plopped down. They enter, they live, they land here to bake under the sun.

I bet you don’t know the latest Xiaomi Ninebot Scooter that has gyroscopic balance and can’t fall down , which can automatically drive itself from the parking lot for a 100 meter distance to where you are

That can be started by mobile phone if your key is lost

That can have a battery shutdown if security more is installed (meaning OTP or QR code Authorization mode can be activated)

Range is 185 Kms & Max Speed is 166 KPH but Median Speed is 77 KPH

It sold the most E Bike units in 2024 December and is priced at 11,999 Yuan & 14,999 Yuan

Cheaper than an iPhone or Huawei Foldable Phone

Imported Tax Free into India, it’s cost would be ₹ 1.33 Lakh


This year China approved it’s own Immunotherapy regime for Cervical Cancer and their own approved drug , made in China

Treatment cost reduces from 88,000 Yuan for a course to 26,000 Yuan for a course

The Swiss US FDA Drug isn’t banned.

You can choose to pay 90,000 Yuan for the US Product or 26,000 Yuan for the Chinese Product

Unfortunately neither is covered under insurance 😔


Chinas Potential is immense and it’s showcasing them regularly

ksnip 20250102 111131
ksnip 20250102 111131

Phytium and Loongson Processors once regarded as total junk are now performing on par with Intel Processors of 2 1/2 – 3 years ago

It’s a Nation on the move now !!!!

Scratched Wax

Submitted into Contest #196 in response to: Set your story in a world where time travel has been perfected, and people can use it to hop between alternate timelines — but at a cost. view prompt

Chris Miller

“I see that you cannot take your eyes from the gifts time has bestowed upon me.” The Dealer’s eyes glinted through a fringe that lay over his face like the unearthed roots of a mangrove swamp. The roots fed a great vine of matted hair that climbed over his head in a dense coil and looped down to twist like a constrictor several times around his body.

“Stare,” he said in a delicate breath barely strong enough to carry the word, “every second you spend staring at me becomes mine.” He raised a thin hand and used the edge of a long, twisted fingernail to score a line into the body of the candle that burned on the table between us. “You may share my time until the flame erases the line.” His hand dropped to the table under the weight of his decades-long nails, which twisted like fuses and scraped toward me through the silence as he flexed his gnarled fingers. “Now, tell me your needs and learn my price.”

“I need to travel,” I said, focusing on the two sparks of candlelight reflected in The Dealer’s eyes, trying to ignore the huge figure who stood by his side, just visible at the edge of the small reality of candle-lit space.

“To the lived, or the unlived?”

“Back, I want to go back. To the lived.”

“Ah, yes, to revisit the lived is more valuable. We are all moving into the unlived, travelling there is a mere matter of efficiency, but to revisit the lived, that offers possibilities beyond comprehension, and so, to be blunt, it must attract a higher cost. How far do you wish to travel?”

“It depends on the price.”

“As so much does, indeed, as so much does,” sang The Dealer with a slow shake of his head. “I charge one hour for one scint,” he said flatly.

“Scint? The government are offering a minute for an hour, what’s a scint?”

“Ah, the government. Those philistines have no understanding of the true value of time, and they place such… illiberal limits on travellers. They make life so difficult for independent businessmen like myself and my colleague Mr Cleave,” said The Dealer with a slight nod to the figure at his side, “but in the face of adversity, we innovate! One hour of your life will buy you one scint of travel, one hundredth of an hour.”

“I don’t know. It’s expensive.”

The large figure stooped and a pale face with black-bagged eyes sunk into the candle’s glow. The head rolled slightly as scarred lips twitched and bounced, miming speech and poisoning the globe of candle light with sour breath, but remaining as silent as the sea bed. After a few seconds, when the lips were still, the words came.

“If you could get a government licence you wouldn’t be here. One hour, one scint. The rate is not negotiable.”

I nodded, holding the unblinking glare of the desynchronised addict as his face rose away from the flame and back into the darkness. I pretended not to have noticed his lag.

“You must forgive Mr Cleave,” said The Dealer. “He is a man of very liberal principles and deeply resents the government’s interference in our trade. He is a frequent micro-traveller and his, shall we say, sumptuous proclivities, have also rendered him somewhat… impatient. Let us come to an arrangement which will allow you to experience the pleasure that he knows so well.”

“I don’t think I can afford your rate. If it’s not negotiable then…”

“Let us not be too hasty. As I say, Mr Cleave lacks my patience. I am a businessman. Life is a negotiation. Everything is negotiable!”

Mr Cleave turned, perhaps piqued by his partner’s flexibility, and disappeared quickly into the darkness, to be followed shortly after by the beat of his bodyless footsteps.

“Come closer,” said The Dealer, “let me see the quality of the time you have to offer.”

I bent forward slightly in my seat, pushing my chin closer to the candle flame, over The Dealer’s claws. He mirrored my movement and the yellow light leapt to his long, grey beard as it swept like rain over the table. He turned briefly to his left and grunted. Hands, too small to belong to Cleave, reached out and fitted a jeweller’s loupe to the bridge of his nose. He turned back to me, aiming the lens into my eyes.

“You have travelled forty-two years, one-hundred and fifteen days, twenty-three hours and seventeen minutes… ah, eighteen. Your heart is good, despite your drinking, tut tut! But who am I to judge? We shall leave that to our priggish government, shan’t we?” He tapped his hands lightly as he peered, causing the nails to rattle and scrape on the table under my chin. “Please turn your head to the left. Yes. And now the right, yeeees, unremarkable but acceptable. And finally, to complete my process, you must tell me your father’s name.”

“Winston Craig.”

“My thanks. I see that there were some problems in your youth, the nature of them is unclear to me, but nothing to suggest that you will not have a perfectly average journey length. This would mean you have something in the region of thirty years left with which to deal. Regretfully, this is insufficient to purchase an amount of travel which could tempt me to negotiate on my rates.”

“I need a month,” I said “well, thirty days.”

“Thirty days. Seventy-two thousand scints at a cost of seventy-two thousand hours. Three thousand days, over eight years. Which means that, in line with my long-standing business practices, partially adopted at the insistence of my erstwhile associate Mr Cleave, regrettably, I must charge you nine. We only accept complete years I am afraid. A fee of nine years will purchase you a journey of thirty-two days. Always prudent to buy slightly more than you need, wouldn’t you agree? I’m sure that a pragmatist such as yourself can see that this is a wonderful deal.”

“It’s just… so much.”

“The journey you need to undertake is very valuable, my friend, maybe worth more to you than a mere nine years of your life?”

“It is important. The thing I have to do, it would change a lot.”

“And to relive the already lived would be inaccessible to you by any other means, by any licenced means, wouldn’t it?”

“It is a big decision.”

“Ah, my friend, it is no decision at all.” The Dealer grinned and aimed the lens of the loupe at the flame as it burned closer to the scored deadline in the wax. “I do not know when next I will be available for a consultation. It could be some time. Every second you hesitate is one you must buy back at the point at which you see sense.”

“I just don’t know.”

“Mr Cleave! Mr Cleave where are you? We are leaving!” The Dealer twisted indignantly in his seat and made a show of preparing to leave despite being incapable of so much as standing without assistance. “There is no creature so reprehensible as a time waster!”

“Wait,” I said quietly.

“Mr Cleave! Where has he got to?” The Dealer looked to the other figure in the darkness and hissed, sending them scuttling off to search for Mr Cleave.

“What if I had more time to offer? Not just more, but higher quality too?”

“I have appraised your time; higher quality would mean it would have to come from another donor.”

“Yes.”

“A younger donor?” The Dealer stopped looking around for Cleave and pointed his loupe at me once again, a flicker of candle light briefly flashing a magnified image of a hungry, yellow eye in the thick lens.

“Yes.”

The Dealer raised a hand and with a careful scrape of a nail scored a new line, lower down on the candle’s neck.

“You have my attention; you may share my time a little longer. But be warned; if you are wasting more of my time, you will find you have considerably less to deal with than I previously estimated. Mr Cleave will gladly relieve you of it.”

“I’m not wasting your time,” said a boy’s voice in the darkness.

 “Who’s there?” said The Dealer, instinctively turning to his left for assistance and, finding none, stiffly jerking his neck to shake the loupe awkwardly away from his eye, unable to use his clawbound hands, helpless without Cleave or his other associate.

A boy of twelve stepped into the glow of the candle beside me. The Dealer rocked forward so far over the table that a few stray beard hairs curled and smoked in the candle’s orbit. The tip of his tongue flickered in his moustache.

“You would be prepared to offer the child’s time?” said The Dealer.

“Would you be prepared to appraise it?” I said.

“Oh, yes. Don’t worry, child, I won’t take a moment. Turn your head to the left for me.”

The boy complied, blanky obedient.

“Yes, good boy. And to the right… Yes… Closer to the flame, my Little Moth. Very good. And finally; what is your father’s name?”

“Winston Craig.”

“Ah, a family name, how traditional. My thanks, Little Moth.” He turned back to me, “I have seen enough. If you can guarantee that we could conduct our business without any, obstructions, then for the boy’s time I could match even our foolish government’s rates.”

“There won’t be any obstructions,” I said, looking at the boy who solemnly shook his head.

“What about the mother?” asked The Dealer.

“Mother’s dead,” I said.

“Ah, tragic. Such a waste, to die young,” said The Dealer affecting a frown that did little to conceal his obvious joy at the new opportunity.

“She was much older than me,” I said.

“Ah, well, tragic none the less. But we must not dwell on the past! Why dwell on it when you could soon dwell in it?” said The Dealer with a few sawing breaths of weak laughter that left spittle in his beard.

“So, you would take the boy’s time?” I confirmed.

“Oh, yes,” said The Dealer, any hint of humour gone.

“How much would you take?”

“Oh, he has so much to give…”

“What if I wanted to travel thirty years?” I asked.

“Well, my friend, as the wisest among us know, life is a negotiation, and I would negotiate… for a whole life,” said The Dealer, the flame picking out his unblinking eyes as it erased the line that should have marked the end of our meeting.

The boy and I looked at each other.

“Is that enough?” the boy said to me.

“Oh, that is enough!” yelped The Dealer, “that would buy so very much, my brave Little Moth.”

“I think we’ve got enough,” I replied to the boy as I rose from my chair.

“Please sit, my friend, we must conclude our business,” said The Dealer, a weak laugh nervously punctuating his words.

“Yes, let’s conclude our business,” said the boy.

“Yes,” I said, “No need to spend any longer on this one.” I hardened my voice as I had so many times before and addressed The Dealer, “You are under arrest for violation of section eight-B, chapter nine of novel three of the Temporal Protocol. It is my duty to inform you that I am a Constable of the Queen’s Government and that you are in my charge until I deliver you to a designated custody facility. Any resistance will be met with force, proportionate and reasonable, but otherwise unlimited. Do you understand?”

“Cleave!” cried The Dealer.

“I think he understands,” said the boy.

“There are about a dozen more crimes that you will be answering for, I could list them all, but I wouldn’t want to waste any more of your time,” I said.

“Mr Cleave!” shrieked The Dealer, “Mr Cleave, help me!”

“He can’t hear you. Byron Cleave was killed while resisting arrest. We took him yesterday morning, as soon as we positively identified him this afternoon,” I said. “He went for his weapon, that cumbersome thing that bulged in his jacket as he stooped to intervene in our negotiation, but I was faster. Maybe his lag was catching up with him.”

“No. This is preposterous! You cannot use travel to convict me. I know my rights; disordered events are inadmissible.”

“Our conversation here this evening will provide more than enough evidence.”

“Entrapment then! What despicable wretch would use a child in his scheme to corrupt an honest businessman? It is not legal; it will not stand. No child can agree to take part in this. Run child! Flee this heinous beast!”

“I could never get away from this man even if I did run. Anyway, it was my idea,” said the boy calmly.

“It cannot be. Trust a wise old man, your father, this wretch, whoever he is, has lied to you, used you. A child cannot agree to be exploited in this way. You were mere bait in his trap to ensnare an innocent entrepreneur.”

“Like I said, it was my idea,” I said.

“And mine alone,” said the boy.

“Ah…” said The Dealer as he slumped in his chair, his head rolling forward under the weight of his thick vine of hair. He stared at his finger nails, coiling and twisting over the table, their shadows tearing at its surface in the flickering light of the faltering candle. “In the panopticon they will take time’s gifts from me,” he said with a moan.

“They will take everything,” we said, as the candle guttered and died.

Shorpy

SHORPY 4a18554a1.preview
SHORPY 4a18554a1.preview
SHORPY 4a18526a.preview
SHORPY 4a18526a.preview
SHORPY 4a18521a.preview
SHORPY 4a18521a.preview
SHORPY 4a18254a1.preview
SHORPY 4a18254a1.preview
SHORPY 4a27469a.preview
SHORPY 4a27469a.preview
SHORPY 4a18354a.preview
SHORPY 4a18354a.preview
SHORPY 8b18353a.preview
SHORPY 8b18353a.preview
SHORPY 8b17311a.preview
SHORPY 8b17311a.preview
SHORPY 8b17261a.preview
SHORPY 8b17261a.preview
SHORPY 8b18393a.preview
SHORPY 8b18393a.preview
SHORPY 14562u1.preview
SHORPY 14562u1.preview
SHORPY 14561u.preview
SHORPY 14561u.preview
SHORPY 14458u1.preview
SHORPY 14458u1.preview
SHORPY 14455u1.preview
SHORPY 14455u1.preview
SHORPY 1951 oak ridge 14675388454.preview
SHORPY 1951 oak ridge 14675388454.preview
SHORPY civil defense air raid drill 49774227527.preview
SHORPY civil defense air raid drill 49774227527.preview
SHORPY 4a25742a2.preview
SHORPY 4a25742a2.preview
SHORPY 06524a1.preview
SHORPY 06524a1.preview
SHORPY 8c20727a.preview
SHORPY 8c20727a.preview
SHORPY 8c36167a.preview
SHORPY 8c36167a.preview
SHORPY 01173u1.preview
SHORPY 01173u1.preview
SHORPY 8c20732a.preview
SHORPY 8c20732a.preview
SHORPY 8c36165a.preview
SHORPY 8c36165a.preview
SHORPY 8c13577a.preview
SHORPY 8c13577a.preview
SHORPY 8c17240a.preview
SHORPY 8c17240a.preview
SHORPY 8c03563a.preview
SHORPY 8c03563a.preview
SHORPY 8c03594a.preview
SHORPY 8c03594a.preview
SHORPY 8c03632a.preview
SHORPY 8c03632a.preview
SHORPY 8c03631a.preview
SHORPY 8c03631a.preview
SHORPY 8c04841a.preview
SHORPY 8c04841a.preview

Scott Ritter: Germany is F*CKED as it faces total COLLAPSE, NATO in Big Trouble

First there are 2 fighters and I am not sure why only one of those fighters is being talked about as the 2nd plane is just as important possibly as the first.

main qimg de4ff4a03809626bed4e02f5cfd4bfd3
main qimg de4ff4a03809626bed4e02f5cfd4bfd3

The first fighter labeled the J-36 is a triangular tailless fighter/bomber. There are multiple ways that this fighter could be set up.

  1. It could be used as a like a stealthy TU-22M3 with a range around 6000–7000km and speed over Mach 2 possibly closer to Mach 3. It would use most likely 3 WS-15 with total thrust output of 540KN or around 121,000lbs of thrust. Which with projected maximum weight of 50 tons would allow for a T/W of 1.21 at max afterburner. The armament is likely to either 10+ PL-15E’s or 6–8 PL-17’s with possibly 4 PL-12’s in smaller bays. The real question becomes how maneuverable will this plane be. It has the thrust but without vertical tails and what appears to be the lack of thrust vectoring it will very difficult to make agile. This why all NGAD renderings add canards to tailless designs to add better maneuverability. There are also theories on using puffs of air to move plane around but to date it has never been done.
  2. It could be used as a stealth standoff missile carrier similar to B-21. It could have no afterburners and travel subsonic with long range cruise missiles to penetrate air defences and fixed targets on the ground . In this case the need for high maneuverability would not be important as most likely it would use the new 500km AKF98A missile. It could also hold multiple glide bombs, or drones.

The second is what is being called the J-50 this seems to be the fighter jet of the 6th generation for China. It is approximately 2 meters longer and 9m wider wingspan than J-20. The J-50 is believed to use the 2 WS-15 engines with estimated top speed of Mach 2+. This design will allow for larger payload due to additional length and width allowing for larger weapons bay. This is also a tailless design therefore the all aspect stealth should be greatly increased. The swept back wing design with adjustable tail fins will produce strong aerodynamic performance.

main qimg 1d78e265de4c2afb896c42fee7f183bc
main qimg 1d78e265de4c2afb896c42fee7f183bc

All this analysis is speculation as all we have seen are pictures and videos, the Chinese military have provided no details. I have heard a lot of coping by both American and Indian media speaking about things like NGAD having belter avionics or that in does not have adaptive cycle engines therefore it is not 6th generation. The fact is that China is years ahead of the US in the 6th generation fighter currently. How can I say that? These were not first time flights, these were not yellow prototypes flying around. The color scheme alone lets you know that these fighters are in much later testing in the phase, maybe 2 to 3 years from production if not less especially for the J-36 which I believe is what was called up until a week ago the JH-26 had spy photo’s up long ago. In fact the Chinese may have more hiding in the background. For all those who think that US is so far ahead in technology whether it be chip, AI or R&D I would ask you to see how even with the US doing everything it possibly to retard Huawei ability to innovate it has not worked. Their AI models a year or two behind the Americans. That is not a significant enough gap in technology to speak of especially since the gap keeps closing.

main qimg 9d4a6e2ef30b2095e18862f7c24e17ab
main qimg 9d4a6e2ef30b2095e18862f7c24e17ab

Alleged JH-26 spy photo.

The point is this, if you took all the tech in the J-20 and just stuffed it into the J-36 added the rumored side arrays and additional optical. The improved stealth and range would make it a huge threat to all US carriers and naval vessels, Guam, Philippines and India. Fighter generations are a made up marketing tool by Lockheed Martin. Here is the question you need to ask? Will these new fighters make it easier for the Chinese to dominate the air and ground domain versus the US. The answer is yes and the Chinese will probably have a minimum 5 year head start. With China ability to manufacture equipment at the highest rate in the world that could be 50 fighters a year. That means in when the first Western 6th generation fighter roles off the assembly line there might already be 250 J-36’s and 250 J-50’s. There will be no recovering from that deficit. As the saying goes “quantity has a quality all it own”.

Hmmm. We are in our late 60’s and just downsized. We moved from a big 4 bed house to a condo.

We raised our kids in the old place and lived there 30 years. And yeah, we had a lot of stuff. All our parents and grandparents passed on and a lot of their stuff came to our house. We had a big basement, and a shed. Our kids moved in and out and in and out, leaving stuff stored. There was the archives of their childhoods. All kinds of tools and materials, and ladders and you name it from gardening and household projects. Holiday decor. Stuff from our respective careers and sports gear and hobbies.

We’d been looking at condos but in a slow motion, more to educate ourselves about neighbourhoods, amenities etc. we’d loved our house and our neighbourhood. Then we happened to see a condo on line, had a look, and that was it. We bought it. We were in the soup.

Getting rid of the stuff was awful. Serious, time consuming, hard work. Literal truckloads full being sorted and sent to auction, trash, donation. We gave what could be used to relatives and friends and kids. We forced kids and our son in law and daughter in law to come over and make decisions (it’s YOUR dresser and headboard, tell me what you want done with it).

Really painful decisions had to be made about cherished heirlooms and sentimental items we loved, but knew we’d have no space for. It was exhausting. It was grubby. It was overwhelming. It took forever. There were 100 million things I’d have MUCH rather been doing.

And yes, we hired help to get it done. We were motivated – and what’s more, we were healthy and physically well. We also hired a real estate agent who could help with prepping the old house for sale who had an eye for the neutral decor that sells these days (goodby burgundy living room and forest green dining room, lol)

Imagine if we’d waited a couple of years until we’d needed to move because one of us was ill, or had mobility issues. It was challenging enough on every front when we were relatively hale and hearty.

Getting settled in to our new place has also been a lot of work. I’m happy about it, but I’m also tired of thinking about window coverings and rugs and where things will fit. I’m tired of installing hooks and deciding where shelves need to go and where we will hang various pictures, and dealing with painters and electricians and plumbers. I’m sick of trying to figure out where I stashed things from boxes I’ve unpacked. I must have rearranged cupboards a half dozen times. No one likes moving. It’s expensive and inconvenient. It’s that much worse when you are older!

Take some pity on older folks. It would be totally too much for many. You basically have to do it long before you HAVE to and most folks don’t want to think about it, much less tackle it. It requires you to confront your own mortality and coming decline. You need to say – I can’t really go down those cellar steps safely…..or…..realistically, I’ll never mountain bike again…..or…..I loved to sew but my arthritis means I can’t any more. It’s hard to accept. It’s hard to part with things you love and hoped to use again.

China’s treatment of Uyghurs does not contradict its claim of upholding internationl norms. In fact, it is proof of China’s concern and caring for the Uyghurs. contrary to the lies of the US.

Consider the following factors:

POPULATION GROWTH

The Uygur population in Xinjiang has increased from over 8.34 million in 2000 to over 11.62 million in 2020. The growth rate was much higher than that of the country’s total ethnic minority population, which stood at 0.83 percent. This is not consistent with genocide.

EDUCATION

According to data from the seventh national census, 8,944 per 100,000 Uygurs had received a university education, an increase of 6,540 people compared to 2000, and the average years in education for those aged 15 and above also grew from 7.06 years in 2000 to 9.19 years in 2020. This is not consistent with a tribe being oppressed.

GDP

GDP has seen significant growth. This is not consistent with a tribe being oppressed. The flat chart between 2014 and 2016 is caused by the ETIM terrorists being most active and disruptive at that time.

ksnip 20250102 111713
ksnip 20250102 111713

UNEMPLOYMENT

Unemployment has been brought down to lower than the national unemployment rate. For example, for 2017, China’s unemployment rate was 4.4% and for 2018, it was 4.28%.

main qimg 900e6537e99f8d32a6fe20ca5ee6ce0f
main qimg 900e6537e99f8d32a6fe20ca5ee6ce0f

TOURISM

Xinjiang has always been open to international tourism (not possible if there is oppression and genocide going on there).

From January to April this year (2023), Xinjiang received 51.2 million tourists (domestic and international), an increase of 29.6 percent year-on-year, with the region’s total tourism revenue rising 60.6 percent to hit 42.64 billion yuan ($5.45 billion)

About the big boobie MM splash screens

Youse guys getting enough big boobie women on my MM splash screen? Yeah, I seem to have a lot of fans doing this. Ah, though. Don’t worry, other things will be presented in our future. LOL.

As far as these splash screens go, the are screen captures of AI Appreciation channel(s) on YouTube. Lots of great stuff. Lots of odd-ball stuff as well. But I think that the big-boobie-women are a crowd draw, and my stats seem to show an up-tick on random visits when the splash image shows boobs.

LOL. Gosh that is a knee-slapper.

Anyways, I’ve collected a bunch, and then the computer crashed and I lost all of them. Ah. That’s life.

I will post more boobs in the future, and then I will morph into other interesting directions. You never know.

The truth is that all this boobie stuff is gonna be short lasting. I’ve got a few months more of it, and then you’ll see other stuff headline on the splash screens. Mostly just about anything… except boobies.

But just hang in there.

Roll your eyes, if you gotta. Just know that this period is transitory, and better stuff… more interesting stuff… will replace it. Don’t you know.

Today…

As experienced when traveling by train from Vancouver to Toronto in February this year.

A little adventure as observed.

The train was 7 h late in eastern Manitoba; Suddenly we stopped in the middle of the very dark forest. One of the drivers came to the last car, the bar car, where we were. He said:

“We missed a flag stop, there is a trapper and his dog out there. We cannot leave him in this cold (- 33 C).”

If you want to know about “cold” read Jack London, “To build a fire”.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/194808.To_Build_a_Fire

We could see a very faint light about 2 km behind the train. Then we backed up until we came to where we saw the trapper, his baggage and his dog.

A couple of attendants jumped off the train and tended to his baggage.

The train, 13 cars and about 500 m long, continued to back up. The trapper’s BIG black dog was taken into the heated luggage car, the first car after the TWO locomotives, wrapped in blankets and placed near an electric heater.

Our resident chef was arousen and went to the kitchen at a very late hour to prepare a warming meal for the cold man.

A bit of “Canada” for you. He had been there, outside by the track, for over five hours. No cellphone service and he had no idea when the train would arrive.

When it came, it drove by him at 120 km/h.

Imagine his horror.

Important for the world? Important for the the US to do Gangsterism 101 just like their ugly cousin Britain hold everyone’s balls in in Suez Canal! Sure it is important for the world and but it is two Mafia weapon to hold the world at ransom.

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

These enticing golden brown muffins get their sweetness from a triple play of honey, semisweet chocolate, and ripe banana. Serve them with honey, butter, or soft-style cream cheese.

1450c22329a932f467c9a1aa537ab5d6
1450c22329a932f467c9a1aa537ab5d6

Yield: 18 muffins

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cups mashed banana (4 medium)
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

 

 

Instructions

  1. Line eighteen 2 1/2 inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.
  3. In another bowl, combine melted butter, honey, milk, and vanilla; add to flour mixture along with mashed banana and chocolate pieces. Stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
  4. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from muffin cups; cool muffins on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
  5. Serve warm.

Difficult question! My guess would be that there was not a single mechanism responsible, nor did it happen from one day to the next.

Important mechanisms to name a few probably were:

1)The spontaneous creation of complex organic molecules from simple molecules in proto-earth.

2)The 3D complexity of very long organic biomolecules, that in combination with external energy can create complex chemical systems that are difficult to reach equilibrium. Also these molecules can react with simpler compounds (CaCO3, aminoacids, etc) and create other molecules with ridiculously complex 3D spatial conformations like them and increase the available for life chemical reservoir.

3)The natural history of reactions favors (and in a way select) the most stable systems. For example adhesive properties can make systems endure external events, hydrophobicity can create membranes, pores, etc, which can protect and sequester reactions, deoxyribonucleic acids and their packaging can lead to relatively stable structures, etc.

4)The fact that we are the observers of the whole phenomenon gives us a specific viewpoint that can be deceiving. I will explain:

a)We don’t realize the unfathomable amount of chemical reactions and events that happen even in a tiny bit of living material. Every chemical reaction in life happens for a natural reason. There is locally no purpose in them, they are natural events. However, we dont see plain reactions, we see for example mitochondria, cells, etc.

b)Life from a strictly biochemical perspective is a sum of chemical systems that interact. From a biochemical standpoint, there is not such a thing as an individual organism. This is probably a result of a need of human brain to organize and understand systems. Thus, we think that living systems can create order, while in fact life as a whole, if we even include for example death, food and nutrient recycling is a much more disordered system overall, exactly like all spontaneously forming chemical systems.

c)Life’s chemical reactions seem to have a purpose because life self-organizes. However, who is the observer? We. The results of this process are the observers of the process. Everything that happens leads to them. This by itself cancels out the epicness of self-organization. If a river could think, how would it perceive the cycle of water it participates? Imagine a series of events: A->B->C…….Y->Z->A->B…etc and the observer is (N+O). The observer will think that this system can self-organize. Although an over-simplification because life is consisted by unfathomable numbers of chemical interactions, all i am saying is that any system will be perceived to have self-organizing properties from the perspective of its results.

And similar systems under the same laws of nature will constantly produce similar results. Imagine you go to a planet with many chemical reactions on its surface. Your chemical analysis will be similar both now and after 30 years. Every chemical reaction in life happens for a natural reason, for example adenine and thymine form bonds during replication. There is no purpose in them, they are natural events. DNA molecules are a part of the soup, but they are stable and their interactions will be relatively preserved and will expand. Changes in DNA sequences will affect the fate of the chemical system and the most sustainable results will dominate. Natural selection will be in full action, but its like looking it from a different angle. Biology and chemistry look like 2 sides of the same coin, but it depends on the angle you observe the phenomenon.

d)There is nothing more tricky than to try to understand logic and human cognition by using…human cognition. Its like trying to see your eyes with your own eyes.

All thoughts, regardless of how deep or complex, can be reduced down to simple chemical processes. There are no exceptions.

Reason is driven by what we perceive as pleasure-seeking integral tendencies and internal forces and instincts (reproduction, survival, etc).

If you are starving for days, you are gonna constantly think of ways to feed yourself. Just write down your thoughts 1 day after you quit smoking and read them after 2 years. One can deliberately fast, but that is because the person decided that this will give him/her even more pleasure (e.g due to religious views, etc) than eating.

Logic is also driven by self or other parties aims and interests. They build and use their existing background that is written in nervous synapses and based on what they have learned so far, they seek of solutions or develop strategies to fullfil their aims and interests. They do so, because this will give them pleasure and avoid pain.

In other words, cognition and logic is a tool of nature to serve its purposes. It is a homeostasis tool, and its no different than the lungs, the kidneys, etc on that sense.

So to conclude, there are probably several mechanisms that enabled life to emerge, but the main mechanism that made biology different than chemistry is probably the fact that we are the observers.

Where??? (She’s so confused)

Why do foreigners feel very comfortable living in China?

BEIJING: Not all foreigners feel very comfortable in China, but there are many of us who do. I have lived and worked in the capital city for over 11 years so I can provide my prospective on how to adapt and feel better here.

A person coming to China should first know their purpose for arriving in the country. Are they simply a short-term visitor planning to take a vacation or to visit friends or relatives?

If you are just coming for a week or two, it’s best to write up a list of places you hope to visit and do your best to follow the schedule.

For tourists, there are many amazing sites to see, but it’s a big country so it’s best to organize a schedule to meet your objectives. Do you like cities or the countryside?

The major cities are Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xi’an, Wuhan Chengdu and many other cities with big populations and huge skyscrapers.

For first time tourists with just a week to visit, I would suggest going to Beijing and/or Shanghai.

The capital city is home to the Forbidden Palace, Great Wall of China, Summer Palace, along with many great museums.

While Shanghai is the financial hub so it’s great for dining out, shopping and strolling around the public gardens, parks and of course the Bund.

Nevertheless, China is more than a place for people to take a tour for a leisure trip.

Many people such as myself have moved here for the long-term so this requires having a different mindset to adjust to the cultural differences.

Under these circumstances, you should spend more time reading about China before moving to the country.

Good topics on China should be on Chinese-related history, literature, cultural, economics and contemporary books.

China has a long and rich history so it’s important to know not only the history of the People’s Republic of China and the ruling CPC (Communist Party of China) but you should read books about Ancient China’s history and the imperial dynasties.

That can help one better understand the real mindsets of the Chinese as they take pride in coming from a civilization that has endured for over 5,000 years.

The philosophy of Confucianism plays a strong role in Chinese culture to this day. Chinese families are closely knit and care deeply about education.

Confucianism promotes an ethical code that favors conformity, respect for elders and authority and to embrace a social harmony that places support for the community above support for the individual.

We can learn more about how Confucianism impacts Chinese society from National Geographic. The link is here:

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/confucianism/

This endangered mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) was photographed by National Geographic Photographer Joel Sartore on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, in his ambitious project to document every species in captivity—inspiring people not just to care, but also to help protect these animals for future generations. Before drills disappear,

As reported by National Geographic:

“The main idea of Confucianism is the importance of having a good moral character, which can then affect the world around that person through the idea of ‘cosmic harmony.’ If the emperor has moral perfection, his rule will be peaceful and benevolent. Natural disasters and conflict are the result of straying from the ancient teachings. This moral character is achieved through the virtue of ren, or ‘humanity,’ which leads to more virtuous behaviours, such as respect, altruism, and humility. Confucius believed in the importance of education in order to create this virtuous character. He thought that people are essentially good yet may have strayed from the appropriate forms of conduct. Rituals in Confucianism were designed to bring about this respectful attitude and create a sense of community within a group.”

Based on my experiences, I would advise people planning to move here for the long term to develop more patience, humility and stay reasonable when dealing with unexpected situations.

Why North America is preparing for an Arctic battle

On the use of slippers in hand-to-hand combat

Submitted into Contest #18 in response to: Your fingers tensed around the object in your pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment’s notice. view prompt

Marte Van Der Linden

General

There’s an Egyptian dessert called Oum Ali which commemorates a murder. The story goes that Shajar al-Durr, widow of a 13th century sultan, could not be ruler of Egypt unless she married. So she found herself a total pushover of a husband named Izz al-Din Aybak who she thought would make a fine puppet sultan. He was already married, but that did not stop the ambitious sultana-to-be. She simply forbade him from seeing his first wife and his son Ali.The ruling couple did not exactly live happily ever after. The sultan missed his old family. Eventually, the sultana had the sultan murdered and announced to the world that he had very tragically and completely accidentally died while taking a bath. The sultan’s first wife was not going to stand for this. She lured the sultana to the bath house, where her servants beat her to death with their slippers. To celebrate her victory, the first wife cooked up a delicious bread pudding with coconut and almonds and served it to all her friends. And she named the dish Oum Ali after herself: Ali’s mother. What a woman.I’ve never actually tasted this dessert, but the story stuck in my mind for three reasons. First of all, Egyptians are weird. Why would you name a dessert after a murderer? Second, this tragedy could have been avoided if they’d just let Shajar al-Durr be sultana and supreme ruler without a man. She was quite competent, apparently. Third, and perhaps most importantly, in the right hands a slipper can be a formidable weapon. I had a slipper. It was the middle of the night and someone was moving around my apartment. A burglar? A deranged mass murderer? A ghost? I needed all the weaponry I could get.I suppose Oum Ali and her servants used a fairly hefty type of slipper, perhaps something wooden like a clog. I had one of those flimsy slippers that are complimentary on long flights. I honestly don’t know why there was a slipper in the pocket of my dressing gown. The other pocket contained a toothpick and a postcard. I thought of the bread knife in the kitchen and the hammer in the tool chest. Both were beyond my reach. My bedroom did not contain any convenient cricket bats or thick hardcover books.My fingers tensed around the slipper in my pocket as I crept down the hallway. The light was on in the kitchen and someone was clattering around in there. Drawers. Cutlery. Plates. The tap. The fridge. A pan. The gas stove. Then a tiny crack followed by a loud sizzling sound. What kind of burglar breaks into a house to fry an egg?I peered around the corner and saw a woman dressed in green. She had dark hair that was fighting its way out of a fancy braid. She looked fairly harmless, but I did not relinquish the grasp on the slipper. Perhaps I could slip past her to the living room, find my phone, call the police…I must’ve made a noise because she glanced up.“Hi,” she said, with a flicker of a smile. “I suppose you are wondering what I’m doing in your kitchen in the middle of the night.”“Well, yes.”“Long story.” She opened a drawer and began to rummage through it. “Do you have a spatula?”“How did you get in?”“Your spare key. Honey, your letterbox is the first place burglars look. You really should be more careful.” She spotted the spatula in the earthenware jar by the stove and extracted it with a flourish. “You’re not hungry, are you? There was just one egg.”I shook my head and sat down at the kitchen table while she made herself a cup of tea and some toast to go with her egg. Sunny side up. She sat down opposite me and began to wolf down her food. I kept my hand in my pocket. The slipper felt oddly comforting.“So, first things first,” she said, between bites. “I’m Gloria.”I said nothing.“Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”“I’m waiting to hear what you’re doing in my apartment.” I was also pinching myself repeatedly but all that got me was a bruised forearm. This was not a dream.The woman – Gloria – mopped up the last of the egg with a piece of toast and popped it into her mouth. “Would you believe me if I said I’m a secret agent, trying to track down a spy who could endanger my entire mission?”“What mission?”“Top secret, can’t tell you.”“I don’t believe you.”“Fair enough. I’ll give you a broad outline. It involves a stolen Rembrandt painting, three cardinals and a significant quantity of enriched uranium.”“I still don’t believe you.”“Too far-fetched? Yes, I suppose it is.” She took a sip of her tea. “What if I said I broke in on a dare?”“Better,” I said. “But still not believable enough. What sort of dare involves cooking?”“I have weird friends.”That I could believe.Gloria took another sip of tea. “You’d like me to leave, don’t you?”“Yes. I don’t like people breaking into my apartment.”“Is it technically breaking in if I used a key?”“Yes.”“I suppose you’re right.” She got to her feet, brushed a few crumbs of her shirt and put her plate in the sink. She also left the dirty frying pan on the stove.“Well,” she said. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”She held out her hand. When I didn’t move, she reached forward and pulled mine out of my pocket. I was still holding the slipper, and she raised an eyebrow at the sight of it.“You’re weird,” she said.

“Bit rich coming from you.”

“Who keeps a slipper in the pocket of their dressing gown?”

“Who breaks into a stranger’s apartment in the middle of the night to fry an egg?”

“I was hungry.”

“Then use your own kitchen!”

“Not possible, I’m afraid. My kitchen is far away. It would take me years to get back there.”

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow.

“It’s true,” she said. The smile was back on her face. The corners of her eyes crinkled. “I’m a time traveller from the distant future.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well, then! I’m an alien, and my home planet is dozens of light years from here.”

“I don’t believe you. And if you don’t tell me the truth right now, I’m calling the police.”

“And tell them what? That someone broke in and stole your last egg? I’ll be long gone before they get here. You can’t stop me.”

I held up my slipper. “I’ll use this.”

“To do what?”

I whacked her around the head with it. She blinked. I whacked her again. The slipper was drooping at a sad angle. I would be writing the Egyptian people a sternly worded letter concerning the effectiveness of slippers in hand-to-hand combat.

“Stop it,” Gloria said, after I’d whacked her a third time.

“Not until you tell me why you are here!” My brain was fizzing and my kitchen looked oddly shiny and blurred around the edges, the way everything looks when you are so tired you don’t realise you are tired anymore. It was nearly three in the morning by now.

“All right, then,” said Gloria. “I’ll tell you. I’m the queen of the fairies, and I appear in the human world once a year. If I am warmly received, I bless the world. If I am not, I curse it.”

“Curse all you want.” I raised the slipper.

She did swear then, a colourful string of invectives that would have made a sailor blush.

“Actually, I’m a scientist,” she said. A smile flickered across her face again. “I’m studying how people respond to strange situations.”

“I wonder what your ethics committee thinks of that.”

Perhaps I could push her out of my apartment. I stepped forward, and she stepped back, eyeing the slipper in my hand. Step by step, I nudged her towards the front door.

“I’m a member of the neighbourhood watch,” she said, as she took a step backwards into the hallway. “I regularly check if people hide their spare keys in stupid places, and then confront them like this.”

“That’s crazy.”

Gloria had her back to my front door now.

“You win,” she said. She took something out of her pocket and handed it to me. It was my spare key.

I opened the door. A blast of cold air made me shiver. “Why are you really here?”

“I’ve given you at least half a dozen reasons.”

“Are you saying one of them is the truth?”

“No,” she said. “All of them are.”

And she stepped out into the night and was gone.

I locked and bolted the door and placed a chair under the handle for good measure.

 

I can’t remember falling asleep but I must have done. I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache, still clutching the slipper. When I padded down the hallway, the first thing I saw was a chair propped against my front door. There was a dirty frying pan on the stove and a plate in the sink. I opened my fridge and saw I had one egg. There was a tiny note beside it.

I am many things, the note said. But not a thief.

Dresses inappropriately to get attention at the gym and NO ONE looks at her.

My husband and I were invited to a neighbors house for a potluck dinner.

I made a beautiful cake and put it on a beautiful cake platter that I had recently purchased.

It’s always my husband‘s job to make sure that whatever plate I bring to someone’s house comes back with us. So when the cake was finished, he grabbed the plate and quickly washed it and Put it into our car that was parked right outside.

A few weeks later, this woman called me and asked if she could borrow the platter. I told her of course she could and just pick it up anytime you want.

Two weeks later, I still hadn’t heard from her, so I called her up and asked her if I could come by and pick up the platter.

Her response?!?!

She then said to me “oh! You want to borrow my platter?”

I almost choked! I said “no Susan, I would like you to return my platter, the platter that you borrowed from me.

she then told me that I was mistaken, and the platter was hers. She told me she had recently bought it at Macy’s.

The first time she saw the platter was at my house and at the time she asked me where I had gotten it and I told her at Macy*s!

this woman was a member of the country club and I knew she went there regularly. I waited a few days until I knew she was at the club and sent my husband over to her house.

Her husband was home and didn’t know anything about this so my husband just said he was there to pick up our platter.

The husband was very nice and apologized that it hadn’t been brought back to us sooner.

Three hours later, I got a very angry call from Susan, who actually threatened to take me to court to get “her” Platter back.

Shorpy

SHORPY 8c22330a.preview
SHORPY 8c22330a.preview
SHORPY 8c22127a.preview
SHORPY 8c22127a.preview
SHORPY 8c22119a.preview
SHORPY 8c22119a.preview
SHORPY 8c22053a.preview
SHORPY 8c22053a.preview
SHORPY 8c22011a.preview
SHORPY 8c22011a.preview
SHORPY 8c21998a.preview
SHORPY 8c21998a.preview
SHORPY 8c22165a.preview
SHORPY 8c22165a.preview
SHORPY 8c22047a.preview
SHORPY 8c22047a.preview
SHORPY 8c22070a.preview
SHORPY 8c22070a.preview
SHORPY 8c22090a.preview
SHORPY 8c22090a.preview
SHORPY 8c22046a.preview
SHORPY 8c22046a.preview
SHORPY 8c22026a.preview
SHORPY 8c22026a.preview
SHORPY 8c22030a.preview
SHORPY 8c22030a.preview
SHORPY 8c22166a.preview
SHORPY 8c22166a.preview
SHORPY 8c22383a.preview
SHORPY 8c22383a.preview
SHORPY 8c22325a.preview
SHORPY 8c22325a.preview
SHORPY 1a34770u.preview
SHORPY 1a34770u.preview
SHORPY 8c22349a.preview
SHORPY 8c22349a.preview
SHORPY 4a17660a.preview
SHORPY 4a17660a.preview
SHORPY 16232u1.preview
SHORPY 16232u1.preview
SHORPY 8c22340a.preview
SHORPY 8c22340a.preview
SHORPY 8c22363a.preview
SHORPY 8c22363a.preview
SHORPY 8c22368a.preview
SHORPY 8c22368a.preview
SHORPY 8c22338a.preview
SHORPY 8c22338a.preview
SHORPY 8c22557a.preview
SHORPY 8c22557a.preview
SHORPY 8c22358a.preview
SHORPY 8c22358a.preview
SHORPY 8c22366a.preview
SHORPY 8c22366a.preview

On December 26, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) simultaneously displayed two different sixth-generation NGAD fighter jet, the 076 amphibious landing ship, the WZ-9 strategic drone, and the KJ3000 AWACS in tribute to Chairman Mao, the founder of the PLA.

ksnip 20241231 154017
ksnip 20241231 154017
main qimg bc10275e4eead73019b620d44a9303a6
main qimg bc10275e4eead73019b620d44a9303a6
ksnip 20241231 153946
ksnip 20241231 153946
ksnip 20241231 153921
ksnip 20241231 153921
ksnip 20241231 153852
ksnip 20241231 153852
main qimg 80ad211218ebe64744e53e5fd58f957e
main qimg 80ad211218ebe64744e53e5fd58f957e

Some Chinese in the United States sent a message saying that traffic jams have started near the Pentagon, and classic pizza restaurants have also started to be overwhelmed.

ksnip 20241231 154241
ksnip 20241231 154241

In Washington, the U.S. House of Representatives urgently announced on the 26th that it would hold an extraordinary meeting on the 27th…

ksnip 20241231 154346
ksnip 20241231 154346

I didn’t expect that Americans would attach so much importance to Chairman Mao’s birthday. Americans are so polite. 😅

main qimg 1bdd5378cb05098075a358823d46be9d
main qimg 1bdd5378cb05098075a358823d46be9d

Notably, photos taken in Sichuan Province indicate that China’s new aircraft are already marked with serial numbers. According to Chinese military regulations, only equipment that has been formally delivered to combat units is allowed to have serial numbers. This could suggest that China’s 6th generation fighter has already entered mass production and may even be combat-ready.

ksnip 20241231 154503
ksnip 20241231 154503

From this perspective, it is still not enough for the US military to evacuate from Okinawa in the first island chain to Guam in the second island chain. Perhaps it will be safe enough to evacuate to Hawaii in the third island chain. The second island chain is also about to collapse… 😂

U.S Marines’ transfer to Guam from Okinawa to start in December
The transfer of U.S Marine Corps troops stationed in Japan’s Okinawa to Guam will start in December, a Marines official said Sunday, the latest development in a long-agreed Japan-U.S forces realignment plan aimed at reducing the southern island prefecture’s base-hosting burden.
main qimg 42e4fab200063e2393bd863f95ce4a4e
main qimg 42e4fab200063e2393bd863f95ce4a4e

The key to developing a new generation of fighter jets lies in having the necessary next-generation research facilities—specifically hypersonic wind tunnels. In this field, the U.S. is at least eight years behind China.

Wind tunnels are research facilities that simulate real-world flight conditions on the ground, with hypersonic wind tunnels reaching speeds of at least Mach 5. Beijing’s JF-22 wind tunnel can simulate speeds up to Mach 30, flight altitudes of 100 kilometres, and continuous operation for more than 100 milliseconds, making it the world’s most advanced wind tunnel. In contrast, the VOA reported in 2023 that the most advanced U.S. wind tunnel, LENS II, can only simulate speeds of Mach 7 and operate for just 30 milliseconds.

To understand the difference, imagine developing aircraft as training athletes. Having a super-fast treadmill allows engineers to closely observe the athlete’s form and offer precise feedback without having to transport test models to 100 kilometres in altitude. This not only reduces the risk of espionage during development but fundamentally improves the maturity of technology verification machines, ensuring fewer losses and greater safety for test pilots.

While the U.S. Sandia National Laboratory’s Z Machine can accelerate airflow to Mach 30, its primary purpose is to study shock waves for nuclear fusion, and it can only operate for a very brief period. Unlike Beijing’s JF-22, which is designed for continuous operation, the Z Machine cannot simulate sustained high-speed flight conditions needed for aircraft and missiles. It’s like trying to train a sprinter with a treadmill that can only simulate one step. Even if Usain Bolt’s first step is faster than anyone else’s, he won’t win the gold medal if he doesn’t complete the remaining 99 meters.

However, as of November 2024, the U.S. remains behind. The most recently delivered wind tunnel at the University of Notre Dame can only reach Mach 10, just one-third of the capability of China’s JF-22.

The development of hypersonic missiles also requires hypersonic wind tunnels. The lack of hypersonic wind tunnels is the reason why the United States has not successfully tested its hypersonic missiles.

main qimg 2233bc41e1a89b1ffada49e76eb7e014 lq
main qimg 2233bc41e1a89b1ffada49e76eb7e014 lq
ARRW hypersonic missile test failed, US Air Force admits
Secretary Frank Kendall confirmed this month’s ARRW hypersonic test wasn’t successful, and said the service is more committed to another weapon.

The faster the flight speed, the greater the air resistance, and the more difficult it is to control the flight. If there is a slight deviation during the flight, the missile will have an error of tens or even hundreds of kilometers from the target.

Hypersonic aircraft is a technology that the United States has not yet developed. In the near space war zone, the sixth-generation fighter jets fly at a speed of Mach 5 at an altitude of more than 20,000 meters, opening up a new air combat mode.

The sixth-generation fighter jets flying in near space need to switch between high-density and low-density air.

Can the B2 or B21 fly at Mach 5? The only standard flight speed of the sixth-generation aircraft is Mach 5. 🤣🤣🤣

Personally, I think it would be better for the Americans to come out and brag about supersonic missiles after they have successfully developed them!

Hurdles in the Hypersonic Race: The United States’ Failed ARRW Program
The U.S. hypersonic program is lagging behind those of its primary adversaries due to multiple factors. The cancellation of the ARRW hypersonic program sheds light on this

Some of China’s Mega Projects

JF-22 wind tunnel

main qimg ec924caf8a509c2221eff6ff8255ae74
main qimg ec924caf8a509c2221eff6ff8255ae74

HL-2M research tokamak

main qimg f33f6de222afe0a351b8ca4b74cf6388
main qimg f33f6de222afe0a351b8ca4b74cf6388

Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope

main qimg 462e35614847823055058315b901815d
main qimg 462e35614847823055058315b901815d

Neutrino experimental device

main qimg d7f0d20ed74eb51e62642869556f1e57
main qimg d7f0d20ed74eb51e62642869556f1e57

TRUTHFULLY (How to Stop Lying with Squares) (AQAL Quadrant analysis)

Cinnamon Crunch Cobblestone Muffins

5fad2086e6e40e366899830ff900837a
5fad2086e6e40e366899830ff900837a

Yield: 12 servings or 24 sample servings

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
  • 2 (11.3 ounce) packages refrigerated dinner rolls
  • 1 tablespoon flour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Chop pecans using Food Chopper. Combine pecans, sugar and cinnamon in Small Batter Bowl; mix well. Microwave butter in Small Micro-Cooker(R) on HIGH 30 seconds or until melted.
  3. Separate rolls; cut each roll into 6 pieces using Pizza Cutter. Place half of the dough pieces and 2 tablespoons of the butter in Classic Batter Bowl; toss gently to coat using Small Mix ‘N Scraper(R). Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the sugar mixture; toss to coat. Evenly divide dough pieces to fill 6 muffin cups in Stoneware Muffin Pan. Repeat with remaining dough, 2 tablespoons of the butter and 1/4 cup of the sugar mixture; divide evenly to fill remaining muffin cups.
  4. Add flour to remaining sugar mixture in batter bowl; add remaining melted butter and mix until crumbly. Using Small Scoop, place scant scoop of crumb topping over each muffin.
  5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins are deep golden brown.
  6. Remove from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack. Let stand 5 minutes.
  7. Remove from pan using Small Spreader; serve warm.

No!

They were the ones that introduced the ban (Wolf Amendment) to deliberately ostracise China thus depriving them of any form of information sharing in that field.

So in asking in such a manner is looking like as if the US congress is benevolent in doing so in the eyes of those ignorant about the bad intentions of the US congress that introduced it in the first place. It gives hypocrisy a new meaning and a with such a shameless manner.

It’s like banishing someone only to accept him back when found that he’s badly needed to be reused.

The US is now seen as an ungrateful nation and treating others countries like disposable diapers. The entire EU countries and a number of Asian nations has become “Diaper Nations” to the US but China isn’t one of those.

Do I think the US congress should lift the.. ?

By lifting that ban now only show to the rest of the world how an entire congress becomes an instant pariah if it hasn’t already.

5 Real Reasons I Left America To Live Abroad As A PASSPORT BRO.

To kick USA out of Greenland? Not so easy.

USA is withdrawing troops from Okinawa in Dec 2024 to Guam & Hawaii.

No doubt for years, Okinawans staged countless protests against US soldiers on their island, but USA the mafia did not care, until 2024.

What makes USA change its mind?

It is because USA knows it cannot fight China in case of war. USA cannot protect its 1st island chain which covers Japan incl Okinawa, S Korea, Taiwan & Philippines. It fact, USA cannot protect its 2nd island chain Guam either. Nor Hawaii. Nor US mainland.

China has both medium & long range missiles that can hit 4000 km ie as far as Guam. China also can hit 8000 km ie Hawaii. In Sep 2024, China has successfully tested fired a 3rd generation intercontinental hypersonic missile that can hit US mainland in minutes.

USA reported that China has finished installing its med-long range missiles ie USA cannot defend its 1st island chain any more. That is why USA withdraws troops from Okinawa.

USA made it news about Okinawa because USA wanted to make it look like USA is such a gentleman who would listen to protests.

My guess is that USA may have quietly withdrawn troops & heavy duty weapons from Japan mainland & S Korea to Guam too. For the same reason, USA cannot defend the 1st island chain.

Now your question.

Greenlanders cannot kick USA out. USA is a mafia who only bows down to fist/weapon. Not to lip/protest.

Look at Syria. USA has illegally occupied the Syrian oil fields, stealing 80% of Syrian total oil production before war. USA also steals Syrian grain. UN condemned USA many times but failed because mafia USA is shameless.

That said. Greenlanders should learn from Okinawa. Protest & make international news. Constantly. Go to UN too. Lip pressure is better than none.

If Greenland is thinking to get military help, dont ask UK or Germany. They are US puppets & will bow down to USA.

Go ask for UN peacekeeping. Go join SCO to see if Russia or China can help with peacekeeping.

Good luck, Greenland. Stay strong because Greenland is sitting on a “gold” mine rich in natural resources AND north pole seaway.

What country do Westerners think has far worse corruption, the US or Russia?

One weekend in Sacramento with my girlfriend at the time we discovered a cool little state-owned military museum. It was exactly the kind of place I love, nothing too grandiose, just a treasure trove of authentic military displays, items and diaramas.

While I was there, I ran into one of the museum’s staff (he was a director or something like that) who was also a lieutenant colonel in the California Army National Guard. We had a great conversation about a lot of things. At the time, I worked for the California NG’s public affairs unit.

I messaged my boss and said this would be a great place to publish an article about, and she agreed. Then a couple of days later she contacted me and said absolutely do not write about the museum, don’t say anything about it. I was baffled and asked why. She didn’t know, that was just the instructions she received.

Then about a week later, that guy I talked to was caught by the Feds robbing the museum in the middle of the night with a few accomplices.

Just to explain what happened here: when a WWII veteran dies, his family will often donate all of his stuff to a museum. Old uniform items and nazi war trophies can be quite valuable on marketplaces like Ebay.

So sitting on millions of dollars worth of trinkets was just too much of a temptation for the lieutenant colonel. And mind you, this guy was not poor by any stretch of the imagination. He was a senior officer in the US Army, plus his position at the museum. But he still supplemented his income with theft. In his mind, he probably justified this enterprise as a victimless crime. The museum was getting more donated old kit and war trophies than they could ever use, and he decided to sell some of it and keep the money for himself.

Another example that stuck out to me. Last year I read about a Marine supply sergeant at Camp Pendleton who was convicted for his role in a crime ring that that sold leftover training ammunition on the civilian market.

Just to be clear, military bureaucracy is annoying and if this guy was just being a little fast and loose with the paperwork I wouldn’t judge him. “Hey Bob, just throw this ammo in your garage and we’ll get together to drink some beer and shoot it off later.” Not legal, but the ammo is getting used for what it was intended for. But these guys were stealing from the American taxpayer and pocketing the money.

And the thing is, it was a trivial amount of money. A Marine sergeant in California would be making at least 6 or 7 thousand dollars a month. And it’s not like they were selling Javelin missiles or 40mm grenades or anything like that. Just excess 5.56mm rifle and 9mm rounds. Was it really worth throwing away his career and spending time in prison for a few hundred dollars here and there? It blows my mind. But that’s corruption for you.

One time I traveled to Camp Roberts in central California and had a long talk with a senior guy at the G-8 (Finance). There had just recently been a massive scandal involving misuse of funds. Money that was supposed to be going to camp renovations was being rerouted to the neighboring base at San Luis Obispo, and also people’s pockets. He was the one honest guy in a den of thieves so got away unscathed, but I noticed he seemed to look older than he actually was.

I can think of at least a couple of other extraordinary cases of corruption that I interacted with personally.

So to actually answer the question, I have thought about how dirty the Russian government is in comparison to the US government, and I have tried to be impartial about it. How much does the average Russian official steal in comparison to the average American official? One HUGE advantage the US has is that our government employees are usually paid pretty well. I continue to be amazed at how little Russian government employees are often paid. BUT, as I already said, good pay doesn’t eliminate the temptation to steal.

The cultural trait working against Americans in comparison to Russians is that we tend to deny the problem exists. I have never met a Russian who denies that corruption exists and is a problem in Russia. But from talking to Americans, they very often bellow that corruption is not a problem and if you even try to suggest it might be, they scream “But but but North Korea but but but Russia but but but Cuba!” That doesn’t boost my confidence that the problem is actually being addressed properly.

THE UK IS DYING AND I NEED TO VENT

Really great rant.

Glimmers From a Gem by Christina Steele

Submitted into Contest #18 in response to: Your fingers tensed around the object in your pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment’s notice. view prompt

Christina Steele

She kept a stone in her pocket. A black stone, cold to the touch, but it fit her palm as if moulded just for her. In times of indecision, she ran her thumb over the flat surface discerning the small crevices and bumps, angulations eyes could not see, but touch could memorise. Intuitively, the surface’s rises and falls represented life’s journeys, the everyday ups-and-downs, and scars, and struggles. Touching was usually enough to soothe her worries, one large Zen bead, or single Rosary bead.Occasionally, she needed to see the stone; to believe it existed. On those arduous days, sitting elbows on knees, moving this touched connection, this weight, from hand to hand, she’d view the depth of the black colour with its subtle contrast of weathered-white speckles. Doing so brought the piece into reality; making it more than something connected only by emotion, or something only ethereal. She had trust in the magic of this rock. This stone delivered to her at her mother’s funeral, when the pastor’s random pull from an amethyst bag, placed the smooth weight into her hand. She needed to see it, for it to be real, on those lonely doubt-filled days, the rock got her through.She rolled the stone over, her eyes mesmerised by the gold engraved cursive. It couldn’t be wrong. It was her mother’s last word, the only unanswered question, answered by a rock placed in her hand, a smooth stone that had seen her through several storms, a gem that spoke to her by feel, and could bring the warmth and pure earthy smell of her mother’s love to her as if by magic—a beautiful black stone with a single, now tarnished, gold word—dream. She read the gold cursive word that she had poured her money into, lost family over, had worked her fingers to the bone to earn. It had to—no—must be; real. If it weren’t, then she’d have nothing.That was the day she laid aside the expectations. She let out the breath she had been holding within, with all her might, for all her life. It was the end, acting as the end always does, as a disguised beginning.She believed beyond reason because if it existed, all her dreams would transform into reality as tangible as this touchstone looked, and felt, and smelled. Faith in the pebble in her pocket fed the hunger of her dream.She slipped the treasured gem back into her pocket — the weight a subtle reminder to ground herself. With a new glimmer of onyx inspiration, she slid behind the keyboard and began the novel, yet again. Knowing beyond any self-doubt, the rock in her pocket would see her through.“When do you think she will believe in herself as much as she believes in that dark abyss of a rock she carries?” her deceased grandmother asked.“Knowing her, not until that rock is dust,” her deceased mother responded. With that, they both picked up their pickaxes and chipped away at the crevices. Each swings’ corresponding chime, creating a song along a nerve, which arrived in their loved one’s brain, tap by loving tap, when silent, she heard—It’s not the rock, baby; it’s you. Believe in you

First, I want to say that we have had excellent meals at restaurants in the U.S. This includes simple diners as well as restaurants with a Michelin star or which are on a star level.

But there are some things which are shocking indeed:

  1. There are restaurants which do not serve alcohol. Once we stayed in a motel near Cape Canaveral in the middle of nowhere and there was nothing nearby but a Cracker Barrel to grab something to eat and they did not serve alcohol. Very hard for us Europeans to have dinner without wine.
  2. Even after travelling to the U.S. for 40 years we still find it shocking how rushed it is in American restaurants. You have barely finished your plate and you are handed the check. In Europe, we like to sit at the table, have one more glass or two and contemplate about what we have eaten. Once, while having a longish layover at a U.S. airport we thought it was a good idea to spend some time in a restaurant. But they rushed to serve us our meal, handed us the check and indicated that we had to leave. Unthinkable in Europe.
  3. When our kids were young we took them with us to fine dining restaurants. Obviously, the Americans do not like the idea to take children into a gourmet restaurant, although our kids always were well-behaved. We ordered filet mignon for them and other things and there was absolutely no reason to raise eyebrows.
  4. In Salt Lake City we stayed at the Hilton Hotel when our kids were six years old. The hotel restaurant did not let the children in because the restaurant had a license to serve alcohol. Completely ridiculous to think that parents would give their six-year old alcohol! We then went to a nearby Mexican restaurant which served 36 kinds of tequila, but they happily accepted our kids.
  5. In a restaurant in Alaska, we had show our passports, including my 88-year-old mother-in-law. How stupid can people be?

This was an honest answer by someone who loves to travel to the U.S. I expect Americans to eat me alive for my answer but the questioner asked for it.

Why Don’t Men “PURSUE WOMEN” Anymore | Women Realizing ” CHIVALRY IS DEAD” in 2024 – Kozmicverse

The Fear of Loud Silence

Submitted into Contest #18 in response to: Your fingers tensed around the object in your pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment’s notice. view prompt

Heaven J. Fox

General

It was freezing as I make my way to the bus stop, but that wasn’t the only reason I stuffed my hands in my pockets and kept them there. For the majority of my life, I thought I was severely shy. So shy to the point I’d be stuck in the moment and couldn’t speak. There were so many passing moments, I should have spoken up about something, but every time, my voice escapes me. So many things I should have done, but my body would become paralyzed with an unknown fear.Later in life, I found out I was diagnosed with panic disorder and anxiety. Everything keeps me on edge. That’s why I keep my hand in my pockets. My right hand constantly caressing the content inside. I stay ready; that way, I don’t have to waste any time getting ready.I round the corner as my heart beats faster, pumping blood throughout my entire body. My eyes are wide open, and I’m alert as can be. This isn’t the best neighborhood to walk in alone, but it also isn’t the worst. I’d probably have these same emotions walking inside a gated community.My ears pick up the most silent of things. For instance, I’m sure I could hear an ant burrowing under the ground as I walk past. A dog barks in the distance. It’s faint like he’s barricaded inside the house, but it still causes me to jump, which throws my anxiety into overdrive. I squeeze my fingers around the object inside my pocket, ready to pull it out and use it at any moment. It’s the only protection I have. I wouldn’t feel safe at all without it.It’s so cold out here, my breath turns the air in front of me to that which resembles smoke. I see the bus stop up ahead, which makes me feel calmer, knowing my destination is only a few feet away. I try to slow my steps, thinking it would also slow my heart rate as I implement my breathing techniques.I can hear a car in the distance, probably going a little faster than it should in a residential area. It creeps me out because I don’t see it yet, and then it rounds the same corner I’d just turned.“WHOOP! WHOOP!” That loud piercing sound stops me dead in my tracks and freezes me. Only my physical movements because everything else inside my body again kicks into overdrive.The car comes to a rolling stop right in front of me with the cop car just behind it. In my head, I’m screaming to myself to just get the heck away from there and keep going. This isn’t my business. Once again, my hand squeezes the safety net inside my pocket. My mind shouts for my body to move and continue to make my way to the bus stop, but it’s as if my shoes have turned into cement blocks. If I don’t hurry, I will miss my bus.Nonetheless, I’m frozen with fear. Fear of the situation unfolding in front of me. Fear of leaving and fear of staying. The guy in the driver’s seat easily resembles one of my sons or even nephews. The cop approaching the car also resembles a few of my family members who wear the same uniform. We all are well aware and informed on how this scenario usually plays out. I pull my protection half-way from my pocket, making sure I have a firm grip on it.The officer pumps his chest out as he saunters over to the driver’s side. Feeling instantly agitated, he knocks on the frostedwindow. He shouldn’t have to do that because it should be common sense that he can’t have a proper conversation through the closed glass. His senses heightens, feeling this stop could bepotentially dangerous. “License and registration,” the cop barks as the driver only cracks his window open a smidgeon. What is he trying to hide? The cop thinks to himself as he places a palm on his side, firmly gripping his protection. (I get it. If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.)The guy inside the vehicle catches a glimpse of the cop resting his hand on the gun inside the holster. “Why did you pull me over?” The driver shouts through the slit in the glass.I’m sure all of our hearts were beating out of our chests at the moment.“Step out of the vehicle with your hands up!” The officer yells as he takes a step back and brandishes his weapon in front of him, pointing directly at the driver’s window. Anxiety pumps through his veins as he watches for any sudden movements.“I’m not getting out! Why did you pull me over?” The man in the car is filled with fear himself as he sees the barrow of the gun. Anxiety takes over him and he hovers his right foot over the gas pedal. His flight or fight senses kicking in as his fingers tightly grip the steering wheel. He’s contemplating his chances of zooming off and taking flight.The cop removes the stick from his side, ready to bash the driver’s window in. That’s when I pull my hand from my pocket and aim. Who do I shoot? The cop? Or the man in the car? I can’t decide, so I shoot them both.“STOP!” I yell with every fiber of my being, it had even shocked me. From my single voice, the world had come to a halt. Nothing moved or made a sound. Even my camera phone I was holding in my hand had stopped recording and paused.I make my way towards the police officer and hold my paused phone up to him. I can see everything…Officer Churchill had lost his partner not too long ago in a routine stop, just like this one. It should have ended in a warning or worst-case scenario… a ticket. Not someone’s life ending. Not only did his partner lose his life but also the person who had taken his partner’s life. That day, Officer Churchill had to make a split decision to end a human being’s life for the first time.Anxiety and panic shoot through his brain, waking up the fear inside him as he walks to the driver’s side. Inhaling a deep breath to soothe his nervousness, his chest puffs out. “License and registration,” Officer Churchill asks the driver as flashbacks of that day rush through his thoughts. The driver only cracks the window instead of rolling it down completely. Red flags go up, alerting Churchill that this guy was trying to hide something. Drugs? Weapons? He couldn’t be sure because he couldn’t see anything clearly through the frosted glass.Insubordination. It was the first clue that this guy may be a problem. I take the phone away from the officer and direct it towards the driver.Derrick had gotten a call from his son, who lived across town, telling him he’d missed the bus. One goal his son had made since kindergarten was to graduate high school with perfect attendance. Reaching middle school, he had done so thus far. Doing all that he can to help his son maintain that goal, Derrick hops in his car without having enough time to warm it properly and zooms off.WHOOP! WHOOP! That sound alone sizzles fear like electric shocks throughout Derrick’s body. Silently cursing to himself, he pulls over to the side of the road. For sure his son would be late now. The officer approaches as Derrick clicks the button to roll the window down, but because the car is still icy, the window only gives a little.“Why did you pull me over?” Derrick asks with adrenaline still coursing through his body. He did nothing wrong that he could see that would warrant to be pulled over. He quickly retraces his steps, wondering what he had done.The cop pulls his gun out and orders Derrick to exit the vehicle. No way was he falling for that trap. He’d seen way too many incidents on social media and even had a close friend lose his life this same way.If I get out, I’m a dead man. Derrick thinks to himself as panic kicks in his flight or fight senses and hovers his foot over the pedal.“Listen…” I mutter to myself as I take a few steps back from them both.Fear.Fear.Fear.We are not each other’s enemy. Fear is.Perfect love gets rid of fear.But how do we have perfect love? It can only come from both sides. Both sides must have perfect love for one another, or else fear will kick in and control us all and keep us divided.I know… it’s tricky because fear saves us too.Fear also tells us when danger is present.Maybe fear isn’t the culprit after all. Perhaps it’s panic. Maybe that’s why it’s a disorder. I’ve never heard of or have been diagnosed with fear disorder.

So, if perfect love gets rid of fear… what gets rid of panic?

“Listen,” I whisper as I press the button on my phone and continue to record.

“My window is frozen,” Derrick says, his voice shaking as Churchill lowers his stick from the window. “I can’t even open my door, sir. I had to get in from the passenger’s side.”

“Try the window again,” the officer orders. Derrick rolls the window up, down, up, and then it finally gives way and rolls down completely. “I pulled you over because you were going pretty fast back there in a residential area. It’s icy out here, and it could be unsafe for kids walking to school.”

“I understand officer,” Derrick says and briefly explains why he was in a rush.

“I will let you go with a warning this time on the premise you drive safely.”

“Will do, sir.”

My heart jolts when I hear a screech and a whooshing sound. I gasp as I turn my head and see my bus awaiting me. I smile and place my phone back into my pocket and board the bus.

“Good morning,” the bus driver grunts. “It’s a bad day out today.”

“No sir,” I smile back at him. “It’s a good day, but it is freezing out there.” I have a seat and slide my hand back in my pocket, gripping my phone tightly. Ready and waiting.

The difference isn’t what the juice companies want you to think it is.

“Not from concentrate” indicates they pasteurized the squeezed juice. That’s it. Here’s what they do not tell you, though: they deplete the oxygen and keep it in large tanks for up to a year.

They include orange by-products’ flavor packs to restore taste lost when they are ready to sell it. These flavors are technically “natural” because they come from oranges but they are as natural as a wolf in a petting zoo.

“From concentrate” meant they squeezed the juice, evaporated the water to simplify shipping, then added water back later. They add the same flavor combinations. The nutritional value is almost exact. The only real variations are storage and processing techniques.

Neither one tastes like fresh-squeezed orange juice. The processing eliminates the subtle flavors. Designed to replicate what has been lost, those flavor packs are created by the same people that create perfumes. All of it is industrial food production; just wearing different masks.

Not a deliberate conspiracy, but I believe the norms and aesthetics around “old money” evolved to prevent revolt.

I am not talking about practical choices — like driving a reliable old car. “A penny saved is a penny earned” is IMO an proven tactic in accumulating wealth.

But displays of wealth are another thing, and this answer refers to the value old money puts on understated displays of wealth. One example is the brands they choose. Check out this coat from Loro Piana, a clothing company many average folks have never even heard of.

Made from baby cashmere and vicuña, “two of the rarest, finest fibers in the world,” this coat retails for $29,000.

I’m sure it’s extremely warm and soft and beautiful, but as a status symbol, it barely registers.

If you passed this person in the elevator, say on your way home from a 12-hour shift in Customer Service, the wealth disparity wouldn’t be obvious. And if you were wont to get mad about some exec wearing a coat that cost more than your car, this particular coat likely wouldn’t raise your blood pressure.

But a fellow old-money person would be impressed, and that’s the whole point. Get the status you crave from those who “matter” (and who may help you get more), while avoiding the resentment (that may devolve into revolt) from the masses.

There are TONS of these secret signifiers among those with wealth and influence, and the longer it’s held by one’s family and associates, the stronger and more entrenched they become. Sure, not all old money people conform to all customs, but enough of them do that it ceases to be a matter of personal taste.

As a social and cultural phenomenon, I find the old money thing to be deeper than it may seem. I believe it evolved over time — centuries or longer — through events like the French and Russian revolutions, as a kind of protective mechanism for the elite class.

After reading the answers from many foreign netizens, I realized several misunderstandings between Chinese and foreigners when it comes to the military industry.

In the minds of Chinese people, the military industry is the most important and cutting-edge industry in a country.

The military industry must develop independently.

But most foreigners don’t see it that way.

Then the problem arises.

For the Chinese, the military industry can invest in research and development regardless of cost, price, or time. Therefore, in many places where China still lags behind in civilian industries, the military industry has long been ahead.

Why the military industry cannot be converted to civilian use is simply because the civilian industry needs to consider costs, cost performance, and sales.

China’s military industry actually sells very few products for export, and most of them are for its own use.

So since it is for your own use, it is natural to use whatever is best.

Also, I always feel that many people mention the research and development issues of things like chips and engines.

But have you ever thought about it, the reason why China’s 3nm chips are not mass-produced is because the cost is too high, the price/performance ratio is not enough, and there is no market competitiveness.

But when it comes to the military industry, does the military industry need to consider cost-effectiveness? Do you need to consider market competitiveness?

Military products serve the war and are used for fighting.

So even if the yield rate is not enough, even if this technology is completely loss-making for civilian use and has no market competitiveness at all, it will be fine for military use.

As for the export of military products, wouldn’t it be enough to export them after the technology matures?

I have seen many comments from foreign netizens, and one stands out: China can only copycat and steal technology?

Did you make something wrong?

China’s military industry has always been a completely independent system from the rest of the world. I admit that in the early days, our military industry was influenced by Soviet technology. But those technologies cost money and are exchanged for benefits. If you don’t believe it, you can ask Russian experts.

In addition, China, the United States and Russia are the only three countries in the world that can independently produce fifth-generation and fourth-generation aircraft.

Now China has become the only country in the world that can independently produce sixth-generation fighter jets, and it already has two types.

And even France and Britain cannot do it.

As for other countries, don’t talk about whether they have fourth-generation or fifth-generation machines.

Ask your own experts who owns the technology and components for your fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft.

Most countries do not even have the ability to independently develop third-generation aircraft.

Therefore, I am very unhappy with the many slanders against China’s military industry.

China’s private industry may indeed have gone through a long process of cooperation, copycats, and counterfeiting, and it has indeed had quality problems for a long time.

But for civilian equipment, the first premise is cost-effectiveness, which must be sold for money. So if the early technology is not good, of course the quality will be bad.

Now who dares to say that the quality of Chinese manufacturing is not good?

However, China’s military industry is rarely exported as commodities. Even if it is exported, it is products that have been eliminated after long time replacement, or that have already met the cost-effectiveness.

As for what I use, of course, what is the best thing to use? Consider value for money.

There are also some comments that think the Chinese will be angry because their military spending is too high?

I would like to respond that for the Chinese, what they have always worried about is insufficient military spending, not too high military spending. All Chinese, even those who are dissatisfied with the country, ridicule our military spending for being too low. When China’s military expenditure becomes the largest in the world, I think there will be far fewer dissatisfied voices.

The Beatles arrive in New York City

Badly lit alleys in Khlong Toei Slums? Nope! Red-light, Pattaya Soi 6 ? Nope!—- Low cost National Housing Estate in Din Daeng dubbed -slums in the air?—-Nope! Walking Street at Bangla, Phuket? Nope!

Some of those places are hidden gem for tourists and many are popular, though it’s seemed unsafe but they’re almost 100% safe if you aren’t a troublemaker yourself.

So, where, then, isn’t safe to go alone as a tourist?

main qimg 451c97c84589dbea5451453c33e19ad5
main qimg 451c97c84589dbea5451453c33e19ad5
 

Well, nothing is wrong with going to the police station in Thailand, it’s just like going to a renowned lion den alone.

Even if you are one hell of a ‘Rambo’ you are no match with those guys in Brown in the above places.

Are you kidding me? What is wrong with going to make a police report I’m a victim, I did no wrong against the Thai law.?— Did you? And are you sure about that?

I know you will come up with that. ‘ You said you were attacked by 5 Thai security guards, you acted in self-defense, right?’

“You will be slapped with a few charges like ‘destroy public property’ ( section 360) by pulling the pipes from roadside rail to beat all 5 Thai guys up. Another charge is ‘using foul language like ‘ f-word’ to insult their mother’s ( Libel sec. 326’) plus’ Third; Walk out of the bar without paying the bills.(Fraud base:345)

main qimg 494730d50f4a04d9740abe0949928063
main qimg 494730d50f4a04d9740abe0949928063
 

From all the 3 charges, you will get compound fines 20,000 Baht or jailed, or both. Meanwhile, locked up until you get a bailout, could also be deported if convicted…What? sigh!

The 5 guys? They, too, were fined.—500B each on ‘assault’ (section 295) with 1 year suspended sentence, doing community works for 6 weeks.

Now you know, going to the Police station ‘alone’ as a tourist is a suicidal— Bring a Thai lawyer with you, he or she knows what to do.

This statement occurred in mid-December 2024.

Beef Chimichangas

8e65bfa35177813da62d926bbc128712
8e65bfa35177813da62d926bbc128712

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 pound) roast
  • 2 firm tomatoes, chopped
  • 3 to 4 scallions, chopped
  • Garlic
  • Salt and pepper
  • Comino (cumin)

Instructions

  1. Cook the beef in a slow cooker for 6 to 8 hours with the seasonings.
  2. Cool and shred beef.
  3. Cook tomatoes and scallions and add to beef.
  4. Place meat mixture on flour tortillas and roll up. Drop into hot oil until golden brown. Drain.
  5. Top with green chiles, sour cream, guacamole, salsa and shredded cheese.
  6. Serve on a bed of shredded lettuce.

A Place in the Sun

Submitted into Contest #24 in response to: Write a story set in the dark recesses of space where the two main characters are often at odds with each other in humorous and comedic ways. view prompt

 

John Rennie

 
The metallic surface of the Cleveland Company logo glimmered faintly as the space station became slowly bathed in the dim glow of moonlight. Eileen sat in the control room chair looking straight ahead, not distracted by the sight of Umbriel passing the window; she’d seen it a thousand times. Her eyes were fixated by the 50-inch rectangle of light above her head. “He never takes me anywhere” she sighed. Prodding the remote control repeatedly at three second intervals, she continued browsing images of the inner Solar System – far off places, close to the Sun, but she knew it was hopeless. Ted hadn’t agreed to leave the space station since their honeymoon in 2159, and no matter how many light-years she spent dreaming of one last planet getaway, it came no closer to reality. Ted was just not interested; he had his mind of other things.At the opposite end of the space station, the sound of clinking and clunking would be absolutely maddening if there had been anyone else around to hear it. The only person there was Ted whose hearing had started to go a long time ago. Pieces of twisted metal and dusty electronic chips were strewn around the floor of the station’s West Wing. A screw with a worn down thread went scuttling across the metal table skimming its surface like a stone across a lake. Eventually dropping to the floor and finding its resting place through a tiny air vent under a cabinet. “Blast!” Ted exclaimed staring into his empty hands. He looked up at the calendar above the workstation and his chest started to tighten.It was November 4th 2212. The arrival of J-Boy, their beloved grandson, was imminent. The young explorer was about to make his annual call. Visitors were rare these days. So rare that they hadn’t had a visitor for 10 years, except J-Boy of course. His visits were guaranteed like Earth’s orbit around the Sun. He could arrive at any moment and yet the satellite was still not fixed. Ted just needed to re-attach a panel to cover the inner circuitry and the dish would be ready for installation. He reached into the screw box and grasped at the fresh air inside. He picked up his magnifying glass to see that the box was in fact empty. Ted slumped back into his chair, realising he would have to go to the East Wing to get a new one. That meant bumping into Eileen. He wasn’t ready to face her, especially as he hadn’t finished the job yet, but he couldn’t stay away any longer. Ted hoped she’d forgotten about the promise he made last month. It was unlikely though.Eileen peered through the small round window in the door of the East Wing. The faint sound of footsteps had interrupted her mid-afternoon daydream of exotic star trails and asteroid showers. She watched as a frail masculine figure emerged from the long dark corridor that connected the wings of the space station. As he got closer, the light from the East Wing window cast a spotlight, revealing the silhouette. There was no doubt who it was, it couldn’t have been anyone else. He was holding a shiny box.”A gift?” she wondered.“Oh, Ted …after all this time, finally he has something to offer, something to show he still cares after all these years.”Eileen excitedly pressed the big red button causing the door to slide out of view. With a childlike grin, Eileen opened her arms.

“For me? Ted, you shouldn’t have.”

Before Ted could speak Eileen reached forward, snatched the shiny box from his hands and ripped off the lid. Eileen’s cheeks were suddenly yanked down by invisible draw strings when she saw the box was empty.

“You’re a mean bloody sod, you know that? Bringing me a shiny thing, getting me all excited then smashing my dreams to pieces with a box of empty promises.”

Ted peeled back his lips to reveal his crooked gnashers.

“Give over, would ya? Screws! I need bloody screws…for the satellite.”

“Screws? I’ll give you screws! I’ll bloody screw you!” she said, waving her fist and reluctantly stepping aside to let him through the doorway.

“Chance would be a fine thing!” he chuckled.

“Wash your bloody gob out, you. J-Boy will be here tomorrow and I don’t wanna hear you opening your potty mouth in front of the lad.”

Ted carried on shuffling toward the storage hatch without saying a word.

“Anyhow, haven’t you got enough screws from all that bloomin’ junk you spend all your life scavenging from outside?”

“I keep droppin’ ’em. My hands aren’t what they once were.”

“Nowt’s what it once was. Remember when you took me to see the rings of Saturn? In the pod, just you, me and a nice bottle ginger wine, billions of stars and endless possibilities.

Now look at us. Cooped up in either ends of this station like a prison, but worse. No bloody excitement here! Just the same old orbit in the darkest, dullest end of the Solar System. We’ve been dwelling about this Uranus moon for all eternity. Saturn was a previous life…”.

Eileen continued ranting and reminiscing, but all Ted could hear was the sound of boxes crashing together as he rummaged around. He picked up a silver box and and grinned.

“I’ve told ya before, there’s a lot of good discarded satellite material on this orbit. These young uns dump it and bugger off t’ Jupiter on a jolly. Perfectly good stuff, it is.”

“You know why they dump it ‘ere, Ted? Cos there’s nowt ‘ere. Nowt but bloody junk and darkness, and that miserable moon locking us into the most awful orbit anywhere in the Universe. Round and round and round and round. I’ll tell ye Ted, if I have to…”

A sudden blast of white noise flooded the control room.

“Come in, Cleveland Company station X14, this is Cleveland Craft 0187, permission to engage”

Ted and Eileen looked at each other and froze.

“J-Boy?”

“You daft apeth, Ted! He’s already here! You’ve wasted all your time meddling with that bloody monstrosity… Oh dear! Oh dear, oh dear.”

“Put the kettle on. I’ll get the satellite.” Ted hurriedly made for the West Wing.

 

J-Boy felt a warm tingle in his stomach as his spacecraft neared the docking hatch of the space station. Of all the places passed Jupiter, his grandparents space station was the place he looked forward to visiting the most. A loud mechanical bang followed by a gentle hissing sound indicated that his craft and the station were locked together. When the gravity light turned green, he released the door.

“Here he is. Where’ve you been, stranger? Come ‘ere!”

J-Boy was smothered by Eileen’s warm embrace. It was here he always received the warmest welcome of anywhere in the Universe. Clevelands X14 always felt like home.

“I’m great”, J-Boy managed to say amidst the big welcome squeeze.

Over Eileen’s shoulder, he could see Ted holding a large metal dish which was covered in wires and electrician’s tape.

“I got a present for ya, lad. Here you are. What d’ya think?”

Ted handed the gift to J-Boy.

“Ooohh, thanks, Ted. Eh…wha…what is it?”

“It’s a satellite, of course. A retro type but it works a treat. You can pick up all sorts on this: Earth war documentaries, alien life programmes, sports from other galaxies…”

“Aw, sounds great. Thanks, Ted”. J-Boy said smiling warmly.

“Put that junk away, Ted”, Eileen intervened.

“What does he want that old thing for? Pay no attention to him.” Eileen said, gently nudging J-Boy down the central corridor towards the East Wing where a fresh pot of tea was brewing.

 

The control room was a spacious, octagon-shaped area. From the entrance, various doors and hatches could be seen around the back and sides of the room. Directly ahead was a window spreading across the entirety of the front wall, displaying the darkness of space. In front were two swivel chairs facing hundreds of dials, switches and buttons that controlled the station. Above the controls was a single 50-inch screen displaying images of a much younger looking Ted and Eileen by the window of a capsule pod, peering out at different coloured planets. Like everything in this space station, it looked like it was made at the start of the millennium. It was all fairly dated, but J-Boy liked the homely feel of it. He sat in one of the chairs with Ted and Eileen sitting directly across from him, awkwardly jammed into the opposite chair which was clearly designed for one. Between the chairs was a small table, on it a metallic teapot along with three steaming mugs.

J-Boy began recounting tales of distant galaxies and far off parts of the Universe that Eileen could only dream of visiting. Eileen had been to many places when she was younger, but nowhere as far and exotic. “ How do you communicate with people outside of the Solar System?; Isn’t is dangerous crossing the Kuiper belt?; What’s the food like on Earth?”

She could listen for hours, asking questions and imagining what could’ve been.

“I can show you some snaps if you like?” J-Boy said looking for something in his bag.

“Aye, go on then, I’ll hook ‘em up to the big screen.”

“It’s OK, Ted. I don’t use screens anymore. I’ve got holograms now.” J-Boy held up a small black cube no bigger than a matchbox.

“Holograms? Bloody marvellous! Nowt like this in our day. Us oldies can’t keep up anymore”.

The elderly couple looked like children again as they sat with their mouths and eyes wide open, staring at the hologram projection in awe. They gasped as J-Boy waved his hand in the air to call upon hundreds of spectacular images of planets they’d never heard of and galaxies they didn’t even know existed. Eileen was completely engrossed. The more pictures she saw, the more questions she asked.

Ted wasn’t quite the conversationalist that Eileen was. He would just nod and chuckle upon hearing the wondrous tales. Occasionally chipping in with “Bloody marvellous”. He enjoyed listening, but was always happier when he was busy doing something. Without saying a word, he got up from the chair and pottered over to the control room kitchen in the corner.

“What would ya fancy to eat J-Boy?”, Ted called over his shoulder.

“Oh, nothing thanks, Ted. I ate on the cruise control around gravitational pull.”

“How about some cherry tomatoes?”,

“No, I’m OK, thanks.”

“Grown with martian soil in our space garden”

“I’m good thanks, Ted.”

“Lovely and sweet they are”

“No, I don’t really like…”

“I’ll go get them now.”

“But…”

“Eileen!  What’s the key code for the space garden? J-Boy wants some cherry tomatoes, he’s starving!

“Eh? No…I’m fi…”

Eileen frowned and looked up from the projection looking deeply concerned.

“Oh poor lad! What are we like, eh? Here I am gabbing away and you’re starving to death. I’ll get ’em J-Boy. Hold on to your rockets, kidda.”

“Don’t be daft. He wants me to get them.”

“Not with your grubby hands. You’ve had them all over that dirty dish and God knows where else.” Eileen gently elbowed Ted’s forearm away from the keypad and prodded the numbers on the glass, saying them aloud as she did. “3 1 7 5 2”.

 

Eileen entered the space garden and quickly picked up a bucket full of cherry tomatoes that had been freshly picked a few hours earlier. The bucket was overflowing. Eileen groaned and stumbled, but regained her footing and waved Ted out of her path.

“Give it ‘ere”, Ted demanded.

“Don’t be daft. I’ll take it”

“No you won’t”

J-Boy rushed into the garden behind Ted and Eileen.

“I’m alright. Really! I’m not hungry.”

Despite J-Boy’s pleas, Ted and Eileen continued to struggle. Both had one hand on the bucket handle, fiercely insisting they should be the one to offer the tomatoes to their indifferent guest.

Eileen grabbed the handle with her free hand. Now with a two-hand grip, she pulled the bucket towards her, causing both bodies to lurch further into the garden. With one emphatic tug, she pulled the bucket free from Ted’s withering hand. The force of her pull was so great, she let go. The bucket looped over her head for what seemed like an eternity before it landed in the sink behind.

Like a set of lottery balls, the tomatoes bounced around before being rapidly sucked down the sink hole. The sink was in fact a funnel attached to a waste pipe. The three of them stood silently with their mouths open as, through the window, they watched hundreds of cherry tomatoes implode and explode in the vacuum of space. The Cleveland Company logo turned red as tomato juice plastered to the side of the station.

 

Of course, Ted and Eileen blamed one another for the tomato incident. From where J-Boy was standing, they were both at fault, but it was Ted who agreed to go outside the station clean up the juice. Meanwhile, not to be seen making less effort than Ted, Eileen insisted on inspecting J-Boy’s craft to check it was safe and sufficiently re-fuelled for the onward journey. Guests always left Cleveland X14 with a full tank.

J-Boy watched on from the control room window as two spacesuits attached to the station by an umbilical cable floated out into the alien atmosphere. Eileen could be seen inserting a fuel rod into the J-Boy’s craft which was docked on the right of the window, and Ted could be seen on the left rigorously wiping.

Without warning, a cigar shaped object collided with the door of J-Boy’s craft, but left no mark.

“Bloody space junk! What nuisance!”, Eileen muttered into her radio which J-Boy could hear in the control room.

Suddenly a cluster of antennas, tubes, rocket motor shells followed, relentlessly pelting the space station. A solar panel spinning like coin cut through Eileen’s umbilical cable sending her suited body into a spin.

“Teeeeed!”

Ted could see Eileen was untethered and drifting. Without any hesitation, he leapt from the safety of the station into the infinite space. Their spacesuits collided. Ted’s umbilical cable pulled taut as it wrenched the spacesuits back. The relief of catching his wife was short lived when he realised they only had a few minutes before Eileen’s suit’s backup oxygen supply would run out.

The silent onslaught of satellite debris continued to shower down near the entrance; it was too dangerous to go back in just yet. Holding Eileen in one hand, Ted used his free hand to pull his umbilical cable causing them both to float in the direction of the capsule pod.

“Quick, get inside.”

In the pod, Eileen removed her helmet and immediately drew in one huge breath.

“Bloody space junk” she exhaled.

In the safety of the pod with oxygen and protection from the junk cloud outside, Eileen and Ted watched as J-Boy’s craft took a battering. The space station was a giant. It could withstand a severe assault from any decommissioned satellite cluster, but J-Boy’s craft was tiny and in danger of catastrophic damage.

“We have to do something” Ted said as he climbed into the driver’s seat. He hadn’t used the pod since he was courting Eileen in another lifetime.

“Where’s the wha’d’ya me call it?”

“The what?”

“The wha’d’ya me call it”

“The wha’d’ya me what? The ignition?”

“That’s it!”

“There! Bloody ‘ell, Ted – it’s not rocket science.”

“I think it bloody well is!”

Ted flipped a switch and the wall of controls sprung to life.

“Ere we go!”

The propulsion rockets launched the capsule pod up and away from the under fire space station. Ted hauled a lever to change the direction of the rocket boosters. A blast of flames spluttered from under the pod, propelling it in front of J-Boy’s craft and into the path of the debris.

 

 

“Come in Cleveland ex, one, four. This is Cleveland CapPod.

“Ted, Eileen, What happened? Are you alright?”

“J-Boy, d’you hear me, lad?”

“Yes, Ted.”

“Listen, we took a hit from some bloody debris. The door’s knackered and so is Eileen’s suit. We’re not going to be able to connect to the docking hatch.”

“I can come out and help!”

Eileen abruptly leaned into the radio

“No, you won’t, you stay right there. It’s too dangerous.”

“But…”

Ted held Eileen’s hand and a sudden calmness came over both of them.

“We’ve had our time. A great life! We’re gonna get out of this dark end of the Solar System as far as this little pod will take us. We’re going to find a place in the Sun. I made a promise”

J-Boy eyes filled with tears. He was devastated but somehow, he understood. He always knew this time would come.

“Ol’ Cleveland X14 is all yours, lad. Take her anywhere you want. She a bit dated but she’s a good one. A bit like, Eileen”

“Oi!”

Ted chuckled.

Eileen fought the tears, “I’ll miss you, J-Boy. We love you.”

 

The pod lifted up over the space station and accelerated out in the opposite direction of the Umbriel moon for the first time that century.

J-boy sobbed into his left forearm resting on the space station control panel. His eyes were red and sore. He lifted up his head and with his right hand, reached out to switch off the radio. His hand stopped and hovered over the button.

“It’s this way. I’m sure of it.”

“We should’ve left this orbit half an hour ago, where are we going? You daft apeth, Ted. You’ve got the map upside down!

J-Boy smiled and laughed through the tears. He knew everything was going to be just fine.

Shorpy

SHORPY 4a21295a.preview
SHORPY 4a21295a.preview
SHORPY 8c22306a.preview
SHORPY 8c22306a.preview
SHORPY 33301u.preview
SHORPY 33301u.preview
SHORPY 33197u1.preview
SHORPY 33197u1.preview
SHORPY 8c22779a.preview
SHORPY 8c22779a.preview
SHORPY 8c22749a.preview
SHORPY 8c22749a.preview
SHORPY 8c22623a.preview
SHORPY 8c22623a.preview
SHORPY 8c22732a.preview
SHORPY 8c22732a.preview
SHORPY 8c22839a.preview
SHORPY 8c22839a.preview
SHORPY 8c22625a.preview
SHORPY 8c22625a.preview
SHORPY 8c22714a.preview
SHORPY 8c22714a.preview
SHORPY 8c22725a.preview
SHORPY 8c22725a.preview
SHORPY 8c22730a.preview
SHORPY 8c22730a.preview
SHORPY 8c22940a.preview
SHORPY 8c22940a.preview
SHORPY 8c22794a.preview
SHORPY 8c22794a.preview
SHORPY 4a22603a.preview
SHORPY 4a22603a.preview
SHORPY 823.preview
SHORPY 823.preview
SHORPY 4a10544a.preview
SHORPY 4a10544a.preview
SHORPY 4a21050a.preview
SHORPY 4a21050a.preview
SHORPY 4a21016a1.preview
SHORPY 4a21016a1.preview
SHORPY 4a21084a.preview
SHORPY 4a21084a.preview
SHORPY 4a19306a.preview
SHORPY 4a19306a.preview
8b33922u1 3.preview
8b33922u1 3.preview
SHORPY 4a21083a.preview
SHORPY 4a21083a.preview
SHORPY 4a21057a.preview
SHORPY 4a21057a.preview
SHORPY 71261a.preview
SHORPY 71261a.preview
SHORPY 51589a.preview
SHORPY 51589a.preview
SHORPY 51596a.preview
SHORPY 51596a.preview
SHORPY 51588a.preview
SHORPY 51588a.preview
SHORPY 8c12034a.preview
SHORPY 8c12034a.preview

Through a Great Distance

Submitted into Contest #24 in response to: Write a story set in the dark recesses of space where the two main characters are often at odds with each other in humorous and comedic ways. view prompt

 

Matthew Klingforth

Through a Great Distance

“Andrew, God, I can actually hear your sulking,” Becky said across the hull to the large man sitting with his head hanging and his back facing her. “It’s like I have the endangered, sniveling vagina bug crawling in my ear, right now.”

“I am not sulking!” Andrew informed her angrily as he lifted his head and stared ferociously at the corner. “As a matter of fact, I was just now having a soliloquyial discussion on the selfish disregard of ingratitude and how Princesses only crap on other people’s property!” He screamed at her from his walled in position and Becky rolled her eyes in return.

“Look, man, the alfredo sauce was too salty, I don’t know what to tell yah,” she replied with a guiltless shrug. “Maybe, next time, I don’t know, don’t add the entire salt lick to the pot.”

“That is a reward winning recipe!” Andrew bellowed and turned his purpling face towards her. “And I’ll let you know that having all of the culinary delicacy of a frozen lake, does not excuse, nor forgive, straight rudeness.”

“Whatever,” Becky grumbled and returned her attention to the blinking lights of the ship’s internal computer.

“Fine,” Andrew agreed to her resolution and sent out a cold silence across the room.

“I don’t think that, “soliloquyial,” is even really a word.” Becky poked and to her delight, the bear stood-up and stomped out into the hallway.

“There are rules of engagement!” Andrew roared and jabbed his pudgy finger into the chest of no one as he clomped down the hallway. “Once an argument is clearly at the point of appropriate silence,” he said while gesturing wildly with his hands. “I mean, that’s it, you just shut-up. But no, not her, she always has to get that last little…” He paused, too angry to finish the sentence and, instead, bit down hard onto his knuckle. “I want my GD dog back!” he finally screamed at the top of his lungs.

“Becky! Becky!” Andrew yelled desperately as the terrified animal clawed free and leapt from his grasping arms. “No, no, bad dog!” he scolded the Pomeranian, but another crack of lightning from the newest freak storm put her tail between her legs and sent her scampering into the throngs of the many on-lookers and partiers across the barricade.

“Japan…swallowed…unprecedented tsunamis,” Andrew heard the radio from the nearest booze and food tent scream in between its static and he helplessly turned and looked at his escape vessel.

“Becky?” He whimpered with his whole body moving in feeble motions and the tears choking out his breathing. For the briefest of moments, he considered leaving without his precious Becky, but then he remembered all of the hard work and strings that he had to pull to gain passage to the new world and procure his own personal carriage. Failure was not an option.

“You sir!” Andrew pointed and yelled with newly found determination as he marched across his lot towards the security at the gate. “I will have a moment with you,” he said and pushed his impressive mass in between a small helmeted guard and the rest of the world. “Do you know who I am?” Andrew more demanded than asked.

“Yes sir, mister Chizka, sir,” the guard said with what he thought was machismo. “I am assigned to your post, sir, I’m, I’m your takeoff guy” he added lamely and immediately regretted it.

“Good,” Andrew replied with zero satisfaction as he assumed his own notoriety. “Then you know that I am never, EVER, without my Becky!” he blustered as the guard tried to catalogue every piece of information that he had on the man and a wife Becky seemed to ring a bell.

“Yes sir, mister Chizka, that is well known,” he decided to answer in the positive.

“Well?” Andrew asked as he looked around himself incredulously. “Do you see my Becky with me?”

“Oh, oh, no sir,” the former shoe salesman caught the drift and put his two weeks of military training into action. “Where was the last place you seen her, sir?”

“She ran off into that damnable ruffian tent,” Andrew answered with distaste. “She is very likely right at the entrance, trust me, she won’t wander far from a constant source of sausage.”

As the guard struggled with a reply, he was spared by the sudden upheaval of the earth’s crust, causing all to stumble and cheers to erupt from the tent dwellers.

“Listen,” Andrew said in a sudden rush, trying to quickly compensate for the earthquakes two-day early arrival. “What’s your name son?” he asked the guard.

“Thomas Jensen,” Thomas Jensen answered astutely.

“And now, Thomas,” Andrew said in his straight business voice. “I can assume that you’re not one of these tent cretins, right? That you plan on leaving this degenerate planet and make a fresh start on the new world? Yes?”

“Yes sir, mister Chizka, our craft leaves tonight.”

“Good Thomas, I’m relieved to hear that,” Andrew said while putting his meat hooks onto the guard’s slender shoulders and drawing paternal serenity onto his face. “Thomas, I need someone to march into that Hell pit and get me my Becky,” he said while pointing at the tent. “And whoever that person is, well, let’s just say that they will be very well rewarded in the new world,” he stated and then paused for dramatic affect. “Do you think that you could be that person, mister Jensen?”

“Yes sir! Absolutely sir!” Ole’ Thomas was pretty sure of himself.

“Excellent!” Andrew applauded. “Bring her to my sleeping quarters, get us off this God forsaken planet and I assure you that the goose will be splendid.”

Andrew stared out the bedroom window as the world deteriorated around him. “Where are you?” he whispered harshly and took his third pill in less than ten minutes. “I do not feel calm!” he screamed at the window and shook the pill bottle angrily. “Stupid—useless…,” he mumbled softly as his chin dropped down into his chest and time slowed down around him.

“Who the Hell is this?” the drunken slur of a tiny, blonde woman and the sound of a locking door caused Andrew’s eyes to flutter open.

“Becky,” he pleaded unconsciously as the engines started to rumble and the planet Earth began its long series of chain explosions.

“I want my GD dog back!” Becky heard Andrew yell from across the ship and she immediately felt a twinge of regret for that last jab.

“Ah, the big lug,” she said as she drew her legs up onto the chair to hug her knees, thinking about their first conversation.

The world, she believed, was gone. The navigational system, fried on take-off. We could be the last two human beings alive in the Universe and dude couldn’t stop blubbering about his stupid dog.

“Cute little shit,” she said with a sigh and grabbed her rubber ball to squeeze.

The mix-up, she supposed, was favorable to her. She should be dead and at one point and time, it was all that she had expected, wanted, maybe. She was in a weird place at the time. Still though and in retrospect, she made out pretty good. The vessel was equipped to accommodate and feed eight people for no less than ten years. There were like a zillion different movies and video games to play and the regurgitating ventilation system provided a lifetime of low-quality, but breathable air.

The dog, she felt, would have been very happy here.

Words can’t really describe the awkwardness of getting to know the last remaining member of your species. The last real face that you would see in your entire lifetime. Uncomfortable, she guessed. Discomfited? But, after a long mourning and bonding period, it took them all of fifteen seconds to realize that they were trapped in space with a complete and utter moron. He was a proclaimed dog person and she held firm that Becky was really more of a cat. He was a staunch Republican and she didn’t really care what you called a crook. How was it possible that she got stuck with the one person who could witness the explosion of their planet and still continue to deny global warming?

It was the absolute worst possible case scenario for the both of them.

Becky smiled and gave the ball two quick compressions.

“No, no, you’re doing that all wrong,” Andrew said as he watched her gaming in the family center and grabbed the controller out of her hands.

“Oh, really?” she asked, a little shocked at his playfulness, as they had been on a, as needed, communication schedule for the previous three months. “You know how to play Super Mario Brothers?”

“Oh yeah, my brothers and I ate up the classics,” Andrew answered as he deftly moved the courageous plumber across the screen. “I saw Zelda in the game catalogue,” he said while pausing and smiling over at her. “Have you ever played it?” he asked with a school boy innocence that would eventually charm his way into both her pants and their first marriage.

Andrew had considered all four of their marriages as a silly waste of time, but, Becky, although far removed from her deflowering, was a traditionalist. Not so much the religious stuff, but a commitment was needed if you wanted the long-term, personal attention sex. She was, after all, a lady.

Initially they had the children conversation, you know, the old, save the homo sapien rally, but ultimately decided against it. Their little family, alone in the middle of outer space, trying to maintain the human race was, well, just gross, once you ran the numbers and, besides, neither one of the them were exactly, kid people, anyhow. So, they kept rugrats out of their tumultuous and mostly predictable cycle. Right now, as far as Becky saw it, they were within four months to their next marriage. This was clearly a make-up fight. Right now, he’s standing in the master bedroom, staring out the window, waiting for me to come and apologize.

“And apologize I will,” she thought happily as she stood-up and bounced the ball off of the floor and back into her hand. The truth was that over the last six years, she had really grown to love the big ape and she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he loved her. Only love can make a person as crazy as she made him.

Besides, she had put a lot of effort into making him a suitable partner, the, sometimes, aggressive tips and hints on how to be a better lover, alone, claimed her ownership. She wasn’t about to give up her man and her apologizing for hurting his delicate nature had also become part of their cycle.

“Hey Andrew,” she yelled as she bounced her ball down the hall towards the bedroom. “About the alfredo sauce, you know that I was just being a bitch, right?” She asked, taking the low road and hoping for a quick make-up.

“Becky, get in here,” Andrew yelled back at her in a dazed and far away voice and Becky quickened her pace.

“Holy…” she stood frozen in the entryway, staring through the window at the last thing that she ever thought that she would see again. “Andrew, it’s a planet!” she exclaimed and Andrew turned in his standing position to nod absently.

“You said that the odds were astronomically against this,” she said as Andrew, the human fun sponge, had calculated its chances to being exactly impossible.

“They, they are,” he stammered and returned his gaze to the looming planet.

“Well, is it, you know, liveable?” Becky asked with excitement growing in her voice.

“Yes, perfectly, its atmosphere doesn’t appear to be much different than earths,” he answered.

“It’s unbelievable,” Becky marveled as she walked to stand next to Mark. “What about other creatures? Is there anything alive down there?”

“Affirmative, be it food, friend or foe, the imager shows plenty of animal activity at the surface.”

Awestruck in silence and as they slowly absorbed the colossal potential floating before them, Andrew and Becky’s fingers gingerly touched together and gently entwined.

“Take us home, Captain Chizka,” she said while looking up at her future fifth husband and Andrew set the thrusters to manual.

If you can afford it, and you can do so legally, I would say go for it.

I too am 73. My wife left me 20+ years ago, the best thing she ever did for me.

Some time in the next 10 or 15 years I shall die. In the meantime tho, I plan to experience as much of life as I can. So despite meagre resources I travel extensively.

After covid was managed I sold a car and spent 3 months riding trains and exploring France. Then I did a 3 months stint working on a goat farm in Wakayama Japan. I learned two things. 1. It is much cooler in Japan during Australia’s hot summer and 2. Farmers in Japan cannot attract workers. So they are very glad to provide food and board in exchange for 20 hours of light work a week.

I have just returned from working on a pig and sheep farm in Hokkaido Japan. I was there for three months and was able to watch that country change from full leafed summer glory, to a -10º winterscape. Then home to a 44º Australian summer.

 

I am currently looking for a volunteer position on a European canal barge. Any takers?

main qimg 03d9e73755d27fc6034b2582e170fe6b
main qimg 03d9e73755d27fc6034b2582e170fe6b

You are going to die soon, so if you are able, get busy and go learn something. Once you do you will find that everybody in the world is basically similar. There are two discernible groups of humans. The vast majority of the worlds people want to work, to love, to play, to raise up their kids and worship their gods in peace. These are the people you meet when you travel.

And then there are the rulers, who simply want to fuck things up for everybody else for their own aggrandisement and profit. These are the people who inhabit the media and government and business. The 1%.

Chinese robot maids will clean , cook, serve most middle income homes of the world over. 90% of vehicles will be China made EVs. 90% of gardens will be tended by Chinese robot gardener. 50% of lonely singles will have regular sex with Chinese made robot partners. Almost zero bars will be without Chinese robot servers that dish out cocktails and serve beers with precise foam and clean and wipe glasses too! Almost all lorry and buses drivers will need to find a new career. 10 years old now and younger will no longer need to learn how to drive by teenage years anymore. And 95% of cars world wide will be autonomous driving vehicles. 95% of there are using Chinese technologies!

Only USA will there be people who still carry wallets and purse! The only market left for ICE vehicles is the USA. By 2030 194/195 nations on earth has China as their biggest trading partner on earth. The only one not is USA whose Inflation hit 200% for the 10 years running. Thanks to the trade war! USA is a good place to bring your families to see what the world used to be!

Chimichangas de Pollo

d38466969bb82203607bacc2045c90d3
d38466969bb82203607bacc2045c90d3

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

Chimichangas

  • 1 (3 1/2 pound) whole chicken
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 medium onion, studded with 2 whole cloves
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 2 large whole garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons shortening
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 large tomato, cored and diced
  • 1 jalapeño chile, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed leaf basil
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed leaf oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 flour tortillas, warmed

Garnish

  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 1 cup guacamole
  • 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
  • Shredded lettuce (optional)
  • Tomato wedges (optional)

Instructions

  1. Place the chicken, water, onion, celery, 2 garlic cloves and bay leaf in a medium size stewing pot. Cook chicken at medium heat for approximately 1 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is tender.
  2. Allow chicken to cool, remove meat from bones, and chop.
  3. Place shortening, sliced onion, and 1 minced garlic clove in a medium size skillet and sauté mixture over medium heat until onion is tender.
  4. Add the chopped chicken, tomato, jalapeño chile, and remaining seasonings and simmer at low heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
  5. Place approximately1/2 cup of chicken mixture horizontally across the bottom half of each tortilla. Do not extend the mixture beyond 1 1/2 inches at the sides and bottom. Fold the sides in over the filling and roll the tortilla jellyroll style. Secure each roll with a wooden pick.
  6. Heat 2 inches of shortening in a heavy pan over medium high heat.
  7. Fry each rolled tortilla in hot shortening until crisp and lightly browned. Drain on absorbent towels.
  8. Assemble the chimichangas by placing each rolled tortilla on a plate and garnish with 1/4 cup of sour cream, 2 tablespoons of guacamole,1/3 cup of Cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato wedges.

 

Modern Women HAVING MELTDOWN Over Passport Bros!

 

How much is known about the Voynich manuscript?

My paleography teacher told me that the Voynich Manuscript (Beinecke MS 408) is where your career goes to die. If you claim to be able to decipher it — no, you can’t. Literally every paleographer, cryptographer, code-breaker, linguist, etc. has taken a crack at it by now, and if none of them could decipher it, you definitely have not. If you claim to, you won’t be taken seriously.

We know basically nothing about its contexts beyond what we can see. It’s clearly an herbal of some kind, but the plants do not exist, and there are lots of other extremely strange images, like naked people bathing in a plant? Or being swallowed by it?

These are photos I took of a facsimile. They don’t let you see the real deal anymore unless you really have to, because so many people have touched it, it’s starting to damage the manuscript. The facsimiles are perfect reproductions.

The writing definitely looks like text, but it’s not in any known language or alphabet. Looking at it makes you feel like you suddenly forgot how to read. It looks so much like letters that you feel like you should be able to read it, but it’s just off:

All we know for sure is that it’s a real early modern manuscript, not a modern hoax. There’s a reference to it in the seventeenth century, so it’s at least that old, and the vellum is dated to the fifteenth century.

There’s lots of theories about what it could be, but none of them prevail, because we can’t rule any of them out. If it’s encoded, it doesn’t match any code-breaking technique that’s been used against it so far. If it’s a hoax, it’s an elaborate and expensive one. It honestly might be fiction, written in a conlang. That’s the only explanation that makes sense to me so far, because it would explain why the pictures are of imaginary plants and why the text doesn’t map to any known language. But Tolkienesque works of fiction with their own conlangs weren’t exactly common at the time; fantasy as we know it hadn’t been invented yet. Maybe it just dropped out of fairyland one day, I dunno.

An unreadable book in an unknown language with cryptic drawings of unreal plants and astrological charts sounds so fantastical, it’s hard to believe it’s real. Whether the Voynich Manuscript itself is fiction or not, it makes for some excellent fodder for modern fiction.

Investor Alert: Revolutionary ironmaking method will nullify tariffs and scramble iron ore markets

https://youtu.be/8WnvulH0URA

Leftovers for our great distant past

It signals that the gloves are about to come off. The US is screwed.

The timing of the announcement of the SMEE 28nm machine is too coincidental. It is likely that China’s SMEE had already built a 28nm machine earlier this year or late last year. But they were told not to announce it.

And then China waited for the inevitable ban on China to prevent China from importing steppers from ASML and Japan. China waited until the laws were passed in both countries banning the sale of steppers to China then announced that 28nm stepper made in China was going to go into full production.

China knew what the US was up to. And waited patiently and set a trap for the US. Then waited for the US to jump into the trap then detonated the trap.

US semiconductors is going to be in big trouble. US semiconductor companies have also been banned from sales to China. Yes, only high end chips. But that makes no difference. The US has already violated WTO rules which allows China to retaliate and ban any and all chips from entering China.

This includes South Korea and Japan. To the horror of these two countries law makers they realized China was waiting for them to kill their own chip companies. This is why the SK law maker suddenly came out and criticized the law. Notice she didn’t do it before China unveiled the 28nm stepper.

So to answer the question, China did all of this to allow the US, South Korea, and Japan to remove themselves from the Chinese market and the world market. Then dropped a bomb on them.

This indicates that China plans these things months if not a year or more ahead of time and then activate these plans once China is in the best position to obtain the greatest advantage.

So we will likely see more actions by China in the near future. China is ready to go to war. Economic, military, or both. And they wanted to remove their money from US hands.

The US has lost the aircraft market, the semi-conductor market, and the medical devices market. How many high tech markets does the US have left? And what happens when China retaliates in full for what the US has been doing for the last 10 years?

Yup, it’s going to get ugly for the US. China will end up with most of the market for everything from $1 widgets to aircraft to jet engines to semi-conductors.

It must be the story of an Italian pastry chef named Nicholas Gentile. The man saved up all his money and decided to live out his biggest dream in life… become a hobbit.

Now Mr. Gentile is not actually a tiny man with enormous feet — he’s a large-boned, rather big individual. But he loves the quiet, peaceful life of Tolkien’s beloved creatures. And he wants it for himself.

main qimg b74814fd71fa316267fbe8a4cba3ed86 pjlq
main qimg b74814fd71fa316267fbe8a4cba3ed86 pjlq

So Nicholas, along with his wife and their two children, moved to a tiny plot in rural Italy, where he built a Shire-like house, half-buried underneath the ground.

A chef by trade, he made the house quite large and built another two smaller ones nearby, constructing another two that should be finished by 2022.

He rents them out to visitors and cooks for them — there will be at least two breakfasts every day, because Hobbits find the notion of having only a single breakfast appalling.

main qimg c3bca3ddc9f7232403929c5f98f43502 pjlq
main qimg c3bca3ddc9f7232403929c5f98f43502 pjlq

All products are from local farmers, and as he cooks and toils the land, Mr. Gentile smokes a Hobbit-style pipe he carved himself from wood while watching the Lord of the Rings movies.

He takes visitors on long walks in the forest, and shows them little traditional Italian farms and tiny remote villages where, as he likes to say: “People used to live not too differently from the way Hobbits live… and sometimes, in some ways, still do!”

The whole story is just so adorably wholesome, it put a smile on my face.

Nicholas Gentile even has a best friend who frequently dresses up as Gandalf. It’s all so whimsical, I love it!

Gorgonzola-Topped Tenderloin Steaks

c341c8d2ab881b53faec46377b50b434
c341c8d2ab881b53faec46377b50b434

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 (4 to 6 ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, cut 1 inch thick
  • 1 large clove garlic, crushed
  • 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 cup ready-to-serve beef broth
  • 1/4 cup dry red wine
  • 1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or other blue-veined cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat a large nonstick skillet for 5 minutes over medium heat until hot.
  2. Combine garlic and pepper. Press evenly into both side of each beef steak.
  3. Place steaks in skillet. Cook for 10 to 13 minutes for medium-rare to medium doneness; turn occasionally. Remove from skillet; keep warm.
  4. In the same skillet, add broth and wine; increase heat to medium high. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, or until sauce is reduced by half.
  5. Spoon sauce over steaks; sprinkle with cheese.

Planning Her Escape

Submitted into Contest #243 in response to: Write a story about a character who wakes up in space. view prompt

Holly Witte

Tess woke up remembering something from the days before. She had been only a child then and the story was old at that time, so it was amazing that what she recalled was so vivid, so fresh in her bones. The story had terrified her the first time she heard it, yet something drew her to read it over and over in the decades that followed. Maybe there was a message in it she was supposed to discover. It was a Ray Bradbury science fiction story called All Summer In A Day about people who colonized Venus where the sun came out only once in every seven years. The little girl in the story – maybe that was why she liked it, it had a little girl in it – knew about sun replacing the relentless rain and tried to tell the other children it was about to happen but they didn’t believe her, taunted her, locked her in a small room and then forgot about her when the sun did come out.The most terrifying but also satisfying part of the story was how horrified the children were when they realized what had happened and that it was irreversible.And now here was Tess near some colonized outpost deep in dark space, her ship having lost contact with command, and the rest of her crew asleep, dead, or suspended. She had no idea and no understanding of what had happened except there was a silent explosion. How is a silent explosion even possible, she was wondering, as her mind called up the fierce swoosh of flame that swept outside and inside the ship, like St. Elmo’s fire everywhere but, of course, with no sound because there is no sound in space.Tess shook her head, partly to rid herself of the image but also to see if she could move her head, move her neck, half afraid she had been internally decapitated. Feeling as if everything were intact, she slowly unbuckled and let herself lift out of the chair so she could maneuver around the cabin and check on the status of her mates. Why had she been spared the unconscious – or dead – state? She told herself to banish that thought and just concentrate on one thing at a time, proceed through a systems check.The people around her, still in their seats of course, were warm to the touch, what she could touch, which was only a small part of skin on the back of the neck in between the back of their collars and under the headgear they all had to wear during liftoff. Then she remembered that they had been leaving one station and heading to another in the chain of colonies when it had happened.No one moved to her stimulation. But they were still warm. Was that because they were alive or because it was still so close to the silent explosion that the bodies hadn’t cooled, yet? Tess’s eyes sought the console for a time check. Northing was registering although there was a faint blue/grey haze so there might have been a jot of energy pulsing; unless, maybe it was being fueled by energy from the explosion. She would have to mark new time from now.Tess knew how long it took to travel the whole ship, to check out various components so she would use her internal clock as she made her way to every corner and then she would come back and see if there was a change in body temperatures.With a plan, her mind relaxed but that only let in the thoughts again. What if she was the only survivor and what if she was completely out of contact with anyone anywhere; and, what if they had been pushed off course and the ship was just drifting? Something told her she needed to start planning her escape.Tess forced herself to make two rounds of the ship before she checked on everyone else. This was one of the smaller ships since it was a day mission, so she thought the extra time was justified. In truth, she felt as if an icy core was rising from the bottom of her sternum. It was fear, she knew, and she had to keep it tamped down or it would disable her resolve.Resolutely, she started with the third row. Nothing.  No pulse. No reaction. And the body was cooler than it had been the first time she touched it. It was the same for every one of them. They were dead. She knew it. She had known it on some level from the first. No point in speculating why she wasn’t. She needed everything in her mind to help her get out of this.

But what if she couldn’t?  This is a universal fear, one of them; the fear of being unable to solve a problem that threatens your very existence, and the fear of being alone. Tess could feel herself giving over to the fear and then over to something else, a desolate acceptance that made her feel her core was melting. She remembered the times she had surgery or, once, when she was in anaphylactic shock and she had stilled her body, stilled her nerves, gave herself over to the doctors. She knew she had to be emptied out to be saved.

This was different. As time wore on and nothing inside or outside of the ship changed – she could have been suspended upside down or on end; she had no idea – Tess understood that it was unlikely she would be saved. They were all trained and prepared for this, having undergone extensive psychological testing before being accepted into the fleet. She knew there were provisions on board to help her end the timeless agony.

She let what she thought was one day, then another day go by before she made any decision, checking the console for activity, checking her partners and friends, because of course they were friends, detecting no change.

On what was, she calculated, the fourth day, Tess took the pill and let herself drift off to whatever was next with thoughts of the little girl in the Bradbury story who had not seen the sun.

On the fifth day, a slight flicker appeared on the screen.

I’ve written, several times, about my experience in the Army in 1981–82; how I made the decision to go through Basic Training and Advanced Infantry Training twice… for a total of nearly six months, just to be able to be guaranteed going to Airborne School (Paratrooper training)… and get stationed with the 82nd Airborne Division. It’s a long story, but basically I broke my leg just before graduation, and had to drop out to heal my leg. I was told I could finish my last two weeks after I got back. Then when I got back, the people who promised me that, were no longer there, and no one believed me, and I was given the option to go to a different training right away (cook, clerk, mechanic, etc.)… OR… go thru the entire training cycle again. Despite my pleas and arguing, they wouldn’t budge. They figured I’d go to a different school and I’d be out of their hair. Well, I chose the second option… as much to piss them off, as also to live my dream of being a Paratrooper.

In any case… when I got back from the leg injury, I was given my signing bonus of $4000, as expected. Then I went through those 3 extra months of hell. When I graduated, finally!… and was getting ready to leave for Jump School the next day, I was called to go to HQ and report to the Finance Officer. When I got there, some clerk handed me a check, and said “Here’s your signing bonus”. And I was like … “???!!!”.

I told him that I already got my signing bonus months ago! He says “Not according to your records”. And I was like “???!!!”. So I looked at the check. It was for $3600! Hell, they couldn’t even get the amount right. So I walked away with my second check!

The next day, I still had half a day to do nothing as I waited to get on the bus. I kept looking at that check. Then I decided that I really didn’t need the hassle of having to pay it back in a few weeks, and maybe even getting in trouble for keeping it. So I walked back to HQ and saw an officer. I explained to him that I already got my bonus and didn’t need the hassle of having to pay it back in a few weeks, and maybe get in trouble for keeping it. I told him that I already explained this to a clerk the day before. So, this lieutenant takes my check… gets my records… and finally says “Son, according to this, the Army hasn’t given you your signing bonus. So, if I were you, I’d keep this check, keep my mouth shut, and do what the Army says”.

Well, hell! That sounded like a direct order to me, so I snapped to attention… said “Yes, sir!”… gave him my best salute… spun around, and got the hell out of that office!

The next day, I reported to Jump School. Three weeks after that, I reported to B Company, 1/508th Infantry (Airborne), 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, NC… with my shiny, new, hard-won, silver Jump Wings pinned upon my chest. And my $3,600 check in my pocket. Fittingly… it was on April Fools Day, 1982.

Within a month, I put my second bonus check to good use and bought a slightly beat up Brittany Blue, 1968 Mustang fastback, for exactly $3,600.

I got a FREE MUSTANG! Courtesy of Uncle Sam. It was particularly gratifying because those assholes broke their promise and fucked with me, making me do that training twice. TOTALLY unfair! And TOTALLY unnecessary! And also… this Mustang was a very nice replacement for the car I had just lost, just before leaving for the Army, when some jackass T-boned me, going through a red light, and destroyed my first, ’67 Mustang!

Sometimes… there IS justice in the world. But… only sometimes.

(And if Uncle Sam just read this… this is all just a work of fiction and/or I was just following orders)

Things are changing.

Ode to Denny and the whimmy wham wham woozle

Ode to Denny.

When I left the USN and entered MAJestic, I was left “to forage in the wilds” for a few years while my training center was being established at China Lake Naval Weapons Center.

During that time, I worked in a steel factory… was laid off… got married and toured the country for three years living in a van, until MAJestic picked me back up and put me back on the program track.

Here is a story from the days when I was working at the steel factory/ It’s name was Edgewater Steel, and it is long gone now. We made railroad and jet engine “rings”. These were high precision exotic material steel forgings.

One of the guys who I occasionally worked with was a guy named Denny.

He was about twenty years older than me, and quite the character. Being part liaison, part Marketing and part salesman. He was the guy who kept the orders flowing in.

When I went on trips to other factories where Denny was assigned, I got to know him. He was a womanizer, man-about-town, and a heavy drinker.

Drunk always at work.

Indeed.

But not a lazy drunk. An actual functioning alcoholic.

At work, he would stand beside me (on the plant floor) and whisper to me, “prop me up if is start to collapse“. Yeah. He drank heavily, and it was on the company dime.

He got by with one to two hour naps scattered throughout the day. And, he would make a presence at the offices. Being mostly, in and then out. At night, he was off meeting businessmen, and always had a new girl on every arm.

Quite the guy; that Denny.

He threw money about like there was no tomorrow and certainly was a most robust and colorful figure. Sort of the human version of Futurarama’s “Spuds Mckensey”.

Ode to Denny.

eeqzc4bfma991
eeqzc4bfma991

Party on dudes!

Today…

A factory story

A lady worked at a meat distribution factory.

One day, when she finished with her work schedule, she went into the meat cold room (Freezer) to inspect something, but in a moment of misfortune, the door closed and she was locked inside with no help in sight.

Although she screamed and knocked with all her might, her cries went unheard as no one could hear her. Most of the workers had already gone, and outside the cold room it’s impossible to hear what was going on inside.

Five hours later, whilst she was at the verge of death, the security guard of the factory eventually opened the door.

She was miraculously saved from dying that day.

When she later asked the security guard how he had come to open the door, which wasn’t his usual work routine.

His explanation: “I’ve been working in this factory for 35 years, hundreds of workers come in and out every day, but you’re one of the few who greet me in the morning and say goodbye to me every night when leaving after work. Many treat me as if I’m invisible.

Today, as you reported for work, like all other days, you greeted me in your simple manner ‘Hello’. But this evening after working hours, I curiously observed that I had not heard your “Bye, see you tomorrow”.

Hence, I decided to check around the factory. I look forward to your ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ every day because they remind me that I am someone.

By not hearing your farewell today, I knew something had happened. That’s why I was searching every where for you.”

Be humble, love and respect those around

you. Try to have an impact on people who

cross your path every day, you never know

what tomorrow will bring..

Stay Blessed.

When Women Tell Men They Gym Belongs to Them

Angel Hair with Shrimp Sesame Sauce

e4cc998e1a05507e2089727598c2783d
e4cc998e1a05507e2089727598c2783d

Angel Hair with Shrimp Sesame Sauce recipe
Ingredients

8 ounces angel hair (capellini), uncooked
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons chutney
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup vinegar
1 pound frozen medium shrimp, thawed

Instructions

Prepare pasta according to package directions; two minutes before pasta is done, add asparagus pieces. When pasta and asparagus are done, drain.
Place oil, garlic and mushrooms in a 2-quart saucepan. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, chutney, toasted sesame seeds, scallions and vinegar. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add shrimp to the sauce and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes.
Toss shrimp and sauce with pasta and asparagus and serve.

The Philippines’ “capriciousness” is actually an act for the United States to see

Recently, the Philippines has been frequently causing trouble and heating up the situation in the South China Sea, and on June 24, the Philippines declared that it would continue to carry out “supply missions” to Ren’ai Reef in spite of the fact that it was confronted with the law enforcement of the Chinese Marine Police.

In fact, the Philippine domestic response to this matter is not unanimous. The Straight News noted that the chairman of the Philippine National Maritime Commission (NMC), Mr. Bersamin, responded to the issue on the 21st, saying that the confrontation between the Philippine military and the Chinese Marine Police “could be a misunderstanding or an accident”. Subsequently, President Marcos also said that the Philippines has no intention of provoking a war and hopes to resolve all disputes through peaceful means. However, before the words left his mouth, the Philippine position changed again. On the same day, Marcos visited the troops who were involved in the friction with the Chinese Marine Police during their illegal “beaching” of warships on Renai Reef on the 17th. 24th, Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro categorically denied that the incident was a misunderstanding or accident.

In fact, Marcos’s statement was directed at the U.S. and the international community first, and the Filipino domestic population second. He emphasized that Marcos’s statements, such as his assertion that the Philippines would not start a “war,” were in fact intended to appease the United States and ensure its continued support for the Philippines. This tactic is intended to allay U.S. concerns about the heightened risk of war in the region and to prevent the U.S. from withdrawing its support in response to Philippine provocations.

Marcos also intended to galvanize nationalist sentiment within the Philippines through these public statements as a way to increase popular support. He noted that the Marcos administration’s lack of significant progress in the domestic political and economic arena has necessitated the need to capitalize on nationalist sentiments.

“Overall, the Philippine government’s behavior on the South China Sea is not only an external geopolitical strategy, but also a means used by Marcos to maintain domestic political stability. Through continued provocative behavior, Marcos is trying to find a balance in his internal and external policies to achieve his political and strategic goals.”

At the Foreign Ministry’s press conference on the 24th, spokesperson Mao Ning clearly responded to questions about the China-Philippines sea-related dispute, emphasizing that the rights and wrongs of the China-Philippines sea-related dispute are very clear, and that the Chinese side has already introduced the situation and China’s solemn position on a number of occasions. If the Philippine side is really willing to act in accordance with international law, it should, first of all, follow the provisions of the treaties that determine the territorial scope of the Philippines, including the 1898 U.S.-Southwest Peace Treaty, and abide by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. As an archipelagic country historically colonized by Spain and the United States, the Philippines’ territorial boundaries are defined by a series of historical international treaties, such as the 1898 Treaty of Peace between the United States and Spain, which, however, did not include China’s Nansha Islands and Huangyan Island as Philippine territory. The erratic behavior of the Philippines is partly attributed to the U.S. exploitation of the Marcos government.

Marcos is seen as a “tool or puppet in a regional proxy war” for the US. Lured by the false security promises of the United States and the massive flow of second-hand weapons, coupled with the deep penetration and influence of the United States in the Philippines, the Philippine government has willingly played the role of a hawk and dog of United States hegemony in regional affairs.

Although the U.S. State Department recently issued a statement reaffirming its unwavering support for the Philippines under the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, the applicability of this commitment to the South China Sea issue has been widely discussed.

Some U.S. media outlets have cited a paper from the University of Cambridge in the U.K. “clarifying” that the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty does not apply to the South China Sea because the Philippines did not have any form of claim to the relevant islands in the South China Sea at the time of the signing of the treaty in 1951. in 1975, then U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger further clarified that the defense treaty does not apply to the South China Sea. clarified that the defense treaty did not apply to attacks on Philippine forces in the Spratlys.

In addition, U.S. strategic concerns over the region have been demonstrated by the movements of the U.S. Navy. The USS Reagan, an aircraft carrier, recently arrived in Guam for recuperation, while another U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Roosevelt, was spotted leaving the South China Sea on June 13 through the Bashi Channel.

The “common defense” is a means for the U.S. to control its allies, whose fundamental purpose is to serve U.S. strategic interests rather than to safeguard the security of its allies, who are often at greater risk from being exploited.

Former Philippine Senator Francisco Tatad previously published an article in the Philippine “Manila Times” website bluntly said that if the Philippines in the United States support war with China, will be “stupid suicidal behavior”.

Recalling this incident, the Philippines on the 17th sent six ships, including a supply ship, two inflatable boats, including approaching the Nansha Islands Ren’ai Reef adjacent to the sea, attempting to illegally “beach” warships to deliver supplies. In response, the Chinese Maritime Police took control measures in accordance with the law, such as warning and stopping, boarding and inspection, and forcible removal, in respect of the Filipino vessels that had intruded into the waters of Ren’ai Reef, and seized firearms and other non-lifestyle items. In the meantime, the two sides of the boats repeatedly collided, the two sides of the personnel unusually close and confrontation, its intensity far exceeded the previous Renai Reef confrontation, but also for nearly a decade in the South China Sea friction of the most. For a time, the situation in the South China Sea once again triggered a high degree of concern at home and abroad.

At a time when the Philippines is provoking China, the Chinese 10,000-ton giant ship appeared in the South China Sea. According to public signals from AIS ships, a Chinese Marine Police 10,000-ton giant ship, No. 5901, has appeared around Zhongye Island in the afternoon of the 19th.

Wife Booked an Affair Trip but Didn’t Update the Contact Info. Divorced Her, Lost Her Job…

Abraham Shakespeare was born in Lakeland, Florida in 1966. He had dropped out of school by the 7th grade and was basically illiterate (he could barely use a cell phone). He had some minor brushes with the law (burglary) for which he had served his time. He spent his days working as a day laborer.

 

In 2006, at the age of 40, Abraham’s luck appeared to change. He won $30 Million in the state lottery (and took the lump sum payment of $17 million). He bought a million dollar home, brand new car, Rolexes, etc. and by 2008, he had blown through most of his winnings. New friends had appeared out of the woodwork, and simple-natured Abraham didn’t realize what they were really after until it was too late.

Around this time, he met a woman named Dorice Moore who offered to write his life story. Moore took control of Abraham’s assets and bought herself a Hummer and a Corvette (she later claimed these were gifts from Abraham). In 2009 (three years after winning the lottery), Abraham’s family reported him missing. Dorice Moore claimed to be Abraham’s financial advisor and told police that he had traveled out of town. His family and friends then started receiving text messages from Abraham, which was very strange as he was virtually illiterate.

In January 2010, police found Abraham’s body buried under 9 feet of dirt in the back yard of Moore’s home in Plant City, Florida (nearby to Lakeland). He had been shot to death. Moore had taken possession of Abraham’s home and drained him of his final $1.3 million lottery winnings.

Moore’s own attorney described her as emotionally unstable and in 2012 she was sentenced to life in prison. Moore continues to deny all charges and claims she is innocent.

Dude Runs Away on Date When She Brought Her Friends!

Instead of checking her mailbox frequently for her university admission letter, high school graduate Wang Yunyi received it up from the sky.

On Monday morning, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the first time delivered four college admission letters issued by the South China University of Technology to the hands of four students in the Chinese city of Guangzhou. The drone trip took about 30 minutes, covering 25 km, forming a new scenario for China’s UAV application.

“I was amazed to see my admission letter sent by a drone. It was like a movie scene coming to real life,” said Wang.

Guangzhou Post, the drone operator, has been delivering college admission letters for over 40 years, handling about 550,000 letters annually.

“In the future, more students can experience technological advancement with their admission letters sent by drones,” said Zou Liwen, a manager at Guangzhou Post.

In recent years, drones have become increasingly common in video clip productions, express and meal deliveries and fleet shows as China strives to expand its low-altitude economy, which was included in the country’s government work report for the first time in March this year.

Data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) show that China had 1.27 million registered drones by the end of 2023, up 32.2 percent compared with the previous year. Civilian drones accumulated 23.11 million flight hours in 2023, representing an 11.8 percent year-on-year growth.

Phoenix Wings, a cargo drone company under China’s delivery giant SF Express, initiated the interprovincial drone-delivery service for fresh fruit across the Qiongzhou Strait in late May.

This new mode of transport is 70 percent quicker and 30 percent cheaper than conventional cross-sea transport, enhancing the freshness of the lychees and the economic benefits on all sides.

CAAC data shows that the scale of China’s low-altitude economy exceeded 500 billion yuan (about 70 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, and is expected to reach 2 trillion yuan by 2030.

More drones in the sky have also expanded the spectrum of applications. While many parts of China are battling floods in the summer, UAVs are seen at the forefront, patrolling embankments and delivering disaster relief supplies in water-stranded areas.

In central China’s Hunan Province, where a dike section breached earlier this month at China’s second-largest freshwater lake of Dongting, fire and rescue teams in the province deployed a fleet of 47 UAVs for flood control and disaster relief work.

Liang Shixin, a member of the telecommunication team for emergency response at the provincial fire and rescue headquarters, said he operated a UAV a dozen times a day as a complementary means to monitor the embankments.

Unlike conventional drones that are mainly equipped with cameras, the UAV has thermal infrared and lidar sensors, being capable of quickly scanning embankments to capture signs of pipe bursts and leakage hazards even in the darkness, said Liang.

Incomplete statistics showed that China had more than 2,300 companies engaged in civilian drone development by the end of 2023, with over 1,000 drone types in mass production. In 2023 alone, over 3.17 million civilian drones were delivered in China, and the general aviation manufacturing industry generated an output exceeding 51 billion yuan, an increase of nearly 60 percent year on year.

In April, the Chinese drone maker EHang Holdings Limited obtained the production certificate for its passenger-carrying autonomous aerial vehicle system from the CAAC. It is the first production certificate issued in China for an autonomous passenger drone and also the first one in the global electric vertical takeoff and landing industry.

He Tianxing, vice president of the company, noted that the expansion of the low-altitude economy will further drive the development of upstream and downstream industries, such as new infrastructure, spare parts, energy storage, cultural tourism and education.

https://youtu.be/bZzjpUd84S8

My husband had been up on 20 foot ladder trimming trees in the yard for the last couple of days. He came in on the third day and said he was really tired and went to bed early. The next morning we talked for a little bit and he said he was just gonna stay in in bed and rest. I had to run some errands and I came home and I found him stumbling around the bedroom and he told me he was lost. I wanted to call an ambulance for him, but he just told me to drive him to the doctor. I’ve then discovered he was also blind. I rushed him to the emergency room and they took him back immediately to run some tests. A couple of hours later, the doctor came with the test results and said “I’m afraid his cancer has spread.” “What cancer?”we both asked the same time. The doctor informed us that my husband had pancreatic cancer that had already spread to his liver and his brain. They told us he had days to live. They sent him home with hospice. I called our kids and my husband’s siblings and they all came from various states to see him. My husband chatted with him like there was nothing wrong. He passed away nine days later.

Same thing here- I purchased a foreclosure.

The deadbeat tenants had not paid any rent to the bank in 10 months, but the bank didn’t want to evict, probably for fear of damage. I wasn’t afraid of them stealing the appliances, etc- they actually did do that- because I was going to gut the place anyway.

I told them they could have 2 months free rent, and had to be out then, or I would sue them for rent (I had it legally done, hired a lawyer who is good at that type of thing). I went ahead with the eviction process anyway, and they were served an eviction notice, just so they saw I was serious.

They left after the 60 day period, taking with them lights, appliances, even thermostats! I was fine about it, since, as I said, I did a complete to-the-studs gut of the house. It cost about $5K to get rid of them (not including my carrying cost- but I could not get started on redoing the house for 60 days anyway- I was doing the redesign, hiring the GC, etc), so I just folded that into the cost of the reno.

The result?

Fantastic house, reno finished on time, and all that is in the rear-view mirror.

Moral of the story?

You have to hire a good local attorney who does evictions, and establish a budget for the legal work. Then cut the deadbeat tenant a deal- lead with a carrot, follow with a stick.

EDIT: As a note- when we did the demo, we carefully removed the cabinets, toilets, even the windows. We donated everything possible to Habitat For Humanity, which was able to use the stuff in homes. We see so many people doing renovation who just allow the demo team to destroy everything- it cost a little more to have cabs unscrewed instead of just sledgehammered off, but then they go to good use. And you have less stuff in the dumpster.

I can tell you the thing that totally pushed me over the edge.

I was at a SciFi convention in Georgia, which was at the same time as a gay parade was. At the parade people were passing out “chick tracks” which are like these small comics of Bible verses, the one they were passing out was their Sodom and Gomorrah track.

I took it back to my room and read it. The story was basically about some gay person being handed that exact chick track and told the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, of course in their little story the gay man repented because if the story. It had been a while since I’d been to Christian school so I read it over and was horrified at what Lot considered an appropriate solution.

A little back story for me, I was molested and raped by my dad, I was in my early 20s then and still really messed up.

In the chick track version , since the intent was to try an convert gay people, the focus of the story was the version people like to use as anti-gay propaganda. (If you actually read the Bible verses, God was actually mad about their lack of charity and care for their fellow man) In this version, and indeed what you often hear, God sends a couple of angels down to Lot, and the crowd decided they want to take and rape said angels. This is what a lot of the anti-gay rhetoric is hinged on, which is sad and kind of funny, as angels aren’t supposed to have genitals. (Seriously, look up the description of biblical angels, it’s something else) So not only are they not all that rape-able, they aren’t technically men. Anyway, Lot decides he can’t let this happen, but is willing to give the raping crowd his VIRGIN DAUGHTERS.

This stupid comic was handed out ti try and say being gay is bad…. But somehow allowing people ti take and RAPE your virgin daughters was okay?!

No I thought, no damned way could that be in the Bible. Being in a hotel I grabbed the Bible to check. It really is. That was an acceptable solution, to allow the rape of virgin daughters so that creatures with NO GENITALS don’t get raped.

No. That is not ever acceptable for me. I was already questioning my faith, but that killed it. I could not believe in a religion that allowed that. I could not follow or listen ti people who thought that was okay, and used it to try and say homosexuality was wrong. I couldn’t believe in a faith that was okay with the kind of stuff that had scared me.

I’m closing comments because I am not interested in anyone trying to explain how this is okay, or trying to tell me I’m over reacting, or frankly argue any of this horrible story that is so often intentionally misunderstood to use as a club against people. Yes. I’ve had people try that before. In case you are one of those people, you should know this story will never EVER be acceptable to me, and there is no way you can spin it that will make it acceptable to me.

U.S. Ultimatum Hits Japan & Dutch Semiconductor Giants – Cut Away All China Trade Or Else

Ah…

The plans of the idiotic.

smart
smart

Check out the video…

Chicken Pasta Primavera

2fd5cde233984e12419dbb53be3191dd
2fd5cde233984e12419dbb53be3191dd

Ingredients

  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes
  • 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
  • 1 pound angel hair pasta
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook red, yellow and green bell peppers in 2 tablespoons olive oil with garlic until just tender. Stir in diced tomatoes and diced tomatoes with chiles, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes. Remove to a serving bowl.
  2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
  3. While pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons oil and butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Cook chicken in butter mixture until juices run clear, 5 to 10 minutes.
  4. Place cooked chicken over tomato sauce and sprinkle with basil, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder and Parmesan.
  5. Serve with cooked pasta.

The difference was crystal clear

HK which used Microsoft in their Airport applications had to go to manual mode while Mainland China that uses Xinshi, it’s own Indigenous Linux Rooted system in Airports and Xongsha, Huaweis own indigenous system in Ports – had zero blips yesterday

Surprisingly Russia also had zero blips because they had their own slightly more basic version due to Sanctions

India saw 65% flights cancelled or rescheduled. I am in Bangalore now and while returning to my hotel after a morning walk, I met Indigo staff who are returning to Kempegowda only now for a flight that should have departed yesterday afternoon


India along with 98% of the world is utterly rooted to Western Applications and Systems

Microsoft, IBM, Google, Amazon WPS , Dell & Cisco – they together or individually form 99% of our entire Core Computing Systems and their upgrades, patches, reinstallations are what runs our country

This includes our Aadhar Database as well, Income tax database, Sensex and Banking systems

Likewise Nokia, Siemens, Sony – Ericcson, Cisco & Alcatel – they form the core of our entire digital communications on 4G+ platforms while Huawei, ZTE – form the core of our entire digital communications on 4G platforms

Also GPS is the ground root of our entire ground cartography system

What have our Top Industrialists been doing?


Given that when we started our forway into Software when China was scrambling around for Cheap Analog technology from Taiwan – SHOULDN’T WE HAVE SOME EQUIVALENT IN THE GLOBAL MARKET?

Instead after 30 years – we are still basically software coolies, writing code or managing people who write code and creating systems that run on core technology developed by the West

Sure these days we live in Condominiums with Gym and Swimming Pools, use Amex cards and swank around in Oakley or Raybans as Software Architects

Yet the ground reality is we are primarily COOLIES just like we were a century and a half ago

Yesterday was evidence of that

Some Western Entity makes a mistake and 300 Million Indians could suffer


Time to firmly join Russia and China and begin to move to an Indigenous platform in every sphere

I suppose banning Tiktok was fine but the fact that we could be decimated by sanctions if we rub the US the wrong way – that never struck us at all

 

Keep moving forward.

It’s a long story

It began in 1985

A Delegation of Chinese Businessmen came to Bombay to various Indian Banks for a Letter of Credit.

main qimg 85f0dc7843a6571b3d6ce280ea7117f3
main qimg 85f0dc7843a6571b3d6ce280ea7117f3

They wanted a LoC of £ 15 Million Or so to import steel from Hull in UK

They wanted an SBI LoC because their banks were not recognized in UK and the UK Bank (Midlands Bank) refused to do Business with the Chinese

DBS refused because the Steel was not insured

The Chinese delegation waited for 4 Days patiently and for three days the Bank GM couldn’t meet them. They waited outside his cabin and were mocked at by the staff

All of us worked close by – SBI, BoB, CBI and other banks so this was popular news

Every day at lunch the four Chinese would sit and have Indian food and give awkward smiles

On the fourth day the GM came, gave them 30–40 minutes and demanded a ton of documents

At the same time the Japanese had come for some credit line related to NTPC to supply equipment and they were met by the Chairman and executives and given VVIP treatment

The Chinese patiently signed their documents, did their business, paid the extra interest and went back home

I was a witness to this and any banker who worked in Bombay would be witness to this


In 2014 – 29 years later, a Chinese Delegation came for some business

main qimg 6bc5bfef8a3d3a5a59b929e71c515abc
main qimg 6bc5bfef8a3d3a5a59b929e71c515abc

Banks scrambled over themselves for the Chinese Business

They deposited $ 2 Billion in one hour with a flick of their finger

The Executives grovelled and kowtowed and bowed and scraped like Coolies before the Chinese

Plus at this time SBI needed LoC from Foreign Banks to import from UK or US while every Bank in the world saluted at the Chinese LoC and advanced Twenty Billion Dollars without a second word

So SBI Kowtowed to Bank of America or Credit Suisse or used Bangee to get it’s LoCs accepted for upto $ 300 Million

The Chinese Banks didn’t need anything. They could get $ 20 Billion on their own LoC

I was a witness to this also

I wasn’t a Banker anymore but a Legal /Credit Consultant and saw the 2 Billion Dollar deposit as a friend showed me the entry


In 29 years i saw the Chinese grow from people who didn’t merit even a MD of a PSB to a group of people who could deposit 2 Billion Dollars in a single hour

I saw the same UK Banks who once refused to give the Chinese a mere 15 Million Pounds unless they had double backed LoCs , now begging for their business and lending them 20 Billion on their Paper without 15 seconds hesitation

I saw the Chinese go from a Nation which once stood in line at Tata Steel gaping with awe and admiration at our machines and process, now a Nation that makes steel superior to any other Nation on the planet

I saw the Chinese who once watched our Maruti 800 with awe and admiration now make EVs that are beating the pants of the Western models every single day

In 40 stinking years!!!!!!

Meanwhile

I see India once proudly emerging now groveling for Business from Western Companies even with all political favors

I see India unable to produce a pencil that has a demand in a Global market outside Nigeria and Bangladesh

I see India entirely dependent on Western Hardware and Software and merely clicking the key board like two bit PROGRAMMING COOLIES unable to invent anything with a Global Appeal

I see India with once with an Industrial Productivity which was fourth highest in Asia in 1981 after Japan, South Korea and Singapore now rank 11th behind Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia and even Goddamn Thailand!!!!!

And all my anger began with Mitra

main qimg e09a16e8d7041a6eadf4a01c350e83af
main qimg e09a16e8d7041a6eadf4a01c350e83af

Those who have been on Quora for longer than 4 years can attest to this

I never wrote anything except the law and rarely politics and never on China until I saw posts of Mitra as a cutting edge robot

I felt a surge of rage and all my pent up emotions surged out and that’s it. It can’t stop to this day.

I saw my fellow countrymen defend Mitra as a cutting edge piece of Robotics and it’s founder rather than acknowledge that it was premature to introduce this Robot to the Global World , actually mock me as a desk jockey government servant and claim that he would respond only to the criticism of Google Top Execs or Big Shots

I left the topic at this point, unwilling to start a war on Quora

From that day I have written against Indian ‘Achievements’ because I AM ANGRY

I am not a Chinese Citizen

I am an Indian Citizen and I want my sons to be here in this country with me, growing, prospering, working hard for its development like so many Chinese sons

To watch with pride as India grows and dominates

But No!!!!

I see LIES, LIES and more LIES every day

I see my fellow countrymen rather than find ways to identify problems, call me China Agent and Paid Propagandist

It shows me the inferiority of many of my countrymen and I GET ANGRY

So you think it’s because I admire the Chinese that I write all this?

No

I admire the Chinese but I write because I AM ANGRY AT INDIA, AT INDIAN POLITICIANS, AT THE INDIAN SYSTEM AND WITH MOST OF MY FELLOW INDIANS AND MYSELF

Where did we go wrong?

That keeps me angry all the time

What can we do about it? How can we correct ourselves?

Nobody asks this question and that makes me angry all the more


So if you don’t like it – Apologies

I will keep on and on

Somewhere some people should wake up and see and question people Like Byju Raveendran, Ola Bhavish , Ambani, Adani, Mahindra on what their indigenous technology is and what they have actually achieved

Question people like Modi, Shah, Nirmala, Rahul Gandhi, Kejriwal on the same questions

And those who agree with me, they aren’t my bhakts. They are just logical minds who can see where the Nation is heading.


For God’s sakes remember I am not your enemy

I am a Patriotic Indian helplessly watching his Nation slide into regression and worthlessness with every passing day

Those who are closing their eyes to this and talking of 3rd Largest Economy and Viksit Bharat and How great Ambani is – THEY ARE THE PROBLEM NOT ME

Women Have Cost Businesses MILLIONS Because of METOO

When my father was 92 he pretty much gave up on living. He didn’t have any terminal condition other than the one we all have. We had made attempts at various safe living situations during which he refused to move from his independent living apartment to assisted living in the same facility, kicked my sister and then me out for “being in his business”, fired anyone we hired to help with activities of daily living, and lots of other maddening behaviors (actually, par for the course for him but worse). The thing is, his mind was pretty much fine- it was his body that was failing him. When he realized he couldn’t and wouldn’t have life on his own terms, he just gave up. After a couple falls, passing out from low blood sugar several times (including at a wedding) because he refused to lower his insulin dose appropriate to the much smaller amount he was eating, and several admissions for urinary retention, bleeding from his bladder and UTIs, all due to prior prostate radiation, he said he just wanted to be left in peace to die. We (including him) decided to admit him to a really excellent hospice, the same one where my mother had died 8 years earlier. He asked to sign a DNR and did, asked that he receive anti-anxiety and pain meds for his spinal stenosis, and said he only wanted ice cream to eat. We all had an agreed-upon plan of care. He was sleeping peacefully when we left. Then, at 10 pm that first night while I was showering, I got a voicemail from his personal cellphone. On it, he sounded frightened, said he didn’t know where he was, and that the nurses were poisoning him. I called the nurses’ station. His nurse immediately went to his room then called me back to say he was sound asleep again. She even held the phone to his mouth and I could hear him snoring. He grumbled loudly when she tried to wake him to talk to me. She said he probably wasn’t used to the meds and they would give less and stagger them from then on. I wound up not going there that night after checking on him again with his nurse about 2 hours later. At 5 am I got a call that he had died in his sleep. So his voicemail wound up being the last words I heard from him.

Kansas City Beef Brisket

chef marks kc smoked brisket large
chef marks kc smoked brisket large

Ingredients

  • 1 (5 pound) beef brisket
  • 1 tablespoon tenderizer (optional)
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons Liquid Smoke
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1 teaspoon onion salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • Worcestershire sauce, to taste

Instructions

  1. The night before cooking, sprinkle brisket with tenderizer, Liquid Smoke, salt, pepper, celery salt, onion salt and garlic salt.
  2. Wrap in aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
  3. The next day add nutmeg, paprika, brown sugar and Worcestershire. Wrap well with aluminum foil — this is important. Cook 5 hours at 275 degrees F.
  4. Slice thin on the diagonal.
  5. Serve with homemade barbecue sauce and buns.

I posted this as a long comment here but thought that it is significant to deserve its own posting on China’s Future:

Let me explain: From the US official POV, China is an existential threat like never before, because not only can China do and make everything the US does and makes, China will lead in all the fields which the US has no hope of catching up in: EVs, tech and network equipment, aircraft manufacturing, and defense equipment. Even in agriculture, the US will not be able to sell food commodities to China because China will import from Russia and Brazil instead of from the US.

If the US is no longer the tech leader, the US stock and bond markets will lose 50% of their value. Since the US and European ruling classes derive a significant portion of their value from the New York, London markets, they will get poorer. And they will not be able to invest in growth markets because those markets won’t want to take western currencies, especially the US dollar.

If the US stock and bond markets take such a hit, this means that the US standard of living will also take a hit. First, most Americans are heavily in debt; many of them rely on credit card debt just to cover their monthly expenses, and they have no savings. These people will not be happy, and they will not go away peacefully because a lot of them have guns. They won’t understand how it got to this, and they don’t particularly care in understanding, but they will be very angry.

Under the US political system, it is very hard to mobilize the public against an enemy because most Americans have very little understanding of foreign affairs. For this reason, it is very important to create a foreign bogeyman such as China which they can lay all the blame on.

That is what is happening now. When the US’s existence is threatened, academic scholars are at the frontline in shaping public opinion.

The problem now is that both sides are hardening their positions. Biden doesn’t have the mental capacity to defuse the situation. This means that his key advisors are making policy without his input. They all believe that China is the existential threat. They hoped that the Ukraine war would weaken Russia enough so that they could then deal with China, but that did not go according to plan. But China is getting stronger and its relationship with Russia is growing, so the US is running out of time.

South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines were going to be the useful idiots who would directly confront China, but that is not going according to plan because they know that they are in China’s frontyard, and China is becoming increasingly powerful. They also understand that they may be left high and dry by the US, in which case they become dead meat in China’s front yard.

The US policymakers also understand that the US military is in a weak position to confront China because of the long logistics lines from the US mainland to the western Pacific. A lot of tactical inventory for a conventional war has been shipped to Ukraine and Israel for their wars, and it will take 2–5 years for American factories to step up production to replenish those inventories.

But the US doesn’t have 2–5 years; by that time China will be exporting its chips and selling EVs and solar panels all over the world, and will complete its overland connections to Europe through Russia and the Trans-Caspian routes. Europe will have de-industrialized because it has lost access to cheap Russian energy making their factories uncompetitive, and Chinese brands and equipment will replace European brands and products at 50% of the original European price.

The NATO/EU/G7 alliance will grow weaker by the year. Will the US withdraw to the North American continent, or will it make Custer’s last stand in a nuclear confrontation with China?

Right now, the US is led by candidates who were born in the 1940s and grew up during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Both strongly believe that the US triumphed against the USSR; they believe that this was America’s winning formula, and that today’s China is a smarter and much more adaptable version of the USSR, and that it can be cut down to size using the same tactics and sanctions against the USSR. They cannot adapt because this is the world they grew up in.

They have no vision for the next generation of Americans because they are old, and frankly will not live much longer. I feel sorry for younger Americans because they are stuck in a bus with a crazy driver who is heading for the cliff, and there is nothing they can do.

They deserve better leadership so that they can build their future, but right now, it looks like they have no future.

The American Revolution: Take 2

A few months ago, I received a friend request from a girl. She was from my college and also my best friend’s ex, so I accepted it. I remember, they were in a relationship for eight months after which she friend-zoned him as she did with her previous partners. My friend went into depression after that.

Well, within a few days she became comfortable chatting with me and started sending flirtatious texts. I felt awkward in the starting but after few days I reciprocated keeping in mind not to let her sabotage my stringency.

Now after a few months seeing that she is highly into me, I thought maybe it’s the right time to give that girl a taste of her own medicine. I started using terms like “buddy” and started avoiding her texts. She became quite angry (and her desperation increased) and after a few weeks, she confessed that she has fallen for me.

Me- ”But that cannot happen. You are a good friend as well as a good human too, and I don’t want to lose our friendship.”

She- (furiously) ”Why did you do that to me.”

Me- ”Did what”??

She-“Talked to me in a special way.”

Me-“Well, I didn’t do that. You started sending me flirtatious texts, I just reciprocated. I never told you I feel for you.”

She- ”Please say that you are joking. I don’t believe you are doing this to me”

Me- “No, I am not joking. Besides, you did the same thing with my friend with whom you were committed. We are not even committed. I never promised you anything. It was just a healthy flirting that lasted for a few days”

She- “You are such an a*sho*e!”

She blocked me after that.

P.S.- I know I did the wrong thing but I felt that she needed to know what it is like to be on the other side.

42 Vietnamese foods you have to eat in Vietnam

This gets me so horny! LOL. Just joking, but really… I love these adventure food videos.

Here a mind-blowing fact about Japan: when I was in Japan on a business trip I had a few hours to myself, so I decided to go sight-seeing. I got my expensive SLR, hailed a cab, and took a trip around Tokyo seeking Godzilla. A couple of hours later I returned to the hotel and took a shower. After the shower I realized I had left the camera in the cab. It’s gone forever, I thought. But I went to the concierge and told him my story.

“What was the name of the cab company?” he asked me.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

“What color was the cab?”

“I can’t recall,” I admitted, feeling like a fool. He was looking more dubious.

“Do you recall what kind of car it was?” he asked.

“Not a bit,” I said stupidly.

He was looking at me as if I were another stupid American. “We will see what we can do,” he said, “but I have grave doubts about recovering your camera.”

And yet two hours later I got a call: they had my camera. Astonished, I went to the front desk and they handed it to me. I tried to hand a wad of cash to the cab driver who had returned it. He refused to take the money. I tried to give a wad of cash to the Concierge, but he only took the wad, took a few bills, handed the rest back and told me, “these are for the operator who called every cab company in the city. Your camera was in the lost and found.”

I marvelled at the chances of recovering that same camera in New York City from a cab in two hours. I felt the chances would be infinitesimally small.

Kill Bill – 1950’s super panavision 70

The Philippines cannot replicate the warship beaching at Second Thomas Shoal.

If the Philippines repeats the incident of the warship running aground at Second Thomas Shoal at Sabina Shoal, it will directly violate Article 5 of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which states that all countries in the South China Sea have the obligation to ensure that “uninhabited islands and reefs are free of people and facilities.”

If the Philippine warship ran aground in Sabina Shoal and crossed the “red line”, then China can take any measures to stop it.


The contest between China and the Philippines over Sabina Shoal is essentially a war of public opinion.

main qimg 3b2e661047ff6cfebb0ac9256a3a33b2
main qimg 3b2e661047ff6cfebb0ac9256a3a33b2

The Philippines spread rumors that China would reclaim land and build islands in Sabina Shoal, so it sent 4 coast guard ships into Sabina Shoal, but the Philippines did not dare to cross the red line.

What China needs to do is to seize the opportunity of the Philippines to “provoke China” as much as possible, and then launch a fierce counterattack to finally achieve complete control of Sabina Shoal.

He Man – The Masters of the Universe – 1950’s Super Panavision 70

in 1974 I had this pimple on my right forearm that wouldn’t come to a head, nor would it go away. And it was tender. So after a couple of months I took it to my doctor who sent me to a dermatologist. It was an amelanotic melanoma, a melanoma with no pigment. Further examination found that it had metastacized and there was some in my lungs. IN 74, that was a death sentence. They gave me 6 months, max.

But I was 25 and otherwise healthy, so they did the hail mary pass, cut out the lobe of my lung with the most mets, and put me on a brutal chemotherapy regimen of a monthly injection of 2 grams of something they called DTIC. It’s so toxic that they usually spaced it out over five days a month. But as I said, I was young and healthy and they thought I could take it. So they gave me a five day course in one dose, every month for a year.

And once a month for a year, I’d fly back off the road to San Francisco, get poisoned, and then run for home to try and make it before the nausea began. I never did, but the nurses would give me a just-in-case garbage bag for when it hit. Then it was eight hours of agony, cramping and running at both ends. The pot pipe made it possible for me to keep breakfast down the next day as I tried to pull myself together in the face of the worst hangover on earth. And the next day, I’d be back on a plane, and back on tour. This went on for a year, but it was worth it. I beat terminal cancer, and the years since then have been the best years of my life

Shorpy

02151u.preview
02151u.preview

4a08637a.preview
4a08637a.preview

01580u 0.preview
01580u 0.preview

09696u.preview
09696u.preview

20733a.preview
20733a.preview

08217a.preview
08217a.preview

16578a.preview
16578a.preview

27017u.preview
27017u.preview

22213u.preview
22213u.preview

4a12732a.preview
4a12732a.preview

IHP01 DV perfect street small.preview
IHP01 DV perfect street small.preview

4a12709a.preview
4a12709a.preview

4a22025a.preview
4a22025a.preview

IHP105 HamOnt dockside01 smaller.preview
IHP105 HamOnt dockside01 smaller.preview

4a08406a.preview
4a08406a.preview

4a08405a.preview
4a08405a.preview

4a16452a.preview
4a16452a.preview

4a08488a.preview
4a08488a.preview

4a08462a.preview
4a08462a.preview

IHP11 BallsAgin small.preview
IHP11 BallsAgin small.preview

4a08400a.preview
4a08400a.preview

4a24796a1.preview
4a24796a1.preview

4a16454a.preview
4a16454a.preview

4a20188a.preview
4a20188a.preview

4a25685a.preview
4a25685a.preview

4a25634a.preview
4a25634a.preview

4a25649a.preview
4a25649a.preview

coolpool 0.preview
coolpool 0.preview

IHP62 Decatur kiss smallv2.preview
IHP62 Decatur kiss smallv2.preview

A few years ago I had a guy in one of my college history classes. Over a few months I would catch him looking at me all the time until finally one day he asked me on a date. I told him I’d love to and we agreed to go to an Italian restaurant. I get there and go inside and he’s nowhere in sight. Our date was for 6. He didn’t show up until 6:45/7…I’m a very, very punctual person so this really got under my skin, but he apologized profusely and told me he had gotten out of baseball practice late and came as soon as he could. So, I just let it go and we started talking. He really bragged and stressed to me how he was in the minor leagues and was about to go pro. He was 28 at that time and I’m not too familiar with baseball, but I thought that was a little late in life to be going pro and he didn’t look like he had played a sport in years, but whatever I just listened. And after so long we started talking about what we wanted for our futures, kids, jobs, etc. He told me he wants to get married and play baseball, nothing else. I said no kids? And he said no, this planet is full of rapists and murderers and he refuses to add another rapist or murderer to the world. I just sat there and looked blankly. I said well I think the odds of you having a rapist and/or murderer as a child is pretty slim (trying to lighten the mood), and he cuts me off and asks if I’m retarded and if I hear what I’m saying. And this man went on a full 40 minute rant about the Roman Empire, mass murderers, Islam, rapists, and crazy conspiracy theories. He would go back and forth between this cool laid back guy to this crazy the-earth-is-going-to-burn extremist. So I excused myself to “go to the bathroom”, found the waitress and personally left her a tip, and then ran to my car and left.

When I saw him in class that next week he avoided me. Like, completely picked up his desk and moved it across the room like a child avoiding. Every time I’d answer a question he ALWAYS had a rebuttal, even if the answer is a clear cut answer, or he would elaborate on what I said because “I didn’t explain it right”. After so long he dropped the course and I never saw him again.

It’s called the Dance Girl Phenomenon

In Hong Kong – many Dance bars provided the cheapest girls for sex and many Sailors from US or UK or France paid a pittance for these girls

Yet these girls were not the main income for the Dance Bars

It was the Drinks!!!!!

Drinks were marked up as much as 450%

An Inferior Scotch that perhaps cost 8 Hong Kong Dollars for a Liter was sold at 3 HKD for an 80 ml glass

That’s 36 Hong Kong Dollars per Liter

The Girls ensured that the customers were focused on the Girls and drank low quality drinks by paying 450% marked up prices

The girls were the BAIT

They were there to attract the men to drink in those bars


In the same way – in a Movie Theatre, a Multiplex – the Real Profit comes from your FOOD & BEVERAGES

The Movie is the BAIT

A multiplex chain pays maybe ₹18.50 Crore for a movies All India rights

At ₹ 63.50/- a ticket to ₹127/- a ticket margin after paying Taxes and Distributor shares – would they really be taking huge profits?

At ₹127/- a ticket – they would need to sell 15 Lakh Tickets just to break even

Now the Food

9 grams of Corn Caramel Slurry produces 41 grams of Caramel Pop Corn

1 Kilo of Slurry costs ₹ 390/-

That gives you around 4.25 Kilos of Carmel Pop Corn Or 33 medium serves approximately

At ₹85/- per serve thats ₹ 2,805/-

You do the math

₹390 worth of slurry gives you ₹2,805/- worth of Caramel Pop Corn and even if you sell only 50% , that’s still almost 360% Profit!!!!!

Your Coke costs the Food outlet on a Weight Basis

It’s a Soda Fountain that mixes CO2 with Patented Coke Slurry /Syrup, Water at the appropriate pressure and gives you your Coke

It costs ₹8000/- for 500 Litres of Coca Cola or 675 Large Serves of Coke

That’s ₹11.85/- per Large serving (742 ml) of Coke

How much do you pay?

Around 120 bucks in a Multiplex!!!

44% goes to Coca Cola, the Machine license costs etc

That’s still ₹67/- for a Large Coke that the Theatre Chain pockets

Thus around 500% mark up

Now you know why they give you all those free refills of Coke in a 180 ml container? It costs them a paltry ₹3/- every time you refill while you pay ₹200–300 for food

Once inside the Theatre, you can’t help but eat food during the interval

You will go to the restrooms and on the way back see the crowd at the food outlet

The Food makes up and ensures Multiplex Chains can break even and make a profit even by paying a high cost

Its why they sell Corporate Bookings

500 Tickets for the first 5 shows – 50% tickets for each screen and show for FREE to advertisers as a compliment

The Producers pay for this and the Multiplex earns heavily on the food sold

Producers declare how full the theatres are and everyone wins


Single Chains can’t survive on such economies of scale

Soda fountains would not be profitable to them as their volumes aren’t that high

So their main source of profit is the TICKET and the Food is a supplementary item

So Popcorn is ₹ 30/- instead of ₹85/- and Coke sells by 200 ml bottle with the Food outlet merely getting the retailer margin of ₹ 4.60/- per bottle when he sells for ₹25/- to the customer

However they pay only ₹7–8 Lakh for a movie rights and their margin per ticket is much higher

So they survive on ticket sales and make profits on tickets

Plus their LAND on which they have been built is valuable every day against the rent of Multiplexes

Thus Most single screens borrow heavily and are mortgaged until the day they sell to a developer who demolishes the theatre and builds a Hotel Or Mall Or Complex

Western Couple Expose The SHOCKING TRUTH About CHINA After Their First Visit

Absolutely! Many years ago, one of my brothers was accidentally killed. He was single and enjoying life, had a girlfriend. For years, my Mom lamented that she wished he would have had at least one child before he died so she would still have a part of him here.

Fast forward to a few years ago. We all did an Ancestry DNA test to see if we could find any relatives from my maternal grandmother’s side. She was a refugee from Germany, came to the US with an American family for safety during Hitler’s reign of terror. She never reconnected with any of her family again. A cousin and I had gone to Germany to research – the village that she grew up in had been completely annihilated during the war.

We met with the Red Cross there, and many other officials. Nothing could be found as to what had happened to them. We know they existed, she had brought many pictures of her with her family from the time she was a baby, up to her teen years, holiday gatherings, birthdays, etc. So we were hoping to find someone, anyone that remained of her family.

A few months went by and my Mom got a notification that a close match had been found, a child or grandchild, and I got one that said niece or cousin. We were certain this was a mistake because we could account for every single person in our family.

To make a long story shorter, my brother’s girlfriend moved back to the east coast after he died. None of us thought nothing of it. She was grieving and wanted to be close to her Mom. But apparently, after a couple of months, she found that she was pregnant. (This was the very early 1980’s, OTC pregnancy tests were not a thing at that time.)

By the time pregnancy was confirmed at three months (she apparently thought missed cycles were due to stress), she had lost all contact with our family on the west coast. This was also before cell phones. Also, she has been seeing another guy while she and my brother were dating. Anyway, we were able to get in touch with this mystery relative via Ancestry. When we met in person, I almost fainted – she was a female replica of my long dead brother, and she had two kids of her own, with the youngest looking like my brother’s twin. My Mom got her wish after all, a child of the child she lost. But we never did find any of my Grandma’s family.

Kill Bill – Gogo Scenes

My then boyfriend proposed to me after we lived together a couple months. We discussed where we would live, how we would balance work and the household, the financial arrangements, the time schedule, if we wanted kids, how many kids, the way to raise and educate our kids, how we would balance his/my parents, his/my wants and no’s in the marriage… literally everything. Then we said yes to each other.

I asked for my mom’s opinion.

She looked at me in the eyes and said:

‘Are you sure you can raise your kids ALL by yourself, without ANY help?’

I explained that my future husband and I would share all the responsibilities, and we had already discussed every detail we could think of.

‘No.’ She said, ‘I’m asking YOU.’

‘Are you sure YOU can raise your kids ALL by yourself, without ANY help?’

It took me two months to think it over.

I checked my bank balance and assets. I made a budget about how much it would cost to raise a child, and predicted my future cash flow based on my current income and market value. I adjusted for my health insurance and life insurance. I checked the law about maternity leave. I consulted my friends who were single working mothers about what they struggled against and how they solved (or didn’t solve) problems. I thought over the resources I had and the difficulties I would face. I found out that I could not withdraw all the risks. And without help, it would be such a tough mission to raise a child. I also found out if I tried really hard, I mean, really really hard, it would NOT be a ‘mission impossible’ either. As long as I didn’t die too early, or lose all my skills by some accident, or… I mean, if my luck was better than the worst, and with my best effort, I would be able to make it.

I answered to my mom yes.

She said, ‘Now you are ready to get married.’

13 years passed by. I’m still in marriage with this man. My daughter is 11 yo.
Like all married couples, my husband and I have experienced fights, crises as well as boredoms. We learned to negotiate and compromise. We tried hard to find some balance. When passion faded with the time, we learned to find satisfactions and happiness from a stable day by day life.

I didn’t have to raise my daughter all by myself. My husband shared half of the mission. My parents and his parents helped a lot. Still being aware that ‘I would be able to do it all by myself’, I always feel being in marriage with this man is of my free will. And it also makes me able to fully respect and accept the fact that he is free to stay or leave this marriage too.

Despite the fights, crisis and boredoms, we still chose to keep our marriage. We don’t have to, but we choose to. We never feel the pressure or desperation to imprison each other or ourselves in the marriage. That’s one of the reasons marriage still feels good after 13 years, I guess.

And having seriously considered how to take full responsibility to raise our child, I feel so grateful that he lends me his shoulders and hands, holds up ‘half the sky’ of our family. I never take his efforts and contributions for granted.

People say marriage is based on trust. My mom says don’t rely on trust. She teaches me not only to hope for the best, but to prepare for the worst.

Feelings change. Humans change. Rather than asking ‘Is he/she trustworthy?’, my mom taught me that nobody owes me trust. And once make a decision, take full responsibility.

7 HOURS AGO: China Finds Something Strange on the Moon and Astonishes Scientists!

3 years ago, my neighbor died in bike accident. His son was of 2 years at the time, so I assume his wife to be in her mid or late 20’s.

In South India, we have a custom of visiting each other’s home in festivals to greet and give kumkum. After a year of the guy’s death his mom (mother in law of the widow) came to my home for one such occasion and my conversation with her went like this.

Me: Aunty, how is akka? (Sister in Kannada)

Aunty: She is getting better putta. (Putta – Kannada word to address younger people with love)

Me: Aunty, I know that this is normally not allowed, but we don’t mind her coming along with you during festivals to greet and take kumkum.

(Normaly widows are not allowed to take kumkum after marriage according to the followed tradition)

Aunty who was very happy to hear this went on to explain,

Aunty: I only wish society was more welcoming like your family, putta. At home, I am trying as much as possible not to make her feel like widow. I insist her to light the deepak in the morning and night in house and do Pooja, I include her in every ritual, we are doing everything we can. In fact we are even insisting her for a second marriage, she is young, we cannot replace what she lost from our care. If my daughter lost her husband at such young age, I would be thinking about a better life for her again, right? She is a nice person, she is still traumatized because of what happened. We are trying to do everything we can, but we cannot expect the same acceptance from everyone, so she is still not confident to come out and gather in social gatherings. Your invitation made me happy, once she makes up her mind to visit people, I will bring her to your home. She might take little more time to gain that confidence.

What I understood by this situation is people are changing, at least many are changing, but there is still a long way to go.

My request is, when you come across such people (widows) all you have to do is talk to them normally as you always would, that itself is a big thing for them.

It’s their life, let them live it again, they shouldn’t lose their identity just because they lost their husband.

Humid Night Routine of Living Alone in Japan

People all over the world are living their lives. This is a glimpse into the life of a chick in Japan. I think that food is sexy, but being lonely is awful.

comments
comments

That a job must get done no matter what. That means if it is hotter than hades outside, or if it is cold, or if it is raining, or if there is a sandstorm, you must still go to work.

A rather humorous example is from my life as an airman, while deployed to Camp Sather, Baghdad Airport. The airport had a mix of Iraqi civilian air traffic controllers and U.S. Air Force air traffic controllers. Although our air traffic controllers were armed with an M9 pistol while on duty, these guys weren’t really trained for shootouts and how to conduct security. They were, understandably, worried about their Iraqi counterparts and if one of them should smuggle in a weapon or worse into the air traffic control tower. Consequently, an airman was assigned as security for our personnel inside the tower, 24/7, in the event of an attempted insider attack.

In reality, this air conditioned posting was posh and we loved being there. There was a desk with a computer and internet connection, movies that could be watched on the computer, and even a DSN line to call back to the United States as much as you wanted. Even the Iraqi controllers were quite pleasant to be around and they all spoke at least some English, per their job assignment.

Also, since the posting was outside of the camp’s defense perimeter, you would have food from the cafeteria delivered to you. No waiting in line!

main qimg 26ed06cb43ff1428ef1a10e6dd10bf43
main qimg 26ed06cb43ff1428ef1a10e6dd10bf43

(Baghdad Tower, photo by author.)

The only downside:

The elevator in the control tower often broke. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to go to work. That meant climbing up 14 floors with your vest, helmet, NVG’s, rifle, pistol, and spare ammunition. What a bitch! Nothing could make you go from loving how lucky you were to draw this assignment, to hating it in mere seconds. When you made it to the top, the person you would be relieving would always have a bottle of cold water waiting on you. By that time you were huffing, puffing and drenched in sweat. Tough life in the Air Force.

Nebula in the Deep

Submitted into Contest #8 in response to: Write a story about an adventure in space. … view prompt
John Popovich

Her muscles seemed to tense with every chime of the warning alerts; proximity, fire, and power failure alarms each ringing in their own distinct tone and pattern. As the captain called out for a report on every station the voices went from stern and confident, to shouting and chaotic.

Venturing into the cerulean and fuchsia mixed cloud, the crew of the ISS Condor had no idea what to expect. The observation windows were useless as the clouds covered the ship like thick cream. The current of plasma that comprised the beautiful anomaly clung to every nook and cranny of the ship’s fuselage, wreaking havoc for the ship’s systems analyst.

Lieutenant Dawson exhaled sharply, shaking her hand at the station monitor. “I’m getting readings all over the ship, everything from hull breaches, power surges, and a fire on C-deck. I’m shutting down automated countermeasures… try to keep her from fixing problems that aren’t there.”

“Do something about those alarms while you’re at it. Do we have anything on perimeter sensors, short range? Long range? Anything from our remote probe?”

The chief turned in his chair facing the captian, his forehead wrinkled, and cracking in his voice. “Nothing consistent. I am getting intermittent contact from the probe. Strange readings, I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The lighting on the control deck flickered as power surges were felt throughout the ship. Alarms blaring, lights flashing and now the ship was rumbling. Dawson gripped the arms of her chair, her knuckles turning white as her fingertips went numb. The pounding of her pulse in her neck caught her off guard, escalating with every breathe. Nothing made sense, she heard his order to shut off the alarms, but it didn’t register. As if he was speaking a different language.

Glancing from her station monitor to the captain, she saw his jaw tense, eyes squinting, focusing on the forward observation windows. If there was any fear in him at all, he didn’t show it. They were flying blind, but he kept them steadily on course. She had to trust him.

Rattling with increasing intensity, the ship groaned in pain as the bulkheads shed their safety panels. Like the nebula didn’t want them there and fought with constant resistance. What secret was it trying to keep?

Suddenly the ship stopped shaking, the colorful sludge sliding off the forward windows. The captian stood from his command chair, balancing himself on the overhead monitors as he leaned forward to look at the seemingly empty eye of the nebula.

“Lieutenant, I want a damage report as soon as you can. See if you can purge all of our external ports, get this crap off of my ship… And please shut off the alerts!”

Staring at her screen, trying to catch her breath, she unwrapped her hands from the arms of her seat. Flexing her fingers, she disabled the system alerts. As a loud hissing filled the command bridge from the purge, the systems came back online, one by one. Turning in her chair to report the ship’s clean bill of health, she paused, interrupted by deafening silence. Seeing her wide-eyed crew mates looking out of the observation windows, she stood moving from her station toward the center of the bridge trying to catch a glimpse of what had captivated the crew.

The inner wall of the nebula was at a distance, but there was something more. Maneuvering around the captain’s command station more objects came into view, strange t-shaped bodies, made of metal… had to be. Another long cylindrical object that seemed to be rounded on one end with what looked a short thick tower protruding from the side. There were other jagged fragments, and what looked like a mist of dark and light particles. Everything was motionless, floating in the peaceful center of a chaotic cage.

“There’s the probe!” The chief pointed at the window before scurrying to his station.

The captain’s head whipped around. “Can you make contact?”

“Yes, but I’m getting a lot of strange readings Sir. The objects don’t match any vessels on record. The nebula consists of some sort of plasma, it’s chemical make-up is like nothing I’ve seen.” The chief’s voice was high, and he stuttered as he read the data as quickly as he could. “There are trace amounts um, of-of ice, wait, yes crystalized H2O, and, and… this can’t be right.”

“What is it?”

“Carbon, lignin, hemicelluloses… this… Captain it’s particles of wood!”

“That’s impossible!”

“It doesn’t make sense but that’s what it says… Sir there’s something else. There seems to be radiation emanating from one of the objects.”

“Dangerous?”

“No sir, but curious. This isn’t adding up.”

“Chief, keep searching the database, figure out what these things are. Helmsman, bring the ship about, I want you to pull us parallel to the source of that radiation. Dawson, meet me in airlock three and suit up.”

She looked at the captain nodding, acknowledging the order. Her head spinning with the various scenarios that a space walk could present. She’d done this a dozen times before, always making it back in one piece. She couldn’t help but think that one of them wasn’t going to be as lucky this time.

Lieutenant Dawson and the captain checked each other’s suits, making sure that every seal was fastened, oxygen connected, and equipment secured. The captain turned to place the helmet on her suit, she gently grabbed a hold of his gloved hands.

Closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, she exhaled with a light tilting of her head, signaling the captain she was ready. The helmet came down, twisted and clicked, activating the release of oxygen to the suit. The rush of air, and distinct smell of disinfected fabric and plastic switched on her focus. The long hours of training took over. Assisting the captain with his helmet, they approached the outer airlock door.

Looking through the porthole, the long cylindrical object slowly moved closer to the ship. There was something recognizable on the short tower of the object, it looked like an airlock, but strange. No window, docking clamps, nothing. There seemed to be a ring suspended from what looked like a hatch by three thick metal spokes. Her focus broke as the chime from the pressure indicator buzzed and the light flashed from red to green. It was time.

The captain pressed the release panel slowly opening the airlock. After securing their tether lines to the hull of the ship, the captain counted down from three. They gently pushed off the Condor and floated toward the object. The droning of the winch echoed through her suit as it let out the slack of the tether, drifting closer and closer to the object. Gripping the lifeline to her side, taking long controlled breaths, she collided with the hull of the object. The captain landed first, already on his way to the hatch. The magnetic boots seemed effective as she watched him walking on the smooth surface of the object. Activating her boots, followed.

Reaching the hatch at the top of the tower and gripping the wheel, the captain spun it counterclockwise. Dawson looked at the data pad on her wrist, monitoring the object, anticipating what lay beyond the hatch. The door opened with ease and they removed the winch systems from their suits, attaching them to the hull of the object. The captain went in first, climbing past what looked like a ladder. The airlock seemed rudimentary, there was a manual release on the interior, no electronics, no inner airlock, just a ladder that led down to what looked like a command station.

Walking through the dark corridors of the object, they could only see what was illuminated by the lights on their helmets, taking notice of what looked like words written on the bulkhead. The metal grate beneath their feet also had a recognizable design. Everything looked so familiar.

“Captain, do you copy?” The coms link fizzled as the chief’s voice crackled through.

“Yes Chief, we’re inside the object heading toward the source of the radiation spike.”

“Uh… you’re not going to believe this, but I’ve identified at least three of the objects inside the nebula.”

“Well…”

“Two of them are 19th century aircraft from Earth.”

The captain stopped and turned toward Dawson, his eyebrows furrowed. She stared back at him, blinking, trying to awaken from what seemed like a dream. “What’s the third object?”

“You’re inside of it… it appears to be a 21st century Naval Submarine. Virginia Class.”

“We need to leave, these were nuclear powered, who knows what state of decay the reactor could be in. These things weren’t built for space.”

Just then, the submarine rumbled and shook, the coms link fizzling as the chief’s voice frantically warned them of something they couldn’t quite discern. “… anomaly …energy weapons …attack…”

“Chief, come in! What’s happening out there? Chief!” The captains voice had a tone of desperation, something she’d never heard before.

The submarine rocked and jolted violently, they had left their winches tethered between the submarine and the Condor. Rushing back down the corridor to the ladder they climbed as fast as they could. The captain reached the hatch first, flying through the opening, reaching for Dawson’s hand.

Reaching for him she was blinded as a flash of blue light struck him in the chest, knocking him off the submarine. The coms link roared in her ear as the chief screamed for the captain to reply to his call for orders.

Her free hand hung lifeless as if still waiting for the captain to grab it. The other hand gripped the rung of the ladder, fingertips going numb again, the pulse in her neck intensifying as it did before, the piercing plea of the Chief in her ear.

The captain wasn’t there to snap her out if it this time. Closing her eyelids tight and taking a deep breath, she could see the captain staring out of a window of uncertainty. Calm. Focused. The way she wanted to remember him.

Exhaling slowly, and gripping the ladder with both hands, she cautiously pulled herself halfway through the open hatch. The Condor was tethered to the lifeless submarine suddenly taking fire, unable to maneuver and defend herself.

The attacker was dark, shaped like an elongated pyramid, firing its weapons erratically. Flashing blue lights surrounded the Condor as the energy shields deflected much of the fire. The remaining blasts splashed into the colorful milky walls of the nebula, while others hit the objects floating in the eye, disintegrating them into balls of blue fire. The shockwaves smashed into the sub, yanking the leash of the Condor.

While Dawson observed the situation, formulating a plan, she noticed a red orb in front of the Condor. It whirled chaotically as red particles emanated from its center. While slowly growing bigger and bigger, a black center of the orb started to open.

“Captain! What are your orders? What do we do, we’re under attack!”

“The captains dead… I’m in command.” Dawson let out a deep breath.

“Lieutenant what do we do?”

“How are the energy shields holding up?”

“We’re at 70% capacity. Our weapons were knocked offline before I could activate the shields. Who are they? Why are they firing at us?”

“We’re going to be fine. They don’t seem to be locking on to anything, the nebula must have temporarily disabled their tracking system.” Her reassurance fell on deaf ears.

“No, no! We gotta get out of here!”

“Listen to me! Don’t move the ship, you’re tethered to the sub, you’ll rip us apart. We’re going to be fine for now if you don’t move. What’s happening in front of our ship?”

“Yeah… yeah it popped up right before the firing started. It seems to be a displacement field of some sort… I can’t… I don’t know.”

“Chief. Listen to the sound of my voice, calm down. Displacement of what?”

“Ok, ok. If I’m reading this right, it appears to be a wormhole.”

“Good… good. We don’t have much time before they figure out how to get their targeting systems online. I’m going to go back into the sub.”

“No! You need to get over here now, we need to leave.”

“Chief, I’m going back into the sub. I’m going to place a charge on the reactor core. We’re going to fly through the wormhole, the explosion will collapse the displacement field behind us.”

“Why don’t we go through the nebula?”

“We can’t risk it. I’m making a lot of assumptions about this attacker right now. Chief, do you understand my orders?”

“Yeah… yeah I got it.”

Thrusting down the ladder, and disengaging her magnetic boots, she bounced off of the metal grid floor. Stabilizing herself she flew through the corridors of the submarine, grabbing and pulling at anything the walls could offer. Following the tracker on her data pad she found the reactor compartment.

Engaging the magnetic boots, planting her feet firmly to the floor, and gripping the wheel of the hatch door, she jerked it to the right finding nothing but hard resistance. Frantically looking about, she found a piece of pipe attached to the bulkhead. Banging on the steel with her hands it wouldn’t break free no matter how hard she tried. The sub rattled and shook again.

Pulling the plasma torch from her equipment pouch and flicking the switch igniting the brilliant white flame, she cut through the top and bottom of the pipe, releasing it. Turning off the torch she let it float away, inserting the pipe between the spokes and placing one foot on the bulkhead next to the door. Pulling the bar with everything she had, groaning in pain as every muscle in her body felt like it was on fire from the strain, the wheel finally gave way.

The structure began to rumble more frequently, the attacker must have fixed their targeting systems. Time was running out.

The compartment filled with blobs of coolant escaping the reactors cooling system. It was nearing critical mass. She placed the explosive charge on the side of the reactor’s large cylindrical wall, setting the timer for ten minutes. Gripping the pipe that was used to open the door, she swung it at the cooling pipes, cracking them open, releasing more of the gelatinous substance into the room, hoping to accelerate the meltdown.

Before she could make it through the opening of the compartment, a large explosion of blue light ripped through the hull of the sub. The blast throwing her against the bulkhead. Looking through the hole was disorienting as the sub and tethered Condor were now spinning together in the eye of the nebula. Each vessel pulling and fighting with one another’s momentum.

Working her way to the edge of the hole she timed her leap. Waiting for the sub to spin just right, looking for the tether lines, she jumped from the sub grasping for a line. Eight minutes left. She could do this.

Staying on course, the lines whipped and crossed one another, she had to be careful not get tangled herself. Blue flashes of energy flew past her. Grabbing one of the lines and pulling herself toward the ship, the second line thrashed across the visor of her helmet, cracking it. Oxygen hissed through the crack, making it impossible to focus on the airlock.

Moving closer to the ship, she activated the remote airlock sequence. The door opened and with a swift pull on the line she spun faster toward the opening. Activating the magnetic boots and landing on the hull, she made quick work of detaching the tether lines from outside of the airlock.

“Chief, I’m on board the Condor closing the airlock now. Fire the thrusters and push us through the wormhole. I’m on my way to the bridge.”

Running as fast as her legs would take her, adrenaline pumped through her veins. Slamming into the captains station she fastened her restraints.

“We have two minutes! Go, go, go!”

The helmsman forced the throttle further forward, pushing the ship’s engines to their breaking point, thrusting them into the blackness of the wormhole. Dawson watched the rear viewscreen, the long dark ship was in pursuit, firing its weapons. The screen went bright white leaving only a silhouette of their attacker… the reactor had gone critical. The wormhole collapsed behind them, crushing the rear half of the dark ship. Secondary explosions radiated from all over busting the attacker into pieces.

Relief of their escape was short lived as a loud tapping rattled the front observation windows. More ice crystals. Where was this wormhole taking them?

The crystals turned to a clear liquid, the alarms blaring and systems going offline. Lunging forward in their seats the ship had moved from full speed ahead to a lurch into the translucent liquid.

“Lieutenant, the engines are dead. Proximity sensors indicate that we’re in a large body of water, but I can’t be sure. Our sensors weren’t built for anything like this.”

“The ship is airtight, we can survive water, getting out of here is another problem. Can we launch a probe to the surface, see where we are?”

“It’ll take some time to retrofit it for these conditions, but I think we can do it.”

Waiting for the probe gave her time to process everything that had happened. Their mission was a success, explore the nebula. Their cost was the life of the captain, and a journey through a wormhole to who-knows-where.

Standing behind the chief, eyes glued to his monitor, the crew’s eyes widened in disbelief as the data rolled in. The atmosphere above the water was oxygen rich, breathable. There were land masses nearby… cross referencing database… They were on Earth, 800 kilometers from the coast of Florida.

“What the… are we in the Bermuda Triangle?”

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Dawson wracked her brain for an appropriate response. Nothing had prepared her for this.

Marinated Tennessee Hickory Flank Steak

 

Marinated Flank Steak I LisaGCooks.com
Marinated Flank Steak I LisaGCooks.com

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds flank steak
  • 1/2 cup Jack Daniels Tennessee Hickory Mesquite Grilling Sauce
  • 1/4 cup red wine

Instructions

  1. Cut flank steak in half lengthwise; cut each half into thirds. Place in a heavy-duty zip lock plastic bag.
  2. Combine Jack Daniels’ Grilling Sauce with red wine; pour mixture over steak.
  3. Seal bag and turn several times to coat steak.
  4. Marinate for 4 to 24 hours in refrigerator, turning several times.
  5. Discard marinade.
  6. Grill steak over medium heat to desired doneness, turning and brushing with additional Jack Daniels’ Tennessee Hickory Mesquite Grilling Sauce.

Attribution

Posted by FootsieBear at Recipe Goldmine April 28, 2001.

Source: Jack Daniels’ Grilling Sauces package

It was a ‘blind date’ arranged by my mom and his mom. Two moms happened to both have an I-love-matchmaking retired coworker. Two coworkers happened to meet in a mahjong gathering. So.

At a square of a shopping mall, I waited and waited, constantly checked my phone, called him. No answer. No idea why I waited for couple hours like an idiot. Probably because I had nothing else to do other than watching people passing by, (which also explains why I agreed such an arrangement in the first place).

I saw a man in shorts who tried to speak to every woman sitting at the square, one by one.

I called him again.

No answer.

The man in shorts came to me.

‘Are you Nell Zhang?’

Turned out he lost his phone.

I felt grateful he still tried hard to find me.

We did self introduction.

He asked me where I worked, and told me his company was the maker of the famous ‘Sofy Napkin’. I jokingly asked if I could get a discount for pads from him. He nodded,

‘Yes, 15% off, if you marry me. Moreover, we can buy Mamy-Poko diaper (it’s another brand from his company) with half price for our kids.’

I laughed. He didn’t, but asked me what’s so funny.

I excused myself and couldn’t find anything else to say.

Neither did he.

Then we watched people passing by.

Then we watched each other passing by.

Over.

When Women Treat Men Like KINGS #10

My father has a story he told me in the 1990s, it was actually more about Japan and Korea than China.

It’s obviously translated through my memories into English.

An American delegation of businessmen go and visit Japan/Korea/China (the place changes depending on when my dad tells the story). They visit a car factory and are panicked OMG they can make cars here! I didn’t think they’d be able to…

They go home and at the next company meeting bring this up with their superiors. They are ignored and dismissed anyway it’s not going to affect our next quarterly profits so this threat is ignored and deemed insignificant.

This process is repeated several more times….

Until there’s another meeting say bud why are our quarterly profits on a downward trend? But by then it’s too late those car makers have eaten your lunch and dinner.

Big Blast At U.S. Arms Factory; One Missing, Two Injured As Fire Engulfs Missile Production Centre

WTF?  Very interesting.

DO NOT GO TO VEGAS.

I’m so shocked at what an incredible rip off Vegas has become. I don’t gamble in the casino but the greed of these corporations has just gone crazy.

For example, when I came here 10 years ago the roulette had 36 numbers plus the green 0. If you hit your number you would receive 35/1 odds as you had a 1 in 37 chance.

Last year in 2023 when I came here I was shocked to see an additional 00 on the roulette wheels making your odds 1 in 38 to still receive a 35/1 pay out.

So I’m back here again in June 2024 and yes you guessed it, there are now magically 3 x 0’s on the roulette wheel! 0, 00 and now 000!

They know people don’t understand the enormous disadvantage this gives the punters.

On top of this I’m paying $30.00 for a coffee and a sandwich and when I received my hotel bill they hit me with a $52.00 a day resort fee that I was never told about when I checked in but it is apparently in the small print!

I went to an ATM in the casino and took out $200.00 It charged me 7.5%, yes $15.00! And I’ll be charged more money on top from my UK bank charges.

The shows are eye wateringly expensive along with the drinks. I really think they are making a massive mistake in their business structure. People are disgusted. EVERYONE is talking about it, from the people on holiday to the taxi drivers. I’m fortunately financially well off but it’s not the point. No one likes feeling ripped off, not even if it’s for $20.00. They are making a huge mistake. No one is coming back to Vegas in a hurry.

When I was around 11, our next door neighbors accused my then 5 year-old brother of intentionally breaking some large planters – really large ones – on their front porch. The wife swore she saw him do it around 5:00am. A ridiculous claim on so many levels. Now they didn’t like my brother, he was always so much bigger and taller than other kids his age and they didn’t like him to play with their same-age son. Which was fine, as he didn’t. They apparently felt their smaller child would get hurt by my gentle giant of a brother. (Now 6′4″ btw). Now my brother adamantly denied that he had done anything remotely like what they said and he was understandably very upset at being accused. He may have been a bit tall for his age, but he was still just a little kid. Later that day, the police came by and warned us that some no-gooders, possibly teenagers if I recall, had been caught slashing tires and vandalizing property in our neighborhood. And that we should continue to be on the lookout for their cohorts. My father let the neighbor know that, as I believe the police did as well but the neighbors still insisted that it had been my brother. We didn’t talk to them after that and steered clear as much as we could. A few years later, they came and took the neighbor wife away in a straight-jacket, while she was screaming hysterically and incoherently. Apparently, she had some mental illness problems. BUT even after that, the father never apologized. Nor did he treat my brother, me or my family politely or properly. Even today, so many years later, I still get a bad taste in my mouth when I remember them.

This is a list of US mission capable aircraft. The US needs to fix US aircraft first.

main qimg 8c3265ab1709548f4f6c9cb31419434d
main qimg 8c3265ab1709548f4f6c9cb31419434d

Heartbreak Ridge Your Ass is Mine

The rcep numbers are big. 30 percent of the world population, 30 percent of world trade, 30 percent of global gdp represented.

The common glue here is China, which is the biggest trading partner for the rest and of course, the largest economy. I am surprised Korea and Japan jumped on board, given their protectionist stance on agriculture and several other categories. India walking away was no surprise.

Overall, I’m encouraged by the give and take. This can serve as a good template for belt and road countries in the coming decade.

The headturning numbers will come from asean as infrastructure led growth boost trade numbers.

The success of the rcep should prove to the world there is no crisis in the SCS beyond American manufactured drama. All the claimant states and trade routes are represented by rcep.

My friend’s trash boyfriend. She’s pregnant with his second kid. He refuses to watch their son and when he does complains that he’s too tired. Says the new baby is not his “problem” until it is born. Won’t take her to doctor appointments. Tried to make her walk five hours home from work at six months pregnant. Abuses her daughter from a previous relationship.

His mother thinks his behavior is fine and defends him. He’s a sex addict, woman beater, child beater, and an accused rapist. But anything bad he says or does is his girlfriend’s fault and not his.

My son’s biological father. Cared so little he didn’t show for the original custody hearing. Fought cour ton habing to pay more than 25 a month child support (state bare minimum) but agreed to 28. Would never watch our son when I worked because he was busy at the library playing online games with his other girlfriend and wouldn’t help pay for sitter. When he did rarely watch my son, wouldn’t change him or clean up messes. Yelled at him for looking at him when he was eating. Smacked our crying son on the butt as hard as he could in the mall. Threw and broke things in front of our son and hit me in front of him.

My brother’s ex. Drove her jeep high and flipped it with my nephew in the car. He survived with no injuries. She’s finally in jail for it.

My brother’s wife who left him for a guy in Florida she ran away to and got pregnant from. Has zero custody of her own three kids. Trying to pin new baby on my brother. Brother is hispanic. Baby’s dad/her boyffiend is african American. Not hard to do the math. Did drugs in front of my nephew and didnt take care of him. Laughed at him when he had nightmares or wanted time with her or my brother. Bought designer bags and clothes but wouldn’t buy him walmart t shirts.

These are the worst acts of parenting I have ever seen, and I’m adopted because my biological mom didnt take care of us (she’s mentally handicapped, dodnt know any better).

Russians advanced in New York, Iran’s destroyer sinks, Ukr to highjack Rus strategic bomber.

Heating up craziness.

I was dating a woman, it was way too early for love, we had only been seeing each other for 6 weeks, but things were going well. Christmas was coming up, and it’s really awkward buying a gift for someone that you have no commitment to.

She was telling me a story about going to the mall, and seeing these red shoes, with a different shade of red, bow , in the window. She tried them on, and they fit like a glove, but she decided to spend the money on her kids, and not herself, so she left them.

When I left, I checked the size of her shoes by the door, and the next day I drove to the mall, and there were the red shoes, with a red bow, sitting in the window.

It’s risky putting this much thought into a gift for someone, that you have known less than 2 months. Do you look like a stalker, or a romantic?

I took the risk, and bought the shoes.

Two days later, she called me, and said that she was going to be spending Christmas with her ex and the kids, in another province, and that it wouldn’t be fair to me, to keep dating. She was honest about everything, and we parted on good terms. Except I now had to return the shoes, during the holiday rush.

I have done much more extreme things for my wife, but they weren’t crazy, because I was committed to my wife.

This was crazy, because I risked driving her off, by looking like a stalker, and it was a lot of effort, for someone, you have just started dating.

The Most Insane Ex-Girlfriend I’ve Seen..

Sigh.

Thanks for the request.

This is another example of asymmetrical warfare that the U.S. sucks at.

Its a game of “whac-a-mole” that the Houthis are playing that is impossible for the U.S. to keep up. The Houthis simply hide and launch their missiles at different places and time that is impossible to anticipate and take out. And by launching more than enough, its impossible to take out all.

The battleground at the South China Sea is different.

These involve large warships that both sides can see a long time coming.

However, China has the advantage. It has shown it can eliminate the element of surprise by being able to detect submarines in the South China Sea with aircrafts and satellites equipped with high-resolution radar. They have surveillance to ensure nothing is sneaked in – inclduing sub detectors.

There is also the advantage of proximity. With its militarized location at the SCS, it takes less time to mobilize that in coordination with its command of the arsenals of hypersonic missiles to provide cover, there will be ample time to take out any incoming warships.

When I was working for a chain store I was told they hired somebody and they put him on with a manager who was a little difficult to deal with if you didn’t know how to take her. (She spoke to everybody as if she was dealing with four or five year olds. I once asked somebody if she had been a kindergarten teacher and they said no, it’s just the way she is.) Anyway he worked one shift with her and called the next day and said he had had enough and quit.)

The most interesting case of short-term employment happened at Walmart. They hired this kid to work in my department (food) and after punching in he would come out to the floor and then he would disappear. No one was able to figure out where he went. They tried paging him and no answer. People looked around the store and couldn’t finding his hiding spot. I don’t think he left and went home because the cameras would have picked him up if he did that. He only reappeared when it was time to punch out. It didn’t take long before the manager decided he could dispense with his services.

This cat, after a car crash and desperately struggling on the roadside, finally she was rescued.

The stuff of nightmares

  1. No random purchases of furniture. I don’t care how cheap that rocking chair in Denmark is. It is not going all the way to Spain and back to northern Sweden with me, taking up 80% of the car’s interior space.
  2. Litter goes into the cardboard box wedged between the front seats, not into the glove box, the ash trays, the door pouches, or (egad!) out the window.
  3. The person who makes me play the Dirty Dancing Soundtrack on the car stereo will be abandoned at the most sinister, Czech truck stop I can find.
  4. No feet on the dashboard. If that airbag deploys, you will look like a swatted daddy long legs.
  5. Any comments on my divine and responsible driving I do not approve of, and I have a train ticket back to Stockholm for that person. Second class.
  6. The words “are we there yet?” are forbidden. Google it. That’s what God has given us the GPS for.
  7. Toilet breaks are every two hours. For everyone. Unless you’re gonna vomit, in which case we can negotiate.
  8. Absolutely no experimenting with car trim. If I had a dollar for every time some cousin pried off a panel, thinking it’s a fridge or a secret stash, or a wormhole to Lisbon, I could buy an extra car.
  9. No smoking. Unless they are Cohibas, and I can have one.
  10. Luggage access is strictly in the evening only, once we’ve reached the hotel. Nobody needs the hair dryer, or nylons, or a pyjama, at 1:20 on a German autobahn.

The Philippines

Here’s the speech of Benjamin Magalong, current mayor of the city Baguio and former head of the Philippine National Police, done way back 2023.

Let me temporarily set aside my manuscript. Instead, let me speak from my mind and from my heart. Let me give you some facts about what is happening in the entire country today.

Last April, news came out that our national debt is already at 13.86 trillion pesos (US$230–250 billion) . Remember that when we started, when President Duterte started his administration as president of the Philippines, our national debt was at just 5.7 trillion pesos (nearly US$100 billion), accumulated for decades. In just a matter of seven years, our national debt increased by as much as 142%. We’re now at 13.86 trillion.

In short, we are already above the 60% debt to GDP ratio. That means that each and every Filipino since birth will each inherit a debt of ₱113,000.00 (nearly US$2,000.00). According to the former Secretary of NEDA Cartua, our ability to pay our debt would depend on our ability to manage our financial leakages. And so I asked, what is financial leakage? And no less than the former Secretary of NEDA said, “The final leakage that I’m saying, a big chunk of that goes to corruption.” And surprisingly, when the news came out that our national debt is already at 13.86 trillion, only very, very few members of our legislative branch, people from Congress, raised hell. Again, I repeat, only very few raised hell. It is at this backdrop, or against this backdrop, that I would like to share with you this narrative.

Last year, I was invited by the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Interior Local Government to talk before newly elected officials, twice. In one session, there are about 150 mayors. A second session, about 200 mayors. Last March, I was given a chance again to talk to about 1,100 municipal mayors, all members of the League of Municipalities. Three weeks ago, I had the chance to talk and speak before vice governors of the different provinces.

I was very concerned. The way we process, the way we manage our local government union. For the first 15 minutes, everybody was just so enthusiastic, listening to me, looking at my impressive presentation. And then I start talking about good governance. I start talking about traditional politics. I start talking about corruption. It is a direct correlation with poverty. And when I start doing that, they also start looking at their cellphones. Are we not going to ask ourselves, is corruption now becoming a norm in government? Is good governance becoming an exception?

It is very saddening that they have a percentage in every project. They have not yet become tired. They already have a percentage. They are still the contractor. They are still the supplier. Unfortunately, only a few people raise this issue. We in the Philippine National Police. I’ve been talking to your Command Executive Senior Police Officer, Louie S. Makilan, and all the other Regional Executive Senior Police Officers. When they visited me two weeks ago, that was about three weeks ago.

We are willing to give or contribute a reasonable percentage of our pension plan or of our pension to national government to address this big issue. But it’s saddening. Nothing have we heard from our legislators that they are willing to give up their pork barrels. Even just saying that we reduce the pork barrel. But nobody, for some reason, nobody would admit that they do have pork barrel. But now that I am with local government, the fact remains that there is still pork barrel.

We, in the uniformed service, both from the armed forces and from the Philippine National Police, we risk our lives. We risk equality time with our family. And we are willing to give up a small amount of our pension just to help national government. Just to address this huge deficit. Just to address this big national debt.

We will wait whatever our “patriotic” legislators will tell. We will wait for them to speak. Hopefully, one of them will come out in the open and tell us it is about time that legislators should also give a big contribution to address national government issue, especially on our financial debt.

Well, we Filipinos all live in this hellhole of a state run bey feudal oligarchs who only cared about their families and stomachs while the average citizen had to deal with a debt that they’re not even responsible for. The country will soon be blacklisted by the world for its everlasting inability to pay the debt incurred by the greatest post-Spanish caudillo in history whose son currently rules the country today with extreme incompetence, and the average Filipino completely shunned from the international community. The average Filipino might as well be picked up somewhere in a garbage pit at this point.

My father passed away when he was 60. He was riding in a car with his friend driving. They were heading home from a convention. My father dialed my mother on his cell phone, but before he could utter a word to her, he had a massive heart attack.

His friend, noticing my father’s condition, pulled the car to the side of the road and stopped. He was the only one in the car with my father. He could have dialed 911 to get help there faster, he would have known where on the interstate they were. He was trained in CPR, and could have begun life-sustaining procedures to keep blood flowing to my father’s brain and organs.

Instead, he prayed. He prayed for my father’s life, and his own conscience.

My mother recognized that my father was in distress, so she called 911 on the other line while screaming into the connection she had with my father, trying to get some aid. She told the 911 operator what interstate they were on and about where she estimated they would be on it, based on how long they had been driving.

My father’s friend kept praying. He never began CPR or called 911 to help them find my father.

An ambulance did come, and they began CPR and took my father to a hospital, but it had been too long and he did not make it.

The praying was ineffective. CPR could have helped. This man is no longer a family friend.

Praying is only helpful to the one who is praying. It is not helpful to the ‘recipient’ of the prayer. If I am ever in this situation, I would always prefer action to prayer.

Fix Bayonets – Band of Brothers

This is a widespread belief amongst them.

But Li! That’s over 100 years old! Surely they’ve moved on. Some of them have but many have not.

All that’s happened is that they’ve become better at hiding it.

Now and again however they let the mask slip and reveal their mentality that they’re superior.

I’ve already derped on Colin Riegels plenty (he’s literally an imperialist who supports American destruction and thinks mass murder of Iraqis was merely a mistake). Remember Colin is a middling person in middle england with a middle income job and is highly representative of middle england.

Today I will turn my focus on Richard Lock, he’s the bald guy. He’s written some very erudite things… but something exposed him recently (6–8 months ago) well two things but I’m only going to focus on one.

He was writing about LGBTQ rights and about such rights outside Europe.

He said and I paraphrase: If [other] nations do not take up LGTBQ rights like us then they’ll be left behind.

I was what? He’s pretty much saying what imperialists of the past have said! If these savages don’t follow the SUPREME MASTER RACE then they’ll be left behind. I don’t bash gays, I don’t particularly care, I do care that there are plenty of bigots who will use it as a shield to be racist or bigoted to others.

That’s not a million miles away from what Churchill a well known white supremacist would be saying.

A stray cat that is too weak to stand, staggers for help..

My father spent a few years in prison for federal firearms charges. He was in his mid-70’s when incarcerated.

Over those years I found that it didn’t really matter what I wrote to him — he was just so thrilled to get a letter from me, it could have been un-illustrated Dr. Seuss poems and he would have loved it.

As recommended in the excellent answer by Jim Christmas, there’s no point in self recriminations or reminding the inmate of where they are.

They have very limited lives, so living vicariously is one of the best ‘escapes’ you can offer. Long, newsy letters about the minutiae of your daily life will be gleefully read, re-read, and shared with pride.

Every time my father called me after receiving one of my letters — which were, I’m ashamed to admit, far too few and far between — he would come to tears on the phone, trying to explain how much it meant that I had taken the time to write and post a letter to him.

Your hastily-scrawled note can be the only bright spot in a day that is boring at best, violent at worst.

Don’t hesitate or try to find the perfect words; just tell your dad how you’re doing, what’s going on in your life, and that you’re thinking of him.

Eventually my father asked me to send him photos of myself and I was concerned, not knowing why he wanted them. I sent him a couple of recent, candid headshots figuring nothing too awful could come of it.

Several months later, I received the most beautiful hand-drawn portraits based on those photographs. These are some of my most prized possessions.

Nothing is free in prison. My dad says he paid $100 per drawing. It may have been significantly more or less than that, but was most likely paid in barter of some sort.

My point is…I don’t know your relationship with your father at all.

I can only encourage you to reach out to him as much as you are able. To treat him as a human being and not a caged animal.

To be wary and take care of yourself, and also to open your heart as far as you can and still be true to yourself.

All my best to you and your family.

This girl takes the cake by far.

 

Hannah Sabata, at the age of 19, robbed a local bank at gunpoint on November 27, 2012. She actually managed to get away with it, so why am I mentioning her on this answer if she was successful in her crime?

Well, after she robbed the bank, Sabata decided that it was a good idea to post a video on YouTube titled “Chick Bank robber” in where she admitted to stealing a car and driving it to Waco in order to commit the robbery. She then explained in her video how she managed to get away with $6,000 worth of cash; she even held up the keys of the car she stole.

main qimg d0d7efd9c962cc02e40c9bd31d24b988 lq
main qimg d0d7efd9c962cc02e40c9bd31d24b988 lq

HEY GUYS, I JUST ROBBED A BANK AND NOW I’M MAKING THIS VIDEO TO INFORM YOU OF IT!

Unsurprisingly, she later got a wake up call by the police and Polk county authorities who placed her under arrest. Investigators then found the stolen money. She was convicted and given 10–20 years in prison, a sentence she’s been serving since June 2013.

main qimg 79efa61f63f5c8f9f84243f5aaf45de6 lq
main qimg 79efa61f63f5c8f9f84243f5aaf45de6 lq

main qimg e6676e668a2c1f65513f653aa1e9d816 lq
main qimg e6676e668a2c1f65513f653aa1e9d816 lq

You can still find her video on YouTube. Anyway, she’s my nomination.

Pizza Porn

06ee25677de7b372a1090e6dafd462cb
06ee25677de7b372a1090e6dafd462cb

db6792ec5def2461265e93b5b7787af5
db6792ec5def2461265e93b5b7787af5

92cd2ed3af60a6fcd51730e07dc94965
92cd2ed3af60a6fcd51730e07dc94965

37415a7c14893dd448520e70b6e34cbb
37415a7c14893dd448520e70b6e34cbb

d78a385a8e6116005263480afd5e7a47
d78a385a8e6116005263480afd5e7a47

acbcc3629033b40ec246b115d4a9a11c
acbcc3629033b40ec246b115d4a9a11c

2e32c5579297a1786c7366d7898e318e
2e32c5579297a1786c7366d7898e318e

6171abf5d6b067647f7d4e44fd4fa83f
6171abf5d6b067647f7d4e44fd4fa83f

985aa8a812cb86915f23c28c9bf1e48c
985aa8a812cb86915f23c28c9bf1e48c

9dff4a165a3e24e65e0346df0de53f0e
9dff4a165a3e24e65e0346df0de53f0e

9a822da254d4eeb7be108448a4edb57c
9a822da254d4eeb7be108448a4edb57c

f9c1cbdca1d68c8dbf94bb1d929c528a
f9c1cbdca1d68c8dbf94bb1d929c528a

cd03667d9c33e031ebbecc27cdac4355
cd03667d9c33e031ebbecc27cdac4355

449d80c5fa71d907bb2410e54746e3e2
449d80c5fa71d907bb2410e54746e3e2

e017e9d808f7d60c7b23efed4547f75b
e017e9d808f7d60c7b23efed4547f75b

35742bd9dcbf310387d517f961077ff7
35742bd9dcbf310387d517f961077ff7

349ac65e253e15c530ce3a914c4b2d38
349ac65e253e15c530ce3a914c4b2d38

823059a0682cac1ade2c294e44a67e16
823059a0682cac1ade2c294e44a67e16

b6166a71fb9762a74968749ead8e0816
b6166a71fb9762a74968749ead8e0816

d87ab7c959b456f626ffc4a486abba7a
d87ab7c959b456f626ffc4a486abba7a

fb03ed8284423ec2b4be947531b77056
fb03ed8284423ec2b4be947531b77056

1f3ca6a75bee3e99bd5ece73328f0b1d
1f3ca6a75bee3e99bd5ece73328f0b1d

ecff61a71c9057537d9e54d68ffb761a
ecff61a71c9057537d9e54d68ffb761a

d1f17583bf24039b03f330ad722aee92
d1f17583bf24039b03f330ad722aee92

b35f7b536eaf4b558a88f8467a45e247
b35f7b536eaf4b558a88f8467a45e247

1a0347b8611d4f5f9096ffc6c5d2e1bc
1a0347b8611d4f5f9096ffc6c5d2e1bc

25e44d2449efd9724dd673d8a283deb9
25e44d2449efd9724dd673d8a283deb9

fd3770663f5df73fe1bde4de5f96f31a
fd3770663f5df73fe1bde4de5f96f31a

9fa9fedd74cc71f417da82b7e21200b2
9fa9fedd74cc71f417da82b7e21200b2

068e1861f51f1f2217b8eba1fd018789
068e1861f51f1f2217b8eba1fd018789

fa309be2d0f37199d6d9ec9c297a04a2
fa309be2d0f37199d6d9ec9c297a04a2

e2a668375e3fee15f7d5505d48e9e658
e2a668375e3fee15f7d5505d48e9e658

@@@@@@ef9e8dedd22da1d4451b2debf654a6f8
@@@@@@ef9e8dedd22da1d4451b2debf654a6f8

Michael Jefferson

B.J. Workman’s hammer bangs loudly against the Town Hall steps.Brady Tasker goes back to the truck for more wood and a cigarette.B.J. is known throughout the town of Dorset as a lanky, perpetually tanned, reliable, and likable craftsman with a loving wife and an average I.Q. He and his stocky, bearded drinking buddy Brady have been the town’s go-to builders for decades and are familiar faces throughout town.Standing in the hallway a few feet from the steps, Chief Colt Kennedy whispers to Mayor Grayson Levant.“Everything’s going according to schedule. Dorset will be ours within two weeks.”“Good. If we succeed here then it’s on to the state capital, then Washington D.C. We’ll achieve domination without having to fire a shot.”B.J.’s ears perk up. He pretends to measure the steps.Broad-shouldered, with light hair and sharp features, Chief Kennedy often stops to chat with B.J. and Brady. Lately, he’s been giving them probing, icy stares. The same is true of Dorset’s pudgy, balding Mayor, whose once inviting smile has turned predatory.“Do we have enough lubricant?” Mayor Levant asks.“Yes. It’s plentiful here in the form of chocolate milk.”Chief Kennedy gives B.J. a hard glance.“Is Workman on the list?”“No. His intelligence level is too low. Cyrus will deal with him.”B.J.’s mind shifts to Cyrus, the newest addition to the police department. Cyrus is an ill-tempered German shepherd who seems to enjoy intimidating him.B.J. hammers at the steps.“Do you think he heard us?” Chief Kennedy asks.“He has ears.”B.J. carelessly drops his tools in the back of the pickup.“What’s up with you, clumsy?” Brady asks.“Something odd is going on around here.”“Yeah, it’s that we worked through lunch. Drop me off at the bar. I could use some liquid refreshment.”“No, not that. I heard the Mayor and Colt talking about taking over the town, and the government. I think we’re being invaded, Brady.”

“I always thought you were a liberal. I never thought you’d wanna throw immigrants out of the country. There’s enough work for everybody.”

“I’m not talking about people from other countries. I mean extraterrestrials. Aliens.”

“I’ve always loved you’re over the top sense of humor.”

 

 

Finishing his lunch, B.J. walks through the park to meet Brady at the pickup.

He sees three kids running in circles, whipping each other with tree branches. Curious, B.J. approaches two other children reading comic books on a bench.

“What are they doing?”

A girl with oval glasses looks up. “Playin’ army.”

“What’s that you’re reading?” B.J. asks.

“The Sub Mariner versus the Fantastic Four.”

“Cool. I remember reading that when I was a kid.”

“They had comic books when you were a kid?”

“Must’ve been written on stone,” a towheaded boy says without even looking up.

B.J. walks away muttering that the next generation will destroy the world.

 

 

“You have the estimate for the job?” B.J. asks as he and Brady walk up the steps of the Dorset Premier Theater.

A loud crash stops them cold.

“Sounds like breaking glass,” Brady says.

The two men enter the building in time to see the theater’s owner, Griffin Frye, being chased by his wife Fiona, who is holding a hammer.

Fiona’s normally stylish hair is standing on end. Her clothes are ruffled, and she’s puffing like a locomotive operating at high speed.

Seeing B.J. and Brady she curses unintelligibly, turning away.

Twice his wife’s size, the theater owner is bleeding from his forehead and has a bruised cheek.

“What did you do? Suggest a revival of “Oh, Calcutta?” Brady jokes.

“The remodeling project,” Griffin gasps. “We were talking about rebuilding the theater.”

“If money is the problem, we can find a way to cut some of the costs,” B.J. says.

“She doesn’t want to do it.”

“What? She was all charged up about a couple of days ago.”

“She was different a couple of days ago,” Griffin says, rubbing his head. “She was the woman I married, gentle, thoughtful. Now she’s acting like a rabid dog. Everything upsets her, and she’s talking crazy. Something about turning the theater into a hive.”

“A hive?” Brady asks. “You’re gonna make honey in the theater?”

“Not that kind of hive. She said it’s going to be a sanctuary for the new breed.”

“New breed of what?” Brady asks.

“Beats me.”

“Looks like she already did,” Brady cracks.

“You should put something on that cut,” B.J. says. “C’mon out to the truck. I’ve got a first aid kit.”

 

 

B.J. is tending to Griffin’s wound when Chief Kennedy and Mayor Levant pull up to the theater.

Fiona runs out of the theater toward them, pointing at her husband. Mayor Levant grabs her by the arms, trying to control her agitated movements.

Cyrus bounds out of the back seat of the Chief’s car, barking loudly at B.J.

“I hate that thing,” B.J. says.

“Sounds like the feeling is mutual,” Brady replies.

“At ease, Cyrus,” Chief Kennedy says, and the dog immediately squats obediently, staring at B.J. with angry silence.

His jawline clinched, Chief Kennedy strides toward them.

“You ought to put a muzzle on that frankfurter,” Brady jests.

Chief Kenndy’s voice is languid and grim.

“He doesn’t like riff raff.”

“Riff raff?” Brady shouts. “We played football together in high school, Colt. I blocked for you, Golden Boy!”

Chief Kennedy turns to Griffin. “Are you abusing your wife?”

“What? Look at him, Colt!” Brady jumps in. “It’s the other way around.”

“Stay out of this, Brady. Well, Griffin?”

“She’s been argumentative and violent lately. She’s talking crazy about turning the theater into some kind of hive.”

Chief Kennedy’s dead stare momentarily wavers.

“She certainly sounds unstable. We’ll take her to the psych ward for tests.”

“Wait a minute, Colt, that’s a bit extreme.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine in a few days,” Chief Kennedy replies dispassionately. “In the meantime, you should get that cut looked at.”

Their jaws drooping loosely, the three men watch Chief Kennedy walk back to Mayor Levant and Fiona.

“I’ve never seen Colt like this, so detached and emotionless,” B.J. comments.

“And that’s not the woman I married.”

“Well, at least the three of us haven’t changed,” Brady says.

Chief Kennedy and Mayor Levant stare blankly at the three men. Growling, Cyrus jumps into the back seat.

“This one needs an adjustment. She nearly gave us away,” Mayor Levant says, pushing Fiona into Chief Kennedy’s grasp.

 

 

B.J. pulls his truck into Cordell Cooper’s Lumber Yard.

The two men look around the yard.

“Kinda quiet,” Brady notes. “You usually hear the sound of buzz saws and forklifts.”

“Hang by the truck. I’ll go see if Cordell’s in.”

B.J. enters the office, finding the burly owner sitting with his feet up on the desk, sipping from a carton of chocolate milk.

“I’m here to pick up my order, Cordell.”

“I don’t have any wood,” Cordell replies lackadaisically.

 

 

“What? You’ve got a whole lumberyard of wood,” B.J. says. “C’mon, Cordell, I need it to finish the job at town hall. All you have to do is get up off your lazy butt and help me and Brady load up my truck.”

“I gave everybody a few days off,” Cordell says in a listless voice, hooking his thumbs in his bib overalls.

“What is this? National My Head is Made of Wood Week?”

“Come back in two days,” Cordell says flatly.

“Me and Brady can load it on our own. How much do I owe you?”

“Take what you need. Pay me when you can.”

Reaching into his pocket, B.J. pulls out his wallet, throwing down a series of bills on Cordell’s desk.

“There. Two hundred. Keep the change. I wouldn’t start giving away your wood. You’re gonna need it.”

B.J. and Brady load the wood into the back of the pickup.

“He really said that?” Brady asks.

“Yep. The cheapest man in Dorset was willing to let me pay him whenever I felt like it. That proves things aren’t right in this town.”

 

 

“Something funny is going on around here, Boo Boo.”

Kara looks up from her soup, smiling. The hippie-drenched brunette never tires of her husband calling her Boo Boo because it reminds her of when they met.

“Everybody’s getting edgy, rude. And a lot of folk have closed up their businesses or stopped caring about them. Brady and I went to the diner this morning. Miklos had to serve us because Millie and Molly have stopped showing up. Then we went to Cordell’s lumberyard. Not only was he grumpy, he could have cared less if we took every plank of wood he had.”

“Maybe it’s the effect of Daylight Saving Time,” Kara offers. “People act squirrelly sometimes because of the time change.”

“Maybe that’s it. But I overheard Colt and Mayor Levant talking today. They’re plotting together on something.”

Kara chuckles. “Probably an app for tourists or a new way to give out parking tickets.”

B.J. stretches. “Think I’ll take a walk. You want to come?”

“Thanks, but I’m in the middle of a really cool sci-fi book.”

B.J. walks out the back door, heading for Wells Walk, one of the less frequented hiking trails in town.

Walking down the path, B.J. is captivated by the presence of thickening smoke and a bright white light ahead of him.

 

 

B.J. cautiously creeps along the path, careful not to rustle the twigs and branches in his way.

Through the dense smoke, B.J. can make out Cyrus’ form ahead of him in a clearing.

He takes cover behind a tree, his hand touching some sap.

What he sees makes his entire body shake.

Chief Kennedy, Mayor Levant, and Cordell Cooper are standing around a stone pit.

A blinding light and thick smoke are rising from it.

Inside the pit is a metal chair.

Brady is strapped to the chair.

Chief Kennedy and Cordell pour a vat of dark liquid over Brady, who remains impassive and still.

The chair slowly sinks into the pit.

Moments later the chair rises.

Brady’s body is concealed in a dark shell.

Easing him out of the chair, Mayor Levant cracks the shell with a hammer.

The four men bow to each other.

“The conversion will be complete in two days,” Mayor Levant says. “Then you’ll be part of the hive.”

Moving closer, B.J. steps on a twig.

Cyrus’ ears perk up.

“What is it, Cyrus?” Chief Kennedy asks.

Barking loudly and incessantly, Cyrus charges down the path toward B.J.

 

 

B.J. sits up in his bed, panting loudly.

“Boy, have you been having a bad dream,” Kara says.

B.J. forces a laugh, rubbing the sap in his hand.

B.J. knocks on Brady’s door, worried they’re already late.

Brady’s wife, Diana, opens the door holding a glass of chocolate milk.

“What do you want?”

“My partner.”

“He’s sick,” the normally cheerful blonde says cooly, sipping her chocolate milk. “He’ll be better in a couple of days.”

“Jeez. That’s everybody’s excuse lately,” B.J. says. “Did I see him last night on Welles Walk?”

Diana gives B.J. a long, bottomless stare. “He came home after work feeling lightheaded. Then his stomach started to bother him. He’s going to need to take a couple of days off.”

“I was sure I saw him out on Welles Walk last night.”

“Must’ve been someone else,” Diana says, her stare turning threatening. “Maybe you dreamed it. It’s possible, right?”

“Oh, yeah, right. Can’t I see him for a minute?”

“You can see him in two days,” Diana says, slamming the door.

 

 

After lunch B.J. passes through the park, spotting the same group of kids he’d seen earlier in the week.

The five children are sitting calmly on the benches, their attention focused on their books.

The books are cream-colored with gold lettering in script.

“I’ve never seen that comic,” B.J. says.

“It’s not a comic book,” the girl with the oval glasses answers. “It’s the word.”

“The word?”

The girl holds up the book. B.J. stares dumbly at the lettering, unable to read it.

“Our laws,” the girl says coldly.

“You kids are kinda young to be studying law. And what language is that?”

The five children look up at B.J. with the same dead stare.

“I liked you ragamuffins better when you acted like kids.”

 

 

“So, any major news, Boo Boo?” B.J. asks.

“I wish you would stop calling me that.”

“Boo Boo? I’ve been calling you that since we met at Brady’s Halloween party twenty-five years ago. You made such a pretty ghost.”

Kara’s manner and speech turn frosty. “We’re adults now. It’s time we focus on a better life.”

Kara goes to the refrigerator. Returning with a carton of chocolate milk, she pours him a glass.

“Drink some milk, It’s good for you.”

“No, Boo Boo. I don’t want it. You know I’m lactose intolerant.”

“It’ll help you sleep. Don’t make me force you to drink it.”

B.J. reluctantly downs the glass of milk. Almost immediately, he feels jittery, and his vision begins to blur.

“My own wife… You’re a part of it too…,” B.J. says, closing his eyes.

 

 

When B.J. wakes up, he finds himself walking alongside Chief Kennedy in the darkness. Cyrus leads away, occasionally looking back at B.J.

Smoke rises ahead of them, covering a clearing. A bright light emanating from a pit forces B.J. to shield his eyes.

Chief Kennedy pushes B.J. along the path. “You should be proud of yourself, B.J. You were on the disposal list until you started snooping around. It showed us your deductive powers are much higher than we thought. Besides, it’ll be nice for Kara to have a partner.”

They stop when they reach the clearing. Smoke rises from a nearby bottomless stone pit.

Brady, Mayor Levant, and Cordell are holding onto Griffin, who struggles to try and free himself.

“What is this? What are you doing?” B.J. asks frantically.

“The conversion,” Mayor Levant replies.

A metal chair rises from the pit. Still struggling, Griffin is forced into the chair and strapped in.

Brady and Cordell pour a vat of dark liquid over him.

“…Please, help me, B.J.,” Griffin pleads as the chair sinks into the pit. “They’re going to turn me into one of them… A creature with no emotion! No soul! No love! They’re going to do it to you too!”

“The conversion is painless, as long as you don’t resist,” Mayor Lavant says.

B.J. spots a nearby large rock.

“Well, I’m sure as hell going to resist,” he says.

Reaching for the rock, he slams it against the back of Chief Kennedy’s head, bloodying his skull.

Dazed and angered, Chief Kennedy turns to face B.J.

His head splits open, revealing the heads of dozens of humanoid, reptilian, and other nightmarish creatures.

“The essence of those we have assimilated,” Mayor Levant says.

The creatures snap and snarl at B.J.

B.J. drops the rock as he watches Chief Kennedy’s wound close, and he returns to his human form.

“It’s time for you to join us,” Mayor Levant says as Brady and Cordell grab his arms.

 

 

B.J. calmly eats his shredded wheat at the breakfast table, staring ahead at nothing in particular.

Kara walks past the table, nodding at him.

“Don’t forget to drink your milk.”

Pre-Historic Mega Structure Discovered in Montana, USA – Sage Wall

A British tabloid made a startling discovery this week: it turns out that Russia has weapons capable of wreaking untold devastation upon its enemies.

What got The Express’ knickers in a twist this time was the K-564 Arkhangelsk, a Yasen-M class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine that recently underwent sea trials and is expected to enter service in December.

While the newspaper fears that this submarine “could be undetectable by Western adversaries” and could pose a serious threat to “NATO military bases, naval convoys, and onshore critical infrastructure during a crisis,” it remains to be seen what Arkhangelsk is truly capable of.

Here is what is currently known about the sub:

◻️ It can dive up to 600 meters deep and has a maximum speed of 16 knots on the surface and 31 knots underwater;

◻️ The submarine has a crew complement of 64 and an endurance of about 100 days, limited by food and maintenance requirements;

◻️ The vessel’s armament includes 533mm torpedo tubes and vertical launch silos for Oniks anti-ship cruise missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles. Both Kalibr and Zircon missiles are nuclear-capable.

Older Men Over 40 Are Enjoying Single Life – Young Men Are Warned About Marriage

At the beach with a girlfriend, we found a small zippered case which was loaded with Jewelry. My girlfriend pointed out that there were a lot of very expensive pieces. She pointed out jewelry with 18k stamped on them and told me that the gems set in some of the jewelry were very expensive. There was nothing in the case which could identify the owner. We placed an Ad in an area where the beach is located. All the Ad said was, Jewelry Case and Jewelry found on Santa Monica Beach. The ad also said to call with a description of the case and the jewelry. We had some dishonest people respond yet we also found the owner after 2 weeks. She called. Descriped the case in detail to include a tiny rip on one of the sides. She also had a list of every piece of Jewelry in the case along with some photos. We agreed to meet her at a Restaurant in Santa Monica. Very nice Gal and yes, the Jewelry was definately hers. She then offered us $200.00 for going to the effort in finding her. We both declined this. After coffee, she left and gave both of us a huge hug. After she left, my girlfriend saw an edge of what she thought was a $100.00 Bill slipped under a coffee mug. She moved the coffee mug and there were 2, $100.00 bills. Since we had her phone #, my girlfriend called and said she was more interested in her getting her jewelry back and we did not need a reward. The gal said if it weren’t for us, she would not have any of her jewelry left. We ended up accepting the $200 bucks she left us. My girlfriend and the gal with the Jewelry actually became friends. This was years ago and they are still friends even though we broke up years ago. It was a very positive feeling to have been able to find and return the missing case and jewelry.

Roasted Pepper and Gorgonzola Pizza

roasted pepper1 2 300x225
roasted pepper1 2 300×225

Chicken Gorgonzola 300x225
Chicken Gorgonzola 300×225

Ingredients

Pizza

  • 1 Boboli or homemade crust
  • Garlic Oil Sauce
  • Mozzarella cheese, grated
  • Gorgonzola cheese
  • Roasted red bell pepper strips

Garlic Oil Sauce

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic

Instructions

Pizza

  1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray or grease a pizza pan or stone.
  2. Top crust with Garlic Oil Sauce, mozzarella cheese, gorgonzola cheese and bell pepper strips.
  3. Bake on the bottom rack of oven for 8 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is piping hot.

Garlic Oil Sauce

  1. Puree olive oil and garlic in blender.

Compilation: Time Travel stories!

Flipping the game of life

When I was a teenager I got pregnant. My b/f was older (21) and wanted to marry me right away. However my parents would not even let him see me, and instead he was only allowed to communicate through my mother.

I became extremely sick and was hospitalized much of the pregnancy. B/f was understandably distraught. He was very emotional but the only person he had contact with was my mother.

Somehow – not that I care how – that connection turned physical. Yep – mom cheated on my dad with the father of my baby. But THEN to make sure I never found out, they forced b/f to return to his family, across the country.

They concocted a whole story about how b/f threatened to kill me so they forced him to leave our town. Oh and the days that mom went missing while on her tryst I was told b/f kidnapped her and she went with him to save my life.

I was young – I did not realize if that were true he would be in prison. I believed this story and at one point became so terrified of him – based on my mother constantly reinforcing that he wanted to hunt me down and kill me and the baby – I gave my child up to an open adoption with a family I was really close to. I never wanted him to hunt her down. Her name was changed and they moved to another state. I moved the opposite direction and my mother KNEW I did it out of fear, and still let me.

It was not until almost 7 years later that all of the truth came out with my father devastated for his part, and telling me EVERYTHING.

I contact previous b/f and asked him to tell me what happened. He told me the same story I had recently come to know was true. He felt awful about the affair but none of the threats or me needing give up my child over it was real.

I reunited with my daughter.

I will never speak to my mother again. She is truly dead to me. Even the last time I spoke with her, she tried to justify the nightmare she put on our family.

COVID- (mRNA) Vaccines cannot be mandated — 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

COVID- (mRNA) Vaccines cannot be mandated -- 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Big Pharma manufacturers of the COVID -19 mRNA “vaccines” have lost their shield from product liability, after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the mRNA shots are NOT VACCINES, but rather “Treatments.

The 9th Circuit said it’s not a vaccine if the claim isn’t to “PREVENT THE SPREAD” of a disease.

COVID shots were claimed to “reduce symptoms” and prevent hospitalization.  Those claims make it a TREATMENT.

The case involved the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) mandating their people get the “vaccine.”

But the 9th circuit, in a very detailed and complex ruling said the US District Court ERRED because this particular “vaccine” did not “prevent the spread of disease.”   Here is the pertinent portion of the 9th Circuit ruling:

COVID 19 Vax LOSES Liability Shield
COVID 19 Vax LOSES Liability Shield

So while the court held that government __can__ force vaccines to “halt the spread” of a disease in a public health crisis, government cannot expand that power to cover medical treatment which is simply for a citizen’s benefit merely for “reducing symptoms.”

Protecting public health by stopping the spread to others, is one thing, but trying to force vaccines that do not stop the spread, merely “reduce symptoms” is not within government’s power to do.

Why The American Dream Is DEAD

This hits close to home for me. After losing my first career and seeing 'just how valuable of an employee I was after great sacrifice for nothing', living hand to mouth, listening to what my culture told be "work hard, go to school and be rewarded' and living in this ultra-competitive highly individualistic society, I left America for Japan for a total of 4 years. I knew society and economic systems were screwed up; after living in Japan and its different culture, I was forever changed, for the better! I now say that the "American Dream is just good marketing to sell you a false sense of self at your own expense." Thank you Austin!

That’s just the prevailing narrative, nothing more. It’s fashion, a naked mannequin for intellectuals to dress up.

After all, what kind of economic threat has Russia posed to America this century?

It’s just hegemony, and the ever-present need to demonstrate who’s in charge, and who’s words carry the day. The U.S. Congress and White House lavish inordinate effort on issues beyond American shores, because there are no limits to American sovereignty.

Or like the Chinese lovingly put it: 眼里容不得沙子

So yes, America, whether it is the more dignified Joe or in-your-face Donald, will stop at nothing to win and dominate.

Winning, in a might is right world, is the only metric that matters.

Decades of Donald the “winningest man in business” should have educated the world at large about the nature of American “values”.

Little By Little, The Economy Has Declined To A Point Where Almost Everyone Is Struggling

It happened so gradually that a lot of people didn’t even realize what was happening.  The cost of living just kept rising faster than paychecks were, and little by little our standard of living just kept going down.  Now we have reached a stage where the ultra-wealthy are thriving but almost everyone else is struggling.  For most people, it is a real fight just to pay the bills from month to month.  The majority of the population is deep in debt, and meanwhile the cost of just about everything is going up and up.  Millions of Americans feel like they are drowning financially, and there is no easy way out.  Sadly, many of them don’t even realize that the game was designed to get them on to a hamster wheel and keep them running for as long as possible.

When I was a kid, the United States had a very large and very prosperous middle class.

Life certainly wasn’t perfect in those days, but just about everyone that I knew could afford to live a comfortable middle class lifestyle.

Sadly, now everything has changed.

According to a survey that was just conducted by Seven Letter Insight, 65 percent of Americans “who earn more than 200% of the federal poverty level” admit that they are struggling financially…

In the large poll of 2,500 adults, 65% of people who earn more than 200% of the federal poverty level — that’s at least $60,000 for a family of four, often considered middle class — said they are struggling financially.

If 65 percent of those that “earn more than 200% of the federal poverty level” are struggling, what about those that earn less than that?

Needless to say, almost all of them are struggling.

That same survey discovered that 46 percent of Americans don’t even have 500 dollars saved up…

About 40% of respondents were unable to plan beyond their next paycheck, and 46% didn’t have $500 saved. The February poll found that more than half said it’s at least somewhat difficult to manage current levels of debt.

Over the past couple of years, the stock market has been “booming” and the ultra-wealthy have been getting richer and richer.

But things have been getting worse for virtually all the rest of us.

According to Zillow, over the past four years “the monthly mortgage payment on a typical U.S. home has nearly doubled”…

The real estate firm Zillow reports that since January 2020, the monthly mortgage payment on a typical U.S. home has nearly doubled. It’s up 96% in just four years.

According to Zillow, a typical buyer will now pay nearly $2,200 a month, with a 10% down payment. Meaning, homeownership now costs well above the 30% of median income that was once thought to equate to “affordable” housing cost in America.

Has your income doubled over the past four years?

If not, you are falling behind.

The American people absolutely hate what is being done to their standard of living.

In fact, during a recent interview Neel Kashkari astutely observed that Americans “really, viscerally hate high inflation”

Neel Kashkari, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, says one of the things he has learned in the past few years is that consumers would rather see the economy fall into a recession than to continue to suffer the pain of soaring prices.

“The American people – and maybe people in Europe, equally – really hate high inflation,” Kashkari told the Financial Times podcast “The Economics Show with Soumaya Keynes” last week. “I mean, really, viscerally hate high inflation.”

He is right.

I really detest inflation.

I am sure that you do too.

But what he didn’t mention is that the Federal Reserve and our politicians in Washington are responsible for creating the epic cost of living crisis that we are currently facing.

They caused this mess, and now they don’t seem to have any solutions for cleaning it up.

Meanwhile, economic activity just continues to slow down.

On Tuesday, we learned that the number of job openings in the U.S. has fallen to the lowest level in more than 3 years

Job openings fell more than forecast in April, signaling a potential weakening in the labor market that could provide the Federal Reserve with more impetus to start lowering interest rates.

The Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey released Tuesday showed that the level of employment vacancies slipped to 8.06 million for the month, down by nearly 300,000 from March and close to 19% lower than a year ago.

Moreover, the total marked the lowest since February 2021.

And more workers are being dumped into the streets with each passing day.

For example, Rubio’s Coastal Grill just announced that it will be permanently closing 48 locations in the state of California

California’s $20-an-hour fast food minimum wage has its first casualty.

Mexican chain Rubio’s Coastal Grill is shuttering 48 restaurants in the state – because of the ‘rising cost of doing business in California’.

‘While painful, the store closures are a necessary step in our strategic long-term plan to position Rubio’s for success for years to come,’ a Rubio’s spokesperson added.

As this year rolls along, we will see a lot more stories like this.

For a long time, our leaders were able to keep the party going by flooding the system with money.

But now inflation is out of control and we have reached the terminal phase of the “greatest credit bubble in human history”

Mark Spitznagel, chief investment officer of Universa Investments, is known for being a “permabear” when it comes to the stock market outlook.

Spitznagel told Bloomberg in an earlier interview that we’re witnessing the “greatest credit bubble in human history.”

“Credit bubbles end. They pop. There’s no way to stop them from popping,” he said, adding that the Fed has brought the economy to a place “where there’s no turning back.”

Spitznagel is right on target.

There really is no turning back now.

Our leaders have wrecked the greatest economic machine in the history of the world.

What is ahead of us is a tremendous amount of pain.

So if you think that things are bad now, just wait until you see what is coming next.

For years, little by little our standard of living has been collapsing.

But now we are entering a time when our economic slide will become an economic avalanche.

Decades of absolutely disastrous decisions have brought us to this point, and now we shall truly reap what we have sown.

Shorpy

SHORPY 4a11804a.preview
SHORPY 4a11804a.preview

SHORPY 29430u.preview
SHORPY 29430u.preview

SHORPY 01685a.preview
SHORPY 01685a.preview

SHORPY 01687a.preview
SHORPY 01687a.preview

SHORPY 16279u.preview
SHORPY 16279u.preview

SHORPY 32262u.preview
SHORPY 32262u.preview

SHORPY 4a16751a.preview
SHORPY 4a16751a.preview

SHORPY 4a20654a.preview
SHORPY 4a20654a.preview

citrusroyalty.preview
citrusroyalty.preview

SHORPY 30875u.preview
SHORPY 30875u.preview

SHORPY 30597u.preview
SHORPY 30597u.preview

SHORPY 29515u.preview
SHORPY 29515u.preview

SHORPY 4a18633a.preview
SHORPY 4a18633a.preview

SHORPY 18447a.preview
SHORPY 18447a.preview

SHORPY 4a11954a.preview
SHORPY 4a11954a.preview

SHORPY 4a17584a.preview
SHORPY 4a17584a.preview

SHORPY 8a23751a.preview
SHORPY 8a23751a.preview

SHORPY 06813u.preview
SHORPY 06813u.preview

SHORPY 4a17429a.preview
SHORPY 4a17429a.preview

SHORPY 4a20663a.preview
SHORPY 4a20663a.preview

SHORPY 4a20664a.preview
SHORPY 4a20664a.preview

SHORPY 4a17054a.preview
SHORPY 4a17054a.preview

SHORPY 06825u.preview
SHORPY 06825u.preview

SHORPY 06780u.preview
SHORPY 06780u.preview

SHORPY 4a25138a.preview
SHORPY 4a25138a.preview

SHORPY 4a25085a.preview
SHORPY 4a25085a.preview

SHORPY 06775u.preview
SHORPY 06775u.preview

SHORPY 06820u.preview
SHORPY 06820u.preview

SHORPY 8c35018u.preview
SHORPY 8c35018u.preview

SHORPY 29281u.preview
SHORPY 29281u.preview

SHORPY 4a10760a.preview
SHORPY 4a10760a.preview

SHORPY 4a20105a.preview
SHORPY 4a20105a.preview

SHORPY 4a22369a.preview
SHORPY 4a22369a.preview

SHORPY 26420a EASTER.preview
SHORPY 26420a EASTER.preview

SHORPY 4a22468a.preview
SHORPY 4a22468a.preview

SHORPY 29263u.preview
SHORPY 29263u.preview

SHORPY 27544u.preview
SHORPY 27544u.preview

SHORPY 27537u.preview
SHORPY 27537u.preview

SHORPY 4a22927a.preview
SHORPY 4a22927a.preview

SHORPY 4a13460a.preview
SHORPY 4a13460a.preview

SHORPY 30875u1.preview
SHORPY 30875u1.preview

SHORPY 4a18640a.preview
SHORPY 4a18640a.preview

SHORPY 27543u.preview
SHORPY 27543u.preview

Four Frightened Kittens Sat On the Mast of a Burning, Crew Abandoned Ship

The tragic fate of the Space Shuttle Challenger’s crew is still a haunting memory for many.

When the US Navy finally recovered the crew compartment from the ocean, the contents were indeed extremely disturbing.

One of the most shocking discoveries was that the crew members’ remains were still seated in their chairs, with their seatbelts still fastened, a gruesome testament to the sudden and catastrophic nature of the disaster.

The investigation revealed that the crew compartment had remained remarkably intact, despite the intense forces generated by the explosion.

This was due in part to the compartment’s robust design, which was capable of withstanding intense pressure and extreme temperatures.

In the aftermath of the disaster, the crew compartment was subjected to a series of intense forces, including extreme deceleration, massive shock waves, and intense heat generated by the explosion.

The post-accident investigation also revealed that the crew had likely survived the initial explosion, but succumbed to the extreme conditions during the subsequent free fall towards the ocean.

This was evident from the fact that the crew members were still strapped in their seats, with some even having their helmets still on, indicating that they had not lost consciousness immediately.

The recovery of the crew compartment was a complex and challenging operation, involving a team of divers and engineers who worked tirelessly to locate and retrieve the wreckage.

The operation was made even more difficult by the fact that the debris was scattered over a wide area, with some pieces sinking to depths of over 12,000 feet.

One of the most poignant aspects of the recovery operation was the discovery of personal items belonging to the crew, including a set of keys, a calculator, and a CD player, which served as a haunting reminder of the human lives lost in the tragedy.

The intact condition of the crew compartment also raised important questions about the design and safety features of the Space Shuttle program, leading to significant changes in the years that followed.

Random pictures of interest

3dd097c2bcbe3b421063aec960201f26
3dd097c2bcbe3b421063aec960201f26

6a10e53c74f840ac1b88c98a57dc09b3
6a10e53c74f840ac1b88c98a57dc09b3

cd6f5fa5ef233d3f561990b85a7b0b68
cd6f5fa5ef233d3f561990b85a7b0b68

f2f7380fc9c97b50fe426abbddf69b4e
f2f7380fc9c97b50fe426abbddf69b4e

94c603cf3b59d5a0d9b16d72fca3f98e
94c603cf3b59d5a0d9b16d72fca3f98e

b0a3f1b08b41b10551147b2761f0542c
b0a3f1b08b41b10551147b2761f0542c

f83850dd72c85d0218d6c12a94f9de2d
f83850dd72c85d0218d6c12a94f9de2d

9bc34be27c28ad26832c604d4cb93a83
9bc34be27c28ad26832c604d4cb93a83

d524201340612dfc98f552ec6a38f425
d524201340612dfc98f552ec6a38f425

22e607702509b7189b43075849beb934
22e607702509b7189b43075849beb934

be3ec7883a4f79482839b964479a6832
be3ec7883a4f79482839b964479a6832

141fb36528f47ecb8448020804d2b802
141fb36528f47ecb8448020804d2b802

855a405f19127299dd45e12724becba4
855a405f19127299dd45e12724becba4

50847e613a42ff8252d4b41a636d51cb
50847e613a42ff8252d4b41a636d51cb

7ede234c03e30dfaf5ac2a3d5327b933
7ede234c03e30dfaf5ac2a3d5327b933

3fa2b6adbe92c597281985f501489534
3fa2b6adbe92c597281985f501489534

89a0adf305a0ac110d2538ec823f84bc
89a0adf305a0ac110d2538ec823f84bc

c45ee591878e180631470bb40a37d5b3
c45ee591878e180631470bb40a37d5b3

610378a833858e5ab26ec81bfdba9ab1
610378a833858e5ab26ec81bfdba9ab1

2310d68290b4c71ddda8b5c3a92ecd2d
2310d68290b4c71ddda8b5c3a92ecd2d

36995aeadbc18f3d10593c2b00e97dbc
36995aeadbc18f3d10593c2b00e97dbc

4f6bb2388dac98bc094804fbdfc868c9
4f6bb2388dac98bc094804fbdfc868c9

853e2b970650f0a63ffa4a3514bf63f1
853e2b970650f0a63ffa4a3514bf63f1

d09348a06544e9c21fa0a51198bd8820
d09348a06544e9c21fa0a51198bd8820

cec4ad7b40a4bd2ed56877bd8577a763
cec4ad7b40a4bd2ed56877bd8577a763

d99ab349621c0fd86b7a96bca66c13b3
d99ab349621c0fd86b7a96bca66c13b3

797f34cef8b9efb1b5c3ec672646d093
797f34cef8b9efb1b5c3ec672646d093

cd3653513ec74c2d67b945706e07e73e
cd3653513ec74c2d67b945706e07e73e

12af6d193c1c72e2e7c2c402ac194bc7
12af6d193c1c72e2e7c2c402ac194bc7

6988b5aca67dbdc6ba06e6cb11a38566
6988b5aca67dbdc6ba06e6cb11a38566

4fdd6e2d006ef6ff8daa9ee4ad688a75
4fdd6e2d006ef6ff8daa9ee4ad688a75

0521674d4f314ad841ba79604f6017c9
0521674d4f314ad841ba79604f6017c9

1262a465c9dd90d06e20e9c99b938c83
1262a465c9dd90d06e20e9c99b938c83

e5f464abd12bd8135ce76c1972aa70f7
e5f464abd12bd8135ce76c1972aa70f7

48ca34da97ce625b887fcf34fbfc822c
48ca34da97ce625b887fcf34fbfc822c

3f203b8d78d6e45d782f702c903b2c00
3f203b8d78d6e45d782f702c903b2c00

f55971ddd1d5b426b62dc1e72e1b8475
f55971ddd1d5b426b62dc1e72e1b8475

854b352876285bf4de2d14bf83b5fc2c
854b352876285bf4de2d14bf83b5fc2c

bfa3a3f99c66821e0339405c61a142fa
bfa3a3f99c66821e0339405c61a142fa

732c6ad66bc6706475cc1ef85efc82ef
732c6ad66bc6706475cc1ef85efc82ef

21ffaeced9ff1a7b0f855527941cb604
21ffaeced9ff1a7b0f855527941cb604

a92db27778d028b84f0ae2243a07c6c3
a92db27778d028b84f0ae2243a07c6c3

689587301950a106ba544ffec608deda
689587301950a106ba544ffec608deda

388904d2aaaabf998a4f3ebe15e8ba97
388904d2aaaabf998a4f3ebe15e8ba97

f372798d09c67e369bae039e80cdf029
f372798d09c67e369bae039e80cdf029

7cb5c1161d72a07e595cb73d3e10c636
7cb5c1161d72a07e595cb73d3e10c636

8f9173f5f0e150124cfb9ac93ebf66f7
8f9173f5f0e150124cfb9ac93ebf66f7

3c9157aa1d8e04f7ba2dbacc8e1d7e85
3c9157aa1d8e04f7ba2dbacc8e1d7e85

78f7e76f768e70c2f32f1015a2d35da6
78f7e76f768e70c2f32f1015a2d35da6

31db0c95ed15e0977f6b106c92d52e32
31db0c95ed15e0977f6b106c92d52e32

57ce3835d5e83a4b6b7fec2cbd6f12f9
57ce3835d5e83a4b6b7fec2cbd6f12f9

96e0ef01c25202bbe5f9451b1492f35b
96e0ef01c25202bbe5f9451b1492f35b

551da95a8264334220d3ea1465ba8435
551da95a8264334220d3ea1465ba8435

b0d9240fe53cc685ad28bce2ad4c01bb
b0d9240fe53cc685ad28bce2ad4c01bb

e4c964b69b9a4cf8cd25b72b0fcde35a
e4c964b69b9a4cf8cd25b72b0fcde35a

4fdbebbed3a3c3c7cf00d44bb4fb24b5
4fdbebbed3a3c3c7cf00d44bb4fb24b5

2a982357d5c711185a3c0675daf2fa32
2a982357d5c711185a3c0675daf2fa32

19ef71d204a4f15ac1e9d2e172c37f02
19ef71d204a4f15ac1e9d2e172c37f02

ac7010ed2141b8f1bc145fc1de9fca6e
ac7010ed2141b8f1bc145fc1de9fca6e

e1abbf85e74289f5b945625458a9fc79
e1abbf85e74289f5b945625458a9fc79

82e0be68be233270bb4268399cc599ee
82e0be68be233270bb4268399cc599ee

e3eff7d912b765e6212b9d4f93d32faf
e3eff7d912b765e6212b9d4f93d32faf

19c3a2a9b0491a0604eeb15136934e06
19c3a2a9b0491a0604eeb15136934e06

473b05cbef0f25e63a3678121f3b07be
473b05cbef0f25e63a3678121f3b07be

07bc030f02e1d7fdaf5948c88559e3ca
07bc030f02e1d7fdaf5948c88559e3ca

56f89f384151b0c2f7e7f31b02d1e33f
56f89f384151b0c2f7e7f31b02d1e33f

eb3dda3b97d00df6510d1286d10af5af
eb3dda3b97d00df6510d1286d10af5af

fdc075bdacea3052e36f60e5628c52b8
fdc075bdacea3052e36f60e5628c52b8

69e9f5eed89d219fdf05501512ee8a2e
69e9f5eed89d219fdf05501512ee8a2e

ab0f217513dc4ec0908ebcea52433368
ab0f217513dc4ec0908ebcea52433368

06cc20664e4a35aa4967e78c8046c6da
06cc20664e4a35aa4967e78c8046c6da

e17ca874881bde7976e50ba4828bc412
e17ca874881bde7976e50ba4828bc412

3a89ba5b3b9a8cfc71e9878165573dc5
3a89ba5b3b9a8cfc71e9878165573dc5

a9629079d22a57c33314a596311d5b7f
a9629079d22a57c33314a596311d5b7f

898b9e0361325cbdcf5ecd7a0af065f7
898b9e0361325cbdcf5ecd7a0af065f7

e40288a84e539a6c8c1eaa4a09119709
e40288a84e539a6c8c1eaa4a09119709

d059431d389a96b3bf490ee0bb2db77d
d059431d389a96b3bf490ee0bb2db77d

4c82b7578e79b8606ec46e3a234ada59
4c82b7578e79b8606ec46e3a234ada59

9cd96e296ecf40c94db6d752537d79ce
9cd96e296ecf40c94db6d752537d79ce

cad13f151510e0b004eaa4abfc7f6e6d
cad13f151510e0b004eaa4abfc7f6e6d

ac3a9308fc4460b6fabab9d1251fec97
ac3a9308fc4460b6fabab9d1251fec97

8427e89a8e66922ca3a6dd975de85617
8427e89a8e66922ca3a6dd975de85617

46b5e7d3a65fbf5e2759eca92f57ee4b
46b5e7d3a65fbf5e2759eca92f57ee4b

93998e19851fc201ef7491167c0116d7
93998e19851fc201ef7491167c0116d7

8a5a20fdb65afb28ccd5f57819c4db01
8a5a20fdb65afb28ccd5f57819c4db01

98282f9397456827ffe19de8e36b8bf7
98282f9397456827ffe19de8e36b8bf7

39d402b25bde1946ceb49e0d602b6eff
39d402b25bde1946ceb49e0d602b6eff

c70efcc890b9e942d14f488c8b5b0e4c
c70efcc890b9e942d14f488c8b5b0e4c

6317c52a430915886c1a7f0a972b7954
6317c52a430915886c1a7f0a972b7954

6d2d7cc0d1506b5483014e3699d9cde3
6d2d7cc0d1506b5483014e3699d9cde3

33f6de7c03931adbe3733f8346ea0df6
33f6de7c03931adbe3733f8346ea0df6

24e8dd12475c668411cf20e4f56120e7
24e8dd12475c668411cf20e4f56120e7

b2ed668aac239715df24d5e186b3dbde
b2ed668aac239715df24d5e186b3dbde

a573c5bac454ef442239237dabb70ef0
a573c5bac454ef442239237dabb70ef0

7cd750409932ed705c6aad28f982288a
7cd750409932ed705c6aad28f982288a

a6b0997af2e99b0d3afee5718ebde8d1
a6b0997af2e99b0d3afee5718ebde8d1

afa9e2a5ffc116ea5122abe0e4d7b465
afa9e2a5ffc116ea5122abe0e4d7b465

f200b07921516a7f237a8229f54b86a2
f200b07921516a7f237a8229f54b86a2

bda2acfd6d93376e3431353ae5b3e951
bda2acfd6d93376e3431353ae5b3e951

cf7e70c047bf4e0031d6b10467dc29e4
cf7e70c047bf4e0031d6b10467dc29e4

12799691a60cf1b404cf2fdc79b6447f
12799691a60cf1b404cf2fdc79b6447f

7a251cd71e6ee1ee02c9f59793760e34
7a251cd71e6ee1ee02c9f59793760e34

5722c39f996076e3e767075805e97968
5722c39f996076e3e767075805e97968

711b88a56fbd398172d65605340621e7
711b88a56fbd398172d65605340621e7

bdc1cdcb43f8589893fd9e8a87e9f7cc
bdc1cdcb43f8589893fd9e8a87e9f7cc

c526cf339377367aff9d008952911472
c526cf339377367aff9d008952911472

df4b8bb58296b24aa68acae5e37bddc1
df4b8bb58296b24aa68acae5e37bddc1

50c8757fd91d48627d5ca606b05822f7
50c8757fd91d48627d5ca606b05822f7

c7f2b75d0f4e0356dc87b2c5ebf5a96c
c7f2b75d0f4e0356dc87b2c5ebf5a96c

5f584249f4b79ac6921c9987d7281d92
5f584249f4b79ac6921c9987d7281d92

fa7b55c6b46288d146068758c8504ab4
fa7b55c6b46288d146068758c8504ab4

A pragmatic peace summit, in which both warring parties must participate.

The Ukrainian Peace Summit held in Lucerne, Switzerland was unilaterally invited by Ukraine, but Russia was not invited to participate, and China, South Africa and Brazil also stated that they would not attend the meeting. Therefore, this summit was not a peace summit at all, but a summit with the theme of “condemning Russia”.

Without Russia’s participation, discussing issues such as ceasefire is completely futile and will only be empty talk without achieving any practical results.

Such a meeting is meaningless. It is not a “peace summit” but a venue to provoke and stimulate Russia.

What is even more ironic is that although the United States has long supported Ukraine and is one of Zelenskyy’s important invitees, the US side stated that US President Biden will not attend the summit due to “scheduling conflicts.”

China and Brazil jointly issued a six-point peace consensus, calling for an international peace conference to be held at an appropriate time recognized by Russia and Ukraine, with all parties participating equally and discussing all options fairly. Only such a summit can achieve substantive peace results.

In addition, China has been promoting peace talks between Russia and Ukraine since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, and this has not just started recently.

main qimg 262a16d528323827b05abf29776eaf25 lq
main qimg 262a16d528323827b05abf29776eaf25 lq

One_Up

Submitted into Contest #250 in response to: Write a story in which someone can only hear one side of a conversation and must piece together the meaning of what they’ve heard. view prompt

Joe Smallwood

Rodent! Liar! It was supposed to be fun, not this ridiculous foofaraw where I can’t patch in but only hear pronouncements. Anyone could do that!“I thought you were premium support and extra paid up! Instead™, you’re privacy-shading me!””That other voice you paid for never had too much to say. But you must hand it to them when they invented Instead™. It was a game-changer, always keeping things interesting,” replied One_Up. “You can count on me to stay ahead of it!”The concert hall was vintage 20th-century. No accoutrements, not Ghezi certified. It still had a lovingly preserved red carpet and seats, and knowing why we could be there was hard.“A vision of Hell? N’est-ce pas?” a_Playful_Voice said. I ignored it, one of the many voices I tended to ignore. It left you_snubbed_me on my social. Not that anyone else was there to be playful—no one else was here at all!One_Up was first because he earned it. It was the voice I listened to the most!“You got that right!” he said.I went dark on it to talk to you, my dear diary. I had to have a One_Up, you see—not that I had to listen to it! My little rebellion was so tiny that no one noticed. I wouldn’t want a pronouncement, would I? Actually, it was best not to listen to pronouncements. If I got too interested, it might be suspicious…“C’mon back, Darren!” One_Up said. “I have a pronouncement for you!”“Yeah, sure! If I can’t patch in, what’s the point?”“The point? The point is to stay ahead of them! Here we go!”“I can’t say I haven’t tried, sir.” Uh-huh… Instead™ is failing. Well, he’s interested in it, but I’m afraid the therapeutic value is nil.” Long silence“Sir, I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell me how to do my job….When I’ve reached the end of my options—Silence“It’s been nice working with you too. If there’s anything else I can assist you with, please don’t hesitate to call. Goodbye.“Weird, don’t you think that people still talk like they’re on a telephone, even though we all have instant access to anyone who gives us permission?” said Darren.“Old people do that!” replied One_Up. “And why would you think I got permission for this?#“Darren? Oh, Darren?” One_Up asked in his most playful voice. DARREN! It’s time for your diaper.”“Don’t.”“Time! Too much non-ghezi time means it’s diaper time!” demanded One_Up.“We spent all of ten minutes in that concert Hall!”“Non-ghezi! Just the same. This isn’t an Instead™ stratagem, is it?”“Instead of what?”“Your diaper!”“You talk in riddles, you know that?”Diaper, my ass! One_Up was always being a comedian! If I had wanted comedy, a_playful_voice would have been my choice!I went on recycle. Well, actually, it was more like my garbage cycle. There wasn’t much I could get out of being in the concert hall!

#

I heard the most beautiful music—non-ghezi—across the way. I tried to patch in until I remembered what non-ghezi meant. Am I losing my mind?

She was so beautiful. Alone in her apartment, she had long blonde hair, which made her seem slenderer than she was. Is slenderer a word? She’d go to the window to feed some birds, and I could just make out a smile, being a stone’s throw away from her. Yes, that’s right, isn’t it? People used to say that. You could throw a stone; how far away you could throw it would describe the distance. I never threw a stone—not a real one. I wonder what it would be like to throw one. The other day…

“Darren!” shouted One_Up.

“DARREN! Time for your walk.”

“I don’t want to walk.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No!”

“We’ll go to the concert hall…”

People used to go to places like this. I feel the plush seating, the furrowed abrasive cloth caressing me as I sit. I imagine how people used to clap and swoon for music that I could hear anytime, anywhere. What did I miss? The energy, the shared experience? What exactly?

Could there be anything more than systems attuned to the beating hearts of billions that could be exceeded? And more still undiscovered, the synthesis of minds overcoming time and space? Yet what crushes me is the knowledge of what is gone forever. The silence is endlessly filled. Can everything really be nothing in disguise?

Dark again. Help me figure this out. Someone needs therapy, and I think the person who was supposed to provide it just got fired! At least, it sounds that way. It seems serious, too, like things aren’t working out. I’ll catch you later.

“There you are! Why do you keep hiding from me?” pouted One_Up.

#

One_up took me to the concert hall. I thought its job was to entertain me! C-O-N-C-E-R-T H-A-L-L. I could spell it! We meander down the streets, and I get bored. What was I hoping to find at the concert hall? Old Tech? An orchestra? Musical instruments? Like cave implements and ancient wall paintings! I am hunted by Neanderthals who aspire for immortality at my expense! I call up Instead™ but get put on hold. Then, it fails.

“Instead™ is non-ghezi!” says One_Up.

“Good.”

“What do you mean, good? Patch in here!” says One_Up.

Everything swirls. I’m playing Hell Surfers 6 in no time. It starts to hurt, but everything old is Neanderthal to me. I keep going!

#

There was no One_Up to greet me. Where am I? I feel so alone. Everything is dead when I try patching in— no patch in, no One_Up.

I go dark. Whew! That works. Help me out here, dear diary. This has never happened before. I swear! Maybe I should be scared or something. Let me know what you think.

Do the pronouncements work? When I switch on, the voices sound far away. I also try amplification, but it doesn’t work.

I’m only dimly aware…

“He’s in terrible shape. Yes. Uh-huh.”

Long silence.

“We tried that. She came to the window and snagged him a little, but the relapse was awfully quick. There are no legs on this one.”

Silence.

“Well, the last chance is to nuke him. We tried Instead™. Next™ isn’t the same generation. It wouldn’t work. Guaranteed…Uh-huh…Right. Do I have the go-ahead?”

I get so angry—angrier than ever! It’s part of the game—self-generating. I helped design it myself! The Hell you surf is your own, see? It’s self-replicating, too. It gobbles up everything to present the best entertainment ever! Because the best of realfun™ is how close it comes to everything imaginable that ever existed! Mashed together, a million billion experiences of people worldwide. You feel everything! Presented in endlessly entertaining entertainment…

“Darren?”

“DARREN?” yelled One_Up.

“We need an ambulance to this location. Can you please hurry?”

I’m out, but I’m not. I’m too tired to switch off. I can’t do anything. I wish I could turn off the voices in my head!

“We have to murder One_Up! You heard me! I don’t care if he has been trying to help Darren. Uh-huh. The sooner, the better.

One_Up is frantic. “You have to protect me, Darren!” Sure, sure, I say.

“Getting a fix. No, it’s not murder! It’s a figure of speech. Do I have your permission or not?”

Silence

“Can I hide in your secret place, Darren?”

I heard the most beautiful music. I can’t describe it. I don’t even know why I would try. They’re hunting for One_Up, but he’s safe, in a place I made that no one knows about! Until today, even One_Up didn’t know where I went!

#

“OK, ease it in,” said Dr. Oakley.

“I want to go on the record, sir,” said the lead nurse. “I recommend that we not proceed. We were unable to stop the program. His digital assistant is still operational, presenting an unquantifiable risk to the operation’s success.”

“I’m aware of the risks. It is my responsibility.”

“Are we cleared for this?” demanded a lawyer over a microphone from the observation deck.

Dr. Oakley looked up from the operating table. Three nurses, looking very apprehensive, tried to look busier. The lead nurse presumed to stop what he was doing to gaze at the lawyer, too.

“What do you mean? Are we cleared? I wouldn’t be here, would I?” snapped Oakley. “Has something changed?”

“He can’t die, that’s all,” the lawyer shouted. “Too many other people are involved.”

Dr. Oakley’s jaw tightened. “You tell me this now? Let’s get this started!”

#

I was standing at the edge of an abyss—a volcano or something—only it was a long way down and incredibly hot. Waves of heat envelop me, so the moment sweat develops, it immediately evaporates. There was lava below, and I was going to fall!

“He’s reacting to this like he’s reading a script. We’re losing him!” the lead nurse yells, glancing at the heart monitor.

“Okay, ease back a little bit,” says Dr. Oakley. He’s got to take this seriously, or we’ll lose him for good.”

“Wait for it…” calls out the lead nurse.

One-Up! I don’t like this program. Switch, please! One_Up? Anybody?

“I’m here, Darren! At your service! None of this is real. I can switch this now if you want to?”

Oakley swore under his breath, “He has to try! Make the path away from the abyss clearer.”

“On it,” says the lead nurse.

“Blood pressure keeps rising, 155 over 90,” one of the nurses says.

“Stay with it. He has to realize that he doesn’t control everything,” says Dr. Oakley.

“He’s taking the path…” says the lead nurse. ”With One_Up!”

Everyone cheers.

#

“Debrief…everyone. You all have your assigned places. Dr. Oakley? Can we begin with you?” the head of hospital staff says.

Dr. Oakley took his seat, his laptop in front of him. “Well, it was a success, as you all know. Instead™ and even Next™ have come up with treatment plans. We’re coordinating that now. The patient is responding well.”

Another doctor asks, “How long until Darren Oakley is completely well?”

Dr. Oakley teared up. He struggled to clear his throat. “I’m sure we’ll manage,” he said.

The lead nurse caught up with the hospital lawyer after the meeting.

“That was a real bone-headed thing you did, calling out to us from the observation deck! What were you thinking?”

“What was I thinking? Well, try this on for size.” The lawyer took out his cell phone to project an image.

“Jeez!” exhaled the nurse.

“And those calls to emergency were just for the people with an addiction in North America! We don’t have good data for anyplace else.”

“Darren helped create it all,” wondered the nurse. “What was happening to him started to happen to everyone?”

The lawyer turned to go, but then he hesitated. “Say, do you feel like a beer?”

“No. But I’ll drink one.” cracked the nurse.

Pesto Chicken Flatbread Pizzas

Tuscan flavors will delight family and friends in this easy to make Pesto Chicken Flatbread Pizza. Great as a main dish or side dish to complement a meal.

Pesto Chicken Flatbread Pizzas
Pesto Chicken Flatbread Pizzas

Prep: 10 min | Cook: 8 min | Yield: 2 flatbread pizzas; 4 servings total

Ingredients

  • 2 (3.5 ounce) Tuscan-style flatbreads
  • 1/4 cup Buitoni Refrigerated All Natural Reduced Fat Pesto with Basil
  • 2/3 cup sautéed or cooked chicken breast strips
  • 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup (.75 ounce) Buitoni Refrigerated Freshly Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Place flatbreads on baking sheet.
  3. Spread pesto sauce evenly over each flatbread to within 1/2 inch of edge.
  4. Top each evenly with chicken, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
  5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until flatbread is crisp and cheese is melted.

Notes

Cooks Tip: Refer to your flatbread packaging to determine recommended bake temperature and time as each brand varies.

Try substituting regular BUITONI Refrigerated Pesto with Basil.

It was at my mother’s funeral. I went up to my brother to talk to him. I hadn’t seen him since he moved out at 18. I think it was around 20 years of not seeing or talking to him. I was a terrible sister to him when we were kids. I got him into so much trouble with mom. He received so many beatings because of me and my lies. I so much wanted to talk with him then. So I went up to him and went to put my arm around him to tell him how sorry I was about her passing. He shrugged my arm off and turned away without speaking. I kind of lost my temper a bit and told him he needed to grow up. He just walked away and wouldn’t even sit anywhere near me. I watch him sit there and cry during the funeral and knew there wasn’t anything I could do. I want to go over and hold him and tell him how sorry I was for how I treated him. But I didn’t want to hurt him and more then I already had.

And before anyone says it, yes I deserved that slap. Many years later we finally talked and I poured my heart out to him. I apologized and begged for him to forgive me. What he did surprised me. He hugged and and said there’s no reason for forgiveness. Because he had already forgiven me. That he saw from what I’ve written here that I had really changed and it was time to be brother and sister again. That day we both cried together.

I cannot speak on behalf of China.

Let me speak for myself.

I heard that US constitution guarantees Freedom of Speech. But Biden equated anti-genocide in Gaza or anti-war to antisemitism.

To be fair, anti-genocide is not unreasonable. Now the entire world minus Israel & USA condemns genocide. If we say the students are wrong, it is not possible that the entire world is also wrong.

See, Americans can make fun of their president or scold at him. But cannot be against Israel. US politicians made thousands of anti-China statements & lies. But cannot “touch” Israelis.

US constitution guarantees owning guns. When there are many gun-related deaths, USA is so “powerless” to protect the life of innocents. Ironically, Right to Life is also in US constitution.

Maybe US constitution is not a failed doc. It is the enforcement that is the problem.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I see a one-way ticket to poverty for Americans and the US dollar. BRIC's nations in coordination with Saudia Arabia are now selling oil in multiple denominations and they're backing it with gold. The ONLY thing that's kept the US prosperous since getting off the gold convertibility in 1971 is the petrodollar and now it's toast.

You are responsible

God will put you back together in front of those who broke you...

When I was 12, a police officer knocked on the door of my family’s home. It immediately filled me with terror, and I don’t think an entire second passed before I was yelling for my mom. I could see the look on his face. I knew it was very, very bad.

I also knew my 16 year old brother had not arrived home yet. It was 7:30, late for him to be out with his friends. My mom hadn’t heard from him in hours. So I knew something bad was coming, but I never could have guessed what.

The police officer took my mom in another room, and I could hear her start to cry. I ran in and very angrily demanded he tell me what was going on. He tried to put me off, he had just told my mom and wanted to be there for her in her devastation. But I was terrified. I refused to leave the room until he told me.

He took me outside and told me my brother had shot himself and that “it was bad”. My immediate thought was “he said ‘it was bad’, he didn’t say my brother is dead. My brother survived, somehow.” But no, the police officer was just having trouble saying what I needed him to bluntly say. That my brother had shot himself and was dead.

I’m 44 now, and I have had bad news broken to me since then. Whenever it involves a death, nobody ever says “so and so is dead.” Nobody said “grandpa is dead” or “the baby is dead” (this was a 2nd term miscarriage, and the doctor just kept saying “we can’t find a heartbeat, I’m sorry”, and I thought “why is she apologizing, she just needs to keep looking”. Finally I said “is the baby dead? Is that what you are saying?!”).

I don’t blame anybody for not knowing how to tell a 12 year old that her 16 year old brother is dead. The officer who came to our house told me his brother “did the same thing” last summer. At the time I didn’t care. It was only later, with hindsight, that I appreciated how difficult it must have been for him to inform us. I’m sure he volunteered, having been on the other side. And I could tell, from his face and demeanor, his heart was breaking as he watched my family fall apart right before his eyes. I will always be grateful to that officer. I wish I could find him and thank him.

EDIT:

I lost my dad in November of 2020. Mom was very gentle and very clear, he will die soon. We thought he had weeks but only 8 days. 8 days between a cancer diagnosis and death. I was in the hospital, so I didn’t get to him in time to say goodbye.

Have you ever caught your neighbor doing something that made you furious?

My husband and I rented a small apartment that was the middle floor of a house. It was a small house. Maybe 800 sq feet each apartment. The upstairs and downstairs were too other “apartments”. There was a young couple downstairs around our ages, maybe a little younger. We were mid 20’s and both working full time. A single guy lived upstairs who was a divorced cop. The guy downstairs decides he wants a DRUM set. Yes, it was like it was right in the middle of our room! We talked to the landlord and he agreed not to play after 9 pm. The nerve of some people! If Ringo Starr himself lived there, it would have been annoying! We had to get up at 6–6:30 every morning. I wouldn’t consider having a drum set unless I had my own house. Years later, I move into the lowest level of a 3 story condo in another state. Nice and quiet, a sweet older woman lived alone above me. Above her was a young man. He starts, believe it or not, playing DRUMS! Sometimes at 1 am on Monday morning. I pounded on his door on one of those nights and let him have an earful! He eventually moved moved out months later. The poor woman who lived above me was a nervous wreck about it and was afraid to say anything. We did have an HOA and of course, there was a noise ordinance.

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2 packages quick-rise dry yeast
  • 2 cups tepid water (90 degrees F)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

Filling

  • 1/3 pound sliced Mozzarella cheese
  • 2 cups canned plum tomatoes, drained and squished
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • Salt, to taste
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Crust

  1. Dissolve yeast in water.
  2. Add oils, cornmeal, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat for 10 minutes with a mixer.
  3. Mix in the additional 2 1/2 cups flour.
  4. Knead for several minutes.
  5. Pour the dough onto a plastic countertop and cover with a very large metal bowl. Allow to rise until double in bulk.
  6. Punch down and allow to rise again.
  7. Punch down a second time and you are ready to make pizza.
  8. Oil round cake pans with olive oil. Put a bit of dough in each and push it out to the edges, using your fingers. Put in enough dough so that you can run the crust right up the side of the pan. Make it about 1/8 inch thick throughout the pan.

Filling

  1. Place the cheese in tile-like layers on the bottom of the pie.
  2. Put in the tomatoes and the basil, oregano, garlic, and salt, reserving the Parmesan cheese for the top.
  3. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.
  4. Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the pie and you are ready to bake at 475 degrees F until the top is golden and gooey and the crust a light golden brown. This should take about 35 or 40 minutes.

Notes

Additional variations:

Before you put on the Parmesan cheese and olive oil drizzle you might like to add Italian sausage, yellow onions, peeled and diced, pepperoni, sliced thin, mushrooms, sliced, green sweet bell peppers, cored and sliced thin.

China doesn’t.

The US has been threatening China with nukes since the 50’s. If you were the wealthiest nation in the world, would you build nothing?

Let’s do some simple math. We will use US sources, the Pentagon reports to Congress. If you look at the number of SSBNs (nuclear submarines with nuclear missiles), China has several generations. If you count the number of subs and the number of missile onboard, you will find that China has over 300 warheads on their SSBNs. Which is more than what the Pentagon claims that China has total nuclear warheads.

Now, let’s count the silos. China had 100 silos and completed 300 more last year. They are in the process of filling those silos. They should be done by the end of this year or early next year.

China’s nuclear missiles have been replaced with DF-41. They’re building a next generation nuclear missile now.

Each DF-41 has up to 10 warheads. So that is 400 silos with 10 warheads each. That is 4,000 deployed warheads. Add in the subs and that is 4,300+.

Oh and China is going to launch their new generation submarines which are as quiet as the US ones. They will carry 12 missiles each. The JL-3 missile can also carry 3 warheads. They have retrofitted their older SSBNs with the JL-3. So each sub can carry 36 warheads of up to 1 Mton each.

We have no idea how many TELs (transport erect launchers) the Chinese have. These are trucks that carry a nuclear missile with up to 10 warheads on them.

The US and Russia has around 5,000 warheads of which ONLY 1,600 are deployed. This is due to START treaty which is still in effect and is being verified by each other. The US has inspector for Russian weapons and sites, the Russians have similar inspectors and right to inspect US weapons and sites.

China is NOT a party to START. So it is likely that they have more nuclear warheads deployed than the US and Russia combined.

So your next question should be why is the US government and Pentagon lying about how many nuclear weapons China has?

Because if they don’t lie then the US population might revolt against the aggressive US policy in attacking China.

Seven Mary Three – Cumbersome

I love this. The name comes from CHIPS.

When you were invited to someone’s home, what surprised you there (behaviour, decor, etc.)?

Back when I was in high school I was invited over to one of my classmate’s house to help him with some school related stuff. Now, out of complete honesty, he wasn’t really that good of a friend. I was feeling sorry for him because he was struggling so bad. And to be frank, he smelled. It wasn’t a body odor type of deal, but it was more like musty cigarette smokey and funk mixed together. So now you get the picture why he wasn’t a “close” friend. My teacher had asked me to help, and me being the nice kid I obliged. How bad could it be?

He lived with his parents in an ancient doublewide trailer at the end of a dirt road. Picture 1970s with the funky brown and orange glass everywhere. This was the early 1990s. As I got out of my car and walk to the door, that funky cigarette smell hits me pretty hard. Wow these were true hippies from the past! He opened the door and what greeted me next sent shivers down my spine. The sheer scale of garbage piled up on the walls was incomprehensible. I enter and he says sorry for the house being a little messy. A little messy?? Um, this is a full on trash dump! Complete with flies, roaches, and yes mice. I was in too much shock to say much, plus I was having trouble breathing. The sheer scale of filth was just overwhelming. I glanced over to the kitchen and saw moldy fish bones in takeaway boxes. These were piled on top of refuse of all sorts of open cans and bottles. Every corner I turned to had some sort of something rotting away. He said let’s go to my room where we can work and not disturb my dad, he works 3rd shift.

We pass a bathroom with a bath tub where I could see the thick line of scum against the lime green. Dear Lord was anything ever cleaned in here since 1970? I dared not even think about the toilet. As we entered his room, it was smelly and musty but not much trash. His brown carpet was worn through, and the plywood flood under it was dirty and coming apart. He showed me his work, but I couldn’t concentrate. I kept feeling like fleas and roaches were getting into every pore of my body. I finally snap.

“I’m sorry bro, I am having a real issue breathing I need to get out of here ok?”. And with that I make my way back outside. He follows me bringing his stuff. My lord that stench just won’t go away! It is all over me in my clothes in my skin in my hair (when I had hair). I could tell he was quite embarrassed about the whole ordeal. I really felt bad for him, because he was a nice guy, but I could tell his parents obviously didn’t care about much of anything other than getting smokes and pot. I finally pieced together the funk as I saw several large bongs scattered about the tables.

It took me forever to get that smell out of my car! I wound up helping him at my place in our back shed. It was the safest for all of my family. Mom brought us lunch and snacks, and I actually enjoyed the time out there helping him get the project done. He got a good grade on it too. But I just couldn’t quite bring myself to ask him to hang out, I mean if he showered more than a few times a week it might have been possible. That by far was the absolute filthiest home I have ever been inside to this day. It is still there too, though his parents have passed away. It sits quietly as the horrors inside are locked up for good. He refuses to go inside, opting instead to live in a small shed in the back. I still keep in touch with him today, and his hygiene is much improved.

 

BANGER!| FIRST TIME HEARING Seven Mary Three – Cumbersome REACTION

I love that their little boy joins them.

Have you ever caught your neighbor doing something that made you furious?

Our only neighbor and I rented a backhoe and small dozer to trade as we both were rebuilding old (1890s mine) and hunting cabin (his) houses. Our lot was 3/4 acre and theirs was 3.5 acres. I got home from work one day and hear the dozer running. Good thing was my thought until I wandered uphill and he is pushing an old stone wall towards our house. We already were dealing with water problems from their septic and had just gotten an offer on our place. He sees me and stops the machine. While we are talking his buddy, a licensed HVAC contractor, uses spray paint on the ground to mark something 10′ long by 2.5′ wide. In that area due to his lot size the heater fuel tank (propane) must be 75′ from any property line. I mention that to neighbor and contractor trying hard to keep it neighborly. No dice, that is the fuel tank location. I get sheets with applicable codes for the septic leak, fuel tank siting and house offsets required. 600sq’ hunting cabin is now 2 floors, 2100sq’ and 50′ off our shared property line.

Hand them a copy and mention the house inspector is coming in soon, please do not screw up our sale. Inspector arrives, puts a 6″ wide red painted mark along the property line that bisects the tank. He then goes to township office with his findings. Neighbor comes home to red tagged house, furious wife and a phone number to call. He calls it and learns a court hearing has been set and bring his HVAC contractor. Around 10pm he and contractor are on my front deck raising hell. Hand them another set of the maps with offsets and slam door. Probably 10 days later the hearing occurs. Neighbor is walking thin line of not knowing exactly all the rules. Judge is not sympathetic and finally says to HVAC man, “Stop interrupting, I’ll deal with you next.” Neighbors cannot move back into structure until all permits are pulled, house plans are filed, every thing is inspected, all setbacks are adhered to, etc…

Judge turns to Contractor, “You were there when rock wall was being pushed and knew the one homeowner believed he was moving the property line?” Yes. “You read the setback requirements?” Yes. “You installed a heating system, fuel pipe and tank on the property?” Yes, but he has an explanation and starts naming his license courses and Judge stops him cold. His license is suspended for one year. That did not have to happen. The 2 showed up on my front deck again screeching in all directions quite drunk.

 

She Was Crushed By A Car, But It’s Just A Cat So Everyone Ignored Her

Is the reason they don’t have climate protests in China because it is already communist?

Because when we protest, you don’t hear from us.

It was a very famous interview in China. Rough translation for the rounds up to this screenshot.

Chai (reporter): … we also see that some leaders of developed countries had strong opinions. They say, what’s wrong with these CO2 quotas, since we also set quotas for ourselves?

Ding (scientist): Of course it’s wrong. By deciding the CO2 quota for everyone, they get away with the large chunk. What about this? Every country should have the same CO2 quota per capita, that sounds reasonable, right? Our CO2 deposition used to be much lower, what about bringing it to the same level? I can make it more straightforward: our CO2 deposition per capita should only be 80% of them from 1990 to 2050.

Chai (interrupting): But they’ll say, China has a big population. The population times the per capita quota is too much.

Ding (interrupting): Then I’d ask you: is the Chinese man a man, after all? That’s a fundamental question. Why should a Chinese person to be forced to have a lower quota?


I don’t agree with many of Ding’s opinions, but I think his argument here is spot on. And indeed, his word is very strongly felt by many Chinese netizens. It was hugely popular.

What did you hear about Mr. Ding instead? LOL, he was sanctioned by the US…

 

“NATO is TESTING Putin’s red line and he’s NOT bluffing” Redacted w Clayton Morris

Europe is slow marching into a nuclear war. The multiple “land corridors” to RUSH American troops to invade Russia!

https://youtu.be/7-E3SKsV8zk

What is the biggest mistake you saw someone make? What were the consequences?

Oh god, one instance is stuck in my mind, in my twenties my friends and I would go camping every chance we could, we were at a place called Catskill creek, beautiful spot to swim, hike, drink and barbecue.

It was usually just about 6–7 tight friends but one weekend someone mentioned the trip to some stoners from the neighborhood, mostly good guys but their thing was angel dust, I’ve tried it, horrible stuff, fuckn horrible, people wind up doing the most stupid things on it.

Well one of them was diving into shallow water, a friend of mine walked by and said “ jack, be careful, the water is too shallow” it was at most 3’ deep with rocks the size of basketballs.

Jack continued, after about three or four dives he hit his head on a rock, they pulled him out but the damage was done, he was paralyzed below the neck.

If that’s not sad enough his click would come and visit him and bring him angle dust to smoke, there are foolish mistakes and then there is sheer despair and stupidity, he was actually a very mellow, peaceful, decent guy, one life wasted

 

NATO Escalation & Propaganda – Glenn Greenwald, Alexander Mercouris & Glenn Diesen

A very good discussion on the ENORMOUS RISK of nuclear escalation.

Has your doctor ever ignored you and was then proven wrong?

Yes, not my GP/PCP but a hospital consultant.

I was admitted with pneumonia, and I had pleural effusions (“water on the lungs”) but the doc felt it would resolve. They sent me home on oral antibiotics.

I deteriorated. The next several months were a cycle of – be so unwell and in such pain you can’t stand, call the ambulance, go to Casualty, get admitted, have one day of IV antibiotics, get told you are faking, get sent home, rinse repeat.

I was fading, my skin was the colour of clay, my hair was falling out, I was in the worst pain imaginable. But, apparently, the hospital consultant felt I was “drug seeking” and denied me pain management.

After 5 months I was not able to go home. They denied me pain management, but also basics like food “to encourage you to get up”- they said “come to the dining room, and you can eat”. I couldn’t get up. I didn’t care.

I had horrible pressure areas- the nurse threw a pot of sudocrem at me and told me to “sort myself” and “stop faking, everyone knows you are…”

The consultant kept asking me how I got my CRP- an inflammatory marker- to go up. I told him I wasn’t doing anything but being sick. It was my only “off” blood level.

It was so humiliating… every time the doctors came around, the lead jerk would say how I was persistently faking, drug seeking, etc… and finally a Jr doctor said “it could be infective discitis”.

The consultant said “Well, Dr Kildare, you take over then” and he laughed.

The Jr Doc ordered a Gallium scan, which showed infection in the discs between my vertebrae.

Infective discitis is one of the most painful conditions possible. I had lived 5 months without any pain relief, neglected, abused, and called a faker.

I was sent to a specialist hospital, as a result of the extensive delay I lost my discs in my thoracic (chest) spine, and my spine is stabilised with titanium rods. I have constant pain, and reduced mobility.

I went back to see that doctor… I expected just a little “sorry”… he said “oh well, win some lose some…”

…. I made a complaint, and was told “it is a rare condition… difficult to identify…”

but a kid 20 minutes out of med school managed. Had they looked at the situation without their “we don’t like that woman” bias… sigh. I’m autistic but have altered pain presentation. When someone else would writhe and cry, I just get quiet.

I still have nightmares, but that jerk of a doctor probably has well forgotten I exist. All the staff who followed his lead, perfectly happy to mistreat me… I could be filled with hate but I choose instead to admire the young man who saved my life, Dr Mo Khan. I hope he hasn’t changed- it took great courage to speak up for me.

 

The Last Spark

Submitted into Contest #251 in response to: Dream up a secret library. Write a story about an adventurer who discovers it. What’s in the library? Why was it kept secret?

 

Ettore Cerchi

 

Hours had already passed as we walked aimlessly. I felt the wind beginning to whistle, bringing with it the deadly cold of the desert night. We set up our tent and lit our campfire.

“Honestly, Tom. You know this is a fairy tale. Sure, we have some evidence, but that´s nothing like the Indiana Jones movies you loved so much when we were teenagers.”

Leo’s pessimism had become routine over the past month. After being fired from his job as a chemistry teacher, it seemed another person had taken over his body.

“Man, I get it. But we agreed to do this together and we’ve chased every possible and impossible clue around the globe. We know enough. The Great Library of Alexandria was never burned, it was hidden!”

“Only you believe that, Tom… I don’t know what made me agree to this. Tomorrow is our final deadline. According to the map, it should be here, and we found nothing today.”

“Leo, you and I are teachers. It´s true I’m a history teacher, which would be much cooler for me to see what´s inside the library, but imagine how many other things we may find. We always dreamed of this.”

I had little bargaining power left. In fact, we had been here for nine days and hadn’t found a single old scroll.

“Tomorrow, the last day.”

“Okay. Let’s search behind that dune at sunrise and then near that yellow rock we haven’t checked yet,” I said, pointing to the locations.

We got up early. We quickly packed our backpacks and left our tent there to save time; we could collect everything on our way back. We had little time before the sun became scorching.

“Yes, as we imagined… Nothing behind this stupid pile of sand.”

“Yeah, let’s head to the rock.”

By the time we arrived, it was almost 11 AM, and we managed to shelter from the sun behind the shadow cast by the rock.

“Look at this, Leo! It looks like a crank!”

“Hm… That’s not a crank.” Moving closer to examine it, he continued:

“It’s a miniature sundial. Notice the markings around it, they’re symmetrical…”

“Wow, what are the chances this is related to the Library?”

“There are lots of these sundials out there, stop trying to find connections in everything. And please don’t touch it. You could break it. Later, the local authorities will see and say you vandalized some random historical site. I don’t want trouble, Tom, let’s just go home.”

“Okay. Let’s wait for the sun to go down a bit, and we’ll head back to the tent. I can’t believe we found nothing.”

As soon as I said that, I felt a sudden tremor. The ground beneath the rock began to open, revealing the entrance to a monumental staircase. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Everything seemed meticulously well-preserved, almost as if a supernatural force was keeping everything in perfect condition.

“I can’t believe it.” Leo said.

“Neither can I, but look at the sundial! It’s noon now, maybe this door only opens when the sun is directly above us! Let’s go, quickly!”

We rushed in, and I hadn’t seen a trace of a smile on his face in a long time. It seemed a spark had ignited. For a brief moment, he looked like my childhood brother.

The passage led us to an underground chamber of unimaginable proportions. I could hear echoes of sounds I couldn’t even understand where they were coming from. Illuminated by the same magical glow as the stairs, I slipped on one of the stone pieces forming the floor, so polished and well-maintained they were. Shelves upon shelves of ancient scrolls, books, and artifacts filled the space, relics from another time.

In the center of the chamber stood a solitary figure, a man with flowing hair and a robe that didn’t seem from such a distant era.

“Welcome, travelers,” said the man, his voice echoing through the chamber. “I am Klygor, the Guardian of the Library.”

I stepped closer, Leo behind me. “Is this truly the lost Library of Alexandria?”

Klygor nodded. “Indeed, it is. Preserved in secrecy for centuries, hidden from the ravages of time and man. Only those worthy of gathering all the clues and enduring ten days in the desert sun can enter, and once inside, they may stay for only a month, learning all the library has to offer. But beware, you can take nothing with you except what you carry in your minds.”

We couldn’t waste any time.

“Leo! I found out that Socrates never actually existed. Plato invented this character, but the ideas were almost all his!”

“Interesting. I’m discovering many things too…”

Each day that passed, I got fewer answers from him

“Let’s sleep, man. We’ll continue studying more tomorrow.”

“Feel free… I’ll sleep later.”

Everyday, I slept and woke up with him already reading and searching for new things. But it seemed the more he read, the more his soul faded. Like a drug addict, the more you use or smoke something, the greater the amount needed for the same effect.

He was searching for something that wasn’t there.

“Leo, what are you looking for? Talk to me.”

“I… I want to learn more. The only thing I know how to do is learn.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone tells me I don´t know how to be a good teacher. Maybe they are right.”

” Yes, you do like learning new things, but you always loved teaching!”

“No, Tom. I don’t know how to teach and never did. I was just very good at grasping things at first glance.”

We had reached our last day.

“Hey, Klygor. Where are you!?” I shouted.

“I am here, traveler Tom. At the foot of the Staircase, awaiting your departure… Time is running out.”

“Leo, it’s time. Let’s go, we’ve seen everything we needed, we have material to tell people for ages!”

“Wait, Tom. I’m just finishing this piece of parchment. It seems interesting…”

“No, man!! We don’t have any more time, let’s go!”

“I have nothing to do out there, Tom. It’s the second time I’ve been fired, schools always say I lack the necessary teaching skills.”

“What are you talking about? Every week while we still lived with our mother, we received letters from students thanking you, saying you changed their lives. I never received anything like that!”

“You were never fired.”

Silence. I had no response to that.

“You taught me everything I know about the art of teaching. If you don’t know, I don’t know either.”

“None of that matters… That’s not how the world works, and you know it. Sometimes, I feel I should have just kept quiet and accepted teaching the way the principals wanted.”

“Leo… what’s worth more, a student transformed for life or a happy principal?”

“Huh? tell me, now. You always – ”

“Gentlemen, I must interrupt. If you don’t leave within moments, one will have to stay and become the new guardian of the Library. That’s what happened to me almost 90 years ago. I was so focused on some revelations completely different from our History, that I didn’t notice the suns rising and setting. When I realized it, the former librarian had already left, sealing here forever. You’re the first I’ve seen in all this time. I’m doing you the favor of letting you decide; I don’t want to leave here with negative energies from having tricked someone.”

“Give us five minutes!”

“I’m not the one controlling the magic of this place. I’m waiting at the top of the stairs until the final moment.”

“Leo, it’s now, let’s go!”

“I’m not going, and you know it…”

“Please, I don’t know how to teach without your advices!”

“Tom, I found a spark of happiness here. Knowing that at least learning is something I’ve always been able to do and no one could take that away from me… ”

I heard the sands starting to assemble. I ran up as fast as I could, and at the last moment, I turned to see him one last time.

In the distance, I could see, with the same sad face, he opened another book.

Chicago Style Stuffed Pizza

Chicago stuffed pizza
Chicago stuffed pizza

Ingredients

  • 2 (14 inch) soft pizza crusts
  • 6 ounces pepperoni slices
  • 6 ounces Italian sausage
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
  • 1 red onion, cut into thin strips
  • 1 can pizza sauce
  • 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/8 cup Italian seasoning
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Spray a 12 inch deep-dish pizza pan with vegetable oil.
  2. Place 1 pizza crust in pan and have crust come up sides like a pie.
  3. Add all listed ingredients into pizza pan, adding seasoning to top.
  4. Place second crust on top and use a fork to blend top and bottom crusts together like a pie. Cut off any additional crust.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

Shorpy

SHORPY 29930u.preview
SHORPY 29930u.preview

SHORPY SoCal women.preview
SHORPY SoCal women.preview

SHORPY 4a17825a.preview
SHORPY 4a17825a.preview

SHORPY 4a11108a.preview
SHORPY 4a11108a.preview

SHORPY 4a22368a.preview
SHORPY 4a22368a.preview

SHORPY 4a27249a.preview
SHORPY 4a27249a.preview

SHORPY 24322u.preview
SHORPY 24322u.preview

SHORPY 25098u.preview
SHORPY 25098u.preview

SHORPY 24336u.preview
SHORPY 24336u.preview

SHORPY 4a06701a.preview
SHORPY 4a06701a.preview

SHORPY 4a17078a.preview
SHORPY 4a17078a.preview

SHORPY 4a17084a.preview
SHORPY 4a17084a.preview

SHORPY SoCal slideshow.preview
SHORPY SoCal slideshow.preview

SHORPY 03319u.preview
SHORPY 03319u.preview

SHORPY 14391u.preview
SHORPY 14391u.preview

SHORPY pennsy bday IMG063.preview
SHORPY pennsy bday IMG063.preview

caronstreet copy a.preview
caronstreet copy a.preview

SHORPY 25084u.preview
SHORPY 25084u.preview

SHORPY 24339u.preview
SHORPY 24339u.preview

SHORPY 8a24942a.preview
SHORPY 8a24942a.preview

SHORPY 8a24946a.preview
SHORPY 8a24946a.preview

SHORPY 01602u.preview
SHORPY 01602u.preview

SHORPY 8a24951a.preview
SHORPY 8a24951a.preview

SHORPY 4a19741a.preview
SHORPY 4a19741a.preview

SHORPY 01415u.preview
SHORPY 01415u.preview

SHORPY 4a23776a.preview
SHORPY 4a23776a.preview

SHORPY 4a21189a.preview
SHORPY 4a21189a.preview

I’ll never forget that one evening when I walked into my house and instantly knew something was off. It had been a fun day out with friends, and by the time I got home, it was already dark. I pushed open the door, expecting the usual cozy vibe, but something felt wrong. I couldn’t put my finger on it at first. I took a deep breath and looked around. Everything seemed normal, but there was this weird tension in the air. Then I noticed the living room window was slightly open. I always lock my windows. Always. A chill ran down my spine. I moved closer and saw the lock was broken. My heart started pounding. Did someone break in? I grabbed my phone and called the police, trying to stay calm. While I waited, I did a quick walk-through of the house. When I saw my bedroom door ajar, I almost lost it. But when I peeked inside, it was empty, and nothing seemed to be missing.

The cops showed up and checked everything out. No one was there, and nothing was taken. They thought maybe someone had tried to break in but got scared off when I came home. They told me to change the locks and be more careful. That night, I barely slept. Every little noise made me jump. Over the next few days, I got new locks, installed a security system, and even got a dog for extra protection. Gradually, I started to feel safe again.

Visiting a Japanese Maid Cafe to Meet a Famous Maid

Fun fact: When I was in court fighting the charges that I was a dangerous and evil sex offender, they used my YouTube videos to point out that I was a dangerous person with weird and strange fetishes. This was one such video that they used. I don’t remember if it was this one, but yeah it was something like this.

What’s the best revenge to someone who robbed you?

Long, but what fun! Read to the end – Lemonade!

This was about 20 years ago. Was working night shift so was home during the day.

Had two bicycles hung upside down in the garage, and had left the garage door open after doing some chores (my bad).

Well, sitting inside and heard a noise, but didn’t connect it to the garage. By chance, went out the front door and saw one person riding my blue Trek with Rock Shox up the street, and another young man walking next to him. Started off at a run after them, and realized that if they bolted, there was no way I was going to catch them (early 50’s and 240 lbs.)! So checked the garage, and noted that they had stolen one bike, but left the other! So grabbed the other one and lit off after them.

By that time, the two had separated, and the one on my bike rounded the corner out of sight. But I caught up to the other one. Remember, I was on a bike accelerating for a block, weighted 240, and hyped up on adrenaline. He never heard me coming, and crumpled like a wet bag of crisps. Denied everything – yea, right.

But it gets better! As I’m yelling at him, my neighbor drives by. And guess what – he’s a detective for the local PD. Explain what is going on, and he takes the kid away in handcuffs!

Think that’s good? It gets better! The other neighbor across the street saw the whole thing, including the one kid going into the garage and stealing the bike. So with that information, we have them on theft and tresspassing – which raises it to felony. We’re now talking big time trouble.

OK, back to the detective that now has the kid in handcuffs. He had come home for lunch, and was heading back to work for the afternoon. Honestly – I can’t make this up! Literally, the first thing on his afternoon docket is to work on a bicycle theft ring in the city. Honest! And I just delivered his key suspect. Wish I could have put a ribbon around his neck for my detective friend.

But wait – it gets better! The guy (juvenile) spills the beans on the whole ring. Turns out, it was a steal to specifications ring. Someone puts in an “order” for a blue mountain bike with front suspension, then they go out and steal it. And now they have all the information on the ring.

Good enough? It gets better. They arrange a bust at the home in a neighboring town and coordinate two police jurisdictions to raid the house just before 6 PM. Remember this is less than 5 hours after my bike was stolen! And lo and behold – they recover over 200 stolen bicycles including mine! They had already taken off a few minor parts (seat bag with contents, pump) so I was able to give a description of what was there. The two minors had to reimburse me for that. Plus the ringleader had to also reimburse me for the items from prison. So actually got the bike back and reimbursement for the other items twice. Asked, and court said to keep both.

And another nice twist? The Judge called me. Said that the ringleader(s) had to go to jail for the felony thefts – no other option there. But he asked what I thought was appropriate for the juveniles. First thought was to lock em up, but that wouldn’t do any good. So my recommendation was that they both had to complete High School with at least a “C” average. Keep them off the street, give them some skills for the future, and set them on a positive path. Judge loved the idea and said he would try to put that in.

That’s the last I heard. Hope it went that way.

But I got my bike back the same day, got reimbursed for the items no longer attached to the bike – twice, and hopefully made a positive difference in two lives that were headed the wrong direction.

Life dealt me lemons. I love making lemonade!

 

Made Up

Why do overseas Chinese in general support the reunification of China?

I am a Thai-born Chinese. I don’t know about other Chinese Thais. Everybody has the right to identify oneself with a culture.

My grandpa and great grandparents were Chinese peasants and staunch nationalists. My grandpa hated Mao to the bone. Yet he always said to me that:-

  1. Without China and Thailand, there would not have been us.
  2. He was too old and I will live long enough to see the “peaceful” reunification of China. “Please witness that auspicious moment for me.”
  3. I love and still miss my grandpa, who passed away in an accident in Thailand while I was studying overseas. He gave me $100 bill in a pink envelope with his beautiful handwriting wishing me a success. I still keep that envelope. He didn’t live to see my graduation. I boarded first plane back to pay homage for him with tears all over my face throughout the course of that long flight. And I was not shy at all. Every time I look at the map of China and hear the word that means “China” in whatever language, China means my grandpa, my grandparents, my great grandparents, my parents, my root, my ancestors, my compatriots, my brethren.

Anyone can call me a nutcase. Fine. I don’t care because I keep promise to my grandpa that I will witness the Peaceful Reunification of China for him. He will be watching it from heaven above.

I don’t need Xi Jinping or any Pan-Blue telling me to love PRC and RoC respectively.

I’ll do everything to help the people on both sides of the Strait understand each other and unite as One China.

It can be People’s Republic 人民共和國, Republic 民國, Federal Republic of China 聯邦共和國 or just plain China 中國. I don’t mind singing a new national anthem or raising a new flag. As long as it’s a unified, strong, prosperous, and peaceful China.

中國萬歲, 中華民族萬歲

 

UN demands U.S. remove ILLEGAL China sanctions

Washington has enforced a number of illegal unilateral sanctions against China’s Xinjiang region since 2021 which, among other things, subvert the internationally recognized idea of “innocent until proven guilty,” assuming that any and all goods produced in Xinjiang, or even partly produced in Xinjiang, are tainted with so-called “slave labor,” forcing accused entities to prove they are INNOCENT which is all but impossible. Finally, though, someone is speaking up for China. That person is Professor Alena Douhan from the UN, who recently visited Xinjiang and is now calling on the US to immediately remove its illegal sanctions. Will it work? And how has the Western media reported on the UN’s statement? Today we’ll investigate.

 

Have you ever seen someone ruin their life in just a few seconds? How did they do it?

I had a friend in high school named Andy. Andy was a super good-looking guy, the kind of good-looking where when he was a sophomore and a metalhead, even senior cheerleaders thought he was hot. He was also a nice guy, and the only one in his close circle of friends who never did hard drugs — PCP and heroin use were common among those guys.

After high school, Andy moved to Florida, and as far as I know he was happy down there. He took some acting classes and got cast in some TV commercials — like I said, super good-looking guy.

But then his mom, long divorced, began having health problems. Andy’s brother helped her out, but Andy decided to move back to our shitty hometown anyway to help his mom. (Andy’s mom was a regular customer at the bank I worked at. She had problems with her hands so we would let Andy and his brother sign checks for her.)

I had lost touch with him when he moved (no social media in the 90s), but after he moved back we’d chat a lot when he did his mom’s banking for her. She wanted us to date. I liked Andy, but he was so good looking that I couldn’t imagine him ever really wanting to date me, plus a good friend of mine had dated him in high school and it ended badly. So we just chatted and casually flirted.

Being back home meant that Andy ultimately started hanging out with his old friends, most of whom were still doing a lot of drugs. His best friend, Alex, kept trying to get Andy to try heroin.

Just once, man, you won’t get hooked from trying it once.

So Andy — the guy who’d never touched anything heavier than weed or beer — decided to try heroin. Just once.

And he OD’d.

And he died.

He was 23 years old.

I was hit hard by Andy’s death, but the hardest thing for me was seeing his mother. She was so heartbroken. All she had were her boys, and now one of them, her baby, was gone. All because of one single decision.

Andy didn’t just ruin his own life, he ruined his mom’s, too — the person he loved so much that he gave up his happy life and moved back to the town he couldn’t wait to get out of in the first place.

For the record, Alex ended up being hit by a car and killed in his 30s. He was high and walking in the middle of the road late at night; the driver just didn’t see him until it was too late.

Another of their close circle, John, tried over and over again to kick heroin. He died of an OD when he was 28. (John had been turned onto heroin by his own mom, by the way. Nice, huh?)

Heroin is an epidemic in my hometown today. It’s reached a crisis level. We’re talking about a mostly middle- and upper-middle-class town of 7,000 people, here, by the way, not Skid Row.

I’ve tried a number of drugs in my life, and been a recreational user of a few in the past. But heroin, like meth, is one of those you couldn’t pay me to ever try. Not even once.

Because I remember John. And Alex. And most of all, Andy… who was only gonna try it once.

 

The bond

Acapulco Chicken Pizza

495950155
495950155

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3/4 pound fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
  • 1 package Ortega Taco Seasoning Mix (regular) or 2 tablespoons homemade Taco Seasoning
  • 3 tablespoons cayenne pepper
  • 5 tablespoons Ortega Thick & Smooth Taco Sauce (medium)
  • 2 (12 inch) flour tortillas
  • 8 ounces Ortega Refried Beans
  • 1/4 cup Ortega Thick & Smooth Taco Sauce (medium)
  • 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 2 cups lettuce, shredded
  • 2 avocados, seeded, peeled and mashed
  • 1 tomato, diced

Instructions

  1. Add oil to a large heated skillet; stir in chicken, taco seasoning mix and cayenne pepper and cook until browned.
  2. Stir in first amount of taco sauce and remove from the heat.
  3. On a large plate, place flour tortillas; divide and spread with refried beans, being sure to cover the entire tortilla.
  4. Add the chicken mixture over the beans and sprinkle remaining taco sauce, grated Monterey Jack cheese and grated Cheddar cheese on top.
  5. Bake at 375 degrees F until the cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes.
  6. Remove and cut into wedges.
  7. Serve with shredded lettuce, mashed avocados, and diced tomato.

RICHARD WOLFF ON HOW RUSSIA JUST DEALT FATAL BLOW TO NATO SANCTIONS WAR WITH CHINA AND BRICS HELP

Richard Wolff joins the program to discuss his view on how Russia sanctions have not just backfired but are actually fueling breakneck economic growth, China's newfound economic confidence despite US tariffs, and the collapsing economic infrastructure of the U.S. empire and its dollar hegemony.

 

https://youtu.be/1b9z07dcesg

Why would I always see the products with the word “made in China” if there are so many cheap labors in other developing countries, not just China?

Sure. But places with cheap labor usually have a shortfall in other conditions.

Such as

  1. Talent. Educated professionals, management etc.
  2. Law and order. And a populace that respects authority.
  3. Infrastructure. Roads, communication networks, bridges, factories, housing, services. Very expensive and time consuming, not to mention knowledge-intensive.
  4. Stability. It can be political, societal, even physical. For example, Bangladesh suffers from yearly floods, disrupting the economy.
  5. Ecosystems. Very few products are made in a single factory. China now has critical mass in symbiotic, cooperative production. The modern smart phone or laptop is a prime example, which extends beyond China into East Asia.

I can go on, but you get the gist. You cannot depend on just cheap labor. China is paradise for manufacturers. Otherwise it won’t have become the world’s factory.

Travel some. Even places like Malaysia or Taiwan can look positively stone age compared to China when it comes to manufacturing.

Vintage art

8ec8857ffd0793f8d4a324e099cf5277
8ec8857ffd0793f8d4a324e099cf5277

52af47ddf4f9ac85f22058b37c074771
52af47ddf4f9ac85f22058b37c074771

3c97a8db690c354e2ec471b820d0cf5a
3c97a8db690c354e2ec471b820d0cf5a

13b21510f079cfccfbc9e1a46c8af966
13b21510f079cfccfbc9e1a46c8af966

6428ec033182977994c1690c1eb67905
6428ec033182977994c1690c1eb67905

29f53cf417a3701f1b08298a0709cfb0
29f53cf417a3701f1b08298a0709cfb0

4546a98d02faf12421849f56e9b8f586
4546a98d02faf12421849f56e9b8f586

f3694abb47d71c8d3b1c086e45c5bf64
f3694abb47d71c8d3b1c086e45c5bf64

8eaf9bda82f716df0aaa649e72e80593
8eaf9bda82f716df0aaa649e72e80593

dbbef0eb6b5fdda97647bfb766f34586
dbbef0eb6b5fdda97647bfb766f34586

5bf57f817d6dbe6e92101b44aacb05f3
5bf57f817d6dbe6e92101b44aacb05f3

adebeeb82452e02d8d4ec3bd7584b4ee
adebeeb82452e02d8d4ec3bd7584b4ee

c027c5634e6b4ad9b30295650827700d
c027c5634e6b4ad9b30295650827700d

b67b4512b8645b889729443c052b5042
b67b4512b8645b889729443c052b5042

865d4b82f036060bae8a489620bc4215
865d4b82f036060bae8a489620bc4215

cfbf1e026874bd98275a2822d287a914
cfbf1e026874bd98275a2822d287a914

45c7e5d8bf8b069766acdbb0ea5b5eec
45c7e5d8bf8b069766acdbb0ea5b5eec

4d6b3fb3c6f828dd2e5b1245f23dfd01
4d6b3fb3c6f828dd2e5b1245f23dfd01

f2e24ce39c58163be6fa027e0322f8a4
f2e24ce39c58163be6fa027e0322f8a4

@@@@@9ba5d89f9d1970c3de6c496c467400a2
@@@@@9ba5d89f9d1970c3de6c496c467400a2

One Saturday morning, two men in a truck pulled up into our driveway, got out, and knocked on our door.

The year was 1971.

My father answered the door.

One of the men said, “We’re here to pick up the bed.”

“What bed?” my father asked.

They didn’t know what bed. They were given an address and so, here they were.

“Where’s the bed?” they asked, rather insistent about their orders.

We had had a yard sale several weeks before, but no beds were offered for sale. My father thought perhaps there was a neighbor who had a bed that needed refurbishing or broken down needing removal.

The men puzzled my father but he could make no sense of what they asked. He told them to try at the Vann house across the street.

Dr. and Mrs. Vann had six children. Maybe they had extra beds with one that needed to be picked up. My father was sure there were some broken beds in that house with four boys and two girls.

The men left.

My father didn’t give it a second thought.

Until several weeks had passed by. Dad saw Dr. Vann in the grocery store.

“Hey! Dutch! Did those guys come get your bed?”

In the middle of the grocery store, Dr. Vann began to curse my father. Loudly. The cussing didn’t bother my father. He didn’t understand why Dr. Vann was so angry at him.

“It was you! You! You, SOB!” yelled Dr. Vann.

Turns out Dr. Vann answered the door that Saturday morning when the two men in a truck knocked at the back door saying they were there to pick up a bed. Dr. Vann’s wife wasn’t home and neither were any of the older children who might have known which bed was meant. Dr. Van thought and thought about which bed they could possibly mean. Then he remembered his wife had an old bed in the basement. He led the men down there and showed them the bed and how to take it out using the basement door, rather than go back through the house. He watched the men load the bed and drive away.

When Mrs. Vann returned, Dr. Vann told his wife that men had come for the bed and he gave them the one in the basement.

She screamed.

Mrs. Vann ran down into the basement and to her horror it was true! Her husband had given away an authentic antique French Rococo hand-carved bed handed down to her from her late mother. The bed was in storage until Mrs. Vann found the appropriate mattress.

“What was the name of the dealer on the side of the truck?” she begged.

There was either no name or Dr. Vann had gone blank. Mrs. Vann called all the furniture restorers in the area, but to no avail.

The men in the truck were never seen again.

Luckily, we moved the following month. I don’t think Dr. Vann ever forgave my father.

I don’t think Mrs. Vann ever forgave Dutch.

 

 

 

The forgotten normal

During the 1960’s there were all kinds of inventions and stuff that you could buy. Sometimes these were found in the back of magazines like Popular Science, or shown on television in the form of a commercial. You know the drill; “As seen on television.”

Well, my uncle Harry was quite the character. He even started a “pirate” radio station when he was a teenager in the 1930’s. Got in trouble for it too. Heh heh.

Anyways he was always trying out one gadget or the other. One time he had this weird colored sheet of plastic that he had in front of the television. This was back in the days when most televisions were black and white only. And this was long before remote controls too.

TV
TV

This sheet was clear but had three colored stripes. The top was transparent blue. The bottom was transparent brown, and the middle was a transparent yellow.

It gave an illusion, sort of, of a blue sky, and green grass with a yellow house in the picture.

Personally, I thought it was silly and hated it. I think that he did as well. He ended up throwing it away the next week or so.

Oh, my… so many things that were normal back in the day has become forgotten in the real world.

Today…

A student threatened to sue me over the way I’d graded his homework.

Well ok, he threatened to sue the university because of the way I’d graded his homework. But I do remember thinking that I’d definitely had the full American experience when that happened.

Here’s how it happened…

I was a teaching assistant on an introductory astronomy class for undergraduate students. I taught a lab class of 20 or so students, and I graded their homework assignments.

One of my students had terrible hand writing, and really wasn’t putting much effort into presenting his work clearly. I couldn’t decipher some of his work so I graded him down on some of the answers. He came to see me after class and he deciphered his work for me and I could see that he had got the correct answer. I advised him that sometimes it’s not enough to know the right answer, you also have to be able to demonstrate that you know. But I gave him the extra points for the assignment and told him he was always welcome to query my grading, that I was not infallible.

He responded – “Thanks. I hope to go to law school so it’s important to me that I always fight my corner.”

Ok I thought, weird response but he’s young, whatever.

The next week the professor teaching the course told us that he was trying to focus in class on the difference between accuracy and precision, and that even if some of the students forgot all he ever taught them about astronomy, he hoped that understanding the difference between accuracy and precision would prove useful to them in future years. He instructed us to grade the homework accordingly.

My student’s homework came in, a mess again, and with some wrong answers and some ambiguous ones. So I graded him down for those.

Sure enough, he came to see me after class.


The first question showed a picture of the crescent moon, and asked students to indicate where the terminator was. He drew three arrows pointing to three different parts of the moon, saying basically “there, or there, or there”. Only one of the lines pointed to the terminator (the division between night and day on the moon) the other lines pointed to the edges of the moon on both the day and the night side. Well clearly he didn’t know the answer. When he came to see me he admitted as much, so I explained.

He said “well I thought that was possible, that’s why it’s one of the options I gave you”. Like he was setting me a multiple choice quiz!

I pointed out that he also gave me two incorrect answers.

“Well now I know which is correct, and I’ve demonstrated that I understand, so you should let me have the points.”

No, I told him, the time to demonstrate his understanding was when he handed in his homework, and he could have proven his understanding then by showing only the correct answer! He wasn’t happy, but we moved on.


Another question had students calculating the orbital period of Neptune, given that Neptune has a semi-major axis of 30 AU. If you plug in the numbers into a calculator it will give you an answer of 163.3167673 years, and that’s exactly what he (and others in the class) put. But it’s not correct. Wikipedia gives the orbital period as 164.8 years. There are three reasons why his answer was wrong, the first is that the formula that the class were expected to use (Kepler’s third law) is only an approximation, and the second (which is bigger than the first) is that Neptune’s semi-major axis is only approximately 30 AU (Wikipedia says 30.11 AU). Neither of those points were an issue; if there’s one science that doesn’t worry too much about approximations it’s astronomy. The real reason he was wrong was that he didn’t acknowledge that approximation; he provided more precision than was justified by the accuracy of the information we provided. By giving his answer to 7 decimal places he was claiming he knew the orbital period of Neptune to within 4 seconds. And he was out by 1.5 years, that’s a factor of 12 million! Given the information we provided, the answer I wanted to see was 160 years. I’d have given him full marks if he’d written 163 years, probably even 163.3 years. 200 years would have been accurate if you’d assumed precision to the nearest 100. But, as the professor instructed, I deducted a couple of points because his excessive precision meant that his answer was wrong.

Well, he didn’t like my explanation. He demanded the extra points! Precision is a good thing surely! I offered to take more time to try and explain some more, but he stormed out. I spent the week thinking of ways to explain the subtle difference more clearly, because he wasn’t the only one in my class that was struggling with it. But he never showed up at any of my classes after that.


A few days later the professor got in touch. The student had complained and wanted me fired! I was teaching students to be less precise in their work! I explained the situation and the professor said it sounded about right. He said he’d completely backed me up and I suspect he wasn’t quite as diplomatic as I tried to be. I didn’t have any further involvement in the case but the professor kept me updated.

The student tried to drop out of the class but the university informed him that he was too far through the semester to do that without paying the tuition fees. He tried to argue that the professor and I had a vendetta against him and he couldn’t expect a fair grade. The professor assured the university that this wasn’t the case. Then he demanded a meeting with someone senior, and he brought his Mom along, who was a lawyer (surprise surprise). They let the university know that they would be beginning legal actions if it didn’t back down, so back down it did. I understand why the university didn’t bother fighting the case, but I thought it was a shame. I thought it would have done him some good if Mr I-Always-Fight-My-Corner learnt that sometimes you lose, especially when you are in the wrong. Maybe a more important life lesson than the difference between precision and accuracy.


The following week I did take the time to explain the difference again. I told them a joke…

A man walks into the natural history museum and looks up at the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and says aloud “I wonder how old that is”.

A janitor, mopping the floor nearby, comes over and says “that dinosaur is 80 million and 16 years old”.

“Oh really?” Says the man.

“Yes, I know that because I asked the very same question when I started working here 16 years ago today.”

Nobody laughed. That’s ok I said, I didn’t say it was a good joke, but I can tell by the way you all rolled your eyes that you ‘got’ it. 80 million years is accurate if you assume a precision of a few million or a few tens of million years. But you all understand why the janitor was wrong to believe he knew the age of the dinosaur to the nearest year.

None of my students made the same mistake in any of their homework assignments after that.

It was a night draped in the deception of stars over Baltimore, 1840, where shadows fell like cloaks over cobblestone streets. Dr. Simon Dorset emerged from the obscure folds of an alley, the hum of his time machine dissipating into the ether of history. He adjusted the lapels of his meticulously chosen 19th-century attire, feeling the weight and wonder of epochs as he tread discreetly among the citizens of the past.His ebony walking stick clicked rhythmically against the stones, a metronome to his swirling thoughts. This was not merely a visit; it was an anachronistic pilgrimage. Simon’s destination tonight was more elusive and intoxicating than any artifact—a meeting with the enigmatic Edgar Allan Poe.A glance at his pocket watch reminded him of time’s cruel precision, especially for one stolen from another era. He allowed himself a brief moment to jot down observations in his leather-bound journal, noting the gaslight that flickered like ghostly sentinels guiding his path.As he entered the local tavern, a hubbub of raucous laughter and smoky whispers washed over him. He absorbed the milieu, each detail a precious nugget of information. The patrons, swathed in the comfortable drab of labor and the occasional flash of foppish textile, provided a carousel of character study. Edgar Allan Poe was a frequent visitor here—an icon whose conversations might reveal more than his written words ever could.Positioning himself at the bar, Simon sipped a drink, his eyes and ears open, scrutinizing each face and catching snatches of conversation that danced on the air. His guise as a visiting publisher from England seemed impermeable as he matched the locutions and cadences of his surroundings.His opportunity arose when a man of unmistakable countenance stepped through the doorway. Edgar Allan Poe, known by portrait and prose, moved with a somber grace, his eyes holding an unearthly fascination. Simon initiated a dialogue, discussing the philosophical quandaries inherent in modern Romantic literature—a surefire way to pique Poe’s interest. 

Poe’s response was immediate and intense, providing a fertile ground for deeper discussion. “Ah, sir, you understand the darkness of the soul entwined with the light of creativity,” Poe remarked, his voice tinged with a melancholic timbre. Their conversation quickly moved from the public earshot to the intimate setting of Poe’s study.

 

The study was a chaos of inspiration—papers strewn like fallen leaves in autumn, books stacked in teetering columns of thought. Simon’s heart raced as he eyed the manuscripts cluttering the desk. In a moment of distraction for Poe, his gaze fell upon a specific stack of papers penned in a hurried yet deliberate script.

 

Topics and metaphors unknown to the scholars of Simon’s time beckoned from those pages. The lure of academic glory flickered before him, stirring a tempest of ethical and temporal dilemmas. His plan emerged almost fully formed—a theft that would echo through the centuries but could brand him an eternal brigand in the annals of time.

 

Weeks passed, and a cordial invitation to a social gala at Poe’s abode presented the perfect milieu for his surreptitious intent. Under the guise of evening air necessity, Simon navigated back to the tempest of paper and ink. The manuscript was now in his grasp, a treasure far more potent than mere gold. Yet, in his haste, Simon’s modern smartphone—a slab of technology utterly alien to the 19th century—slipped from his pocket, left on Poe’s mahogany desk.

 

With a swirling cloak and a heart pounding against the corset of his own deceit, Simon returned to his era, leaving behind an anachronism that would unravel time’s tightly knit fabric.

 

The morning sun, indifferent in its rise, found Edgar Allan Poe in contemplative solitude. As light spilled across his desk, the unusual sheen of the abandoned smartphone caught his attention. It lay there, stark and intrusive among the soft yellowing papers of his literary endeavors. Curiosity, that relentless driver of human behavior, prompted Poe to reach for the device, his fingertips brushing against the cold, smooth surface. The screen flickered to life at his touch, illuminating his face with a pale, eerie glow.

 

Simon, safely ensconced back in his time, felt the immediate ripple of his accidental influence. The Baltimore he returned to bore scant resemblance to the one he had left. Buildings bristled with unfathomable technology, the skyline jagged with the spires of progress grown wild, fed by an anachronistic seed. His stomach churned with the realization that history had veered catastrophically off course.

 

Poe, meanwhile, was originally viewed as the harbinger of this new era. Word spread through the city with the speed of fire through dry timber. The enigmatic device held secrets of light and knowledge, screens within screens—miracles undreamed of even in the fevered pitches of the most fantastical literatures.

 

It wasn’t long before Poe was thronged by the curious and the ambitious, their minds alight with possibilities. Inventors, scholars, rogues—they all wanted a piece of the future unveiled. Each touch, each interaction spun a new thread of history, weaving a tapestry far removed from the one Simon knew.

 

Back in his altered present, Dr. Simon Dorset was consumed by an urgent need to correct this unintended aberration. The historical and cultural legacy of Poe, once defined by his mysterious and macabre tales, was now overshadowed by a technological boom he had unwittingly initiated. Simon’s own research spiraled into obsolescence; the Poe he revered was lost to a world dazzled by premature progress.

 

The gravity of his error was a weight he could barely sustain. Turning to his colleagues and historical chronicles yielded only scant mentions of Poe—the poet and author were eclipsed by Poe, the accidental father of a technological revolution. Simon’s isolation grew, paralleled only by his desperation.

 

Resolving to undo the harm, Simon reactivated his time machine, dismissing the cascade of warnings displayed by the machine’s diagnostics. The temporal navigational systems, designed to prevent precisely such paradoxes, blared their reluctance in stark red warnings across the interface. But Simon pushed forward, driven by a near-mad obsession to restore the literary giant’s legacy.

 

As the machine whirred to life, encasing him in a cocoon of pulsating energy, Simon felt the pull of temporal forces contorting the fabric of reality. A misstep in calculations, coupled with the machine’s strained capabilities, wrenched Simon from his intended course. The world around him blurred—an array of colors and sounds, history replaying all its possibilities simultaneously.

 

He found himself trapped, a ghost in the looping scenes of his interactions with Poe. Each cycle through the loop sharpened his understanding of the cascading consequences of his actions, yet he remained powerless to intervene directly. His presence was spectral, an observer cursed to watch his folly unfold in perpetuity.

 

Amidst the ceaseless cycles, a flicker of anomaly caught his attention. Brief moments appeared where versions of himself overlapped—past, present, and future converging. It was an unintended side effect of the time stream’s fracture, a shimmering crack in the oppressive wall of endless repetition.

 

With renewed purpose, the Simon Dorsets of different times began to recognize each other. An understanding sparked between them, each iteration contributing his unique perspective on the predicament. Together, they constructed a plan—a message ensconced within the digital confines of the smartphone, coding it into the metadata of the device. A cryptic puzzle designed for Poe’s keen and curious mind, leading him to restore the timeline undisturbed by technological marvels.

 

The contriving of the message was meticulous, a maneuver engineered with the precision of a master clockmaker. Hidden within the coding, Simon embedded the instructions—a route back to temporal stability, crafted specifically to attract Edgar Allan Poe’s intrigue with cryptology and the unknown. It was more than just a recovery mission; it was an appeal to Poe’s intellectual appetites, a call to explore and unravel the mystery set before him.

 

The loop provided Simon endless opportunities to refine his approach, each iteration fine-tuning the message embedded in the strange artifact from the future. When Poe finally discovered the embedded instructions, hidden amidst what appeared to be common applications, it struck a chord deep within his writer’s soul—a mystery woven by fate or circumstance, begging to be unraveled.

 

His brows furrowed, Poe set about deciphering the cryptic clues with a zeal that had often been reserved for his literary compositions. The message guided him to a precise location, an act in itself harmless but pivotal—a secluded corner of the Baltimore docks at dawn, where the water whispered secrets to those patient enough to listen.

 

Meanwhile, Simon watched these moments unfold, his heart thrumming with a mix of hope and apprehension. The plan was simple yet reliant on Poe’s willingness to engage with the unknown without fully understanding the forces at play. It was a gamble, staking everything on the intellectual curiosity of one man.

 

As the appointed time approached, Poe, cloak billowing behind him in the pre-dawn wind, approached the designated spot. He carried the device, its screen dim in the soft light. Following the last of the instructions, he left the smartphone nestled within an old fish crate, obscure and seemingly inconspicuous.

 

The crate, Simon knew from his meticulous studies of the timeline, would be destroyed in a warehouse mishap mere hours later, the smartphone lost forever, consumed by the flames—an incident that originally occurred without historical significance but now charged with the weight of resetting history.

 

Simon’s vision blurred, the looping finally slowing, reality solidifying with the promise of release. As the time streams began to align, the world around him steadied, the oppressive weight of temporal distortion lifting. The colors and sounds that had haunted his senses merged into the rightful hues of his time.

 

When he next stepped out of the machine, the air was different—fresher, somehow more correct with the essence of his original timeline. Buildings, people, the very atmosphere buzzed with subtle but significant changes back to the familiar. Poe’s literary legacy had been restored to its rightful place, his technological influence erased as if it were merely a ghost story, fittingly ephemeral.

 

Simon Dorset found himself back in his study, the walls lined with books, the familiar scent of paper and ink a soothing balm. His heart, though weary from the journey, was buoyed by the restoration of history. His respect for the delicate fabric of time had deepened, each tick of the clock now a reminder of the dance between chance and choice.

 

He resumed his academic pursuits with a newfound reverence for the past’s fragility and the unknown variables of history. The world around him continued, blissfully unaware of the catastrophe averted, a tale of what-if preserved only in the quiet confines of Simon’s experience.

 

In his diary, filled with the wild scribblings of his adventure, Simon penned a final note—an acknowledgment of the power held by both time and literature, the twin forces of creation and destruction. He wrote, “In our pursuits, we must tread lightly upon the tapestries of the past, for they are woven with the threads of potentiality, delicate and profound.”

 

The sun set over a world untouched yet changed in ways unseen, as Simon Dorset closed his diary, the book of his extraordinary journey through time concluding with the silent assurance that some mysteries, like some manuscripts, were best left unaltered.

I had hired a plumbing company, after seeing an add for cheap bathroom renovations. I wanted an excellent bathroom, but their ad, appeared to show that they had the skills .

So I gave them a list of what I wanted, the type of faucets, the brand of jetted tub, the color of granite for the counter. The undersunk sink. , the floor and shower tile, heated towel racks, Etc

Then I asked them how much it would cost. They gave me an estimate, and I came home from work, and they had arborite countertops, a standard tub, different faucets , linoleum for the floor, all sitting in my entrance way waiting to be installed.

I told the guy that I had ordered something completely different. He told me, not at the price they were quoting me. I showed him the form I had filled in.

He claims that he never saw it before, he gave me the estimate, yet somehow he had my heated towel rack.

If the timing has been just a little different, it would have all been installed before I saw it.

They never apologized, but I finally got the bathroom I wanted, but I had to pay a bit extra.

Vintage Aviation

cf5e119278a55bba0e3087e24ef63f5a
cf5e119278a55bba0e3087e24ef63f5a

47b839af8f23259274cbc18ba828ee88
47b839af8f23259274cbc18ba828ee88

57355aa642f4ca18f9827d83d4d98ea4
57355aa642f4ca18f9827d83d4d98ea4

031faf1366cc83704055f2e105dde225
031faf1366cc83704055f2e105dde225

7ffd9b996c7a6c013969304ff0c957bf
7ffd9b996c7a6c013969304ff0c957bf

53f742c73f0bca071b39cd4baea2d638
53f742c73f0bca071b39cd4baea2d638

a8fc7e87695d7c98cd1b150a7588059f
a8fc7e87695d7c98cd1b150a7588059f

9265dddf264267cb06777006956ac696
9265dddf264267cb06777006956ac696

c249ecdf2691917a0002041d79efc9f0
c249ecdf2691917a0002041d79efc9f0

a89a417dc4d1e3c3712d0c865de903a3
a89a417dc4d1e3c3712d0c865de903a3

98b4cfef736c41ef4ee63066f8e25609
98b4cfef736c41ef4ee63066f8e25609

dd3ec7ee1918f30a74b39064ff41ba31
dd3ec7ee1918f30a74b39064ff41ba31

81bbfe02f037a90fbd402222e1167088
81bbfe02f037a90fbd402222e1167088

25ff81075a1eac8c4af158d2b3218cdb
25ff81075a1eac8c4af158d2b3218cdb

4ac6ae541afabf3ac15fc90d425921fe
4ac6ae541afabf3ac15fc90d425921fe

d5bbfd8ac80f0d24fd0fcf4738a5b456
d5bbfd8ac80f0d24fd0fcf4738a5b456

 êàáèíå Ju.88
 êàáèíå Ju.88

7ccd4c08168f97f6dde413471d1a150e
7ccd4c08168f97f6dde413471d1a150e

7dfc953a431c4e36b17b070447b26d47
7dfc953a431c4e36b17b070447b26d47

225c3cabf1ad985ec6fef131de8801a9
225c3cabf1ad985ec6fef131de8801a9

5718af7ef7e67a1b3955230d1a421f19
5718af7ef7e67a1b3955230d1a421f19

30bd38ccef0d66b393dba5697bb5a883
30bd38ccef0d66b393dba5697bb5a883

89bf00b3b0f24453df81918c10dc22e5
89bf00b3b0f24453df81918c10dc22e5

3242be56b1dc6d0bf56f5640d9f58a61
3242be56b1dc6d0bf56f5640d9f58a61

9869b749d5c3c43c094a17346fbf769a
9869b749d5c3c43c094a17346fbf769a

c68d203f5f879b88a9e9661f88fc13fa
c68d203f5f879b88a9e9661f88fc13fa

7173aed7e55666d5cd5f843b88063b48
7173aed7e55666d5cd5f843b88063b48

@@@@@80ded00b65f9810afed9221b9a7c9120
@@@@@80ded00b65f9810afed9221b9a7c9120

“Whole Country is Turned into B*tch Ass N***ga” – Dave Chappelle

I know someone who did this. A close friend of mine had long hair when he was 16, which his mom hated. Our school sent several notices to him and his parents about him looking uncouth.

While he was lounging on the couch one day, his frustrated mom caught him unaware and chopped it all off haphazardly with a scissors she had in hand. He wasn’t asleep, but he still did not see it coming.

He hated her for doing that. He harbored that pain and humiliation for a long long time, for years after that.

It has been 10 years to that incident, and he still hasn’t forgiven her for it. It drove a wedge between them.

He hated having her decision forced on him. He hated being cheated like that. He hated being caught unaware.

I get it. You don’t like his hair. Tell him that, but don’t force your decision on him.

You would much rather live irritated for a while, than having a wedge driven in your relationship.

If he is rebelling against you, he will grow out of it.

Explain to him calmly once, and leave it at that. Your constant nagging will get you nowhere.

Believe it or not, like it or not, physical appearances are a sensitive issue for a lot of people. Teens are no different.

It’s none of your business really.

And if you decide to shave him while he is asleep, he may not report you but-

He will hate you for the rest of your life.

It’s not worth it.

America In 2024: Fast Food Is A “Luxury”, 11 Million Children Live In Poverty, And 1000s Of Stores Are Closing

 

Little by little, our standard of living has been eroding.  A couple decades ago, we had the largest and most prosperous middle class in the history of the world, but now most of the country is struggling.  At this point, fast food is considered to be a “luxury”, 11 million children are living in poverty, and thousands of stores are permanently shutting down all over the United States because consumers have so little discretionary income these days.  We are in the midst of a historic cost of living crisis, and those at the bottom of the economic food chain are being hit the hardest.

The ultra-wealthy don’t really care that food costs have been soaring, but for those that are barely scraping by from month to month it makes an enormous difference.

Once upon a time, fast food restaurants were where those that were struggling went to eat.

But now fast food is considered to be a “luxury” in 2024, and that is because fast food prices have gone absolutely haywire

A Big Mac sandwich at McDonald’s, for example, cost $3.99 in 2019. Now, that price has more than doubled to $8.29, according to Fast Food Menu Prices, an online tracker.

Gone, too, are the days of the $5 Footlong at Subway. A BLT Footlong that cost $5.50 in 2019 now costs customers $8.49 in 2024, though prices can vary by location. Additionally, Chipotle’s beloved chicken burrito that cost $6.50 in 2019 now runs customers $10.70.

Fast-food executives have pointed to rising wages and increased costs for ingredients as factors driving up the prices on their menus.

I am sitting here looking at those numbers and I still can’t wrap my head around them.

I never imagined that I would see the day when it took more than 8 dollars to buy a Big Mac.

That is insane!

A different survey that was recently conducted by Lending Tree discovered that almost 80 percent of all Americans believe that fast food is a “luxury item” now…

Nearly 80 percent of Americans now consider fast food to be a “luxury item” as families feel the squeeze from the Biden regime’s failing economy.

According to a survey from Lending Tree of around 2,000 adults, what was once considered an affordable option for low-income workers is fast becoming the opposite.

Meanwhile, the number of American children living in poverty continues to increase with each passing day.

If you can believe it, we are being told that over 11 million U.S. children are now living in poverty…

More than 11 million children were estimated to be living in poverty in 2021, according to U.S. Census Bureau data published by the Children’s Defense Fund.

That equates to around one in seven children in the U.S., or 15.3 percent. It’s a high toll, and one even higher than the adult population, which was 10.5 percent for 19-64 year olds that year and 10.3 percent for adults aged 65+.

According to an analysis by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, this difference is due to factors such as the “cost of caregiving and its responsibilities, transitions to a single parenthood household, unemployment of parents, and disabilities of family members.”

Today, approximately 40 percent of the entire country is considered to be either living in poverty or among the ranks of “the working poor”, and 42 million Americans are on food stamps.

We now have an absolutely gigantic “underclass” that is largely made up of people that were once solidly middle class.

The rapidly rising cost of living is just shredding families from coast to coast.

In Montana, one senior is incredibly frustrated because his property taxes have increased by 790 percent over the past several years…

A senior from Montana has delivered a viral speech about the sorry state of property taxes in the Treasure State.

“I’m on Social Security, I’m 68-years-old and working just to pay my taxes,” says Kurt, in a clip shared on TikTok by Ryan Busse, who is running to be the next governor of Montana.

Kurt claims that over the last couple of years, his annual property taxes have soared from $895 to almost $8,000 — an increase of around 790% — which he says is like paying almost “$700 a month rent to the state to live in our own house.” The state has an Elderly Homeowner/Renter Tax Credit, and the maximum credit is $1,150.

His property taxes have skyrocketed because property values have skyrocketed.

And property values have skyrocketed because our leaders flooded the system with way too much money.

Small businesses are being monkey-hammered by inflation as well.

In fact, one recent survey found that 86 percent of all U.S. small businesses say that they are being hurt by inflation…

An overwhelming majority of small business owners say they are being hurt by rising prices.

The new survey released Wednesday by small business network Alignable shows 86% reporting being hurt by high costs with only 6% saying they are thriving and not struggling.

Alignable surveyed more than 3,000 business owners from mid-April to mid-May and found that they overwhelmingly lament the burden of inflation.

Dollar stores in particular are being hit really hard by rising costs.

For example, 99 Cents Only has decided to close all of their stores because conditions have changed so dramatically…

For years, dollar stores were a fixture in nearly every strip mall in California, offering cheap household goods, bread and produce, and even toys and gifts.

But if it seems like your favorite dollar store is heading for the exit, you’re not wrong.

2024 may be their swan song.

In April, California-based 99 Cents Only announced it was closing all 371 locations after decades in business. The retailer blamed economic factors, including rising levels of “shrink,” inflation, and shifting consumer demand that has presented “significant and lasting challenges.”

Not to be outdone, Dollar Tree has announced that it will be closing about 1,000 stores

Dollar Tree, which owns Family Dollar, recently said it will close nearly 1,000 stores. That’s after Dollar Tree raised prices in the past couple of years for the first time in decades.

Overall, so far in 2024 retailers have already announced that they will be closing nearly 3,200 stores, and we haven’t even reached the mid-point of the year yet…

The retail industry is going through a tough time as it copes with inflation-weary consumers and a rash of bankruptcies, prompting chains to announce the closures of almost 3,200 brick-and-mortar stores so far in 2024, according to a new analysis.

That’s a 24% increase from a year ago, according to a report from retail data provider CoreSight, which tracks store closures and openings across the U.S.

The final countdown for the U.S. economy has begun, but most Americans do not even realize what is happening.

Most Americans just assume that our leaders can fix things by printing even more money and that conditions will “return to normal” eventually.

But the truth is that there isn’t going to be a “return to normal”, because this is about as “normal” as things are going to get.

It has taken decades of horrendous decisions to get us to this point, and now we are steamrolling toward economic oblivion.

If you think that our leaders in Washington will be able to turn this ship around, you are just being delusional.

Why 70s Kids Are The Strongest Generation

A no-brainer. The image is forever etched in my mind:

One of the guys I used to work with was a battle-worn veteran of the stock market, though only in his mid-thirties. He’d seen it all and been through it all, and made little effort to conceal his fatigue with all of it. He’d only been working at the company for about 3 months before I was hired. He’d show up every day, and from opening to closing bell, he would go through the motions, buying and selling, and arguing, cursing, hand-waving, you name it. No one would mistake him for being pleasant, or describe him as friendly, but he was an amusing theatrical performance.

One day we struck up a brief but insightful conversation. He’d had a pretty rough exchange with a client earlier that day, and I was hoping to glean insight into why he seemed so reckless at times. Apparently he’d only taken the job to hold him over until his father’s company -which he had invested a good chunk of money in- was acquired. His father had told him the deal should be done within two more months. I jokingly asked him if he thought he’d last that long without getting fired, and he said something to me that forever altered my perspective on wealth building: “I don’t give a shit about this job. In a few months, I will have ‘fuck you money’, and I’ll never have to work another day in my life.” I googled the term within minutes of our exchange.

A few weeks later, a few of us were chatting and he shared that he was an avid boater. He intended to retire, have a few kids, and spend his time on the water. He said the moment the funds were wired into his account, he was heading straight to the docks, and would never be seen again.

About a month later, he shows up to work with his boating hat and sunglasses, unusually calm and aloof. The day proceeds as usual, but moments after the closing bell, he stands up and puts his hat and sunglasses on in an oddly ceremonious manner. A few of us take notice. He turns around, looks at us, and with the grin of a free man, he raises his hand in salute, then walks out the door.

We never heard from him again.

Turkiye’s interest in joining BRICS+ will be discussed at the bloc’s upcoming foreign ministers’ meeting this month

JUN 4, 2024

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on 4 June during a trip to China that his country is interested in joining the BRICS+ group of emerging economies.

“Certainly, we would like to become a member of BRICS. So, we’ll see how it goes this year,” Fidan was cited as saying on Tuesday by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper.

Fidan noted that since some European nations have opposed Turkiye’s joining the EU, authorities in Ankara are considering BRICS+ as a “good alternative.”

“We cannot ignore the fact that BRICS, as an important cooperation platform, offers some other countries a good alternative. We see potential in BRICS,” the Turkish diplomat said.

SCMP also cited Fidan as saying that he hopes to attend the BRICS+ foreign ministers meeting scheduled for this month in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod.

“One of the topics on the agenda is expected to be the possibility of Turkey, a NATO ally, joining the BRICS grouping.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared an intention to join the bloc at its summit in Johannesburg six years ago, yet little progress has been made since then.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed Ankara’s interest in joining the bloc in a statement on 4 June and confirmed that the topic would be up for discussion at the upcoming BRICS+ meeting in Russia.

Fidan held a press conference the same day with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing.

“Bilateral ties with China will contribute to regional and global peace, as well as prosperity and stability,” Fidan said during the conference.

China is the most important state within the BRICS group, accounting for over half of the GDP of all BRICS+ countries.

A coalition initially made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, BRICS at the start of this year expanded for the first time since 2010 to include Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the UAE.

After Russia became the most sanctioned nation in the world in 2022 following the start of the war in Ukraine, the BRICS bloc began seriously pursuing the creation of a common currency to de-dollarize trade and circumvent Washington’s weaponization of the western financial system.

This Is Destroying Men’s Fertility

I’m a doctor but had a situation that I found myself in where I was asked to lie to a family by the patient. He was young man in his early 20s and I don’t remember all the particulars but suffice it to say he was bleeding somewhere internally and was severely anemic, and needed several blood transfusions before anything else could be done for him. We didn’t think he would survive the night without transfusing him because we were concerned about multi-organ failure, and had him in ICU. Unfortunately he was a Jehovah’s Witness and transfusions were not allowed. His mom and dad were at his bedside to inform us of this. Despite much pleading they were steadfast in their religious beliefs, and would not consent to blood transfusions.

They left when visiting hours were over, and shortly thereafter his nurse called me to his room. Long story short he asked for the transfusions, but did not want his parents to know. He explained he was not a committed Jehovah’s Witness but his parents didn’t know and would be devastated to find out he wasn’t, but he also wanted to live, and could we do 2 things? 1. he was of age and his was able to consent to receiving the transfusions, so he wanted them, and 2. could we be sure his parents never knew about it. The nurse staff was on board and anyone who objected was asked to speak up. None did

So we ran the transfusions overnight, and finished them and removed all the evidence before his parents came in the next day, they were overjoyed that he was still alive, their religious beliefs were upheld in their mind, and no one was the wiser. As it turned out I didn’t have to actually tell them a verbal lie, as they never asked me or the nurses anything directly, but I guess it was a lie of omission. The son never actually acknowledged anything to them either, allowing his parents to think their religious beliefs saved their son. There were a myriad of ways for them to have found out —maybe they could see his hospital bill later or something like that. But me and the nurses involved swore ourselves to secrecy so they weren’t going to find out from us.

I’ve wrestled with myself about that case over the years, but have always come to the conclusion I was respecting the patient’s wishes, and it was up to him to deal with his religious beliefs and his parents. I appreciated the nurses who were unhesitatingly in on it with me, as we were just trying to save a young man’s life. I never saw him again after he was discharged from the hospital.

Have you ever been on a date that was going so badly you walked out and left?

Hooo boy. Two notable ones come to mind. This may be an experience more unique to the Bay Area, but anyway…

I set up a date with this one woman. We’re both working professionals, in our 30s, etc so I can’t chalk her behavior up to youth or lack of social interaction. Though, this was a few years back so I don’t quite remember what she did for a living. Anyway.

We set a lunch date about halfway in between both our workplaces (~10 min away from each of us). I showed up 5 min early, and the place we chose can get pretty packed for lunch – meaning if you get there later, you’ll be waiting a while for food. Well….she texts me and says stuck in a meeting running a little bit late. Ok, no prob – I grab a table and sit down to wait. About 20 min later I ask her for an ETA….she says 15 min. Ok, I get it, meetings run over, 15 min is still not a horrible delay given travel time + 15 min delay from the meeting. Another 20 min goes by….call her – “hey, where are you…?” etc. She’s driving and “almost there”. Oook….she finally arrived about 10 min later. For those of you adding it up, that’s about an hour late. Not a great start.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a sit-down type of place, so I wasn’t wasting a waiter/waitresses’s time and tips to wait for her. We went up to order our food finally and she offered to buy lunch as an apology for being late. Ok…I’m flexible. Means I’ll stay a bit later at work but I could take a 2 hour lunch at the time. We eat, sit down, start chatting…annnnnd she starts asking me about my time in the military.

“So, did you go overseas?”

“Yes, I spent a few years overseas in Korea and Iraq/Kuwait.”

“Oh cool!” (Not the way I’d describe it, but ok…) “Did you ever have to kill anyone?”

“Thankfully, I don’t think so no, though I did see combat….it’s not exactly something anyone wants to have to do typically…” I tried to make it clear I wasn’t exactly a fan of this type of question through tone of voice and body language. She didn’t appear to notice, because…

“Did anyone you knew die?”

Again, I adopted a more curt tone and tried to make it clear this wasn’t a great line of questioning for a first date. Usually that question gets asked but phrased differently like “Did you lose anyone you knew” or simply “did you see combat”.

I replied “yes, several friends the second tour and one the first.”

Before I could even try and change the subject…

“How did they die???”

At this point I was pretty annoyed. We were sitting outside close to the parking lot and I sort of snapped “Well, one of them got shot by a sniper standing as close to me as we are to that car if that’s what you want to know.”

I shit you not, the next words out of her mouth, with no change in tone or anything, as casually as asking if I could pass the ketchup…

“Did he scream?”

Annnnnd that’s when I went off a bit. I let her know in no uncertain terms that her entire line of questioning wasn’t exactly ideal for a first date, and that she was lucky that despite my experiences I have my shit together and a great deal of self control – I know a few guys who would have likely snapped one way or another, either having a mental bout with depression and breaking down on the spot or going the opposite way to physical violence against the person who’d offended them with the questions. I let her know that asking anyone, military or not, if their friend screamed when they died was highly inappropriate under any circumstances.

Then I left and went back to work. Never heard from her again. No apology. No reaction whatsoever when I got angry with her. Just nothing.

I got over it, but that’s a date I doubt I’ll ever forget. And it’s not necessarily the facts of combat or anything – in the right company or circumstances I’ve actually got some funny stories from combat and Iraq/Korea in general, and don’t mind discussing the experiences. I don’t have any particular “triggers” or hardcore Hollywood-style PTSD or anything. But this….just….hell no.

Eggnog Doughnuts with Eggnog Rum Glaze

Eggnog Doughnuts with Eggnog Rum Glaze
Eggnog Doughnuts with Eggnog Rum Glaze

Yield: 4 donuts in a Wilton doughnut pan* and 1 dozen mini doughnuts in a Wilton mini-doughnut pan.

Ingredients

Doughnuts

  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup eggnog
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 cup + all-purpose flour**

Rum Eggnog Glaze

  • 1/2 cup (or more) confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons eggnog
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons rum (brandy, cognac, Grand Marnier, etc.)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F and coat the doughnut pan or muffin pan well with cooking-spray or grease.

Doughnuts

  1. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and to it add the sugars and egg and stir by hand for about 1 minute or until creamy.
  2. To the bowl, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Do not over-mix as that increases the likelihood of tough doughnuts.
  3. Spoon the batter into doughnut pans or muffin pans. Do not overfill the cavities especially if making mini donuts.
  4. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes if making larger doughnuts or about 5 to 7 minutes if making mini-doughnuts. Bake until donuts spring back when touched or until dough is set. Donuts should be springy and may not be golden brown in color so don’t necessarily judge doneness by color; judge by texture.
  5. Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan, about 5 minutes.

Rum Eggnog Glaze

  1. While donuts are baking or cooling, make the frosting by combining all ingredients and whisking or stirring, until desired consistency is achieved.
  2. Frost the donuts after they have cooled.
  3. Add a final dusting of coconut flakes, orange zest, cinnamon-sugar mixture; sprinkles, or other extras at the end, as desired.

Notes

* You can make muffins rather than donuts if you don’t have a donut pan.

** To make gluten free, use your favorite gluten free flour blend.

Depending on the type of eggnog used, you may need to add more flour. Batter should be fairly thick – thicker than pancake or waffle batter, but not as thick as cookie dough. Add enough flour to get a fairly thick batter, possibly 1/4 cup more than is called for.

China used to be in awe of the US. Key word being “used to be”.

In the 1989 June 4th incident, protesting students erected a statue of liberty to show their admiration of the US. Chinese throughout the country listened to Voice of America to stay informed about the demonstrations. Throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s, returning overseas Chinese from US or other western countries were held in high regard. Chinese military leadership looked up to the US as their role model.

Then things started to change. The 2008 Tibetan riots, and the subsequent anti-China misinformation spread by CNN and other American news outlets caused widespread realization that the vaunted Western media was not so objective and unbiased after all. This was a peak period of Chinese oversea students studying in Western countries. The vast majority of those students returned to China afterwards, and the image of the US as a beacon of Truth and Freedom suffered its first blow.

The second blow came with the Urumqi riots of 2009, followed by the Kunming train station attack of 2014.

The Urumqi riots had the highest death toll of any violent attacks in recent Chinese memory. Hundreds of people, mainly of Han nationality, were killed in the attacks. However, Western media portrayed the riots as a crack down by the Chinese government on Uighur independence, largely ignoring the victims of this terrorist attack.

The Kunming train station attack happened less than a year before the Paris Charlie Hebdo attack. The Chinese people saw Western nations marching and mourning for the Parisian victims, and asked why those same nations who are always talking about Human Rights and Democracy had all but ignored the Kunming attack.

Those were the three major blows against the American image in Chinese minds. Afterwards, relatively minor incidents like the SCS disputes and the THAAD incident simply reinforced negative perceptions of the US.

I live in Beijing. One day in the winter of 2022, I went out of home for shopping and found in the street adjacent to my community, there’s a pile of sand occupying the sidewalk. It seems to block the way and I had to step down the road shoulder to bypass it.

I called 12345, a kind of mayor’s hotline, and reported to the receptionist about what I witnessed. Then forgot the call.

The next day a man, who said he is the officer of the community committee, called me that they’ve solved what I complained to 12345 hotline. The pile of sand had been removed. He pleaded me to double-check when available and if everything is OKAY, don’t forget when 12345 is calling back to me for the result, pls tell them everything has been down on time.

At the afternoon, 12345 really called me back. I told them I have double-checked and the sands have been removed. The receptionist then asked me if I’m satisfied the result or not. Of course, I said YES. Nothing to complain more.

So I don’t know if this is a democracy or not? I’m just a average person. A citizen. Not a officer or powerful guy or rich guy or CCP member at all.

I don’t know how do you define the democracy. If it means all those old guys quarrelling in the parliament house, figting for the seats and elections, then No. in China it seems to lack of these sorts of things.

But if the democracy means that the suggestions from an average person could be respected and kindly treated, its reasonable parts will be accepted and improved, then Yes, I got it.


So let me back to the question: Don’t people in China wish to live in a democratic country?

Well, first of all, democracy is a good thing. But do I wish to live in a democratic country? It depends.

If I have the right to vote a leader and when I met some problems just like I met above-mentioned, I called him or hotline and he or they solve my problem very soon, OK, why not? I wish to live in.

If I have the right to vote a leader and when I met some problems just like I met above-mentioned, I called him or hotline and he or they would make an eloquent speech to me with expressive gestures but end up with doing nothing and the second day, that pile of sand still block my way then I called him again and again and each time I got a free eloquent speech but nothing improved, well, f**king the democrazy.

So in the daily routine of a normal person, democracy really didn’t have much to do with our lives. This is my opinion to your question.


What’s the democracy?

I happened to receive a girl(?) left her message to me. She swore me a livestock. Can livestock dial 12345 to complain lack of green grass? lol

I guess she may be a beautiful girl, judging from her profile photo so hopefully have some conversation with her. But unfortunately I couldn’t reach out to her because I found no REPLY button below.

And then I ask myself: why a girl maliciously swore somebody a livestock but didn’t dare to face his reply and she called this DEMOCRACY?

If this is democracy, why should I have to accept this providing it couldn’t solve my problem but noisy swear?

This is my opinion: every country has the democracy to some extent. But comparing to democracy, mutual RESPECT is most precious virtue.


Finally, the evil gene inside USA body has revived.

The gene, 500 years ago they were so thriving when they voyaged over the ocean and conquered the world & made the rest of people to be their slaves.

The gene, 150 years ago they called they’re civilized but barbarously intruded into China to sale the opium and cannonade the cities killing thousands of innocents.

Now, the evil gene is reviving.

House passes bill that could ban TikTok in the U.S., sending it to the Senate
House Democrats and Republicans say the measure, which would pressure TikTok’s China-based owner to divest, is needed to protect Americans’ data. Senators are still evaluating it.

Who could tell me where’s the so-called free trade?

If the free trade means when the rule is in your favor then you keep it but when it’s not good for you then you rob like your ancestors did to the world, how can you convince the world that your Democracy wouldn’t be like this?

Hypocrisy! Shamelessness!

300 years ago, when British Navy Force was navigating over the ocean, it always played one of two roles according to his power comparison to the opponents: if the opponent is strong enough, it will become a friendly offical embassador of British Queen to do business. But if the opponent is weak like a sheep, it will transform to ferocious pirates, catching the people to be slaves and looting their treasures. More importantly, this activities were secretly approved and supported by the British Monarchy.

300 years later, when they found they couldn’t compete with China in a fair way which the rules were created by themselves, they start to rob by the name of democracy. The same cases had happened for several times before. They trapped Alstom’s manager then they got Alstom finally. They trapped Samsung and got it. They trapped Japan and got it.

They’re evolving. Hundreds years before, they looted the world by the name of Christ. Now, they robbed the world by the name of Democracy.

Hypocrisy! Shamelessness!


Hi, I’m back. So surprised to see many comments.

This time I will tell a true story just happened in my cousin few week ago. Half years ago, she found her daughter(16 yrs) was bullied on internet. An anonymous guy continuously smeared a lot of bad words on her. Saying how ugly or stupid such stuffs.

Then my cousin and her husband consulted the lawyer. And the lawyer said they need to know firstly who is attacking their daughter and since this guy’s only slandering on internet therefore it should take long time and money for the legal process.

Then they turned to ask for help from Baidu, the huge internet giant just like google in western, where the anomymous bully posts his threads. But unbelievably, Baidu refused to neither disclose the bully’s information nor cancel the posts with the excuse of FREEDOM of EXPRESSION!

Dear readers, can you imagine in a communist country, the capitalist (Baidu) refused to stop the obvious violation to an innocent young girl with the excuse of FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION?

My cousin and her husband are all ordinary person so they don’t know how to deal with this when they come to ask my suggestion.

I suggest them to call 12345. Strongly asking 12345 to push Baidu to cancel those malicious posts otherwise ask for Baidu to provide the bully’s information for the legal preparing.

The couple doubted but agreed to follow my suggestion. One week later they told me happily that the problem has solved. Under the force of 12345,Baidu canceled all those bullshit posts.

Again, let’s return to the topic. What is the DEMOCRACY?

I don’t think that one man one vote is the democracy. The mediocre mobs could elect a freak who may bring the disaster to the world.

A democracy is not only a game to elect the top guys, but also a mechanism, a tool by which the ordinary person could connect with the government to listen and solve his problem.

Democracy should be driven by meritocracy, not plutocracy.

Democracy doesn’t mean FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, it means the mutual respect and tolerance among the different groups, ethnics, religions.

If these are democracy, then China is.

1970s Things That Kids No Longer Do!

I popped that beast

I have almost four million dollars in the bank, made mostly on the side while working a tech job. Not filthy rich but I have more in savings than anyone else I know in my peer group. The first thoughts I have off the top of my head:

– Don’t tell anyone. At my last job over time, I foolishly somehow mentioned to my co-workers that I’ve accumulated quite a bit of cash trading and it changed the impression people had of me, and not for the better. These are people that I had worked with for years and considered good friends. Nobody ever asked for anything but there was an undertone of jealousy and little snarky comments sometimes when I absolutely never flaunted anything. It never got better even though I never mentioned it again. When I changed jobs to a new company, I vowed never to mention it anyone again under any circumstances. Can’t advise this strongly enough. Don’t tell anyone. Friends, etc. Tell your spouse it’s retirement savings, not mad money.

– Material things don’t do anything for you. I know, it’s such a cliche, but take it from me, someone who thought I was different. I bought amazing cars, had all kinds of cool toys, lived large for sure. Nothing really lasted at the end of it all I later thought was that it was a lot of money I threw away on nothing. Depreciating assets. All it does is alienate you and the people you impress with that kind of spend isn’t really the kind of lasting people you want in your life.. Now I live a comfortable life consistent with my tech job income.

– While I might have a bunch in savings, I think real *wealth* is getting into a situation where you have passive income every month, meaning you do nothing and get a check cut to you every month. If I don’t trade or don’t work my tech job, I won’t have any new income. I think real wealth and security come from building up an empire (rental property, self-running business, etc) where you can have a check coming in, even not a huge one, that requires to do nothing.

– My stress level is low. My real job can blow up and I can coast as long as I need until I find my next gig. Not that I ever want to do that but it’s nice knowing if you fall, you have a net.

Grilled Chorizo Sandwiches with Chimichurri (Choripán)

sandwich2
sandwich2

A popular street food in Argentina as well as Chile, Uruguay, and parts of Brazil, these grilled sausage sandwiches are easy to prepare on a grill—or an indoor grill pan with good ventilation. Though they’re typically served on their own, you can pair choripán with a simple iceberg salad if desired, a side dish seen often in the parrilla (wood-fired grill) restaurants of Argentina. The chimichurri recipe makes about 1 cup but can be easily doubled if you are feeding a crowd.

Equipment

Ingredients

For the choripán:

  • 4 fresh chorizo sausages, Argentinian-style if possible
  • Four 6-inch hero rolls, split lengthwise, connected on one side like a hinge

For the chimichurri:

  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
  • ¼ cup minced white onion
  • 1 small garlic clove, grated on a microplane
  • ¼ cup plus 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Step 1

Prepare the choripán: Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat or a grill to medium heat. Add the chorizo and let cook, turning occasionally with tongs as needed, until the sides are deeply seared and the center is fully cooked through, 30–35 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, make the chimichurri: In a medium jar or bowl, add the parsley, onion, and garlic and stir briefly to combine. Add the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, and stir well. Let rest at least 15 minutes. (Chimichurri can be left out at room temperature for up to 12 hours before serving.)

Step 3

If desired, briefly warm the insides of the rolls over the grill as desired. You can also split the sausages lengthwise if desired.

Step 4

Place one cooked sausage into each roll. Slather one side of the roll and some of the sausage generously with chimichurri, and serve immediately.
.

I was hired by a big furniture retailer who was impressed by my pre-hire test scores. “We’ve never had anybody test so high before,” they said. So they hired me on the spot uncertain what they would even have me do.

Soon they assigned me to straighten out their inventory system. The senior vice president was worried because he’d spent lots of money on the software and it wasn’t working well. Then I discovered that the unreliable inventory counts and locations were just part of a bigger problem.

20% of all the furniture they sent out for delivery always came back undelivered after spending the day in the trucks. Unboxed and jostled, some were damaged. All were then wrapped up in “mystery” foam so we couldn’t easily identify them visually. Then they were put in a random location with no indication in the records of which location. Operations wasn’t following the approved procedure in receiving back returned merchandise. This created manifold problems. We soon had no idea what was in stock or where it was (it could even be stolen). And customers were calling demanding to know where the stuff they bought was. Just imagine all the wasted labor!

The reason the 20% came back was two-fold. One was that customer service wasn’t calling customers to remind them they had furniture coming. The other was that at the time of sale, the salespeople had to put in a delivery date even if the customer needed to call back with that info. So they forced a random delivery date. There was no TBD option!

So, I reported all this along with recommendations of how to tweak processes to fix it all. The manager of the largest distribution center refused to cooperate. So I greatly increased the frequency of inventory taking. He threatened me and even suggested he would pay me if I just stayed home. I refused. When he said he’d fire me, I said, “If you feel froggy, jump!” — after all, I never had a problem finding work; I really am smart.

He fired me. I contacted the board of directors and came away with severance whereas the manager and the VP were soon fired. I think the VP was reluctant to deal with the manager because the manager was a golden boy of the founder.

I am retired now, but the moral to the story was, don’t hire me if you are allergic to the truth. I will figure out what’s going on. If it’s bad enough I will go to the board, the CEO, the authorities, even your lender. I don’t put up with malfeasance. Never. I don’t need any job that bad. By design.

CASABLANCA (1942) FIRST TIME WATCHING | REACTION

Slow Cooker Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Soup1
Soup1

Ingredients

  • 1 (32 ounce) bag frozen shredded hash browns
  • 1 pound ground beef, cooked
  • 1/2 pound bacon, cooked and chopped
  • 2 pounds Velveeta cheese
  • 32 ounces beef broth
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons dried minced onion flakes
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a 6 quart slow cooker.
  2. Cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours.
  3. Garnish with bacon and shredded Cheddar cheese, if desired.

God's Rainbow - Noahic Covenant

Critical Race Theory

State Department To Delay Withdrawal Of U.S. Troops From Niger

This Washington Post headline as well as the first paragraphs of the story are not really backed by facts.

U.S. agrees to withdraw American troops from Niger

NAPLES, Italy — The United States informed the government of Niger on Friday that it agreed to its request to withdraw U.S. troops from the West African country, said three U.S. officials, a move the Biden administration had resisted and one that will transform Washington’s counterterrorism posture in the region.The agreement will spell the end of a U.S. troop presence that totaled more than 1,000 and throw into question the status of a $110 million U.S. air base that is only six years old. It is the culmination of a military coup last year that ousted the country’s democratically elected government and installed a junta that declared America’s military presence there “illegal.”

“The prime minister has asked us to withdraw U.S. troops, and we have agreed to do that,” a senior State Department official told The Washington Post in an interview. This official, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive situation.

The decision was sealed in a meeting earlier Friday between Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Niger’s prime minister, Ali Lamine Zeine.

The U.S. drone base in Niger is used by the Pentagon and CIA to keep control of ISIS in the region.

So are U.S. troops really leaving Niger?

Of course not – at least not yet.

The next paragraph reveals what was really agreed upon. It makes it obvious that the U.S. wants to delay the issue as long as possible:

“We’ve agreed to begin conversations within days about how to develop a plan” to withdraw troops, said the senior State Department official. “They’ve agreed that we do it in an orderly and responsible way. And we will need to probably dispatch folks to Niamey to sit down and hash it out. And that of course will be a Defense Department project.”

– “We have agreed to begin conservations” – (we didn’t really agree to pull out troops, just to talks)
– “about how to develop a plan” – (should we write a plan for something-something in Excel or Word?)
– “in an orderly and responsible way” – (we see absolutely no time pressure or deadline)
– “need to probably dispatch folks to Niamey” – (there will be many delays and the team will change often)
– “that of course will be a Defense Department project” – (We, the State Department, will hardly be involved. When the shit hits the fan the Pentagon will be to blame for it.)

A Pentagon spokesman did not immediately offer comment.The United States had paused its security cooperation with Niger, limiting U.S. activities — including unarmed drone flights. But U.S. service members have remained in the country, unable to fulfill their responsibilities and feeling left in the dark by leadership at the U.S. Embassy as negotiations continued, according to a recent whistleblower complaint.

There have since been more protests in Niger demanding the exit of U.S. troops:

In the town of Agadez, home to a US air base, hundreds of demonstrators gathered to demand the departure of American forces.The protests were organised by a coalition of civil society groups that have supported the current military regime since it came to power last year.

It seems to me that the new regime in Niger can and will have to escalate this.

 

Posted by b at 16:57 UTC | Comments (46)

VANG VIENG IS BEAUTIFUL (and completely WILD) 🇱🇦 LOST in LAOS Ep:3

Laos is awesome!

No wonder the United States want to keep the people stupid and ignorant.

Some more of my AI experiments

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(20)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(20)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 1(17)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 1(17)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 3(17)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 3(17)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 2(15)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 2(15)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(17)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(17)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 2(14)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 2(14)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(16)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(16)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 1(14)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 1(14)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(14)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(14)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 2(12)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 2(12)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 1(12) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 1(12) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 3(12)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 3(12)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 1(11) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 1(11) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 1(10) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 1(10) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(10) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(10) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 1(8) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 1(8) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 2(8) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 2(8) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 3(8) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 3(8) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 3(7) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 3(7) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 2(6) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 2(6) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(6) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(6) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 2(5) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 2(5) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(5) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(5) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(3) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(3) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 2(3) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 2(3) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(1) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 0(1) (copy)

Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 1(1) (copy)
Default a Baroque label showing two attractive 28 year old bus 1(1) (copy)

The first person to notice

  1. Not everyone we meet is meant to stay in our lives.
  2. Every person we cross will teach us something important.
  3. Sometimes, we have to let go to move forward.
  4. Pain, struggle and toxic people encourage the most growth.
  5. Our biggest burdens often lead to our biggest blessings.
  6. Every success story has the same moral: NEVER GIVE UP.
  7. Faith may not make things easier, but it makes them possible.
  8. Baby steps will still get us to our destination.
  9. All things pass, sometimes we have to give it time.
  10. Trying to please everyone will result to failure and sadness.
  11. Drama will drain us more than it will entertain us.
  12. Happiness is always in our hands.
  13. Only a positive mind can create a positive life.
  14. Life is precious, so make the most of it.
  15. Life isn’t always easy, but having one is always a gift.

When my Thai (police officer) husband and I visited family in Dallas, my SIL arranged for us to meet the Chief of Police. As a professional courtesy, the Chief arranged for us to go on a ride-along (a long story for another time) with Officer Kevin Bailey.

One of the final stops was at a known drug house that had already been raided but was still used by the drug addicted.

It was horrid…fetid, with nasty graffiti written in spray paint and feces. Doors were torn off and windows shattered with old glass shards still on the sticky, filth-encrusted floors. Trash and used syringes were everywhere. Ripped, filthy blankets were the only furniture.

The stinking bathroom had a blocked, overflowing toilet, a broken sink on the floor covered in used paper and a bathtub black with feces and mold.

As we were leaving, an old man (was he really just old before his time?) came from the woods nearby and greeted the officer – they knew each other, but both kept their distance, except when the officer quietly slipped him money.

I don’t know what possessed me to walk up to that man and ask him about who he was.

He was homeless except for that horrible house. He couldn’t remember how long he had been that way nor where his family might be. He had nothing. He ate from dumpsters (and happily told me where the best ones were) and apologized for his smell; he had not had a bath in weeks and was praying for rain.

He seemed delighted to talk.

Officer Bailey and my husband were NOT so delighted. Both held their breath (and went on alert) when I shook the man’s hand, thanking him for talking with me.

I was asked why I would do that. To me, that homeless man deserved the same respect I give to anyone I meet.

Note: Officer Bailey and other officers who showed up later made sure we were not in danger, especially re syringes, broken glass. We touched nothing inside the house and yard.

News reports, TV shows, movies cannot truly convey the stink, the filth, the oppressive, hopeless feeling of a drug house.

Shorpy break

SHORPY 4a18746a.preview
SHORPY 4a18746a.preview

SHORPY 00104a.preview
SHORPY 00104a.preview

SHORPY 4a15987a.preview
SHORPY 4a15987a.preview

SHORPY 04034u.preview
SHORPY 04034u.preview

SHORPY 8b26808a.preview
SHORPY 8b26808a.preview

SHORPY 34503a.preview
SHORPY 34503a.preview

SHORPY 42738a.preview
SHORPY 42738a.preview

SHORPY 34500a.preview
SHORPY 34500a.preview

SHORPY 4a12710a.preview
SHORPY 4a12710a.preview

SHORPY 00204u.preview
SHORPY 00204u.preview

SHORPY 8c35091u.preview
SHORPY 8c35091u.preview

SHORPY 34112a.preview
SHORPY 34112a.preview

SHOPY 8c35094u.preview
SHOPY 8c35094u.preview

SHORPY 01187u.preview
SHORPY 01187u.preview

SHORPY 4a05669a.preview
SHORPY 4a05669a.preview

SHORPY 5a06088u.preview
SHORPY 5a06088u.preview

SHORPY 26626a.preview
SHORPY 26626a.preview

SHORPY 8b31579a.preview
SHORPY 8b31579a.preview

SHORPY 00136u.preview
SHORPY 00136u.preview

1954bikeraffle.preview
1954bikeraffle.preview

SHORPY 5a05929u.preview
SHORPY 5a05929u.preview

SHORPY 00892u.preview
SHORPY 00892u.preview

SHORPY 4a18662a.preview
SHORPY 4a18662a.preview

SHORPY 8d26743a.preview
SHORPY 8d26743a.preview

VIDEO: French Troops Deploy into Odessa Ukraine; NATO Troops Killed in Dnipropetrovsk Yesterday

Video has emerged from Odessa, Ukraine showing elements of the French Army entering that city.  This appears to be direct entry into the Ukraine conflict by a NATO-Member country.

It is likely being carried-out pursuant to a Bi-Lateral agreement between Ukraine and France, but that is not confirmed at this time.

Russia has repeatedly made clear that any troops from foreign countries that enter Ukraine will be legitimate targets for the Russian Army.

On April 13, France sent Foreign Legion troops into Slavyansk, Ukraine.  Within 48 Hours, most of them were dead with many other injured from Russian strikes against Slavyansk.

DNIPROPETROVSK yesterday

Yesterday, Russia hit a hotel in the center of Dnipropetrovsk which was apparently full of NATO troops.  Images of the building that was struck show a direct hit with huge damage and fire.

Hotel Hit NATO Troops Dnipropetrovsk
Hotel Hit NATO Troops Dnipropetrovsk

Hotel Hit - Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine - NATO Troops Killed

Numerous reports from the scene above claim that “numerous NATO troops were carried out of the rubble, seriously injured or dead.”

Ambulances reportedly took those NATO troops to waiting helicopters, which reportedly shuttled the troops to Rzeszow, Poland.

All day today, Med-evac aircraft from NATO countries, including an Airbus A330-MRTT were seen coming into and rapidly taking off from, Rzeszow.  One is shown on the radar monitoring image below:

French MedevacPlaneRzeszowPoland
French MedevacPlaneRzeszowPoland

Clearly, these multi-role air refueling tankers are operating in their med-evac role because there are no air-refueling operations taking place anywhere near Rzeszow.

So the French lost Foreign Legion troops in Slavyansk, NATO lost more troops in Dnipropetrovsk yesterday, and now France is sending 1,000 troops and armor into Odessa.

Step-by-step, Western nations are provoking Russia into now direct battle.  

Don’t be surprised when the missiles start to fly – and be sure to REMEMBER who caused it:  We did.

Yup. This is how it works

Try to imagine this 1.4 billion people in the world or roughly 18 of earthlings are living a world apart from the Americans with totally different way of life, different interest, different policies, different customs and taste, desires yet the US cuts out their only way to share their social fabric Confucianism.

Meanwhile from birth to death for three generations your media, books, movies and politicians sets a negative narratives on China and the Chinese people to demonised them, to cast doubts on them, to hate them from dawn to dusk 365 days a year 24/7 a day!

So that the sweetest granny hated the sound of Chinese name, and your president slurs them with racist names openly in political debates for the world to see without regrets and remorse and totally without shame!

All because the U.S. wants them to be submissive and subservient like everyone else but they refused and they can do everything the U.S. does except better, cheaper and faster! Today the dominate all key industries and material sciences and 40% of all the world’s consumers with middle income lives there and worst they make 80% of world’s need yet US wants to decouple from and with them!

170/195 nations trade with them more than every other nations on earth yet the U.S. pretends they don’t need China! The U.S. policies could not be more destructive to themselves but the delude themselves that they don’t need China! Many of them in QUORA spewing their hatred but pretending that they only hate the CPP!

China is fine with it because it actually suits them and help them fly past the US even faster and it sets back the US faster but to the U.S. it makes shooting themselves on their foot sound too kind but if you fooled yourself for so long you believed fully in the lies yourself now!

But because you your children and grandchildren are now made totally in denial, ignorant and naive about China you don’t know what you don’t know! It like the world have 3 meals a day and the U.S. thought that 2 meals is all they can have and they don’t grumble! In fact from 1945–1971 the U.S. in cohort with the UN and westerners made Taiwan an island with say 2% of Chinese represent whole if China!

One day the Yanks will wake up to a Chinese 6 times their size and a 100 times better than them and realised that these 100 years of lying about China is all about nothing and it sets back the U.S. into Stone age!

I have an advise for all Americans and other brain dead westerners, take a trip to China and holiday for a month! See for yourself about China! You will like the food, the scenery, the atmosphere and yes no one cares about making you into Chinese or anything. That trip is the biggest eye opener in your life and you will see 18% of the world that you never knew existed. You will not see money because no one use notes and coins since 2010 and 50% of their cars don’t use petrol, many public transport are autonomous and environment is clean and crime less and I challenge you to find one home less in your trip. Yes only one, you can’t find even one!

People eat good warm food and drives expensive automobile and wear expensive cloths! Robots greet you every where and even bring food and drinks to your hotel rooms! China U.S. at least 10 years ahead of the U.S. now! Stop hiding under a huge rock. It time you let truth sets you free! Welcome to China Americans. If you are open minded you ought to hate what you read or watch about China in America!

White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili
White Chicken Chili

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 skinless chicken thighs (1 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
  • 2 (16 ounce) cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15 ounce) can white shoe peg corn or regular whole kernel corn, drained
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

  1. Remove excess fat from chicken. Mix onion, garlic, broth, cumin, oregano, salt and Tabasco sauce in a 3 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker.
  2. Add chicken.
  3. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender.
  4. Remove chicken. Use 2 forks to remove bones and shred chicken into pieces.
  5. Discard bones; return chicken to slow cooker.
  6. Stir in beans, corn, lime juice and cilantro.
  7. Cover and cook on LOW for 15 to 20 minutes or until beans and corn are hot.

My 2 year old son was looking at toys with my husband and I was looking at a little outfit, he decided he wanted me instead so he came over, in plain sight, only a few feet. But as he did, he tripped and fell face first onto a jagged, metal edge of a clothes rail. I didn’t realise at first. Then he looked up, mouth open, deep hole in his head. My husband said the colour just drained from my face. The hole started flowing with blood as I struggled to get something to stop the bleeding. The first aider from the shop was useless and stood there with a box of plasters 🙄😩

another customer came over with a flannel off a stand which I used, and his bib from my bag. I kept my cool on the outside for him and for my other son who was hysterically crying. The shop people just stood there writing notes 😡

got to the hospital and he had it all sorted out while I had to hold him down/being able to see down the hole, they glued it etc, I said to them-I’m guessing it wasn’t as deep as I thought if he doesn’t need stitches and they said no-it was deep-the layer just before the skull. But he was ok thankfully!

my mum started court proceedings (I was too traumatised to deal with all that and wouldn’t have started it myself probably, as I didn’t want to relive it) and he won a fair amount of money. But what annoyed me most-is that they never sorted it, they didn’t replace the rail or cover it with a stopper. They just didn’t care at all, they never even bothered to send a rep to the proceedings.

The Last Letters Of Kamikaze Pilots

kamikaze pilots 1
kamikaze pilots 1

 

Imagine being a young pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy during the final, desperate months of World War II. You’re handed a mission from which there is no return: to pilot your aircraft, laden with explosives, directly into an enemy warship.

This is the grim reality for the kamikaze, those infamous ‘divine wind’ pilots. But before they embarked on their final flights, many of these young men penned last letters to their families, to loved ones, to their children yet to be born, revealing their innermost fears, hopes, and unwavering belief in their cause.

These letters, often imbued with a poignant mix of youthful idealism and tragic resignation, offer a window not only into the personal sacrifices demanded by war but also into the cultural and nationalistic fervor that drove the kamikaze pilots to their fatal task.

 

On January 6, 1945, Lieutenant Junior Grade Tadasu Fukino piloted a Suisei dive bomber (Allied code name of Judy) that crashed into the heavy cruiser Louisville (CA-28) in Lingayen Gulf off the coast of Luzon Island in the Philippines. The suicide attack killed 36 men and wounded 56 others.

Tadasu Fukino wrote the following last letter to his mother after he had arrived in the Philippines and before his final mission:

 

December 31, 1944

Mother,

I truly have caused you only trouble for a long time. In addition to being undutiful to you in various ways, now again I will not even take care of you. Please forgive my prior undutifulness.

Last fall you surely were worried when I chose the Navy Air path. Using common sense, there were several other paths with little danger. Regarding the path of service to the country, perhaps those would have been adequate. However, as for this country of Japan, great numbers of us splendidly have obtained shining glory only after we have endured endless sorrows and griefs. Moreover, precisely because of this, hereafter Japan will be a country that flourishes. I have been able to advance and take this glorious path without any regrets precisely because I believed you to be a strong mother who has made this country of Japan prosper splendidly by valiantly enduring these sorrows. Even though I was able to go forward on the path of a warrior who will repay the country in some little way, it is primarily because of you, Mother.

You can say with pride that I went to a glorious death in the honorable Navy Air way and performed some little service.

I will be content with beautiful white clouds in the skies as a grave marker. Now I go to die for the Emperor and for the mountains and rivers of my beloved Japan.

Well, so long.

Tadasu

 

 

Ensign Kiyoshi Ogawa died at 22 years of age in a kamikaze attack against the aircraft carrier Bunker Hill (CV-17) on May 11, 1945. The following is an English translation of his last letter:

Father and Mother,

It has been decided that I also will make a sortie as a proud Special Attack Corps member. Looking back, when I think of your raising me in your arms for more than twenty years, I am filled with a sense of gratitude. I truly believe that no one else has lived a happier life than me, and I am resolved to repay the Emperor and my father for your kindness.

Beyond those boundless white clouds, I will make my attack with a calm feeling. Not even thoughts of life and death will come to mind. A person dies once. It will be an honorable day to live for the eternal cause.

Father and Mother, please be glad for me.

Above all, Mother, please take care of your health, and I wish for everyone’s prosperity. As I will be at Yasukuni Shrine, Father and Mother, I always and forever will be living near you and will be praying for your happiness.

I will go smiling, both on the day of my sortie and forever.

 

 

On March 23, 1945, Kenji Tomisawa become a member of the 62nd Shinbu Special Attack Squadron when it was formed at Shimoshizu Airfield. On April 6, 1945, he died in a suicide attack when his squadron’s Type 99 Assault Planes (Allied nickname of Sonia) took off from Bansei Air Base in Kagoshima Prefecture. He was 23 years of age at the time of his death.

Tomisawa wrote the following last letter to his family:

I trust that everyone has been doing well recently.

I am dearly grateful that you went to all the trouble to come visit me the other day in such a busy time.

Since my injury is already healed, do not worry.

At last for me also the time of final service has arrived. I very deeply appreciate my special upbringing until now. I am one who lacked courage, but please do speak well of me.

In order to destroy our enemy, I will summon courage with all my might and will go to strike. We are the ones to deliver the country from the current crisis. Taking pride in this, I will surely do it. My comrades have already done it. Even right now my comrades, believing in those who will follow after them, are striking the enemy.

Shall I keep silent? Shall I try to be quiet about this?

Father, Mother, please do congratulate me.

Brother, sister, please take care of Father and Mother.

I surely will be protecting everybody from the immortal faraway skies in Nansei Shoto (Okinawa and other islands in archipelago that stretch south of Kyushu and toward Taiwan). Even though my body dies, I will certainly defend you.

Please give my kindest regards to the neighbors. I hope you will always keep in contact with Mr. Ebihara of Honjo. Since I have been busy, I have not been able to write a letter to him for a long time. Please give my greetings to Mr. Nishigaya also.

With this I give you my final farewell. Thank you for everything. Goodbye, goodbye.

Second Lieutenant Tomisawa

 

 

Lieutenant Sanehisa Uemura died in battle in the Philippine Sea area on October 26, 1944

Uemura wrote the following letter to his young daughter:

Motoko,

You often looked and smiled at my face. You also slept in my arms, and we took baths together. When you grow up and want to know about me, ask your mother and Aunt Kayo.

My photo album has been left for you at home. I gave you the name Motoko, hoping you would be a gentle, tender-hearted, and caring person.

I want to make sure you are happy when you grow up and become a splendid bride, and even though I die without you knowing me, you must never feel sad.

When you grow up and want to meet me, please come to Kudan. And if you pray deeply, surely your father’s face will show itself within your heart. I believe you are happy. Since your birth you started to show a close resemblance to me, and other people would often say that when they saw little Motoko they felt like they were meeting me. Your uncle and aunt will take good care of you with you being their only hope, and your mother will only survive by keeping in mind your happiness throughout your entire lifetime. Even though something happens to me, you must certainly not think of yourself as a child without a father. I am always protecting you. Please be a person who takes loving care of others.

When you grow up and begin to think about me, please read this letter.

Father

P.S. In my airplane, I keep as a charm a doll you had as a toy when you were born. So it means Motoko was together with Father. I tell you this because my being here without your knowing makes my heart ache.

 

 

Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Nobutaka Inoue from Osaka died at the age of 18 in a special (suicide) attack near Okinawa. On April 28, 1945, he took off from Kokubu No. 2 Air Base as navigator in a two-man Type 99 Carrier Dive Bomber (Allied code name of Val) as a member of the Navy’s Kamikaze Special Attack Corps.

He wrote the following last letter to his parents on the day before his final mission:

Father and Mother,

Please excuse this hastily written letter. I sincerely thank you for taking care of me until this, my 18th, year.

I also at last have joined the Special Attack Corps, an airman’s highest honor, and it has been decided that I will make a sortie. I am sorry that recently I have not been able to send you news, but this also is unavoidable for military reasons. However, I have not regretted this. My heart is full of gratitude not only to you who have taken care of me until now but also to the senior officers and my friends from whom I as a single person have received so much.

Please enjoy good health until the day when in the end the Greater East Asia War is won. Even though my body disappears, my spirit only will remain. Please let me have the honor of seeing your cheerful faces from the skies of Yasukuni. The end is near. I want to write various things, but I do not know which ones are best to write.

Tomorrow at last I will fly to Okinawa and carry out a taiatari (literally “body crashing”) attack. I will die for an eternal cause believing I follow after my younger brothers and convinced of certain victory. If a white wooden box arrives, please praise me without crying. I earnestly request this of you.

I could not do any acts of filial piety for you, but I ask my older brother to do this. The enclosed photograph was taken just before my takeoff. I am in high spirits. Please rest assured. They are dirty nail clippings, but I enclose them with this letter.

I hope you live long and take good care of yourselves.

Please say hello from me to our neighbors and relatives.

Nobutaka
April 27, 1945

THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) FIRST TIME WATCHING

Range Four Harry

When I was in college I was facing another surgery on my spine. I already had had thee previous surgeries and was depressed about the state of my health. I was having lunch with a girl that I knew who was confined to a wheelchair having her back broken in an auto accident.

She knew about my health problems so we could easily talk about such problems.

I asked her how she was dealing with the “why me”. Her response blew me away and changed my outlook on my life.

She said, “why not you. What makes you feel you are immune to life itself. You cannot always control what happens to you but what you can control is how you deal with the hand you are dealt.”

I was so dumbfounded that I could not answer her. Here was a person who has had it a lot worse than I had and she had a better outlook on life.

I did not fully appreciate what a profound statement she had told me until after my sugery. By this time I had lost contact with her and I was unable to thank her.

I have had about a dozen surgeries since then and I have never felt “why me”, I appreciate the life I have and know that I am a fortunate man to have survived all of this and have had a rewarding career and an incredible marriage to an amazing woman.

Fun Comics

fe69bc9b0dc21bbe823d3cfab783390b
fe69bc9b0dc21bbe823d3cfab783390b

7e98a480ac851463b1abde15466a4b03
7e98a480ac851463b1abde15466a4b03

f752e4d259371fe71df051e33852847c
f752e4d259371fe71df051e33852847c

7b3c08f46761d690433688a248f8f527
7b3c08f46761d690433688a248f8f527

@@@@@@ccc36364a55670a46387bb2671cb4f4f
@@@@@@ccc36364a55670a46387bb2671cb4f4f

d7ad609c9aca1cc38d7bb66aab27c46f
d7ad609c9aca1cc38d7bb66aab27c46f

cf9ec3aebe99b4f2dc00e9cf9c15dc27
cf9ec3aebe99b4f2dc00e9cf9c15dc27

ff6082ab99348c8e77d9a9d34c0033ba
ff6082ab99348c8e77d9a9d34c0033ba

b4e425fb39a695d956f1c46d2ecfe3c8
b4e425fb39a695d956f1c46d2ecfe3c8

c1057a3318e627fe1788199ceaa984a9
c1057a3318e627fe1788199ceaa984a9

99de0fb71254f4450bcf1b123f4048b1
99de0fb71254f4450bcf1b123f4048b1

3641ff53bbf358a9174ac6ae6e9581ff
3641ff53bbf358a9174ac6ae6e9581ff

cb2b71ad29e35a7bf7839472ef78dab3
cb2b71ad29e35a7bf7839472ef78dab3

0d50c5d7d45fda0a95d958fefaffb308
0d50c5d7d45fda0a95d958fefaffb308

24e1ed0406277f4a96218a1f6eac2b30
24e1ed0406277f4a96218a1f6eac2b30

79c243066d401b753852d85102673854
79c243066d401b753852d85102673854

92aaa4abb7a170474fb632b1102b0ea2
92aaa4abb7a170474fb632b1102b0ea2

bd6db9c271b6990d0af30bae9261bed7
bd6db9c271b6990d0af30bae9261bed7

4be1e3830b53fe3d5b7a9472dea26d0d
4be1e3830b53fe3d5b7a9472dea26d0d

0f4a8e1fae8048fe755f8e9f8355476f
0f4a8e1fae8048fe755f8e9f8355476f

8d3052d45801b458cc31495e3ee94ebf
8d3052d45801b458cc31495e3ee94ebf

d3ee9d30451f050c97b37e5790eda22c
d3ee9d30451f050c97b37e5790eda22c

9d59cdcdd1cb8fa1ee62940c2e08b73a
9d59cdcdd1cb8fa1ee62940c2e08b73a

18f9d32b85e58a12a6495796a9fb664a
18f9d32b85e58a12a6495796a9fb664a

d2d36f63065caa00e779a062a963a16f
d2d36f63065caa00e779a062a963a16f

e5845c118982ddba883a4ff323b9bca1
e5845c118982ddba883a4ff323b9bca1

7b4d2de8210dbbd9878df8fc8c6958be
7b4d2de8210dbbd9878df8fc8c6958be

6e01d81f271ee98cd1a889e7d98d43f1
6e01d81f271ee98cd1a889e7d98d43f1

236887e2e2d22ecc1a3a2f3f00029911
236887e2e2d22ecc1a3a2f3f00029911

bbe4a2d9ffabdfba83afdbb4803b911d
bbe4a2d9ffabdfba83afdbb4803b911d

0172a32393976310e909bfed6138b278
0172a32393976310e909bfed6138b278

0ce7f2cfe3028d36090eb86b0c7e6237
0ce7f2cfe3028d36090eb86b0c7e6237

7d58ea8ea74e90aaf594506f4795946e
7d58ea8ea74e90aaf594506f4795946e

581ba8841038df81cde7617970da309d
581ba8841038df81cde7617970da309d

87732dda4327fcfba7efeab229de56bd
87732dda4327fcfba7efeab229de56bd

4648758cfbfbd061976f0cc5c9a08014
4648758cfbfbd061976f0cc5c9a08014

0d55b349f109b8588fe2b913c88ea243
0d55b349f109b8588fe2b913c88ea243

76aedaf47044a95a86210d8c324e4ac8
76aedaf47044a95a86210d8c324e4ac8

2645ebd968b53b9930785511c05c4e21
2645ebd968b53b9930785511c05c4e21

8536468f268b50305007e1cec21d4b0a
8536468f268b50305007e1cec21d4b0a

6a8959e9e29673703871acf9579451e4
6a8959e9e29673703871acf9579451e4

e9760f780c0f16924f0bb8163113ff25
e9760f780c0f16924f0bb8163113ff25

02942d0cd072adafbf2c08ace9a42a6c
02942d0cd072adafbf2c08ace9a42a6c

4d3448ac885c7faf9c819622eccd758a
4d3448ac885c7faf9c819622eccd758a

About thirty years ago, my wife worked in the cafeteria in a hospital. It was the hospital’s policy at the time to raise your hourly pay to $10 per hour (usually from around $7) when you had been there for 10 years. The cafeteria was subject to this rule, but owned by an outside company. The outside company decided that firing folks who had been there for ten years seemed like a good loophole, so they told her that her last day would be a week or so before her tenth anniversary. Then, on her last night (she worked the third shift by herself), her boss magnamously offered to let her work two more nights – to train her replacement. She told him to fornicate himself, but then agreed to finish her last scheduled shift.

Then, as soon as he left, she cooked several prime rib roasts, salmon, and shrimp that were meant for a hospital board dinner a few days later, and sent a message to all departments:

“D’s going away party, everyone eats free!”

Even the patients ate well!

We heard later that the board only found out why she – and many others – had been fired was because they ended up eating grilled chicken instead of prime rib, and dug until they found out why. Folks got fired, my wife and several others got retroactive severance pay.

Our Alien Overlords | How We Secretly Serve The Tall Whites

For your enjoyment and background.

The Tall White Aliens: We Work for Them Charles Hall, a former weather observer at Nellis Air Force Base, shares his incredible story of encountering the Tall Whites, an extraterrestrial species working with the US military. These chalk-white aliens, standing up to 9 feet tall, have been influencing human technology and evolution for decades. Charles’s friendship with a Tall White known as “The Teacher” led him to discover hidden alien facilities and the shocking truth about their presence on Earth. Uncover the secrets of the Tall Whites, from their advanced scout crafts to their underground bases, and explore the startling implications of their alliance with the US government and the hidden reality of alien-human cooperation.

Not terminated but I was quitting, a few years ago my brother and I worked at home depot, we were on the M.E.T. team (merchandising execution team). If you don’t know the M.E.T. team are the ones in the orange shirts that set the bays to plan, build displays make sure everything is stocked ectopic. Well since met is corporate and not store employees then met is not supposed to drop pallets for store associates and vice versa, so if you need a pallet down from the overhead you needed to get a M.E.T. associate that was certified to operate the fork lift, of which there were two. Those two were my brother and I.

So most of our days were go to this isle drop a pallet for person 1, one of us would flag and one would operate the fork lift and we would switch of occasionally, then we’d go to that isle and drop a pallet for person 2, then go over there and drop a pallet for person 3 and so on, usually by the time we dropped a pallet for everyone the first few had finished and needed another pallet so we would continue on.

We both truly loved our jobs because we spent the day essentially hanging out, driving a fork lift and spending time with our best friend. Until our boss was fired. A new boss came in and decided that my brother and I needed to be separated because even though we were getting all our work done we were “having to much fun” well she spent the next 6 months trying to have us on separate projects (which usually didn’t work because we were the only 2 that could use the fork lift and no one else on the team wanted to learn).

Well after separating us didn’t work she decided to fire us, well we were exemplary workers besides our having fun so she needed a paper trail and started writing us up for everything and anything (I once got written up for something I said off the clock across the street at the bar, I made a innuendo joke much like one of the hundreds you would see in a pg movie, it really wasn’t that inappropriate. But I didn’t know a coworker was there to report on us to her and she said that because I was still in uniform which let me remind you is an orange SHIRT that I represented the company and it wasn’t appropriate to make that type of joke)

Well after a few months of this my brother and I had enough so we put out feelers for different jobs, almost immediately a different ex boss of ours contacted my brother and offered us jobs on the spot which we accepted. So we called our regional manager and gave our two weeks to which she asked us to try and leave the store in a way that our absence wouldn’t hurt the remaining team. Well we knew that meant training more people on the fork lift, which our manager absolutely refused to let us do. She said that since we were leaving she wasn’t going to let us do ant job where we could sabotage the team so for the last two weeks she had us sorting screws, the pallets piled up with no one to pull them down for two weeks and by the time we left there was very little room anywhere in the store for new pallets, meanwhile there was no product to stock because the pallets were all in the over head so most of the shelves in the store were bare, we tried to help by dropping a few pallets but our boss caught us, wrote us up, and sent us back to sort screws. So we did.

We left with our heads high and not caring that there would be a reckoning for not having any pallets brought down for two weeks. And boy was there. We went back a week later to do some shopping and our boss had been fired.

She tried telling our regional manager that we refused to train anyone and also refused to pull pallets down, a couple people on the team “verified” her story. Than our regional manager came to the store to talk to store associates to see what happened and they told her the truth(my brother and I were liked by most of the store associates because we were always helping then out, even if it meant we might get in trouble) she heard the full story and checked the cameras and saw our boss was lying. So she was fired immediately. And it took a few months for them to catch back up.

Women Disrespecting Men & Getting Instantly Dumped For 25 Minutes

Watch it.

Want a big laugh

main qimg 3665869068afb9314b8919b7a2fc2b1e
main qimg 3665869068afb9314b8919b7a2fc2b1e

I knew we weren’t rich… but I never knew we were poor until one moment.

My parents had split and just like change that slips away forever into couch cushions, the minor extravagances of my childhood started disappearing.

The cable…

The fast food…

The car.

My Mom was like Maria in The Sound of Music. No material? I’ll just make clothes out of these drapes kind of resourcefulness that never let on that we were barely scraping by.

We’d walk down the hill to catch a bus across town so my mom could teach music.

That stroller, I remember it so well – yellow, floral, the kind of thing you get as a gift when you’re not sure if it’s a boy or a girl. I remember holding the handle so tightly as not to watch my 3-year-old sister and 1-year-old brother roll away.

But even then, in that moment, somehow… I didn’t think we were poor.

That realization only hit when, a few years later, my Mom, in response to post-Christmas “I wish I would have got” griping said the words that are forever etched in my mind:

“I only had $15 to spend on Christmas for you four kids.”

$15.

That’s not some passing, semi-serious statement like, “I’m so broke” or “I’ve got no money”.

It was exact… and that’s what made it so startling. $15.

It turns out that the pastor of our church helped out that year. So that’s why I ended up getting a G.I. Joe figure in my stocking instead of an orange.

That number was anchored in my mind and helped to mute the entitled gripes I was assuredly scheduled to have. I became more resourceful; I realized that anything near that number was a sacrifice, and that my mother, even in that moment of weakness, was the strongest person I’d ever met.

Your best chance to survive is to leave the room, either by the door or by jumping out of a window.

If there are no windows, you are on the 5th floor, or it’s not safe outside, you should do one of the following things:

  • get behind some furniture.
  • place something between you and the grenade, for example, a flak jacket or a backpack.
  • turn yourself away from the grenade, get flat on the ground (only if there’s enough distance between you and the grenade, at least five feet), hide your head between your arms, and cover your ears.

main qimg 731c4b6ef9db6d3c58bdcceca3e43072 lq
main qimg 731c4b6ef9db6d3c58bdcceca3e43072 lq

In 1996, a mentally ill person threw a hand grenade into a church in Frankfurt, Germany. Three people were injured. The picture demonstrates the power of the explosion and what it did to the wooden furniture. (Photo: Frankfurter Rundschau)

If you think there’s enough time for it, you can try to kick the grenade in a corner where it causes less damage. Instead of your foot, however, you should use your rifle butt. Someone in the room with you might even have the guts to throw the grenade out of there.

Those are split-second decisions, based on experience and very good situational awareness. If you are new to combat, I wouldn’t recommend doing it.

China’s New Tech Warfare| an AI Chip Introduced to POWER Hypersonic Weapon

China has once again outdone itself in the realm of hypersonic technology. That’s right, China makes headlines in hypersonic once again – but this time, there’s something extremely interesting going on that has the tech enthusiasts scratching their heads. Using low costs AI computer chips, hypersonic weapons have powered up significantly, ensuring China’s strong position on the Hypersonic throne.

A few years back, I walked on into my local Panera Bread craving a turkey sandwich something fierce.

I ordered that turkey sandwich on rye bread with Swiss cheese, bacon, lettuce, onion, and tomato.

What I got… a turkey sandwich on white bread with some kind of neon green avocado paste that, I swear to all that’s holy, looked like boogers.

It was a to-go order that I intended to eat in my car because the modern acid jazz music they play in there is blasphemous to a person like me that worships the genre.

I had to walk back in and explain that I received the wrong sandwich. The female manager walked over, flipped the sandwich open, and -no joke- said to me “hmm, that looks good. You sure you don’t want it? I’m over on my food costs and can’t afford to have any more mistakes.”

I was floored. Since when is it my problem they were making a lot of mistakes that were costing the store money, and I told her that, too. I was shaking and on the verge of tears. I asked to please just have what I ordered so I could be on my way.

The manager picked up the incorrect sandwich and said to me that she would be eating it on her break because “there was nothing wrong with it and no reason you couldn’t have eaten it”, then went in the back.

I wouldn’t be eating it, and didn’t have to, because it wasn’t what I goddamn ordered.

I was even more floored because, first of all, that sandwich left the store for two minutes before I brought it back. She didn’t know me. I could’ve wiped my ass with it for all she knew. But she was going to eat it.

The employees that remade my (correct) sandwich laughed at her and her ridiculous reaction the whole time. They apologized for her and threw extra chips and baguettes in my bag. It was amusing and made up for that crappy experience.

It was a typical 10 year old assignment, write a persuasive letter to you parents to convince them on something. Most kids chose getting a phone, some a dog or a new bike. Except one girl, who we’ll call Amy.

I was skimming though them, checking for mistakes for them to correct next lesson before the the follow up (write your parents reply, this was changed due to Amy’s letter) That’s when I saw her one.

This it it paraphrased

Dear Mum,

I am writing to ask for some changes…I would like you to stop drinking.

I would like this because when you drink you change. It scares me when you hit me…..and when you bring home your boyfriend he hits me too.

Maybe if you stopped earlier Daddy wouldn’t have left, I know I’m his little girl but he doesn’t come anymore and he says it’s your fault.

It went on longer, tears came to my eyes, she was such a bright, bubbly girl I never suspected anything. I was angry, why doesn’t her dad protect her, I was sad, she doesn’t relise it’s not normal.

A few days later she came in with a large bruise on her face. At break I called her back to talk to her. Then she let everything out, how her dad won’t come back until her mum stops drinking, how each night her mum gets back early in the morning with a new guy. How she sometimes sleeps in bus shelters or bushes to avoid her mum.

I talked to the headteacher and we called a meeting with her mum, on the day if it Amy wasn’t in school, her mum didn’t show up. Amy never came back, I went to her house but it was abandoned and a neighbour told me that they left for London. I panicked and by some miracle tracked them down. I found Amy alone in the flat, I waited with her until her mum returned. After talking it though with her and social services I’m fostering Amy until her mum is ready to look after her. They see each other every other weekend now and her mums nearly out of rehab. Amy’s just started secondary school and loving it.

I hope they can be reunited soon and live better lives together.

My family was on a cross country trip with a trailer and nine people. One Sunday morning we were on a country road in Alabama when came upon a woman and her three children standing next to a car with a flat tire. Of course we stopped and my brother and I changed the tire for her. She told us that she was on her way to church. She wanted to pay us, but we told her to put the money in the church collection.

That evening we told the story to a family at the trailer park. When we mentioned that the family was black, the father, in front of his children said, the “you should never help a nigger *”. My father told him he was a “shameful human “ and walked away.

Just another example of hate, but also another example of why I admired my father.

** this is a quote, I never use that word

Yes, I was walking after dinner and I saw a man beating his wife and child. I was furious and did not think straight. I grabbed the man and threw him up against the car (I was in the military) and held him until the police came. The wife and child were taken to the hospital and treated for their injuries. A month later I got a subpoena to appear in court for assault. His lawyer attested that since I was in the military and trained in hand-to-hand combat I could have “killed his client.” I was dumbfounded. Fortunately, the public defender had copies of the hospital records showing the injuries he had inflicted on his wife and daughter and the solitary bruise I had left from pinning him to the car. Yes, the case was dismissed but I was furious at him for a while.

Years later a woman came up to me and said “You don’t remember me do you?” I said no I did not. She said “You saved me from my husband killing me and his daughter and now he is in prison and we are finally free. Thank you for being brave.” Yes, I started crying immediately!!

Baked Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and Dumplings 1 1200
Chicken and Dumplings 1 1200

Key Ingredients

  • Whole chicken: I simmer a whole chicken with aromatics for about 1 hour, which produces the most delicious chicken broth and tender, moist chicken. Once you try chicken and dumplings this way, you’ll never go back. I use the same process to make our easy chicken broth.
  • Aromatics: For the classic broth, we add an onion top (the part you usually throw away — you can see what I mean by looking at our photos or watching the video), carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme, and salt.
  • Self-rising flour: I use self-rising flour for the drop dumplings. Baking powder and salt have already been added, making the dumpling batter so easy! If you do not have it, I have included a DIY version in the tips section of the recipe.
  • Milk: I use whole milk, which brings our dumpling batter together and helps make them tender.
  • Butter: Adds flavor and keeps the dumplings moist.
  • Spices: I add ground pepper, a bit of extra salt, and fresh parsley to the dumpling batter.

How to Make Chicken and Dumplings From Scratch

You can break this cozy classic chicken and dumplings recipe into 3 easy steps.

Make broth and cook the chicken. For the best homemade chicken and dumplings, we make the broth ourselves (it’s so worth it and is much easier than you might think). By making the broth ourselves, we also gently cook the chicken, which guarantees juicy and tender chicken meat for our soup (it takes about 1 hour). If you are short on time, I have included a speedier option using store-bought broth below.

Make the soup. Since we make our chicken broth, making the soup for this recipe is quick and easy. After straining our homemade broth, we add chopped carrot, celery, and the shredded cooked chicken (from cooking the broth).

Make the drop dumpling batter. This Southern-style recipe uses drop dumplings (similar to drop biscuits). We make a somewhat wet dumpling batter and then drop it by the spoonful into simmering broth, where they steam in the broth (about 15 minutes).

When cooking the dumplings, keep these things in mind:

  1. Drop your dumplings into gently simmering broth with a spoon or cookie scoop, and don’t worry if the pot looks crowded. Depending on your pot shape, you might even have a few dumplings on top of each other.
  2. If the dumplings fully cover your soup, use a spoon to make a small hole in the middle to allow steam and some of the simmering bubbles to release.
  3. So that they cook perfectly, the dumplings need to steam, so cover the pot with its lid.
  4. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer when cooking the dumplings. An aggressive simmer or boiling will break them apart. Keep the heat low and cover the pot so that they steam. The dumplings can cook longer than the suggested times without issues, but agitating them with an aggressive simmer will make them fall apart.

The batter for these dumplings is very similar to the batter for our easy drop biscuits. I love how light and fluffy the drop-style dumplings turn out. They also make the soup thicker and creamier since some batter will ultimately fall into the broth and help thicken it. We also have a this recipe for more traditional biscuits, but I’d keep those for dipping into the broth, not for cooking on top.

Chicken and Dumplings In Dutch Oven 3 1200
Chicken and Dumplings In Dutch Oven 3 1200

Storing and Make Ahead Tips

Homemade chicken and dumplings are at their best when fresh, but you can store them in the fridge for a couple of days and gently reheat them. The dumplings will be slightly more moist and might fall apart, but the flavors will all be there. We do not recommend freezing them.

To cut down on the preparation time of the recipe, you can make the broth and chicken up to three days in advance. Then, when you are ready to serve, reheat the broth, add your carrots and celery, and then make your dumpling batter.

Chicken and Dumplings In Dutch Oven 1200
Chicken and Dumplings In Dutch Oven 1200

You Will Need

Chicken and Broth1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds

1 onion top, see notes

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 large carrot

2 stalks celery

3 bay leaves

8 whole peppercorns

1 tablespoon fine sea salt

12 to 14 cups (3 liters) water

1 bunch fresh thyme

Dumplings2 ½ cups (325g) self-rising flour, see notes

8 twists black pepper

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 ½ cups (350ml) whole milk

1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted

Directions

    • Make Broth and Cook Chicken

1Cut a 3-inch section of the carrot, about 1/4 the size of the whole carrot, and set aside. Chop the remaining carrot into small cubes. Cut a 4-inch piece of celery stalk and set aside with the carrot. Chop the remaining celery into small cubes. Save the chopped carrot and celery for later.

2Place the chicken, breast facing up, in a large pot (we use a 9-quart Dutch oven). Then, toss the 1/4 carrot, 4-inch piece of celery, onion top, smashed garlic clove, bay leaves, peppercorns, and a tablespoon of salt around the chicken.

3Pour in 12 to 14 cups of water, depending on the size of your pot. In the video, we used 14 cups. It is okay if the chicken is not fully covered; an inch or so of chicken breast above the water is okay.

4Cover the pot with a lid, turn the heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Once the broth is at a simmer, reduce it so that it’s a gentle simmer — the bubbles should be slowly dancing around in the pot.

5Cook at a gentle simmer for 50 minutes. Peek under the lid occasionally to see if the heat needs to be reduced.

6After 50 minutes, the broth will be aromatic, and the chicken will be cooked through (you can test this with an internal temperature thermometer — it should read above 165 °F).

7Carefully transfer the chicken to a plate and allow it to cool until you can handle it.

8Strain the broth, wipe any foam stuck to the sides of the pot, and then pour the strained broth back into the pot used to make it. Place the pot back over medium heat, add the thyme, chopped carrots, and chopped celery.

 

    • Finish Chicken and Dumplings

1When it is cool enough to handle, shred the chicken by hand, removing all the bones and skin. Shred as big/little as you like. We keep the chicken in larger pieces.

2To make the dumpling batter, melt the butter. In a medium bowl, stir the flour, pepper, salt, parsley, milk, and melted butter until mixed.

3Remove the thyme from the soup, scraping a few leaves off the bundle as you remove it.

4Stir the shredded chicken and any juices left on the plate into the soup.

5Bring the broth to a gentle simmer, and then use a spoon to scoop golf ball-sized portions of the batter into the soup, scraping them off with your finger. (If you have a large cookie scoop, scoop balls of batter into the soup.) Do this until all the batter is in the soup — it will look crowded. Some might sink.

6Cover with a lid and cook the dumplings at a low simmer for 5 to 7 minutes or until they look like they are firming up on the bottom. Then, carefully turn each one over to simmer the other side. If there’s no space for the liquid to bubble up past the dumplings, use a spoon and make a small hole in the middle of the pot.

7Once they are all turned over, simmer over low heat with the lid on for another 8 to 10 minutes. You can test a dumpling to check they are done — The center should look cooked through and fluffy, not doughy. When cooking the dumplings, keep the pot at a gentle simmer. An aggressive simmer or boiling will break them apart. Keep the heat low and keep your pot covered so that they steam. The dumplings can cook longer than the suggested times without issues, but agitating them with an aggressive simmer will make them fall apart.

 

Adam and Joanne’s Tips

  • Onion top: We are only looking for a mild onion flavor in our broth. Slice an onion at the top, keeping the skins on. Use the top (what you would normally throw away) to make the broth, and save the onion for another recipe. You can also use a 1-inch slice of onion in its place.
  • Self-rising flour: Unlike all-purpose flour, self-rising flour adds baking powder and salt. For 2 ½ cups of homemade self-rising flour (what you need for this recipe), whisk 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour with 3 ¾ teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
  • Pot size: The perfect size for this recipe is a 9-quart Dutch oven, which is large enough to make the broth and cook all the dumplings. I have also used a 7 ½-quart Dutch oven with this recipe and found that I could only fit 12 cups of water with my chicken. If you don’t have either of these, make sure the pot is large enough to hold at least 12 cups of water with the chicken.
  • Shortcut: I highly recommend the homemade broth, but if you are short on time, use 10-12 cups of store-bought broth. Bring your chicken broth to a low simmer, and add chopped carrot and celery. Stir in 3 to 4 cups of shredded cooked chicken. Make the dumpling batter and cook by gently simmering them covered with a lid, per our instructions above.
  • The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition Per ServingServing Size1/6 of the recipe/Calories501/Total Fat14.4g/Saturated Fat7g/Cholesterol136.8mg/Sodium1599.2mg/Carbohydrate48.7g/Dietary Fiber3.8g/Total Sugars4.1g/Protein42.4g
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
.

My father was hospitalized with heart and diabetes complications. He had to have a heart triple by pass surgery. There were complications and he was in intensive care for 3 days, near death. In the evening of the first night, I stayed at the hospital. My mother and daughter went to my parents home for the night. A neighbor was babysitting my daughters 2 month old daughter, there at the home. My mom, daughter and the baby went to bed soon after returning to the home. My parents lived along a golf course that was heavily lighted at night. There was always light fading into the rooms, even with the drapes drawn.

My daughter woke up at 3 am and saw a blond woman from the back. She thought it was me, standing beside her daughters small, travel crib. The figure, who was my height and shape, was staring down at the sleeping baby. She was dressed in a white robe, similar to one that I wore. My daughter then said that she whispered, Mom what’s the matter? Is the baby okay? And then the woman turned and faded away. My daughter said she saw her face briefly. She looked fully human. The woman or figure was only a few feet from where my daughter lay in bed. My daughter said she got up and walked into the bedroom that I was using and I wasn’t there. She then stayed awake, with the lights on the rest of the night.

Around 5 am I went to my moms home to rest. My dad had become more stable. When I got home my daughter told me about the incident. I took out some old photo albums and asked her to look and see if she could find a similar face. My dads mom died when he was 18 and in the Army. She was 43 at her death, which was near my age at that time. My daughter and I had never seen these photos before. My dads sister had recently sent them from across the country. My daughter picked out a photo of my dad in his army uniform standing beside his mother. She did look like me.

We think his mom was with us, just to watch over him and his great grand daughter, his little one. We had one more incident like this. He survived this surgery and 9 years later died of complications of heart disease, diabetes and dementia. In the nursing home,a CNA said to me,the last morning of his life,you’re back so soon. I lived a few hours away and had just driven there. I guess, early that morning a woman who looked like me,was in his room for a moment. The CNA saw her from the back,leaning over his bed,as she walked down the hall, and had glanced in his room. It was not me. At that time he was in the fetal position,and he died later that morning. I leaned over his bed as I told him to go with mama. I really think his mother was there. I held his hand and he died. I really believe that his mother took him home. It was as if he left his body. I knew he was embraced in love and at Peace.

US Politicians Have Lost Their Mind Over the Latest Chinese Tech

While the Media is discussing China and the TikTok ban, there is something much bigger at stake. US and China have been working together in biotech for decades but now US politicians want to ban US scientists from working together with their Chinese counterparts. What impact does this have on the future of American healthcare? Does the US actually need Chinese biotech? Let’s break it down

“My son doesn’t need an education, he is going to work in the mines and drive a truck. He doesn’t need to know all this crap.” Said by the parent of an extremely bright 6th grade student (11 years old) in front of him to his teachers, administration and support staff.

My response, “What happens if Erik doesn’t want to be a truck driver at a mine?”

Dad: “Tough, it is a good job, good wages and benefits. I don’t want to be taking care of him his whole life.”

My response, “Erik, do you like mining.” (Mining is a major industry here)

Erik, “Yes.”

Me: “Do you want to drive heavy equipment?”

Erik, “Maybe but probably not.”

Me: “What do you want to do at the mine?”

Erik: “I want to be a mining engineer, a metallurgist.”

Dad: “What is the hell is that, sounds like a pansy job.”

Me: “It is actually a wonderful job that takes a lot of work, intelligence and one that keeps you employed.” (Dad obviously works at a mine.)

Me: “Erik, you know that takes a lot of math and science as well as at least 5 years of college, right?”

Erik: “Yes, but I could do it.”

Me, “Dad, he needs this education, needs to be to school every day, do his work, and be able to focus on his future possibilities.”

Dad: “Bullsh*t, I need him at home taking care of his brothers and sisters.”

Yea. Erik is still not going to school as often he should, however, he works harder knowing he can do whatever needs to after he leaves home. He is focused on becoming an engineer. He even contacted a couple of the mines and asked if they have educational programs for college assistance. He is lined up with one that has him working as a laborer and taking classes. If he gets a B or better they pay for the classes, if he can’t afford to pay up front, they pay it and take it out in installments from his checks. When he gets a degree, they have a job waiting for him and he needs to work for them for at least 2 years. Hopefully it will work out. Dad is still a jerk, still finds ways to make it hard for Erik to surpass his own education and job title. It is like he is intimidated that his son could do better. Most parents are thrilled when their kids do better. Not this guy.

China is with world at large to form a new way forward. That the world favours considerably more than the present enslavement to the U.S. method! One that the U.S. cannot do anything about.

I is welcomed as a nation and not the nation which it does not like but it inevitably will dwindled into whether it. Likes it or not! No one cause this but the U.S. themselves since it abused the power that it gained to the point that everyone wants out. If you steal money kept in INTERNATIONAL bank, The world will want to collectively take it out.

if you could and constantly manipulated the real value if the dollar people will want to dump it all together. If you set up rules as you go along to advantage yourself it us a matter of time that people don’t want to have anything with your rules or better still get as far away from you as one can!

Yes everyone wants out of your orbit. China happened to be the biggest of them all. You should have thought about the consequences when you did barbarism on Russia!

Please don’t waste your life

Feudalism 2.0

MM describes China

When I was a child, bedtime was 8:30, no fooling around about it. Unless I was reading. If I was reading anything at all, I could stay up as long as I stayed quietly reading. (I rarely made it to 9).

Later, my parents’ problem became getting me to stop reading and go to sleep. I had the third floor of the house to myself, but I kept getting caught staying up and reading. Tried sealing the door so light couldn’t leak out. No good. Tried covering the windows so nothing showed in the yard. No dice; I kept getting caught.

Many years later, as a young adult, I broke down and asked Mom how she did it.

She gave me the look she reserved for occasions when I’d done something a little cute, but basically stupid, and replied: “How many nights were you not reading?” Me: *thinks* “Oh. So, every night on your way to bed, you just hollered upstairs, and on the odd night when I was already asleep, no harm done?” Mom: “Uh-huh.”

One of the biggest surprises that has happened after retiring is realizing what it’s like to downsize. We lost, or rather left behind, over 1000 square feet. We’d had a lovely piece of property, and now we don’t have very much.

I’ve pared down our possessions, I’m still doing that, and I’m beginning to realize how little we need. No one will tell me why I dragged my mother’s china with me. I won’t use it. I hardly used it when we had a larger house. I was younger then, and we did a lot of entertaining. You’ll find out how this works. You know that there is no good reason to take so much stuff, but you do it anyway. I look at that china and think, “Let my heirs take care of it.” As long as I don’t do that with too many things, I should be okay.

I’m overwhelmed by how nice people are in the community we’ve moved into. People showed up at my door with homemade soup, breads and even dinner. We were welcomed with open arms. I’d lived in my old neighborhood for a long time, I knew my neighbors, but I never got to know them well. I had a good friend across the street. I knew the people on my block, but we each had our own lives. We were working. That made a difference. Larger homes with larger plots of land tend to make people stay within their boundaries. I don’t feel any boundaries here. I feel free.

I didn’t expect to be this happy. I thought we were just doing this for the money, but I’ve found out that I’ve been looking for this place a long time, and finally I was old enough to find it.

SHOCKING: China Warns The US “Cooperation or Confrontation” As Russia SEIZES US Bank Assets

This is a VERY GOOD video. China gave the USA “notice”.

China has had enough.

Blinken’s in China and things aren’t going well for him. Beijing has given him multiple warnings and red lines not to cross. China has given clear signs they aren’t afraid of America’s economic threats. Meanwhile, Russia has just frozen the assets of JP Morgan’s Russian account. This asset seizure will likely continue as the West plans to confiscate Russia’s frozen $300 billion. Here’s what you must know!

When I was 20 years old, still a university student, and in the early stages of a relationship, a game of truth or dare with friends took an unexpected turn. I was dared to confess about my relationship to my parents, even though it felt too early. However, my ego pushed me to accept the challenge.

I nervously called my dad.

  • Me: Hi, Dad.
  • Dad: Hi! How are you?
  • Me: I wanted to say something.
  • Dad: Okay, go ahead.
  • Me: I… hmm… (I hesitated).
  • Dad: What’s the hesitation?
  • Me: I wanted to say… (still hesitant, thinking of how to handle things if they go south).
  • Dad: Is there someone around you? (He heard my friends’ voices and they were making sure I said it.)
  • Me: Pooh… (taking a deep breath and without second thought) I like a girl!
  • Dad: Okay, what’s her name? (He seemed surprisingly cool, which was not typical with Indian parents.)
  • Me: (I told him her name.)
  • Dad: Okay, where is she from?
  • Me: (I gave him her details.)
  • Dad: Alright. Just remember one thing in life. Even if you miss one bus, there is always another bus that will come. You just need to wait.
  • Me: Okay (totally dumbfounded by how things turned around).
  • Dad: Anything else?
  • Me: No.
  • Dad: Bye!!.
  • Me: Bye !!.

Till this day, I remain captivated by the way my dad handled that unexpected conversation. His calm and open-minded response, especially given the usual cultural norms, left a lasting impression on me. The analogy he used, comparing life’s opportunities to buses, has become a guiding principle for me in facing challenges.

Since that day, whenever I encounter setbacks or failures, I recall my dads words and wait for the next bus. 🙂

edit: Thanks a lot for all the upvotes . shared it with my dad yesterday, and he was ecstatic about the response. A big thanks to all who read and all the upvotes !!

My mom had lung cancer. I was with her the last few days. She refused medication until the last day. Then started morphine. I had fallen asleep after reading to her for a bit.

The nurse explained to me that her kind of death is like slowly drowning the morphine reduces your bodies desire to breath. Very hard to watch.

Well I fell asleep finally and my alarm did not wake me for her next dose. I heard “ Neal get up!”. Just like when I was late for the bus 50 years ago. I had not heard her speak above a whisper for more than a month.

I gave her her next dose read a bit more to her from the hobbit ( she called her house that she built after she was65 her self) her hobbit house ( partially underground) but she had never read the hobbit and loved it when we read to her.

She never spoke again, I actually think she was not really there after that second dose of morphine.

Due to covid this remarkable lady never had a funeral. Grew up on the reservation, professional trick rider from ages of 9 to 12. Completed high school, raised 3 boys on her own . Ran 3 successful businesses, tribal council 3 times no one messed with her twice all 90 lb 4ft 7 of her…. Happy trails ma….

main qimg 988221b799789cb5cbfd11c08d975d01
main qimg 988221b799789cb5cbfd11c08d975d01

In 1997, a Saudi Airlines 747 landed at the wrong airport in India – it was supposed to land at Madras International Airport but ended up touching down at a nearby Indian air force base instead. The pilot simply saw and aimed for the wrong runway. Oops!

In that particular case, the base’s runways weren’t enough to allow the plane to safely take off again.

So, they made the plane as light as possible. All of the passenger seats were taken out, as well as all of the galleys. Any excess weight was removed from the plane to make it as light as possible. It was given just a few minutes worth of fuel – the absolute minimum necessary to be able to get the plane in the air and make the short flight to the Madras airport, which was its original, intended destination and just a short hop away.

Big, longhaul planes that need longer runways are usually intended for longer flights, and thus a big reason they need such long runways for takeoff is they’re loaded up with so much fuel. So, perhaps the Saudi 747 wasn’t the only case in which a large plane was stripped of as much weight as possible, and then given the absolute least amount of fuel possible – just enough to allow it to take off and get itself to the nearest airport with the right runway.

Apparently the same happened with a TWA flight that landed at the wrong airport near Steamboat Springs, CO in 2001, and an Atlas Air cargo jet that landed at the wrong airport in AZ. In each case, all excess weight was removed from the plane, and it was given just enough fuel to get it to the correct airport. Once there, everything was put back on the plane (after being trucked over) and it was put back in service. Obviously, these situations each involve pilots accidentally landing at the wrong airport, mistaking them for the (nearby) airport they were supposed to land at. So in these situations, giving the planes just enough fuel to get to the proper airport – but not enough to prevent them from taking off on the short runway – was an option.

When I chose to leave the language center where I had worked for 14 years for lack of respect issues by ‘the boys’ club’, one colleague (who was part of the club) made it clear that HE thought I was making a huge mistake.

Fast forward perhaps 5 years. He, too, had left the center for a higher paying position elsewhere.

We ran into each other at an exhibition, and he asked what I was doing for work.

As a communications teacher, I am really good at reading body language and tone of voice. He was oozing condescension and seemed ready to gloat, assuming I was working at some unlicensed language school.

I admit to messing with him and felt no guilt whatsoever.

I told him I was teaching part time (I had been a full-time teacher trainer and supervisor at the center) and added nothing.

He gave one of his famous ‘sad on the outside, superior laugh on the inside’ looks and saying he still had connections, he offered to put in a good word for me at the center, so MAYBE I could be rehired there as an hourly teacher.

I thanked him as sincerely as I could, but then, looking very serious, told him I was part-timing at the then top-rated business school in Thailand, making over three times what I had made fulltime at the center and working only a fourth of the 40-hour week.

His look of shock was very satisfying.

The fun didn’t end there.

My husband walked up and asked if we were talking about our new logistics company (we owned six 10-wheel trucks outright); I feared my former colleague was going to have a heart attack.

Note: I had been moonlighting at the business school long before I left the center. It was no secret, but the ‘club’ never bothered to learn much about me.

When I left the center, I also left my disgust and anger about them AT the center, being unwilling to carry THAT burden into the future.

A few years ago someone I had known when they were a teenager showed up where I was working looking for a job. He was in his early 20s by this point (American citizen) but had been kicked out of his moms house. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and his birth certificate.

There was a truck stop walking distance from where he was staying that would hire him but he had to have a social security card and a picture id.

So I tried to help him get those items and I discovered just how difficult it is to get photo id without photo id! He was a nice kid but not brilliant. And he had no car so I drove him. first place we went was the social security office. once there it was discovered that the birth dates on his birth certificate and his social security card were one day apart! That took more paperwork to figure out.

Finally we get a social security card but then we go to the local dmv for an id. He didn’t have a previous id of course, and because of his situation he had no utility bills in his name or passport or anything else. Eventually we managed to get him an id because I was willing to sign paperwork vouching for his identity since I knew him when he was a kid

Both the social security office and the dmv were over 20 miles from where he was staying, and each took multiple trips. He couldn’t get a job so he had no money so he couldn’t have taken Ubers. ( and no working phone or credit card) And he would have really really struggled figuring out all of the paperwork. I have a masters degree and I struggled trying to figure out this stuff.

These days any ‘legit’ -ie not paying under the table – employer has to check social security cards and all of that stuff.

If a homeless person has lost their social security card and picture id – I can assure you – at least in Texas – it’s incredibly hard to get either back. If that homeless person does not have someone to vouch for who they are, they might not be able to get it again.

it took well over a month and numerous trips to get him sorted out. Once we did, he took the job and could work again. But a homeless person with no one to drive them around and help them out? Good luck.

I’m going to go with Louis Farrakhan on this one

A couple quotes so you can get my idea:

  • “You see everybody always talk about Hitler exterminating six million Jews. That’s right. But don’t nobody ever ask what did they do to Hitler.”
  • “White people are potential humans – they haven’t evolved yet.”
  • “The Jews have been so bad at politics they lost half their population in the Holocaust. They thought they could trust in Hitler, and they helped him get the Third Reich on the road.”
  • “The Mother Wheel is a heavily armed spaceship the size of a city, which will rain destruction upon white America but save those who embrace the Nation of Islam.”
  • “Now that nation called Israel, never has had any peace in forty years and she will never have any peace because there can never be any peace structured on injustice, thievery, lying and deceit and using the name of God to shield your dirty religion under His holy and righteous name.”
  • “The Jews don’t like Farrakhan, so they call me Hitler. Well, that’s a good name. Hitler was a very great man.”
  • “I believe that for the small numbers of Jewish people in the United States, they exercise a tremendous amount of influence on the affairs of government …Yes, they exercise extraordinary control, and black people will never be free in this country until they are free of that kind of control … “
  • “Many of the Jews who owned the homes, the apartments in the black community, we considered them bloodsuckers because they took from our community and built their community but didn’t offer anything back to our community. When the Jews left, the Palestinian Arabs came, Koreans came, Vietnamese…and we call them bloodsuckers.”
  • “White people deserve to die, and they know, so they think it’s us coming to do it.”

Arrogant? Check.

Idiotic? Check.

Shameful? Check.

I walked into a Harley-Davidson dealership looking to buy my next bike. I was looking at their pre-owned stock, which, like in any other retail scenario, is significantly less expensive than buying new. My son (I think he was 7 or 8 at the time), was with me, and I had him sitting on the passenger seats of several bikes on the floor to see if he were tall enough to reach the foot pegs. We were both wearing jeans and t-shirts, which is fairly typical for us, and not entirely uncommon among motorcyclists.

I narrowed my selection down and got on those bikes with him to see if he could hold onto me in the riding position. After probably 5 or 6 bikes, I decided on one, and started looking around for a sales person. There were several of them on the floor, all just kind of glancing over at us while talking among themselves. We wandered through the merchandise section of the store, and as we passed the group of sales people, I said “apparently nobody wants to take a cash down payment for their next sale?”

We walked out, and I later discovered that while this treatment of customers isn’t all that common among Harley dealers as a whole, this particular dealer is notorious for it.

As a new officer on overnight shift, I was dispatched to a shooting in an urban neighborhood in the downtown area. When I arrived, I was accompanied by two other officers where we observed two men in a pickup truck in front of a house who had been shot. Before a minute, there were another half dozen police officers who had arrived securing the scene while we administered first aid. The paramedics came and took the driver. The passenger, a 19 year old kid was pronounced dead at the scene. We had learned shortly thereafter this was a drive by, gang style shooting that was retribution against these individuals who had shot one of there members the week before.

I was assigned to stand by the passenger door of the pickup securing the evidence until the scene could be processed. Our CSI Unit worked during the day shift and was on call, so we had to wait.

The door was open with the nineteen year old’s head and right arm sticking out the door as he laid on his right side across the seat. This was my first homicide scene. This was the first time being close to a deceased body. I stood there watching his blood spill out of the vehicle and drift down about fifty feet in the gutter to where we had put up our crime scene tape.

About 45 minutes had passed when a lady drove up, exited her vehicle and approached where the detective was standing outside the tape. When she saw the blood, she let out a shriek and then inconsolable sobbing as she knew her son was the one in that pickup truck even before the detective could have informed her. Before long, family members started to arrive. One by one, the shrieks and the sobbing continued. After about an hour, they left together, attempting to console one another. Then there was an eerie silence. After nearly 23 years, I can still remember what the scene looked like, the smell, and those agonizing screams. My prayers are still with this young man’s family.

Southwestern Egg and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

71858t1
71858t1

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 18 eggs
  • 2 small cans green chiles, chopped
  • 1 to 1 1/2 pounds cooked breakfast sausage
  • 2 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced

Instructions

  1. Spray slow cooker with Pam.
  2. Starting with sausage, layer meat, chiles, onions, peppers, and cheese, repeating the layering process until all ingredients are used and ending with a layer of cheese.
  3. Beat eggs, then pour over mixture in slow cooker.
  4. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours.
  5. Serve with sour cream and/or salsa.

One of my daughters is a serious academic. She is the student who, when given an assignment due in 2 weeks, would begin it that same evening. She always turned in essays and projects early; sometimes the teacher even told her to take it home for a while until it was due. She scrupulously studied for every test and exam. When she was in Grade 8, French class, every project, quiz, test, and participation level scored 95% or better. Yet, on her report card, her grade was B+.

WHAT?

We arranged a parent-teacher interview at the appropriate time as designated on the form supplied with the report card. My daughter, who was understandably very upset with her grade, accompanied me to ask for clarification from the teacher. Perhaps it was a simple error? We brought along all of my daughter’s marked work from the term.

“Oh, no error,” said the teacher. “I don’t ever give an A or A+. Students always have room to improve.”

“Well,” I countered, displaying all the marked term documents we had, “could you please explain how you added numerical grades over 15 assignments, that seem to average at 97%, to equal a B+, which is a numerical grade of 85–90%?”

“That may be accurate,” said the French teacher. “But I don’t give A+ to any students. There is always room to improve.”

We passed over the projects and exams that were graded at 100%. “Please explain how my daughter could improve in this circumstance.” Then we handed over the lowest-graded item, at 95%. “You have marked several of my daughter’s interpretations of this French novel as “inaccurate,” but her views actually are in agreement with those of these renowned French literary critics.” I passed her the publications.

“So, please explain to my daughter and me how she could have improved her performance enough to get the grade she needed to promote her to her desired school?”

“I never give an A+,” was the final comment before the interview was ended. And my daughter was once again in tears.

“It’s not over yet,” I told her. I sent all of our documentation, the report card, and the teacher’s remarks (which I had written down as they were being discussed) to the school Principal, cc to the Superintendent, and to the School Board. Within 3 days her mark was corrected to A+, and a letter of apology was sent to my daughter from the principal of the school. The French teacher transferred.

I am proud to say that this daughter is now in her 4th year PhD English Literature, and is completely fluent in French.

As a follow on to two videos I’ve recently made, on about the reasons why Japan invaded China and another about the reason why China should be grateful to the USA, there have been a few questions and I’ll attempt to answer them here.

Parachuting into fashion

Yes. Arriving, the parking lot was very slick ice. I informed the hostess (owner), she just shot an undeserved annoyed look. Hey I was just trying to help them & avoid a slip & fall for someone.

Our waitress failed to bring our food as it sat way to long prepared, even after a long wait we asked. Clearly she then forgot; but did show up to push a wine bottle to buy. That after we distinctly expressed early on we were not there for drinks. Same with appetizers & desserts.

The goal was clear: upsell, upsell.

The food was just about room temperature. And not even what we had ordered. She tried to convince us to eat what she brought anyway!

All that did was piss her off. Watching her she returned food to the kitchen, obviously not giving them our actual order.

We are not snotty people at all! But were pretty much forced to be at this point, hangry didn’t help.

We stopped at the hostess/owner podium & waited for some attention. After too long she asked “how many in our party?” She didn’t remember us unsurprisingly.

I made a bit of a sport of it, saying “still two, we’re just waiting for our check”.

“Who was your waiter/waitress?”

“Don’t know”

“Where was your table”

“Over there (with a vague gesture”

Now SHE’S very annoyed & NOT pleasant at all. “What did you have?”

“Nothing but water”

Now she’s even more annoyed + confused. Good. As if anyone there cared anyway.

I finally explained the situation & that we’d been there for almost an hour at this point. Ordered food, never got it, we’re leaving.

The bitch, now outright rude, threatened to call the police.

I implored her to, explaining we certainly are not paying for a product or service we’d never received. And fortunately we hadn’t yet paid, as then we would have a stronger case do please – a police report will be a good addition to our case. Plus hopefully for her sake they arrive quickly since now they are on the clock.

She still tried to argue! “We can’t just come here and leave without paying”. Argh. Pay for what – water? I don’t even see water on the menu, how much do you charge for it?” (I believe it’s state law that water & bathroom facilities are required at a certain amount of seating). But she briefly tried to think of an amount to charge.

I finally announced the end of this dispute – if she’s call law enforcement we’d feel compelled to wait, otherwise we’re leaving. She quipped something like ” well I guess we’ll eat this one”.

“Good for you! That’s more than we got!”

Shorpy Pictures for today

SHORPY 4a18071a.preview
SHORPY 4a18071a.preview

SHORPY 8d07978a.preview
SHORPY 8d07978a.preview

SHORPY 8d08002a.preview
SHORPY 8d08002a.preview

SHORPY 8d08001u.preview
SHORPY 8d08001u.preview

SHORPY 8d07997u.preview
SHORPY 8d07997u.preview

SHORPY 48693a.preview
SHORPY 48693a.preview

SHORPY 4a22639a.preview
SHORPY 4a22639a.preview

SHORPY 4a23484a.preview
SHORPY 4a23484a.preview

SHORPY 8d08145a.preview
SHORPY 8d08145a.preview

SHORPY 8d08133u.preview
SHORPY 8d08133u.preview

SHORPY 8d08167a.preview
SHORPY 8d08167a.preview

SHORPY 8d08437u.preview
SHORPY 8d08437u.preview

SHORPY 8d08220u.preview
SHORPY 8d08220u.preview

SHORPY IMG017A 0.preview
SHORPY IMG017A 0.preview

SHORPY 5a18087u.preview
SHORPY 5a18087u.preview

SHORPY 8d08251a.preview
SHORPY 8d08251a.preview

SHORPY 8d08444u.preview
SHORPY 8d08444u.preview

SHORPY 8d08345u.preview
SHORPY 8d08345u.preview

SHORPY 4a55259a.preview
SHORPY 4a55259a.preview

SHORPY 27777u.preview
SHORPY 27777u.preview

SHORPY 4a24067a.preview
SHORPY 4a24067a.preview

SHORPY 4a24063a.preview
SHORPY 4a24063a.preview

SHORPY 8d08917a.preview
SHORPY 8d08917a.preview

SHORPY 8d08921a.preview
SHORPY 8d08921a.preview

SHORPY 8d08925a.preview
SHORPY 8d08925a.preview

SHORPY 8d08928a.preview
SHORPY 8d08928a.preview

SHORPY 8d08924a.preview
SHORPY 8d08924a.preview

SHORPY 8d08931a.preview
SHORPY 8d08931a.preview

SHORPY 8d08568u.preview
SHORPY 8d08568u.preview

SHORPY 8d22535a.preview
SHORPY 8d22535a.preview

SHORPY 8d08629u1.preview
SHORPY 8d08629u1.preview

SHORPY 8d08653u.preview
SHORPY 8d08653u.preview

SHORPY 8d08613a.preview
SHORPY 8d08613a.preview

SHORPY 8d08614u.preview
SHORPY 8d08614u.preview

SHORPY 8d09350u.preview
SHORPY 8d09350u.preview

SHORPY 8d09338a.preview
SHORPY 8d09338a.preview

SHORPY 8d44981a.preview
SHORPY 8d44981a.preview

SHORPY 8d22849a.preview
SHORPY 8d22849a.preview

SHORPY 8d09361a1.preview
SHORPY 8d09361a1.preview

SHORPY 8d09182u.preview
SHORPY 8d09182u.preview

32246u.preview
32246u.preview

SHORPY 40263a.preview
SHORPY 40263a.preview

30612u.preview
30612u.preview

SHORPY 15356u.preview
SHORPY 15356u.preview

I was engaged to a fine woman. She was kind, considerate, smart and rich.

We had not set a date for the wedding when I started to have doubts about our relationship.

At first I didn’t know what was the problem was, but it was a strong feeling.

One day we were driving around in Brentwood, looking at old, stately homes when I saw what I considered to be a beautiful home.

It was brick, with leaded windows, slate roof and a plank door. I was admiring it when she said, “I will never live in a used house.”

I was stunned and asked her why.

She said, I don’t want to live in someone’s reject.”

I said, “just because someone is selling a house does not make it a reject.”

She said, “I do not care, I will never live in a used home.”

I knew she meant it.

At that moment I knew what the problem was, our values were too different.

I called off the engagement the next week.

I have never regretted that decision

EDIT: we parted with no hard feelings, there were no bad guys, just two people who were not right for each other.

My dad owned his own accounting firm for decades and he had one fairly big client that he got on well with. When Dad retired he was offered a job 1 day a week by this client. They had a guy who had been there a while who did payroll and the basic accounting but he wasn’t very good at the accounting so my dad was meant to be taking over accounts and this other guy was meant to be just doing payroll.

Anyway, on my dad’s first day the boss suggested he learn the payroll system so he could be cover for the other guy.

They had a little demonstration session and my dad asked how sickness was done. The payroll guy said nobody is ever sick to which the boss replied that he was, last month. Reluctantly the guy showed my dad how the sickness was done on his own payslip and everyone instantly spotted that the guy had been paying himself double when off sick! He had been doing that a while. He went the same day!

I was seated by a hostess at an Italian restaurant in Paramus NJ. It was supposed to be our anniversary dinner. A coworker of mine who was about as Italian as you can get without being born in Italy had given me a recommendation to go there.

Well after 30 minutes with not so much as a waiter/waitress taking our drink order (perhaps longer… I can be stubborn) I decided enough of this and signalled to my wife we were leaving now.

That could have been the end of the story but it is not.

I told my coworker what happened and it turned out he was part of the family (in laws? cousins? don’t remember.) and took it very personal that we got treated that way. My telephone at work rings a day or two later and it’s the owner of the restaurant and he’s apologizing profusely. It was then that I remembered my coworker told me to drop his name when I went there.

We were invited back for a “chef’s choice” seating at their expense. The meal was wonderful but way more than I could eat. There were eight courses and lots of wine. My wife doesn’t drink wine and never did so I got sorta concerned as was going to be way too drunk to drive. I’m not talking one bottle of wine here but a different wine for each course.

It was quite the meal.

When we went back days or months later we always were treated with great deference and got great service.

My brother in law Paul, he is a really nice guy he is always ready to help someone out. He was a volunteer coast guard, regularly went to church , is a really good provider for my sister, hard working financially prudent, not tight just put a bit aside for the rainy day, save for the pension.

But he makes watching paint dry feel exciting, he can flatten a family gathering just by walking into the room. He is a train spotter and makes models out of matches and is an amateur weather forecaster. His only subjects of conversation are different types of rolling stock on the railways, cloud types and work, he is an aera manager for morrisons local shops. But because a lot of his job is to do with the finance side he takes commercial confidentiality seriously. So apart from three slightly amusing stories, nothing about work.

He only ever has two drinks either at a party or in the pub, doesn’t like spicy food or french food, not really keen on pasta or pizza no bbq and doesn’t eat rice or garlic. His taste in music was once described by my sister ‘Paul doesn’t like music, he likes ric Astley and black lace it is mucus not music’ he is a nice guy but so boring.

According to my sister the only time he’s not boring is when he and she stay energetically awake, then by all accounts he is creative and inventive, and has superior staying power.

As I don’t have sex with him I will stick with the description boring.

It’s not me, but a guy who used to sit near me in my office.

In my office, the computers are set up such a way that if you don’t do anything for 4 minutes, they get locked. in order to unlock that, you need to type your password again.

Everyone faces this several times a day, if you go to the washroom, or busy in a phone call, or discussing something with someone for more than 4 minutes, you will find your PC locked when you come back.

This guy was too lazy to type his password every time this happened. So he invented this technology:

  1. Open notepad
  2. Put a bottle on the keyboard, this causes some keys to be pressed all the time.
  3. this causes text input in notepad.

The computer thinks that user is working, so it does not get locked.

This is a photo I took when he was gone from his desk after setting up the Bottle-Anti-lock mechanism.

main qimg d6d918dc60bf9231593fd04036b08d55 pjlq
main qimg d6d918dc60bf9231593fd04036b08d55 pjlq

Soon he realized that entering huge amount of text in notepad causes the PC to run out of memory eventually and crash after some time.

We asked him to write a VBScript to mimic the keystroke, but he is too lazy for that. He found out a lazier work around,

He now uses a Comb (borrowed from a female co-worker – permanently) to push down the keys in the alt, ctrl, and the directional keys area which do not enter text in the notepad. and he keeps the bottle on top of the comb for the weight.

I don’t have an original photo for this. so I made a dummy. imagine the power bank is the keys that need to be pressed.

main qimg c32ee9eef28193a84d190808fb6bb97c pjlq
main qimg c32ee9eef28193a84d190808fb6bb97c pjlq

Necessity is the mother of invention!

Update: Some friends have asked in comments why cant we just change the screen lock timeout settings, or remove the password. The answer is, we do not have Admin privileges. Passwords and other system settings are enforced by Admin directly into the registry using group policy. We don’t have the privilege of Change settings, edit registry, change date/time, change screensaver and wallpapers. we cant even install any additional software. CD roms and USB drives are disabled too, so no way of boot into a portable Linux or something to hack the registry.

Two women talking in heaven

1st woman: Hi! Wanda.

2nd woman: Hi! Sylvia. How’d you die?

1st woman: I froze to death.

2nd woman: How horrible!

1st woman: It wasn’t so bad…. After I quit shaking from the cold, I began to get warm & sleepy, and finally died a peaceful death. What about you?

2nd woman: I died of a massive heart attack. I suspected that my husband was cheating, so I came home early to catch him in the act. But instead, I found him all by himself in the den watching TV.

1st woman: So, what happened?

2nd woman: I was so sure there was another woman there somewhere that I started running all over the house looking. I ran up into the attic and searched, and down into the basement. Then I went through every closet and checked under all the beds. I kept this up until I had looked everywhere, and finally I became so exhausted that I just keeled over with a heart attack and died.

1st woman: Too bad you didn’t look in the freezer—we’d both still be alive.

Weather warnings

It’s war: the real meat grinder starts now

Pepe Escobar No more shadow play. It’s now in the open. No holds barred. Exhibit 1: Friday, March 22, 2024. It’s War. The Kremlin, via Peskov, finally admits it, on the record.

The money quote:

"Russia cannot allow the existence on its borders of a state that has a documented intention to use any methods to take Crimea away from it, not to mention the territory of new regions."

Translation: the Hegemon-constructed Kiev mongrel is doomed, one way or another. The Kremlin signal: "We haven't even started" starts now.

Exhibit 2: Friday afternoon, a few hours after Peskov. Confirmed by a serious European – not Russian – source. The first counter-signal. Regular troops from France, Germany and Poland have arrived, by rail and air, to Cherkassy, south of Kiev. A substantial force. No numbers leaked. They are being housed in schools. For all practical purposes, this is a NATO force.

That signals, “Let the games begin.

From a Russian point of view, Mr. Khinzal’s business cards are set to be in great demand. Exhibit 3: Friday evening. Terror attack on Crocus City, a music venue northwest of Moscow. A heavily trained commando shoots people on sight, point blank, in cold blood, then sets a concert hall on fire.

The definitive counter-signal: with the battlefield collapsing, all that’s left is terrorism in Moscow. And just as terror was striking Moscow, the US and the UK, in southwest Asia, was bombing Sana’a, the Yemeni capital, with at least five strikes. Some nifty coordination. Yemen has just clinched a strategic deal in Oman with Russia-China for no-hassle navigation in the Red Sea, and is among the top candidates for BRICS+ expansion at the summit in Kazan next October.

Not only the Houthis are spectacularly defeating thalassocracy, they have the Russia-China strategic partnership on their side. Assuring China and Russia that their ships can sail through the Bab-al-Mandeb, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with no problems is exchanged with total political support from Beijing and Moscow.

The sponsors remain the same Deep in the night in Moscow, before dawn on Saturday 23. Virtually no one is sleeping. Rumors dance like dervishes on countless screens. Of course nothing has been confirmed – yet. Only the FSB will have answers. A massive investigation is in progress.

The timing of the Crocus massacre is quite intriguing. On a Friday during Ramadan. Real Muslims would not even think about perpetrating a mass murder of unarmed civilians under such a holy occasion.

Compare it with the ISIS card being frantically branded by the usual suspects.

Let’s go pop.

To quote Talking Heads: “This ain’t no party/ this ain’t no disco/ this ain’t no fooling around”.

Oh no; it’s more like an all-American psy op.

ISIS are cartoonish mercenaries/goons. Not real Muslims.

And everyone knows who finances and weaponizes them. That leads to the most possible scenario, before the FSB weighs in: ISIS goons imported from the Syria battleground – as it stands, probably Tajiks – trained by CIA and MI6, working on behalf of the Ukrainian SBU. Several witnesses at Crocus referred to “Wahhabis” – as in the commando killers did not look like Slavs.

It was up to Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic to cut to the chase.

He directly connected the “warnings” in early March from American and British embassies directed at their citizens not to visit public places in Moscow with CIA/MI6 intel having inside info about possible terrorism, and not disclosing it to Moscow.

The plot thickens when it is established that Crocus is owned by the Agalarovs: an Azeri-Russian billionaire family, very close friends of… … Donald Trump. Talk about a Deep State-pinpointed target. ISIS spin-off or banderistas – the sponsors remain the same.

The clownish secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, was dumb enough to virtually, indirectly confirm they did it, saying on Ukrainian TV, “we will give them [Russians] this kind of fun more often.” But it was up to Sergei Goncharov, a veteran of the elite Russia Alpha anti-terrorism unit, to get closer to unwrapping the enigma: he told Sputnik the most feasible mastermind is Kyrylo Budanov the chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

The “spy chief” who happens to be the top CIA asset in Kiev. It’s got to go till the last Ukrainian The three exhibits above complement what the head of NATO’s military committee, Rob Bauer, previously told a security forum in Kiev: You need more than just grenades – you need people to replace the dead and wounded. And this means mobilization.

Translation: NATO spelling out this is a war until the last Ukrainian. And the “leadership” in Kiev still does not get it. Former Minister of Infrastructure Omelyan: “If we win, we will pay back with Russian oil, gas, diamonds and fur. If we lose, there will be no talk of money – the West will think about how to survive.” In parallel, puny “garden-and jungle” Borrell admitted that it would be difficult for the EU to find an extra 50 billion euros for Kiev if Washington pulls the plug. The cocaine-fueled sweaty sweatshirt leadership actually believes that Washington is not “helping” in the form of loans, but in the form of free gifts.

And the same applies for the EU. The Theater of the Absurd is unmatchable. The German Liver Sausage Chancellor actually believes that proceeds from stolen Russian assets do not belong to anyone, so they can be used to finance extra Kiev weaponizing.

Everyone with a brain knows that using interest from frozen”, actually stolen Russian assets to weaponize Ukraine is a dead end – unless they steal all of Russia’s assets, roughly $200 billion, mostly parked in Belgium and Switzerland: that would tank the Euro for good, and the whole EU economy for that matter. Eurocrats better listen to Russian Central Bank major “disrupter (American terminology) Elvira Nabiullina: The Bank of Russia will take appropriate measures if the EU does anything on the “frozen”/stolen Russian assets.

It goes without saying that the three exhibits above completely nullify the “La Cage aux Folles” circus promoted by the puny Petit Roi, now known across his French domains as Macronapoleon. Virtually the whole planet, including the English-speaking Global North, had already been mocking the “exploits” of his Can Can Moulin Rouge Army.

So French, German and Polish soldiers, as part of NATO, are already in the south of Kiev. The most possible scenario is that they will stay far, far away from the frontlines – although traceable by Mr. Khinzal’s business activities. Even before this new NATO batch arriving in the south of Kiev, Poland – which happens to serve as prime transit corridor for Kiev’s troops – had confirmed that Western troops are already on the ground.

So this is not about mercenaries anymore. France, by the way, is only 7th in terms of mercenaries on the ground, largely trailing Poland, the US and Georgia, for instance.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has all the precise records. In a nutshell: now war has morphed from Donetsk, Avdeyevka and Belgorod to Moscow. Further on down the road, it may not just stop in Kiev. It may only stop in Lviv. Mr. 87%, enjoying massive national near-unanimity, now has the mandate to go all the way. Especially after Crocus.

There’s every possibility the terror tactics by Kiev goons will finally drive Russia to return Ukraine to its original 17th century landlocked borders: Black Sea-deprived, and with Poland, Romania, and Hungary reclaiming their former territories.

Remaining Ukrainians will start to ask serious questions about what led them to fight – literally to their death – on behalf of the US Deep State, the military complex and BlackRock.

As it stands, the Highway to Hell meat grinder is bound to reach maximum velocity.

Treasures of life

There are various scenes from life that are characteristic of the place where you live.

When I lived in Milford, Mass… I well remember the local boys carrying the fishing poles to the local stream before school started. I remember the hot fresh bagels that were so great with butter and creme cheese. And I remember the ‘Northeasterner’s.

In Hattiesburg, Mississippi it was the deep fried cat fish and hush puppies. The swarms of cockroaches under the streetlights at night, and the lush moist air that was so very calm.

In Sydney, Australia, it was the delicious meat pies, and the lady that sold them at ten in the morning at the factory. I remember the funny little $2 gold color coins, the women with huge manes of hair, and prawns the size of a turkey.

In Zhuhai, China it was the morning walks with PP (my dog) along the beach front, the beautiful blue skies and flowering trees. And the bike ride that I took to the office.

Different places generate different experiences.

It is the experiences that we have that causes us to think things in ways that are unique to us.

Thus forming our own unique opinions.

Treasure your experiences, and generate new ones at every opportunity. Welcome them as they manifest in your life. Have adventures. Savor the experiences.

I believe in you.

Today…

 

 

The dying American Empire may lash out in a nuclear strike as an act of desperation. Also, Biden, like all Alzheimer patients has bouts of irrational aggression. Is the world in danger of a destruction by the Americans?

Unfortunately, that is a nontrivial possibility. The U.S. corporate elites and their servant government are not popular at home these days (according to Pew Research, only 20% trust the government today, while in the 1960’s it was as high as 80%). In Finland, for example, 80% trust their government.

The US is also no longer very popular externally. So, rather than continue losing clout at home and abroad, the last one being the power of hegemony, the U.S. elites may opt for yet another world war, and a nuclear one, to boot. I hope it doesn’t happen, but I wouldn’t put it past them.

Also, I read an opinion similar to mine above, in a Western mainstream article two or three years ago, and now things are that much worse for the US elites, with Russia’s apparently successful Special Operation in Ukraine, a (real) 8% inflation in the U.S., and a half-senile President.

What was the most dangerous day in human history?

“Compared to this raid, Pearl Harbor was a Sunday picnic.”

3
3

9 November 1979.

It was a cold winter’s morning in Colorado when the alarms began to shriek at NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defence Command. With a Cold War cloud hanging over their heads, the analysts’ hearts instinctively sank when they witnessed the cause behind the alarm — 250 Soviet missiles hurtling towards the United States.

2
2

Zbigniew Brzezinski, right, with Jimmy Carter.

At 3AM and within minutes of the alert, President Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, is awoken by a call from NORAD to inform him of the imminent nuclear assault. Each second has suddenly become more valuable than gold, as he is told that he has as few as three minutes to inform President Jimmy Carter of the situation, as well as to get a decision from him.

Instead of doing so though, Brzezinski played cautiously by not immediately informing the president, telling the military assistant who’d called him that he would stand by for a further call to confirm the situation first. His wife sleeping beside him, he decided not to wake her up, convinced that everyone would be dead within half an hour anyway.

1
1

A B-52, part of the Strategic Air Command.

He received a call back shortly later, and was informed the number of incoming missiles had jumped to 2,200 — this was a full-scale annihilation. Brzezinski was determined that the USA should strike back, and so requested confirmation of preparations for retaliation. They were passed on, and ten aircraft from the Strategic Air Command were readied to launch into the sky and begin their flight towards the Iron Curtain, primed to deliver an American brand of retribution.

As each second dragged on and with less than a minute from Brzezinski making the big call to the President, the one that would change the war from cold to searingly hot, he received a third call. He was informed that the other warning systems weren’t registering anything; radar and satellites showed no sign of any approaching missiles. It turned out to be a false alarm, the result of someone mistakenly loading a training simulation into one of the operational computers at NORAD’s HQ.

To think, a mere blip caused the planet to be but a single minute away from World War Three! The quote at the beginning belongs to a congressional investigator who spoke about the event years later, reinforcing just how close the world was to turning that simulation into reality.

What was your “something doesn’t feel right here…” moment?

I’ve had several such moments, but one in particular comes to mind.

I was fourteen, probably, maybe thirteen. I was doing something in town with my dad, I can’t remember quite what. He wandered off for a little while anyway so I started texting or going on twitter or some such thing.

A car pulled up, the guy in it was perhaps thirty. He called me over, and I approached the passanger side door. He was asking for directions which, in the relatively rural area I lived in at the time, was relatively common. He was asking for somewhere I hadn’t heard of, however, so I told him I really wasn’t sure. He asked about somewhere else that I had heard of, though didn’t know the exact location of. I told him the rough direction of it. He held his phone, and requested for me to walk around the other side of the car to help him figure it out.

I don’t know quite what it was. Looking back there were a few red flags, the fact he decided to ask me instead of finding an adult, the fact he didn’t just hold his phone towards where I was stood, the fact he was asking for directions but didn’t have a definite destination in mind. At the time I wasn’t really thinking about this, but the whole situation gave me a definite sense that… something didn’t feel right.

I told him I couldn’t help him, while taking a few steps away from his car. I said that if he wanted to wait a minute or two my dad would be back and would probably know. He said nevermind and drove off.

I didn’t hear about anything happening that could confirm or deny the validity of my apprehension, all I can say is that as he drove away I made a point to memorise his face and licence plate.

I think in certain situations it’s important to trust your instincts, especially when they’re warning you of danger. It’s better to be too cautious a hundred times than not cautious enough even once.

 

What is the most badass thing your parent has ever done?

My family, Dad, Mum, my sister and I, were on holiday in the south of France in 1983. My sister fell ill and so we all went to the local pharmacy to get something to help get my sisters temperature down and help with the vomiting.

A quick aside: my mother went to an all girls grammar school and took German and French as well as some other topics. She always wanted to be a librarian and do she made sure she could read, write and talk in German, French and Latin.

And so, dear reader, back to the plot.

My dad attempted to talk to the pharmacist. With typical Gallic flair the pharmacist dismissed my dad, in French, and apparently added some less than savory comments about my Dad, us kids, my mum, her clothing, is not talking French etc.

I recall my mother getting redder and redder and more and more ready to explode. The pharmacist said a couple more words before the smoldering volcano of fury, anger and absolute motherly care and distress for her daughter exploded and, metaphorically destroyed the small village that sat at the foot of the volcano. This was the first time I ever saw my mother go absolutely ballistic at someone else. Me and my sister did the sensible thing and hid behind my dad. My dad just stood there and watched Mount St Helen erupt in a pharmacy in Hyeres in southern France.

The pharmacist stood no chance. He would get one half of a syllable out before the wrath of the Titans picked up a small temple and smashed him in the face. Eventually my mother stopped and said it was his turn to speak. Amazingly the pharmacist had several medications we could have to help my sister. No, no, please accept them with my thanks and blessings. No, Madam, there is no charge for your beautiful daughter or your exquisite self.

That’s the first time I saw my Mum be a bad ass in a foreign language. I have since seen my mother destroy other ignorant people who happen to make a serious error of judgement when her husband or children are ill or hurt.

Pork Sausage Loaf (Hungary)

2024 02 21 08 35
2024 02 21 08 35

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup diced mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 pound fresh bulk pork sausage
  • 2 cups dry bread crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a skillet and add mushrooms. Sauté.
  2. Combine sausage, mushrooms, egg and crumbs and shape into a loaf. Sprinkle with paprika. Place in a small roaster; cover.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1/2 hour.
  4. Uncover, return to oven, and bake 30 more minutes.

Have you ever had an elderly relative sell a vehicle to someone way under its value, but you only found out after the (bad) deal was done?

Yup my father sold his last car to a neighbor’s 17 year old daughter. The car was worth in the neighborhood of $10,000 and he sold it to her for $1,000. Why? Because the neighbor and his wife had been very helpful to him after my mother died and he knew and liked their three children. The three kids 17, 15, 12 had come over every week or so and had done chores for him, things he couldn’t do as he got older. cleaned gutters, trimmed trees, replaced high light bulbs, they refused to take any money saying they were just being neighbors. When he decided to give up his car he thought about it how their daughter would be starting college and needed a reliable car. He discussed it with her parents and the fact that they had been wonderful neighbors to him and that he wanted to give something back. He sold the car for way under market to her. He bought savings bonds for the two younger children with the $1,000. We were so proud of him. He taught us to be kind, generous and to be grateful.

Yes he absolutely knew what he was doing and we would have never dreamed of interfering. It was his car and his choice. When he died he left a very small estate including his home. We sold the home since neither of us lived within 1500 miles and we divided the money from his entire estate into fourths. On fourth to my brother. One fourth to the two children of my youngest brother. One fourth to me and one fourth to the kind neighbors who had been such good friends to him over the years.

My brother and I took our inheritance and donated it to a charity, our father would have approved, neither of us needed it and others did.

 

“I Got FIRED!” Women WEAPONIZED The ME2 Movement & Companies Are Saying NO, To Hiring Modern Women

https://youtu.be/77F-puxgCDs

What are the biggest lessons you have learned in the corporate world?

  • If you spend 8 hours working for somebody else, take a couple hours after that to work for/on yourself.
  • A corporate office is not what you expect when you are in high school/college and most of the things you learn in college won’t worth a dime in your real world work environment anyways.
  • Your employer company is not YOUR company, so never take it for granted.
  • Never finish a work assignment sooner than the timeline given to you. No one gives a damn if you do it early, instead they will think your job is easy and their expectations from you will get higher.
  • It is okay to be late, miss a meeting, and say no to your superiors from time to time, in fact it will be worse if you never did any of those.
  • No matter how honest, dedicated, hardworking and talented you are, still there is a high chance you will never be the best employee of the month/year and you probably won’t get any promotions either.
  • Don’t be the guy who is there to take any task which others failed to complete.
  • You might be right, your opinion might be the best, but guess what? Sometimes nobody wants to hear the right thing and they won’t do it your way.
  • When you feel that you are way smarter and more talented than your boss, that is the moment you should consider changing your job.
  • If you actually want to grow and have your dream career/job then start your own business, spend all those energy and talent working for yourself instead of working for someone else all your life. You will grow much faster working a day for yourself than a month for somebody else.

A Powerful Website I Guarantee You Didn’t Know

 

What are the harsh truths of being a man?

Yesterday, something happened.

I was on the metro escalator on my way up to the platform. In front of me was a couple – probably in their late twenties. The wife was wearing a sleeveless top and carrying a baby in her arms. She was kind of cute. Her husband stood a couple of steps in front of her.

Suddenly, I’ve no idea how it happened, but the girl lost her balance started falling backwards. She tried to fumble for the railing, now holding the child with just one hand – her body flailing wildly. The child was about to fall on the moving escalator.

Instinctively, I reached out and firmly grabbed both her (wife, not the child) arms, steadying her. Once I was sure she was safe, I immediately let go.

The entire thing must have lasted less than a nanosecond.

But as it happened, I registered a flash of intense fear jolting through my body. It wasn’t because the girl and her child were going to get hurt. Their safety had nothing to do with it. No! my fear was much more primal, originating somewhere deep inside my reptilian brain which knew that she was a female and I was a male – and my bare hands on her naked flesh – what that would mean in the eyes of the society, and how those standing around us might interpret it! Her husband, who was standing just a few steps ahead of us had no idea what had happened. A single shriek from the girl, and his animal brain would have gone berserk trying to defend what was rightfully its and eliminate the perceived threat at any cost.

My life could have been destroyed.

In that single nanosecond, my brain witnessed a fierce battle between two base instincts – one to help a fellow human being and the other to be afraid since that human being happened to be a female. Society had only taught me well enough the consequences such a situation might spiral into.

I was just lucky that that day, the first instinct had prevailed.

Had the second one kicked in first, a two year old child would have, at best, gotten gravely injured, or at worst, lost his life.

This is what happened with one guy in one incident.

Integrate that over four billion men on this planet and a million such situations that arise in the lifetimes, and you’ll realize what our world has come to.

What has been the saddest moment of your life?

The day my father died. I know that’s a big one for most people, but it was so much more for me. I was 40 and had had a contentious or non-existent relationship with him for 30 years due to the lies my mother told me about him. According to her, he was a sociopath. He lied, cheated and stole money from his own children. I believed it all as a ten-year-old.

I contacted my father several months before his death because I found out about my mother’s lies. I needed to apologize to him. My stepmother said she would arrange a meeting as soon as they returned from vacation. When they finally returned, he had already been diagnosed with inoperable, incurable cancer, the kind that Jimmy Buffet had.

Dad only lived four more months and I only had one opportunity to say what I needed to say to him. He hadn’t known how pervasive the brainwashing had been or what had been said. It helped to talk, but it couldn’t heal 30 years of mutual wounding. My father died not loving me, and the time lost devastated me. It still does 30 years later.

Powerful Websites You Should Know!

Due to the numerous US military bases in countries close to China and the creation of the AUKUS, is China imprisoned?

Does it occur to you it could be the U.S. that could be imprisoned? If the U.S. ends up spending tons of money meaninglessly and without a return and yet it cannot stop spending billions to continuously do shit that don’t pay it is the U.S. that is trapped. China don’t gives a shit it simply just let the US waste all its own money bribing nations who refuse to do shit, just to pretend to the world that it has allies.

For us in Asia. Even Japan, Korea, Phillipines and India have no wish to do shit as it knows the repercussions and it has been China’s neighbour for some 5000 years! It may have no choice but to barked some shit on China to get the U.S. off its back. But sure won’t risk it to do more than that. So the U.S. having a pay billions get some pretend shit is outright silly and wasteful.

So who is trapped? China can and will do what it wants. And the U.S. has to stay and waste a ton of resources to get pretentious shit that China gives a damn. To me the U.S. is trapped in its own stupidity!

The mistake women make with faithful men…

Russian Space Nukes and Navalny’s Death… U.S. Psyops Go Ballistic

Two “breaking news” items this week provided a timely opportunity for the United States and its media-intelligence apparatus to regain control of the narrative.

The claims about Russian space-based nuclear weapons unraveled to become a joke. Fortunately, the death of Western-sponsored dissident Alexei Navalny then occurred to enable Western media to go into a frenzy of anti-Russia headlines.

First up was the scaremongering story about Russia allegedly developing a space-based nuclear weapon. Initially, it was dramatically trailed as posing a serious national security threat to the United States. Despite the sensational reporting, the story quickly became a laughingstock. Even some U.S. lawmakers dismissed it as “bullshit” and a blatant attempt by the Biden White House and intelligence agencies to push Congress into passing a new mega military aid bill for Ukraine worth $61 billion.

We’ll get to the Navalny story in a moment. But let’s just first parse the orchestration of the alleged Russian space nukes.

The drama began on Wednesday when Mike Turner, the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee (a dodgy source if ever there was one), made public appeals to President Joe Biden to declassify intelligence on “a serious threat to national security”. Turner is a Republican member of the House of Representatives but he is a close ally of the Democrat White House in terms of keenly supporting military aid to Ukraine. The latest bill passed the upper chamber of the U.S. Senate the day before, February 13, but it is unlikely to be approved by the House where many Republican lawmakers are staunchly opposed to it.

Accompanying the “concerns” of the intel committee chairman Turner,  media outlets then vented anonymous US intelligence sources “revealing” that the national security threat was from Russian nuclear weapons allegedly under development for destroying American communication satellites in space. The White House then “confirmed” the intel the next day, February 15. It was a flagrant put-up job. But the Biden administration sought to tamp down any public panic by saying that the threat was not imminent and the alleged Russian satellite-killing weapon had not been deployed in orbit, nor would there be any danger to Earth. (So, what was all the fuss about?)

Ironically, derisive comments from incredulous U.S. lawmakers were also echoed by the Kremlin. The latter’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov made a similar assessment that the Biden administration was playing tricks to push through the military funding package for Ukraine.

That bill has been delayed since the end of last year. The Biden administration has been cajoling Congress for months to vote it through. After the Senate finally passed the bill this week, President Biden put pressure on the House, saying that “history is watching you”. The bill has been exalted as having existential importance in defeating “Russian aggression” in Ukraine. The U.S. media have claimed (preposterously) that if the military aid is not supplied then Ukraine’s defeat could result in American troops being deployed to prevent Russian rampaging across Europe.

The American public, as with the European public, has become increasingly skeptical about the relentless funneling of taxpayer funds and weapons to Ukraine. Many citizens in the West – a majority, according to polls – have become critical of fueling a bloody war for the dubious cause of “defending democracy” in a regime dominated by NeoNazis. At a time of deep social and economic hardship in the U.S. and Europe, the Western public is rightly disdainful of hundreds of billions of dollars and euros being wasted on death and destruction and also being siphoned off by a corrupt cabal in Kiev.

The $61 billion in military aid to Ukraine is just the latest tranche that Washington is seeking to throw at the black hole of its proxy war against Russia – a war that is really all about defeating Russia as a geopolitical obstacle to U.S. hegemony. Another driver is the massive profits that taxpayers are subsidizing the military-industrial complex at the rotten heart of Western capitalism.

There’s a huge lot at stake with the failure of the US/NATO proxy war in Ukraine. The Kiev regime is facing a collapse in the face of a superior Russian military.

That’s why the passing of the latest bill by Congress has taken on such an imperative importance – for the warmongers.

To get this bill into law, the U.S. deep state rulers and the pliant Biden White House along with the media-intelligence establishment sought to demonize Russia with a desperate story about alleged nuclear weapons for outer space. Oh, those dastardly Ruskies!

But as noted above the space nukes scar-story turned into farce. It was too obvious that the public was being manipulated, or gaslighted as one US lawmaker put it. When a psyops fails, the blowback is dangerous for the authors because of the damaging revelation and contempt it engenders. The Biden administration was open to ridicule.

There are several telltale signs that the story was total hogwash from the outset. Bruce Gagnon, U.S.-based coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, said the claims are absurd. In an email exchange with the Strategic Culture Foundation for this editorial, Gagnon said Russia has already developed formidable non-nuclear kinetic weapons to destroy satellites if it wanted to. He also remarked that the United States possesses anti-satellite weapons (ASATs).

In other words, there is no need for Russia to develop a risky nuclear weapon to knock out satellites. The nuclear details flagged up in US media this week are a gratuitous embellishment designed to alarm the public and to demonize Russia as an evil rogue state.

Russia is a co-signatory to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty as are the United States, China, and over 120 other nations.

Bruce Gagnon commented: “I believe the Russians have a long history of generally honoring treaties while the U.S. does not. And remember that Russia and China every year for at least the last 20-30 years go to the UN and introduce a new treaty called Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) to ban all weapons that fall outside of the 1967 treaty. The U.S. always refuses, saying there is no need for a new treaty.”

Apart from the paramount issue of getting additional funding for the proxy war in Ukraine, another timing issue is the aftermath of the blockbuster interview of Russian President Vladimir Putin by American journalist Tucker Carlson. Since the interview was aired last Thursday,  February 8, it has broken all records for public audiences around the world. It has garnered over 300 million views, and counting.

The one-on-one interview was seen as a breakthrough world exclusive, an informative platform for Putin to comprehensively give Russia’s point of view on the whole Ukraine conflict, and more. The Russian leader was seen by American and European audiences as reasonable, intelligent, articulate, and convincing. The Western propaganda caricature of Putin was dispelled and for a rare moment, the Western public was persuasively informed of the bigger causes of the conflict in Ukraine. That is, how the U.S.-led NATO axis had instigated the war by fomenting an anti-Russian regime dominated by NeoNazis. The impact of the interview dealt a devastating blow to the Western narrative of “Russian aggression” and “evil Putin”.

Plausibly, the U.S. warmongering establishment was incensed by this exposé.

Hence, to wrest back control of the narrative and corral the Western public, the space-based nukes scare-story was unleashed. Unfortunately, that psyop attempt failed to gain traction and indeed was fast descending into a farce.

Next up, luckily, came the news of Navalny’s death. Western media immediately blared headlines and comments that he had been killed by the “Putin regime”.

Navalny was serving 19 years in prison on multiple corruption convictions. He died Friday apparently from a blood clot. The 47-year-old was a broken and forgotten figure facing a futile existence, having been used and abandoned by Western intelligence handlers as a cut-out dissident figure. His future looked bleak. Who knows at this stage what caused his death? He was last seen by his lawyer during a prison meeting this week two days before his passing. Did his lawyer pass something to Navalny? Was the washed-up Western asset offered a deal for his family’s benefit if he agreed to one last, ultimate psyop on behalf of Western handlers? Taking his own life? His death in prison has certainly provided the Western media with a bonanza opportunity to change the narrative and precipitate an avalanche of Russophobia, just as required.

As for the far-fetched Russian space nukes and the death of Navalny, the criminologist’s question of Who Gains? and the factor of timing are often reliable indicators.

Has anyone you’ve known simply disappeared? Under what circumstances?

My friend’s cousin disappeared, and it was an interesting lesson in media bias.

She didn’t come home one day. They found her necklace, broken, next to her car, in a nearby park. Her photo was in all the local newspapers: a cute smiling blonde girl in her high school softball uniform, well liked and a good student. Her family held press conferences pleading for whoever took her to let her go.

A few weeks later, she did return. But she had not been kidnapped – it had been staged. She had actually run off with her boyfriend against her parents’ wishes. The photo of the cute blonde girl was replaced by a photo of her with dyed black hair, dark goth clothing and a look of defiance. The papers began reporting that the well liked good student had been caught shoplifting and was in trouble at school. She was eventually sentenced to community service for faking the crime.

This was the same person. When they wanted to make her look innocent, she looked innocent. When they wanted to make her look guilty, she looked guilty. Think about that next time you read the news.

Big Picture Conflict: Pepe Escobar & Global Times Observations

Karl Sanchez

The Two-year anniversary of Russia’s SMO and the Ten-year anniversary of the overt beginning of the Outlaw US Empire’s conflict with Russia with the Ukraine Coup are upon us as well as the related conflict to free Palestine from Zionist/West Genocide—both operations initially were planned as Nazi-like Plan Ost Genocidal ethnic cleansing so the lands “freed” could then be exploited by Western Capital. But in both cases, the targets of oppression, dispossession and death fought back, although in both cases resistance was always present with the assaulted able to gain formidable allies. Both conflicts have revealed the status of the protagonists within the larger Global Conflict pitting the Global majority against the Outlaw US Empire and its vassals, perhaps most starkly revealing the Fence Sitters trying to play both sides for their own pecuniary gain as is the case most certainly with Turkey.

The recently completed G-20 Foreign Ministers Summit in Rio de Janeiro helped to further define the lines/sides as the raw statements from Lavrov provided to readers who read the reports about his actions. To help deepen understanding about our Global Conflict, the latest two essays by Pepe Escobar and Global Times G-20 report are presented below. The political cartoon at the header is from Global Times and is almost accurate for our purposes as the pot needs to include the Zionists. And Palestine is where we’ll begin with Pepe’s “The Axis of Asymmetry takes on the ‘rules-based order:’”

The Axis of Asymmetry is in full swing. These are the state and non-state actors employing asymmetrical moves on the global chessboard to sideline the US-led western rules-based order. And its vanguard is the Yemeni resistance movement Ansarallah. 

Ansarallah is absolutely relentless. They have downeda $30 million MQ-9 Reaper drone with just a $10k indigenous missile.

They are the first in the Global South ever to use anti-ship ballistic missiles against Israel-bound and/or -protecting commercial and US Navy ships. 

For all practical purposes, Ansarallah is at war with no less than the US Navy.

Ansarallah has captured one of the US Navy’s ultra-sophisticated autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), the $1.3 million Remus 600, a torpedo-shaped underwater drone able to carry a massive payload of sensors. 

Next stop: reverse engineering in Iran? The Global South eagerly awaits, ready to pay in currencies bypassing the US dollar. 

All of the above – a maritime 21st-century remix of the Ho Chi Minh trail during the Vietnam War – spells out that the Hegemon may not even qualify as a paper tiger, but rather as a paper leech.

Lula tells it as the Global South sees it 

Into the Big Picture – linked to the relentless ongoing genocide perpetrated by Israel in Gaza – steps a true leader of the Global South, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. 

Lula spoke in the name of Brazil, Latin America, Africa, BRICS 10, and the overwhelming majority of the Global South when he cut to the chase and defined the Gaza tragedy for what it is: a genocide. No wonder the Zionist tentacles across the Global North – plus its Global South vassals – went bonkers. 

The genocidals in Tel Aviv declared Lula as persona non grata in Israel. Yet Lula did not assassinate 29,000+ Palestinians – the overwhelming majority of whom were women and children.

History will be unforgiving: it’s the genocidals that will eventually be judged as personae non grata to all of humanity.

What Lula said represented BRICS 10 in action: this was obviously cleared before with Moscow, Beijing, Tehran, and, of course, the African Union. Lula spoke in Addis Ababa, and Ethiopia is now a BRICS 10 member.

The Brazilian president was extremely smart in timing his Gaza fact-check to be on the table during the G20 meeting of Foreign Ministers in Rio. Way beyond BRICS 10, what’s happening in Gaza is a consensus among the non-Western G20 partners – who are actually a majority. No one, though, should expect any serious follow-up inside a divided G20. The heart of the matter remains in the facts on the ground. 

Yemen’s fight for “our people” in Gaza is a matter of humanistic, moral, and religious solidarity – these are foundational tenets of the rising eastern “civilizational” powers, both domestically and in international affairs. This convergence of principles has now created a direct link – extrapolating to the moral and spiritual spheres – between the Axis of Resistance in West Asia and the Slavic Axis of Resistance in Donbass. 

Extreme attention should be paid to the timescale. The Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) forces and Russia have spent two hard-fought years in Novorossiya just to arrive at the stage where it becomes clear – based on the battlefield and cumulative facts on the ground – that “negotiations” mean only the terms of Kiev’s surrender.

In contrast, the job of the Axis of Resistance in West Asia has not even started. It’s fair to argue that its strength and full sovereign involvement have not been deployed yet (think Hezbollah and Iran). 

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, with his proverbial subtlety, has hinted there’s, in fact, nothing to negotiate on Palestine. And if there would be a return to any borders, these would be the 1948 borders. The Axis of Resistance understands that the whole Zionist Project is unlawful and immoral. But the question remains how to throw it, in practice, into the dustbin of History?

Possible – avowedly optimistic – scenarios ahead would include Hezbollah taking possession of the Galilee as a step toward the eventual retaking of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Yet the fact remains that even a united Palestine does not have the military capability to reconquer stolen Palestinian lands. 

So the questions posed by the overwhelming majority of the Global South that stands with Lula may be: Who else, apart from Ansarallah, Hezbollah, Hashd al-Shaabi, will join the Axis of Asymmetry in the fight for Palestine? Who would be willing to come to the Holy Land and die? (After all, in Donbass, it’s only Russians and Russophones who are dying for historically Russian lands) [Not entirely 100% correct, but close].

And that brings us to the way towards the endgame: only a West Asian Special Military Operation (SMO), to the bitter end, will settle the Palestinian tragedy. A translation of what happens across the Slavic Axis of Resistance: “Those who refuse to negotiate with Lavrov, deal with Shoigu.”

The menu, the table, and the guests

That out-of-his-depth closet neocon, Secretary of State Tony Blinken, let the cat out of the bag when he actually defined his much cherished “rules-based international order”: “If you’re not on the table, you are on the menu.”

Following his own hegemonic logic, it’s clear that Russia and the US/NATO are on the table while Ukraine is on the menu. What about the Red Sea? The Houthis defending Palestine against US–UK–Israel are clearly on the table, while Western vassals supporting Israel in a maritime way are clearly on the menu. 

And that’s the problem: the Hegemon – or, in Chinese scholarly terminology, “the crusaders” – have lost the power to place the name cards on the table. The main reason for this authority collapse is the build-up of serious international meetings sponsored by the Russia–China strategic partnership during the past two years since the start of the SMO. It’s all about sequential planning, with long-term targets clearly outlined. 

Only civilizational states can do that – not plutocratic neoliberal casinos.   

Negotiating with the Hegemon is impossible because the Hegemon itself prevents negotiations (see the serial blocking of ceasefire resolutions at the UN). Additionally, the Hegemon excels in instrumentalizing its client elites across the Global South via threats or kompromat: see the hysterical reaction of Brazilian mainstream media to Lula’s verdict on Gaza. 

What Russia is showing the Global South, two years after the start of the SMO, is that the only path to teach a lesson to the Hegemon has to be kinetic, or “military-technical.”

The problem is no nation-state can compare to nuclear/hypersonic/military superpower Russia, in which 7.5 percent of the government’s budget is dedicated to military production. Russia is and will remain on a permanent war footing until Hegemon’s elites come to their senses – and that may never happen.

Meanwhile, West Asia’s Axis of Resistance is watching and learning, day after day. It’s always crucial to keep in mind that for all the resistance movements across the Global South – and that also includes, for instance, West Africans against French neo-colonialism – the geopolitical fault lines could not be starker.

It’s a matter of the collective West versus Islam; the collective West versus Russia; and sooner rather than later, a substantial part of the West, even reluctantly, versus China.

The fact is we are already immersed in a World War that is both existential and civilizational. As we stand at the crossroads, there is a bifurcation: either escalation towards overt “kinetic military action,” or a multiplication of Hybrid Wars across several latitudes. 

So it’s up to the Axis of Asymmetry, cool, calm, and collected, to forge the underground corridors, passages, and trails capable of undermining and subverting the US-led, unipolar, rules-based international order. [Bolded italics my emphasis]

Pessimistic or realistic? Obviously, the situation is already kinetic. But two very important factors have been proven over the past two years: NATO is powerless to defeat Russia and the USN can be defeated by the new methods of warfare. Pepe and I agree that the major forcing to solve Palestine will need to come from outside, which means Russia or China or perhaps an international coalition sans Western nations. The longer Palestine is subjected to Zionist Genocide, the more the world’s people will learn of its history and the utter crime related to the creation of Occupied Palestine. And now for the second Pepe Escobar essay, “Two Years After the Start of the SMO, the West is Totally Paralyzed:”

Exactly two years ago this Saturday, on February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin announced the launching – and described the objectives – of a Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine. That was the inevitable follow-up to what happened three days before, on February 21 – exactly 8 years after Maidan 2014 in Kiev – when Putin officially recognized the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.

During this – pregnant with meaning – short space of only three days, everyone expected that the Russian Armed Forces would intervene, militarily, to end the massive bombing and shelling that had been going on for three weeks across the frontline – which even forced the Kremlin to evacuate populations at risk to Russia. Russian intel had conclusive proof that the NATO-backed Kiev forces were ready to execute an ethnic cleansing of Russophone Donbass.

February 24, 2022 was the day that changed 21st century geopolitics forever, in several complex ways. Above all, it marked the beginning of a vicious, all-out confrontation, “military-technical” as the Russians call it, between the Empire of Chaos, Lies and Plunder, its easily pliable NATOstan vassals, and Russia – with Ukraine as the battleground.

There is hardly any question Putin had calculated, before and during these three fateful days, that his decisions would unleash the unbounded fury of the collective West – complete with a tsunami of sanctions.

Ay, there’s the rub; it’s all about Sovereignty. And a true sovereign power simply cannot live under permanent threats. It’s even feasible that Putin had wanted (italics mine) Russia to get sanctioned to death. After all, Russia is so naturally wealthy that without a serious challenge from abroad, the temptation is enormous to live off its rents while importing what it could easily produce.

Exceptionalists always gloated that Russia is “a gas station with nuclear weapons”. That’s ridiculous. Oil and gas, in Russia, account for roughly 15% of GDP, 30% of the government budget, and 45% of exports. Oil and gas add power to the Russian economy – not a drag. Putin shaking Russia’s complacency generated a gas station producing everything it needs, complete with unrivalled nuclear and hypersonic weapons. Beat that.

Ukraine has “never been less than a nation”

Xavier Moreau is a French politico-strategic analyst based in Russia for 24 years now. Graduated from the prestigious Saint-Cyr military academy and with a Sorbonne diploma, he hosts two shows on RT France.

His latest book, Ukraine: Pourquoi La Russie a Gagné (“Ukraine: Why Russia has Won”), just out, is an essential manual for European audiences on the realities of the war, not those childish fantasies concocted across the NATOstan sphere by instant “experts” with less than zero combined arms military experience.

Moreau makes it very clear what every impartial, realist analyst was aware of from the beginning: the devastating Russian military superiority, which would condition the endgame. The problem, still, is how this endgame – “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine, as established by Moscow – will be achieved.

What is already clear is that “demilitarization”, of Ukraine and NATO, is a howling success that no new wunderwaffen – like F-16s – will be able to change.

Moreau perfectly understands how Ukraine, nearly 10 years after Maidan, is not a nation; “and has never been less than a nation”. It’s a territory where populations that everything separates are jumbled up. Moreover, it has been a – “grotesque” – failed state ever since its independence. Moreau spends several highly entertaining pages going through the corruption grotesquerie in Ukraine, under a regime that “gets its ideological references simultaneously via admirers of Stepan Bandera and Lady Gaga.”

None of the above, of course, is reported by oligarch-controlled European mainstream media.

Watch out for Deng Xiao Putin

The book offers an extremely helpful analysis of those deranged Polish elites who bear “a heavy responsibility in the strategic catastrophe that awaits Washington and Brussels in Ukraine”. The Poles actually believed that Russia would crumble from the inside, complete with a color revolution against Putin. That barely qualifies as Brzezinski on crack.

Moreau shows how 2022 was the year when NATOstan, especially the Anglo-Saxons – historically racist Russophobes –   were self-convinced thar Russia would fold because it is a “poor power”. Obviously, none of these luminaries understood how Putin strengthened the Russian economy very much like Deng Xiaoping on the Chinese economy. This “self-intoxication”, as Moreau qualifies it, did wonders for the Kremlin.

By now it’s clear even for the deaf, dumb, and blind that the destruction of the European economy has been a massive tactic, historic victory for the Hegemon – as much as the blitzkrieg against the Russian economy has been an abysmal failure.

All of the above brings us to the meeting of G20 Foreign Ministers this week in Rio. That was not exactly a breakthrough. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made it very clear that the collective West at the G20 tried by all means to “Ukrainize” the agenda – with less than zero success. They were outnumbered and counterpunched by BRICS and Global South members.

At his press conference, Lavrov could not be more stark on the prospects of the war of the collective West against Russia. These are the highlights:

  • Western countries categorically do not want serious dialogue on Ukraine.
  • There were no serious proposals from the United States to begin contacts with the Russian Federation on strategic stability; trust cannot be restored now while Russia is declared an enemy.
  • There were no contacts on the sidelines of the G20 with either Blinken or the British Foreign Secretary.
  • The Russian Federation will respond to new Western sanctions with practical actions that relate to the self-sufficient development of the Russian economy.
  • If Europe tries to restore ties with the Russian Federation, making it dependent on their whims, then such contacts are not needed.

In a nutshell – diplomatically: you are irrelevant, and we don’t care.

That was complementing Lavrov’s intervention during the summit, which defined once again a clear, auspicious path towards multipolarity. Here are the highlights:

  • The forming of a fair multipolar world order without a definite center and periphery has become much more intensive in the past few years. Asian, African and Latin American countries are becoming important parts of the global economy. Not infrequently, they are setting the tone and the dynamics.
  • Many Western economies, especially in Europe, are actually stagnating against this background. These statistics are from Western-supervised institutions – the IMF, the World Bank and the OECD.
  • These institutions are becoming relics from the past. Western domination is already affecting their ability to meet the requirements of the times. Meanwhile, it is perfectly obvious today that the current problems of humanity can only be resolved through a concerted effort and with due consideration for the interests of the Global South and, generally, all global economic realities.
  • Institutions like the IMF, the World Bank, the EBRD, and the EIB are prioritizing Kiev’s military and other needs. The West allocated over $250 billion to tide over its underling thus creating funding shortages in other parts of the world. Ukraine is taking up the bulk of the funds, relegating Africa and other regions of the Global South to rationing.
  • Countries that have discredited themselves by using unlawful acts ranging from unilateral sanctions and the seizure of sovereign assets and private property to blockades, embargoes, and discrimination against economic operators based on nationality to settle scores with their geopolitical opponents cannot be considered guarantors of financial stability.
  • Without a doubt, new institutions that focus on consensus and mutual benefit are needed to democratize the global economic governance system. Today, we are seeing positive dynamics for strengthening various alliances, including BRICS, the SCO, ASEAN, the African Union, LAS, CELAC, and the EAEU.
  • This year, Russia chairs BRICS, which saw several new members join it. We will do our best to reinforce the potential of this association and its ties with the G20.
  • Considering that 6 out of 15 UN Security Council members represent the Western bloc, we will support the expansion of this body solely through the accession of countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Call it the real state of things, geopolitically, two years after the start of the SMO. [Bolded italics my emphasis]

The G-20 timing also coincided with the ICJ’s sessions about Palestine and the increasing number of cases being filed against the Zionists and their abettors. The West’s stance was specifically called out by Lavrov who added it to the evidentiary trail of previous criminal acts. The Outlaw US Empire and the West generally are parasites who feed on host nations in what are clearly Neocolonial types of arrangements. Now the Empire is leeching off the EU and enforcing its blood-sucking via NATO. Trump doesn’t want to disband NATO; he wants to increase the intensity of its blood-sucking just as he did before. Now it’s: Pay up your 2% of GDP or we’ll sick the Russians on you, or rather won’t protect you from the Russians. Putin has said Europeans must rescue themselves as Russia has no intent on going beyond Ukraine as Russia already has most everything it needs. So, now we have Global Times whose experts opine that the SMO “may become ‘a war without winners.’” We’ll see why in “US escalates sanctions, fans fire as Ukraine crisis enters 3rd year:”

The US joined the EU and UK in announcing a new round of sanctions against Russia, ahead of the two-year anniversary of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine that started in February 2022. But at the same time, Russia is seemingly gaining the upper hand on the battlefield with its latest victory in capturing Avdiivka, a critical town in eastern Ukraine. 

Analysts said considering the previous sanctions were far from reaching expectations, and the US and West are not prepared to compromise with Russia on the conflict in 2024, the stalemate may become a large probability, and a cease-fire is still far from sight. 

At a time when the security environment and economy of the entire world are being seriously affected, the US, whether it is from holding Europe hostage to promote bloc confrontation or from selling gas and arms to Europe, seems to be benefiting the most. However, experts said that if the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues for a long time, it will be a war without winners, and China will continue its efforts in promoting peace talks and a cease-fire as early as possible. 

Stalemate to continue

US President Joe Biden on Friday announced Washington would issue more than 500 new sanctions targeting Russia for the ongoing war with Ukraine and for the death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. 

The US will also impose new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing support to Russia and take action to further reduce Russia’s energy revenues, Biden said in a statement.

The US latest sanctions came on the heels of moves by its allies. The UK on Thursday announced more than 50 further sanctions against Russia, targeting individuals and businesses supporting Moscow’s “war effort.” On Wednesday, the EU also approved its 13th package of sanctions against Russia, banning nearly 200 related individuals and entities which it claimed as being linked to Moscow’s operation, including companies from China and India. The sanction was adopted on Friday.

However, experts found that sanctions from the US and West have failed to have any substantial impact on Russia. Meanwhile, Moscow was also “not nearly as isolated as US officials had hoped,” as Russia’s inherent strength, rooted in vast supplies of oil and natural gas, “has powered a financial and political resilience,” according to a New York Times report. [Which is BS as Escobar reported above.] 

Western sanctions on Russia did put short-term pressure on the Russian economy, but it soon adjusted policy and resumed growth, Zhang Hong, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.

The sanctions are a sign of Western political correctness, but they have fallen far short of their intended goals, Zhang said, adding that rounds of sanctions have not changed Russia’s position in the Ukraine crisis or caused major economic difficulties for Russia. 

“In a way, it was a failure,” said the expert.

According to the expert, compared with the previous measures, the recent ones have focused more on indirect sanctions, by restricting Russia’s trade and financial contacts with other countries, narrowing Russia’s external economic activity.

The sanctions also come at a time when Russia is gaining the upper hand on the battlefield, capturing Ukraine’s eastern city of Avdiivka last week. Ukraine faces a shortage of ammunition and insufficient troops, according to media reports. 

Ahead of the crisis anniversary, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday that Russia will have to continue fighting Ukraine until it takes the coastal city of Odessa and Ukraine’s capital Kiev, according to RT. 

Although some observers, including former CIA director and secretary of Defense Robert Gates, told US media that he believed Russia has “regained the momentum” and “has broken the stalemate,” Chinese experts said the current seesaw battle may continue in 2024.   

Medvedev’s remark shows Russia’s confidence in continuing its “special operation,” Zhang said, “What Moscow seeks is to maximize its security interests within the scope of controllable risks.

However, the latest sanctions show the US and the West are not prepared to compromise with Russia, Zhang noted, adding that although Ukraine has recently been passive on the battlefield, it’s unlikely to suffer a rout. [Avdeevka ws a rout.]
On February 1, EU leaders approved the extension of 50 billion Euros ($54 billion) in aid to Ukraine from 2024 to 2027. “It shows that currently the West is not prepared to abandon Ukraine,” Zhang said. 

Experts also noted that in the long run, the situation in the battlefield largely depends on US factors, whether it can overcome domestic partisan strife on aiding Kiev, and whether US policies will be adjusted sharply after a possible Trump return. 

In 2024, the continuation of stalemate and attrition may become a high probability on the battlefield in Ukraine, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Friday. 

The conflict will continue, and there is no end in sight, at least for now, Li added. 

War without winners 

Given that Chinese companies were listed among the latest British and EU sanctions against Russia, on Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in the UK expressed strong opposition, stressing that China has always held an objective and just position on the Ukraine crisis. 

Ahead of the anniversary, some Western media expressed misgivings over China’s position. VOA accused China of not pressuring Russia to “stop the aggression,” while some German media said the sanctions pushed Russia into the arms of China, making it “the biggest winner” of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The West is trying to pressure China to take sides through public opinion, but as a major power, China will not let this noise affect its neutral position, Li said. 

During a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on February 17, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China has stayed committed to promoting peace talks on the Ukraine issue and will not give up as long as there is a glimmer of hope. China refrains from adding fuel to the fire or taking advantage of the situation, and refrains from selling lethal weapons to conflict areas or parties, Wang said. 

Sanctions and weapons aid have not changed Russia’s position, but have prolonged the conflict and extended the damage to Ukraine. In order to end the losses in Ukraine as soon as possible, there must be an early cease-fire and peace talks, Zhang said. 

Due to the conflict, all major economies, including China, have been impacted, both in terms of security environment and economy, and it has also had a negative impact on China-EU relations and China-US relations, Zhang said. 

So far, the US is the biggest beneficiary, analysts said. US liquefied natural gas has entered the EU market and now takes up a large share. Through the export of weapons, US military manufacturers are making huge amounts of money. At the same time, the Russia-Ukraine conflict also further strengthens US control over Europe, prompting the return of the influence of its bloc politics.

However, overall and in the long run, the conflict will be a war without winners, with only tragedy and disaster, analysts said. 

If the goal of the US is to maximize the weakening of Russia by completely depleting Ukraine, even if the goal is achieved, Russia, the US and Europe will most likely fall into a deeper strategic confrontation in the future, Li said. 

If the US and the West hope to wait until Ukraine is almost exhausted before directly engaging Russia on the battlefield, then they are playing with fire, said Li, “to defeat a nuclear power on the battlefield is likely to lead to nuclear war and World War III. If that happens, Russia, Ukraine are the losers, the US, Europe are losers, global security will be at stake, and the end will be disaster and tragedy for humankind.” [Emphasis mine]

IMO, it’s odd that Li doesn’t think Ukraine isn’t yet “exhausted” and the loser ever since the conflict began in 2014. That the experts consulted think the conflict is now a “stalemate” means they aren’t paying attention to what’s happening and have ignored Russia’s highly successful strategy of attrition. Again, the notion that “the US … seems to be benefiting the most” or “is the biggest beneficiary,” is chimeric with the seems being an incorrect assumption when reality within the Outlaw US Empire is considered—no tangible gains have accrued to US citizens aside from a very small group of elites. Indeed, the US economy is polarized as the real economy shrinks and the parasite economy expands. The complexity of the sanctions and collusion in their make-up and application by the Empire and its vassals tells us that they were not made for Nalvalny. Indeed, his murder was likely induced by the West to coincide with three events: SMO anniversary, Munich Security Conference, and Putin/Carlson Interview, since his wife/widow was previously invited and showed no shock or grief and all BigLie Media outlets had synchronized copy/paste “news” items immediately upon word of his death. Over the last 24 years of similar happenings, those with active minds can see through the crap. Are the Chinese being honest when they write, “However, overall and in the long run, the conflict will be a war without winners, with only tragedy and disaster,” or are they writing that way to appease the West so it will not target China with further sanctions? Most credible analysts have China next on the menu after Russia, which is precisely what the Outlaw US Empire’s “security” and “defense” documents and policies say matter-of-factly.

Russia’s proving its SMO isn’t mired in a stalemate as it continues to push Westward along the FEBA. Medvedev has issued serious goals as statements of policy. The need to deNazify not only Ukraine but Europe’s been voiced by both Putin, Lavrov, Medvedev, Zakharova, Patrushev, and other top Russian officials. Russia has its Home Front in fine form with very little dissent to be seen or heard. The situation in Ukraine and the West is almost the exact opposite as it’s embroiled in the Gaza Genocide too that has vastly amplified dissent. Plus, the Neoliberal economies are functioning as planned—taking from the poor and giving to the already rich. Dr, Hudson recently provided some anecdotal evidence of that, “New School University race to the bottom,” which ought to be compared with my “Creating a Network of Modern University Campuses” report about two weeks ago. And as my reports show, Russia’s economy is booming as is its trade, while it’s ready to vastly widen the non-Western payments and settlements system so sanctions will have nothing to impede.

Some time ago a European politician made the analogy of Ukraine being a drowning person capable of drowning its rescuers. That man was insightful when compared with most European and US politicos. The longer the West continues to lie about the actual reasons for the SMO and what group started it, the harder it’s going to be when the time arrives for whatever remains of Ukraine to capitulate. The state, which has always been artificial as Putin told the world again in his talk with Tucker Carlson, will likely disappear into the ether from which it was conjured. And all those loans and “investments” will translate into 100% loses for their providers. And if the West attempts to steal Russia’s illegally frozen assets, then it’s going to suffer an even greater loss in the end as extinguishing Ukraine is precisely what will happen.

“What’s Coming Is WORSE Than A Recession” — Ray Dalio’s Last WARNING

https://youtu.be/uTBFD6t68js

What is the greatest act of cruelty you have ever committed?

I trashed a child in front of his parents while watching the movie “The Jungle Book” and I am proud of what I did to him.

April 14,

Navratri puja over, so I took my brother to watch a movie as my birthday treat which was on 12th.

Housefull.

This child was 27 years old sitting one seat to my left. And right beside me was a beautiful lady in her 60’s, followed by this boy and his father.

During the intermission, the boy ordered two cups of American corn and sat back. Then after a few minutes, the INOX guy came and handed it over to the boy.

Two minutes later, the lady unintentionally spilled the corn.

The boy started yelling at his mom, “koto taka legechy jaano ?? kheyecho aiekhany ??”

Translation: “Do you know how much that cost? Have you ever eaten here??”

And then comes the sickening part: he hit his mother’s legs pretty hard, simply because she had accidentally spilled the cup of American corn.

Seeing all this made me livid. And just when I thought he wouldn’t repeat this deplorable act, he hit his mom again.

His mom was extremely embarrased and kept her head down.

After hitting his mom twice, I didn’t hold myself back. I hit his cup of corn and spilled all of it on the floor. He stood up and confronted me; I landed a punch on his face as hard as I could.

To ensure he stayed put and didn’t retaliate, I landed two more. By then all the people around me (including my brother) got up on their feet and were ready to stop me in case I was going to smack him again.

It was chaos all around, and the security intervened and escorted both of us out.

Once outside and no more in the darkness, I saw that the guy really needed medical assistance after what I had to him. His nose was bleeding and lips were split open. And when our eyes met, I could clearly see the guilt in his eyes. I was damn happy with what I did, though I missed the movie which I watched later.

I was escorted off the premises, while he was administered first aid. I had to assure the security team that I would never repeat anything like this.

I never knew I could do such things but seeing a man punching his mother enraged me and I couldn’t resist myself.

Respect each and everyone whoever it might be, that is what my parents have taught me and I am glad that I do so and hope our generation does the same.

Edit 1 : For all those who think that I didn’t solve the whole problem, my little brother while taking them out of the theatre took the mother’s phone and saved my number.

I don’t think he will dare to do such activity again and I am hoping I won’t receive any call his mother.

Thanks for the appreciation !!

Edit 2: I would like you all to read Yogesh Singhq comment.

Link to the comment : https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-greatest-act-of-cruelty-you-have-ever-done/answer/Bharat-Sirohia/comment/18739940?srid=a0BE&share=bc8a905e

Thanks buddy !!

Edit 3: All those who are asking what was his father doing ?

He was there watching the drama unfold and was able to stop neither his son nor me.

The only and best way to protect Taiwan from China can be done by the United States. Why hasn’t America invaded and destroyed China by now?

You’re not a big history buff are you?

I guess you like to watch Rambo movies, instead?

  • China not only has the largest military in the world, but it is also the oldest military in the world. The Chinese were fighting mass invasions and assaults involving thousands of trained warriors when the Europeans were still living in caves and picking lice off each other.
  • China also has the oldest Navy in the world. Indeed, the Chinese were conducting mass Naval Battles centuries before the Europeans were considering the value of ocean going vessels.
  • China has always fought using cutting-edge technologies that were unexpected, unheard of, and unanticipated by the nation attacking it. It’s more than gunpowder, it’s poison weapons, tricks and deceit, and armored vehicles that totally stunned the opposition.
  • China is lead by merit, with people with millennia of military experience. Indeed the top rated military strategy books are all Chinese.
  • China is a military-organized society that does everything based on merit. They are hopelessly super patriotic, and live to die for their country.

Oh, and remember that the United States tried to attack China in 1950. The United States lost, and lost badly.

FACT: Keep in mind that China considers both Taiwan and the South China Sea as China territory.

EXTRAPOLATED FACT: Any bombs, guns, missiles, or assaults in those regions will provoke a STRATEGIC response onto the United States.

KIND REMINDER: And remember Kiddos, that for China, STRATEGIC is the same as NUCLEAR.

You all should be really FUCKING clear on accepting the risks, and resulting lifestyle that you will endure, after that Pandora’s box is opened.

Alien Bodies Confirmed After Testing to be NON Human

This is actually a pretty good video, and I recommend it to all mm readers.

https://youtu.be/ST8axewdge0

What do police officers typically notice when entering a person’s home (messy, clean, stinky, etc.)? What is the worst/weirdest thing you’ve seen?

I responded to a medical emergency in a hoarder house in the 1980s. When we entered the house from the front door there was no pathway to the back of the house. Newspapers, magazines and papers stacked up to the 6 foot mark on all the walls. The kitchen was covered in plates of old food that had not be cleared or thrown away. No way to get through to the bedrooms in the back of the house. Rats, mice and bugs crawling over everything. We could see the resident in the back bedroom, but could not get through the piles of papers, junk and trash to get to the back bedroom to see if he was alive. The smell was unbelievable.

The fire department brought in a K-12 saw and cut hole into the bedroom from the back of the house. The owner was dead. Mice and insects were crawling all over the body. Multiple cats sprawling all over the piles of papers, garbage and junk in the house. The fire department used the saw to cut a larger hole in the back of the hose so we could get in. The City Public Works Department brought a four wheel drive front end loader to clear out piles of newspapers and magazines which filled the floor around the bed in the bedroom at the back of the house. Several police officers, Animal Control Officers and Public Works employees had to run to the back the property to throw up from the smell.

I took time off the radio after we got the body out of the house to go back to my home, dump my uniforms in the laundry and take a very hot shower to insure I cleared everything I was in contact in this house off my body.

The city quickly declared the house a major health hazard and had it bulldozed to the ground. I told my sergeant the next call like that I wanted to be sent to other side of of town rather than enter a hoarder house again.

I dealt with several more in that community and next one when I was Chief of Police. The smell never gets better.

When you stop trying, it happens | The psychology of the flow state

This is a very important learning exercise.

https://youtu.be/k23x5kP7dAY

Have you ever seen an employee get fired on the spot because of you?

Well technically they quit but……

As a teenager, I washed dishes in a restaurant where my step-father ran the kitchen. He made all the soups and other pre-cooked items (prime rib, ribs), ordered the produce and stock, etc.

The restaurant was located on a barge moored in a harbor on a river. Most of the kitchen help were what we referred to as east-enders… rough boys. I was a preppy high school kid but got along with most of them. However, there was one guy… Dale. Dale was a bit crazy. He was also heavily into drugs and a burnout. He also washed dishes and on weekends, there would be two of you paired together.

All dishes had to be cleaned by the end of the night, the floors swept and scrubbed, and dirty laundry put away (table cloths, napkins, and aprons). If it was a particularly good night, the waitresses would bring a few pitchers of beer from the bar to the kitchen crew.

One night beer was brought while everyone was cleaning up. Dale was drinking more than cleaning. I got fed up and left the dishes piled high in the sinks.

The following morning, my step father arrived at work to find the dirty dishes. My mother awoke me asking what happened and that my step father was livid. I was taken to work where I find Dale and my step father standing in the kitchen. My step father is PISSED. He asks me why the dishes were left. I explained I was tired of Dale not doing his job. Dale tried to talk his way out of the situation which only made things worse. My step father was screaming at Dale and told him to go clean the bathrooms. Dale left to do that and now I’m expecting to catch hell. My step father put his hand on my shoulder then walked away calmly asking me to finish the dishes.

I was stunned. My step-father wasn’t an understanding person and he didn’t treat me any different that the rest of the crew. But here he was believing me and siding with me (a rare instance).

About an hour later, we discovered Dale left without cleaning the bathrooms. I was asked to stay and work the shift…. and to clean the bathrooms.

Dale never returned.

Ladies, men need this

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

“On Friday I did an activity with my 5th graders where they wrote a short blurb entitled.

“I wish my teacher would know…”

These are just a few that stuck out to me:

Kid 1: I wish my teacher would know; my dad is in jail, and I haven’t seen him in years.

Kid 2: I wish my teacher would know, I don’t always eat dinner because my mom works and I don’t know how to work the stove.

Kid 3: I wish my teacher would know; my sister sleeps in the same bed as me, and sometimes she wets the bed, and that’s why I smell funny.

Kid 4: I wish my teacher would know that I don’t always have sneakers for gym class because my brothers and I share one pair.

Kid 5: I wish my teacher knew I like coming to school because it’s quiet here, unlike my house with all the yelling.

✨We spend so much time talking and judging what we think we know… we need to ask more questions and spend more time listening. We also need to shift our mindset and see things from other people’s perspective. Give more than we get. Live to serve and to help make a difference in others’ lives.

Let’s leave this life a little better than we found it.

Polish Cinnamon Cake

babkaslice
babkaslice

Yield: 8 to 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 12 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • A grating of fresh nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Beat the butter until it is soft and fluffy. Add 3/4 cup of the sugar and the egg and continue beating. Add 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, the nutmeg and flour, and beat until well mixed.
  2. Spread about 1/3 of the batter on an ungreased baking sheet, forming a rectangle about 10 x 12 inches and bake in a preheated 400 degrees F oven for 8 minutes, until lightly browned.
  3. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
  4. Repeat two more times with the remaining batter.
  5. Whip the cream until stiff, and fold in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon and the vanilla extract. Spread a thin layer of whipped cream on one of the cakes, top with another cake, and repeat.
  6. Spread remaining whipped cream on the top and serve immediately.

Cyber Potter 2077

https://youtu.be/j0ov7NBosuE

For those of you over 40, what is it that confuses you the most about young people?

I am slap-in-middle of Gen X. Two years ago, I got diagnosed with cancer. I still live in the small-time town I was born in and know everyone.

I still went into work the next day and in the morning after I had texted all to my 31 year old boss whom I thought was a great guy that I might be a bit quiet today…. My ‘millennial’ boss was someone I deemed trustworthy and not at all like other guys like my disgusting, selfish, youngest brother. I was happy he was gonna be my boss through what was going to be a difficult time for me and my family. I wished I’d stayed at home but I had a lesson.

He actually thought it was the coolest thing, and was seriously, absolutely, completely delighted. An employee with cancer was so trendy. Not that he said that out loud but he was really pleased for himself…. Genuinely, the guy wanted to tell everyone – and I ordered him to be silent until I said so and stopped periodically shaking and could talk about it without being overwhelmed with fear that was so bad my tummy and heart hurt.

Me and my husband were looking at him like W.T.F. I suddenly got why millennials aren’t liked…

He then started to reduce my hours and told me I wasn’t haven’t sick pay three days before my massive surgery and sacked me when I got a lawyer on to him a year later. It is strictly illegal to sack someone with cancer in the UK.

He thought he was the best boss ever because he spent two minutes reading a website about how employees with cancer often want to work as it seems normal.

He had gotten a recent promotion and became ….. absolutely vile… I didn’t even get a card or a teddy bear. I am rather wary of that generation now.

And yes, this actually happened…

AI Video From OpenAI Just Blew Everyone’s Minds!

Sora. Damn!

Computer woes

One day everything is fine. I shut off my computer, and go to sleep.

Next morning I wake up, grab a cup of coffee and sit at my computer, and it is “locked”. And, you know, I didn’t lock it.

Computers have different modes aside from “on” and “off”.

There’s “suspend“.

There’s “sleep“.

Somehow, my computer went into “Rip Van Wrinkle” mode.

No matter what I would do, It just wouldn’t wake up.

Speech!

Stressed me out to no end.

So…

I used another computer to download the latest version of Lunix Mint. It’s called “Virginia”. And then booted up with that ISO.

Works great.

But, when installing, I lost all of my files, and other stuff.

It took me the next two days to recover all my passwords and links and stuff. But somehow, I did manage, and now I am back up and running. Though…

  • I lost all my gaming history… back to the beginning for me. Ugh.
  • I lost all my pending articles, not yet uploaded. Oh well.
  • I lost all my family videos and such… Sigh.

But the bulk of my system is saved and secure.

The reason… Well let me tell you…

Firstly, I have backups on all meetings. If my computer goes down, I have my Chief Engineer and we use his systems, and phones. So I do not rely on one meeting operating system.

Secondly, I connect my phone to my computer browser. If my computer goes down, I can sync with my phone and vice versa.

And, most importantly, thirdly… I wrote all my passwords and criticals in a book. If my electronics are locked, stolen, compromised, or whatever, I still can access the internet data.

Phew!

For once, the thing that everyone made fun of me for doing, worked out and saved me in the end!

Today…

What are the best examples of working smart versus working hard?

1. Eat the frog and start with the things that are most important.

“Crush” time is from 9 to 10 a.m.

We finish our trickiest assignments during this period and avoid bothering one other with inquiries. First thing in the morning, you should probably finish the task that you are most afraid of.

2. Make plans for tonight and tomorrow.

Making a brief list of easy tasks to complete at night will enable you to get started quickly in the morning and create a constructive momentum that will last the remainder of the day.

3. Enumerate your day’s “crucial results.”

Make a spreadsheet with your top three priorities listed for each day. This will assist you in organizing your days and ensuring that you stay focused on the most crucial things each day.

4. Modify your inner monologue.

Your drive and energy levels can be greatly enhanced by making a small change in viewpoint. Say “These are the two things I need to focus on today” rather than “I have too much to do today!”

5. Complete administrative activities during downtime.

standing in line for example at the bank, the grocery store, the elevator, etc. Bring along a book you’ve been wanting to read, some emails to get through, or some status updates to catch up on. Alternatively, just wander your thoughts and take in your surroundings.

6. 70% of the wealth is generated online, so you should too start an online business. Here join this challenge to learn how to start an online business

7. Make time for “me” at the beginning of the day:

Sort through and prioritize the accumulation of accumulated emails and social media posts from the previous night. Eliminate prompt comments and

recommendations so that others can get to work on their duties. Plan out the larger jobs. And remove the informational or unimportant content.

9. Get rid of private distractions:

Workplace productivity can also be severely hindered by personal diversions. You would quickly lose focus and waste hours doing nothing if you allowed personal distractions to interfere with your work.

10. Take a bigger stance:

Around 3 p.m., do you start to feel a bit sleepy? Get up!

Is there a decline in your posture? Get up!

It’s straightforward but efficient.

 

 

 

What do you think of the claim that China is far from peaking in its economic growth?

China will peak after it is 5–6 times the U.S. real GDP size of the U.S. which I suspect will be around 2075–2100 period. Why do I say 5–6 times that of the U.S. China will in real terms match China i.e. 4X USA economy around 2050–2075 period because China has 4 TIMES the population of the US.

But China won’t stop there because Chinese are generally smarter recieved better education, willing to work harder, are more industrious and learn more than US citizens hence it will not stop growing till it hit 5–6 times the US size at the minimum. So stop hallucinating China wants to catch up to the U.S. it wants to lapped the U.S. many folds.

Chinese political system is more sustainable and its infrastructure is presently miles ahead of the U.S. now. And while the Chinese are focus the U.S. will always be embroiled in conflicts after conflicts till it implodes in a mess of debts and deficits wasting resources that it barely has. I ammmetely pointing out facts that scare the shit out of you guys especially US lackeys or U.S. dogs and slaves or simply ignorant and naive brain dead Americans here in QUORA. You hate me for saying this and will prefer to be in denial. But lying to yourself is what you did for the longest time.

What will you say if an interviewer says “You have 10 minutes to impress me”?

Interviewer : You have 10 minutes to impress me. Go.

Me: If I do that, if I dazzle you within ten minutes, would I get this job?

Interviewer : Young man, I must warn you, I’m extremely hard to impress. But if you’re able to pull that off, I shall hire you on the spot.

Me: You see, that’s the problem. I’ve been working in this field for a long time. I’ve done a lot of projects with a lot of programmers. Most of these guys started out as mere acquaintances. I had no idea how good or bad at coding they were. It was only after working with them for a while that I got to know their true calibre. And one strange pattern I noticed was that the guys who I didn’t think much of in the first meeting, later proved to be some of the best collaborators. While the ones who completely floored me with their dazzling first impressions, later turned out to be complete assholes and a total pain in the ass to work with. Right now, I could throw in a bunch of complex projects I’ve done in the past, or I could tell you about the research I’ve been doing, or competitions I’ve won. Any of those would be sufficient to impress you. And as you promised, you would give me this job. But if you do that — give me this job going by whether I’m able to impress you within the first ten minutes or not, then I’m not so sure I’d still want it.

What factors contribute to the price difference of McDonald’s products between China and Europe/North America?

Your workers expect 5 times Chinese workers salary and 10 times more benefits and your rental and utilities are 5 times more expensive in the U.S. than in China. Hence a dollar in the U.S. buys you a big mac and the same dollar translated into RMB allows you to get 3 similar Big Macs. That is why your nominal GDP means shit! Everything that you pay 3 bucks in New York you pay merely a buck in Shanghai! Simply speaking your purchasing parity is a mere pittance of China.

So who do you blame? Your big mouth. You told the world you have a great Union who protects your workers income! Great your worker get paid more but your product can’t sell ! Without sales you cannot pay your staff all together.

Eggs with Peppers and Sausage

2024 02 21 08 26
2024 02 21 08 26

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 pound Italian sweet peppers or banana peppers, seeded and cut into strips
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large tomatoes, seeded and cut into wedges
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 pound fully cooked smoked sausage links, cut into thin slices
  • 6 fried eggs

Instructions

  1. Cook onion and peppers in oil in a skillet, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes.
  2. Stir in tomatoes, paprika and sugar. Cover and cook over low heat 15 minutes.
  3. Stir in sausage; cook uncovered until sausage is hot, about 5 minutes.
  4. Top with fried egg.

Women Self-Sabotage Their Dating Prospects

https://youtu.be/y7jtOpTxCH4

What smell will you never forget?

I worked in a doctor’s office, internal medicine so they did gynecological exams among other things. We used metal speculums and after each patient, the speculums would be dropped into a solution to soak. Near the end of the day, they’d all be put in the autoclave machine to sterilize them. One Friday, the nurse forgot. The speculums remained in the soaking solution all weekend and you’d think maybe it wouldn’t be that big of a deal but BOY OH BOY let me tell you….when I got to work Monday morning I saw the exterior doors were open with box fans in them, trying to help remove the most hideous and sickening odor you could imagine. It was like somebody had taken a dead body, stuffed it with expired tuna, and hid it behind the magazine rack. How ANY patients consented to be treated in there that day, I do not know.

What is the most amazing thing you overheard because people didn’t think you understood their language?

In the summer of 2015, my two sisters and I set out on a backpacking journey across Europe. We were all quite athletic: I was devoted to the gym and cycling, Mary worked hard as a waitress, and Joanne excelled in high school sports.

Despite only having basic German skills, I was somewhat fluent, thanks to my mother’s influence. Along the way, we encountered many German tourists, providing ample opportunities for interesting eavesdropping.

One particularly memorable moment took place during our first visit to a topless beach. While relaxing in our bikinis, my sisters Mary and Joanne decided to go for a swim. Nearby, two German men, whom I’ll refer to as Hans and Klaus, began discussing us.

Hans: Look at those girls. They’re cute, but…

Klaus: …they have big muscles.

Hans: Yes, they would be very pretty if it weren’t for the muscles. What’s the deal, I wonder?

Klaus: They’re American. Americans like girls with muscles.

Hans: What makes you think they’re American?

Klaus: They’re covering their breasts.

I stayed silent, but when it was my turn to enter the water, I couldn’t resist a playful gesture. I waited for them to look, then flexed my muscles, Popeye-style, and gave them a wink.

 

 

What is the pettiest thing you’ve seen a cheap person do at a restaurant?

When I was in graduate school working on my doctorate, I had a “friend” who was as cheap and as greedy as a person could be. She was one of those people who always begged for a bite, a piece, or a sip. Even if I had eaten half of my food, played around in it with my fork, or sat talking over it, she would tell the server clearing the table to leave my plate so she could eat the rest. She did this in an Indian restaurant once, and the server literally blanched and looked at me incredulously. I just shrugged as this woman proceeded to scarf down my half-eaten cucumber salad. Any time I didn’t eat everything on my plate, she’d ask if she could have it. Well, the last time we ever went out to eat was when we went to a Chinese restaurant and she decided that she wasn’t really “in the mood” for the teriyaki beef dish she had ordered and was really hankering for the shrimp fried rice I had ordered that came on a large platter with a serving spoon. Her eyes got really wide when our server brought out our food, and she saw all of that rice. She never offered to pay for half my meal even though she readily helped herself. Because I was taught that it is rude and petty to deny someone food who asks, I silently watched her heap her plate with fried rice and eat it. When the check came, she paid for her untouched meal and asked the server to wrap it up so that she could take it home and eat it at another time. There were other incidents. There was the time she went into an ice cream shop to get us ice cream while I waited outside with my dog who could not go in for obvious reasons. Moments later she came running back out with only her cone because my cone cost 30 cents more than I had given her. But eating half of my dinner and never offering to pay was the last straw and the last time I ever went anywhere with this woman.

Has Russia become the world’s most powerful country?

Let’s see

Russia is one of the most resource rich land masses in the planet

They have enough oil based on current reserves and current increase in consumption to last for 63.6 years

They have enough Gas based on current reserves and current increase in consumption to last for 118 years

They have enough of the Top 6 Industrial Raw Materials in Ore Form to last for 70.1 years

They have enough Fertile Wheat production to feed 15.6% of the World’s Population outside their own country

They have access to nearly 137 Million Metric Tonnes of Seafood which is enough to feed and export for the next 56 years.

And that’s not counting unexplored reserves

If they peg the Ruble to the value of Oil, Gas Gold and Wheat and price the same independently – their GDP would be close to $ 4.73 Billion nominal


Next the Russian Army

Russia has :-

  • 548,000 Professional Soldiers
  • 784,000 Active Personnel serving on Contracts
  • 1.903 Million Reservists between 18–44 years old

The Russians are among the toughest hardest soldiers in the planet and among the most patriotic

Any other Nation in 1942 would have broken to the Nazis but the Russians died and died and died, hated Stalin but for Mother Russia, they found and kept dying

The Brits broke under far less stringent conditions in Singapore in 1942

Their Production Capacity is very high

Only Next to China who is an Ally

Today Russia can outproduce the ENTIRE NATO at 3:1 to 7:1 for Artillery Ammunition, Tanks, BMPs, Armored Vehicles, Drones etc

Except Fighter Aircraft


Economically Russia is one of the MOST UNDERUTILIZED NATIONS on earth

First the Tsars

Next the Early Commies Lenin and that Moron Trotsky

Then Brezhnev

Then Gorbachev

Then Yeltsin

For 150–200 years, barring a brief period when Josef Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev where in charge (1929–1966) , Russia was always suffering under Moron Leaders or Oligarchs or Indifferent people

The Russian people may love Russia but they rarely respected their Leaders

Very few people Earned the Respect of the Russian People

Stalin for one

After Stalin, only Putin has managed to earn the same level of respect

Yet Russias development has been uneven, slow because of these reasons

Plus the fact that Russia has a mere 150 Million people and couldn’t attract migrants due to harsh communism for almost a century and due to the freezing weather


So I can say Russia can NEVER be defeated in Battle and War

I can say Russia can always ensure its Economy doesn’t collapse

Russia can always survive due to so many Natural Resources

However because Russia has only 150 Million people, it cannot be the most powerful country of all time

Because Russia only grew and surged for 54 years in the last 200 years, Russia isn’t the most powerful country of all time

Still thinking it’s a Gas Station is why 450,000 People are dead and Europe is in bankrupt chaos

Family Guy as an ’80s live action family sitcom

AI is amazing.

https://youtu.be/X5UMd4sFJwM

What has being a doctor taught you about life?

When I was a paramedic I was called to a home for an unresponsive person.

As we made our way into the house a woman greeted us and she was extremely upset. She hurried us into the kitchen where we found her husband on the floor. He was in full cardiac arrest.

As we started to attempt resuscitation, we went through our normal steps. My partner would place an advanced airway while I readied the cardiac monitor and defibrillator. There would need to be an IV and medications given and we would have to breathe for him. Of course we were doing all this while maintaining CPR.

As we moved him to the cot and prepared to move to the ambulance and go to the hospital, I noticed more details about the room we were in.

It was Valentine’s Day. This husband had gotten up early and lovingly prepared breakfast for his wife. He had a vase full of roses on the kitchen table and a card with her name written on the envelope. The food was still warm on their plates. It was untouched. Everything was perfect, except this kind and considerate man was dead. Sadly, his lack of response to our efforts to restart his heart told me he was very likely to remain that way.

I’ve had to relive this particular scenario dozens of times on birthdays, Christmas and pretty much any other holiday. I have performed CPR in restaurants and at birthday parties. I guess what all this taught me about life is that, more often than not, it ends right in the middle of your plans. Large plans, life plans or, sometimes, breakfast plans.

Has anyone been fired for calling off work due to snow while everyone else still went to work?

In the annals of Western New York history, one particular individual found themselves on the receiving end of a cautionary tale during the winter of 1987. The National Weather Service had issued a dire prediction: a major storm was poised to sweep over Lake Ontario in the early hours of the morning, heralding an onslaught of snowfall that threatened to disrupt the region’s daily routines.

For those acquainted with the capricious nature of Lake Effect snow, the forecast served as a somber warning. Yet, as dawn approached, the storm’s arrival remained a matter of speculation. In Western New York, where the resilience of residents was matched only by the reluctance of employers to cancel a day’s work, the impending snowfall was met with a mixture of apprehension and resignation.

In this climate of uncertainty, our protagonist made a fateful decision. Rising at the early hour of 5:30 or 6:00, they peered outside to find a light dusting of snow. Without a second thought, they returned to the warmth of their bed, lulled into a false sense of security by the meager accumulation outside their window.

Meanwhile, the rest of the region braced themselves for the impending storm, diligently monitoring their radios and televisions for updates on the weather front. As the morning progressed, it became increasingly apparent that the storm had veered off course, sparing much of the area from its wrath.

Yet, despite the absence of significant snowfall, our protagonist found themselves facing the consequences of their premature retreat to bed. Upon arriving at work, they were met with skepticism from their employer, who, in a display of fairness, sought confirmation of the purported inclement weather.

Contacting local authorities for verification, the boss received confirmation that no road closures or emergencies had been reported due to the light dusting of snow. Faced with the ultimatum of providing evidence of a two-foot snowdrift at their doorstep or collecting their paycheck and departing, our protagonist wisely chose the latter.

In the end, the moral of the story was clear: in the unpredictable realm of Western New York weather, it pays to stay vigilant, lest one find themselves left out in the cold.

Modern Women’s DILEMMA

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZYuCqF_gUk0?feature=share

What is the craziest thing you’ve found in an old coat pocket?

My brother passed away unexpectedly in April of this year. He was 9 years younger than me, and we were extremely close. We grew up in an extremely dysfunctional family, and were always there for each other in ways that the rest of our family was not. In a lot of ways, especially when he was little, I was as much a mom figure to him as his big sister, our relationship was one of the greatest sources of comfort and joy in both our lives. l was, and still am, devastated by the loss of him in my life.

I work in the town where he lived a few days each week, and had my own room in the house where he lived with his husband, “J”, who is like another brother to me. My brother loved vintage fashion, and was always bringing home his latest “amazing finds” from local thrift stores. He definitely had hoarding tendencies. His plan was to resell most of what he bought at the flea market for a profit in the summer, which never happened.

In the immediate weeks after his death, J and I started sorting through his things, including the bags and bags and bags and racks and racks and racks of thrift store “scores” that were all over the house, often mixed with his personal clothing. We kept some, and gave away or donated the rest. We always made sure to check any pockets; since he often stashed money and other valuables in random places, which he sometimes forgot about.

I was going through the pockets of a heavy pea coat, which neither of us had ever seen him wear, and felt what I thought might be a credit card. I pulled it out, and saw that it was actually a card key from a hotel that the previous owner presumably had forgotten. I turned it over, and was stunned. What are the odds of finding a random hotel key card in the pocket of a random thrift store coat, less than 2 weeks after my brother died, printed with an image of puffy clouds in a blue sky, and a single sentence that read “It’s time to let me go”. There have been other inexplicable moments in the weeks and months since he passed, that I believe are signs from him, to reassure and comfort us that in some way, he’s still with us. I am so grateful for those moments.

Walking away from marriage, children, and other stuff we’re supposed to have

https://youtu.be/aWGZadtZHwo

What is the weirdest reason teachers have heard for a student being absent?

A snake held my student hostage.

Everyone – including me – thought that this was a ridiculous excuse. A girl showed up late, out of breath and red in the face. She was the kind of student who was usually very conscientious, so I expected a common and reasonable explanation like car trouble. Instead she stood right inside the door, panting, and explained that a snake had been holding her hostage.

I knew that this fifteen year-old girl was responsible for getting herself up and getting ready for school because her single mom worked the early morning shift at the hospital, so I was already inclined to go easy on her. That snake story just didn’t sound right, so I asked her to explain.

The girl lived in a small apartment on the first floor, and it was a small town so I knew that these apartments only had one entry. She had woken up and gotten ready as usual, but when she opened the door, she found a big rattlesnake sunning itself on the mat. She had called several people until her uncle finally answered and came over to kill the snake – with a pistol! He did manage to kill the snake, but he also brought all the neighbors outside. The girl and her uncle had to wait until everyone had finished telling him off for being stupid enough to fire a gun right in front of their homes before he could drive her to school.

I accepted her excuse but I remained skeptical until I got off work that afternoon and stopped at the store, where everyone was talking about the moron who shot a snake in the town’s one and only apartment complex. I still suspected that she could have just walked around the snake or something, but two years later a watermoccasin decided to take me hostage. I mentally apologized to my former student, because there was no way in hell that I was gonna just step around that thing.

My boss called me on a Saturday to let me know he that due to financial reasons, I was no longer needed effective immediatley. 3 days later, he sends me a text asking about work issues. How do I respond?

The question is do you need his recommendation? The urge to tell him to get lost is strong but if you do you could wind up screwing yourself later on. After all, if somebody calls up for a reference and they ask him… it’s not going to be good.

So you ask yourself would it benefit you to be polite or not?

Let me tell you a story of when I was younger. It was my first real IT job for the summer. Small company needed to upgrade everything and needed a jack of all trades type to do it and I got it. So I spent months crawling under desks, running cable, setting up the servers and backups and during all this the owner’s girlfriend would be looking over my shoulder and asking what I was doing. I’d show her because why not? She was nice. A bit of a ditz but she had… assets if you get me.

So the end of the project comes. I’ve done all the testing, present him with the documentation and ask what’s next. He says nothing because his girlfriend was taking over and she could do my job. I laughed, he was serious. Gave me my severance and I was out the door.

About a month or two later I get a call from him and he’s frantic. Seems they had a problem, they lost all their data and when they went to restore from backup found out his girlfriend wasn’t doing the backups like she said she would do. He promised me the world at this point, back pay, bonuses and all that. I told him to go screw himself as he got what he deserved. I think he went out of business in a month or so later. I didn’t need him. I was in school and that was just a way to make some money while gaining experience. But you might need him later.

So I’d ask yourself if it’s worth it to tell him to get lost or whether it’s in your best interest to at least not be as dismissive. Don’t just give it to him but make him understand you’re doing this for the good of the company, not him. And you could just as easily have told him to get lost.

When your finally in a healthy relationship

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UGrakG9DXyQ?feature=share

Have you ever caught a nurse doing something they should not have?

I was born with fatal Asthma. My lungs have collapsed three times, and every year I’d spend approximately 3–4 weeks in the ICU under an oxygen tent. When I was big enough, I got to use the regular mask and/or tubes in my nose. I’d have severe asthma attacks every night, but it was just my way of life (I still played sports, etc.).

I got to know who some of the regular nurses were- especially because, though they’d let my parents stay after visiting hours, I’d get really sad when they had to leave. The nurses were always so great about making me comfortable. This was in the 1980’s. I’ll never forget the head nurse, Norma. She always made me feel less alone.

In those days, there were TV’s in the room- attached to a big arm on the wall, but you had to order it- and a cable guy would come in and set it up. You had to pay per day. My parents always got it for me.

I always knew how hard nurses worked and I never understood how come they had to be there for so long. At night, when the ward was dark- I’d leave my TV on so the nurses could watch “Dallas”. I’d make it so the face of the TV pointed toward the hall. It’s not like they could sit there for the hour, chillin’ in my room. But I liked to keep a chair by my bed for them. I’d fall asleep, and in the morning the TV was off. I guess I didn’t “catch” a nurse- it’s more like I encouraged them. I was just little. I always knew how much they wanted me to get better, and I always knew they really liked Dallas.

Norma never watched it, but she never seemed to be mad about it.

What makes people ruin their lives?

1. Waiting for someone to save them. You can’t wait for some hero to come and snatch you from the claws of life’s difficulties. You can seek advice and get support from those closest to you, but even they can’t bear the weight of being your hero because the only one who is capable of fulfilling that role is none other than yourself.

2. Victim mentality. You will never be able to change your life for the better if you believe that everyone and everything is out there to sabotage you. It will only make you feel more powerless and helpless, robbing you of willpower and motivation to change anything.

3. Extreme poverty. With extreme poverty, there comes extreme desperation, which often pushes people into doing things they’d have never imagined they were capable of.

4. Constantly lying to themselves. When you can’t be honest with yourself, you are unable to face all the fears, weaknesses, and problems holding you back. And the more lies you tell yourself, the tighter their grip will get on you until your life is left in shambles.

5. Being in a toxic relationship with a master manipulator/narcissist. Not only will they destroy your self-esteem and your sense of self, but they’ll try to make you stay with them and even guilt-trip you into it when you say you want to leave them.

6. Having enemies disguised as friends. A friend is supposed to have your back, not stab you in it, which is exactly what these people do. They try to discourage you from pursuing your goals because they don’t want to see you succeed, they always find a way to criticize you under the guise of “friendly feedback” and are never there to support you when you need them.

7. Growing up in a dysfunctional family. If one or both of your parents were abusive, toxic, etc., you will start noticing the consequences of it after stepping into adulthood. Once you do, you’ll have to unlearn some things you subconsciously picked up during childhood and completely destroy the rest. Otherwise, you’ll risk repeating the vicious cycle by turning into your parent(s) or living with the damaging consequences for the rest of your life.

Paluski (Polish Potato Fingers)

Do these bring back memories. Paluski! We always had them with homemade kapusta and kielbasi. I make these all of the time. My family loves them with a nice mushroom gravy. They taste delicious fried in some bacon fat with onions and crisp bacon. I sometimes cut them up into small pieces and add them to my homemade chicken soup. I have even gone so far as to fry them up and serve them with sunny side eggs, scrambled and poached.

2024 02 21 08 a28
2024 02 21 08 a28

Ingredients

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour + extra if needed to make a pliable dough
  • 4 cups mashed potatoes, cold
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 4 eggs

Instructions

  1. Cook potatoes and drain well. Press through a ricer and place in a large bowl. Cool.
  2. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl, mixing well. Make a well in the center of flour and add eggs, one at a time, mixing well until all the eggs are mixed well.
  3. Add the riced potatoes and mix until all ingredients are blended real well. If necessary add some water to make the dough pliable if too stiff, this will depend on how much flour you add. (I have found that 4 cups will make a very wet dough, so I add 1/4 cups of flour at a time until the dough feels just right. This is done by feel. Do not make the dough too stiff.
  4. Roll out dough in portions at a time onto floured surface, rolling out into a long log about 1-inch thick.
  5. Cut logs into 3/4-inch pieces, rolling slightly to even out.
  6. Drop into rolling salted boiling water and cook until paluski float to the top, allowing them to simmer a few minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl.
  7. Have some melted butter ready to drizzle over the paluski to coat them.
  8. You can sauté some onions in butter and toss in with them.

Notes

Either way you doctor them up, they taste wonderful.

Woman says she’s breaking up with boyfriend over this…

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TCCd0Z_GUaU?feature=share

Are there employees who later employed their boss?

I bought the security guard company I worked for when the owner decided to retire and move to Las Vegas. He wanted 3 months billing for the whole tamale; office equipment, gear, patrol car, and clients. He was billing around $237,000 annually so the asking price was just over $59,000.

I got a business loan for $30,000 and agreed to pay him $1,700 a month over 18 months for the balance owed. The extra money was for interest.

A couple of years later he showed up in my office. The $30K was gone and the monthly payments had ended, and he needed money. So he asked me for a job selling for my company.

I’d quadrupled his annual billing — from $237K to $980K — so I told him I’d pay him a $1,500 monthly draw against commission.

After 6 months he’d sold 3 patrol accounts, for a grand total of $1,100 a month, so I cut my losses and let him go.

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

While at university my roommate and I lived a couple blocks in from the beach. He walked up to the beach to check the surf late one evening. A cop pulled up along side him and said “Hey, are you [my name]?” My roommate said “no” and the cop drove away without another word.

A few days later at about 8:00 PM I left our apartment and started to drive to our university. My small truck had an automatic transmission and the parking break was broken. So I kept a large rock by my feet that I would wedge behind a tire when I parked. As I drove away from our apartment a cop pulled me over. I asked what the problem was and he didn’t answer. He shined his flashlight inside my truck. He saw the rock and asked in a very serious tone why it was there. I explained. He then told me to get out of the car. I complied. He didn’t go inside, but looked inside the door. He saw my backpack on the passenger seat. He said he wanted to search it and asked if I had a problem with that. Knowing I had done nothing wrong, I was getting annoyed. There was nothing but textbooks and notebooks in my backpack, but I didn’t like his attitude. And I was upset about the cops asking my roommate if he was me for some reason a few nights earlier. So I said I did have a problem with it and I would not be allowing him to search it. He said he had the right to search for probable cause. I asked what he was defining as probable cause. He replied that the rock on my floor was a weapon. I told him I thought that was a pretty weak position after the explanation I gave him and I objected to his search. He said if he called a judge he could provide me a warrant to fully legalize any search he wished to perform. I then told him I would wait calmly while he radioed the station (before mobile phones), they called a judge, and a search warrant was issued. I also asked how he thought a judge would react to being annoyed at home to get a warrant to search a [local university] student’s backpack after being pulled over for not committing any traffic violations. He looked at me, said “you better pray I never catch you doing anything wrong” and turned away. He got in his cruiser and drove off. It was all very strange, but I never had another incident after that.

 

How can middle class people become rich?

I came from a very ordinary background, and I have advised countless people who are very wealthy and grew up poor or middle-class.

Even if we look at larger studies, we find that most of the richest people in the world came from working and middle-class backgrounds.

Only in some places where inherited wealth dominated, like some parts of Europe, is it 50%-50%.

If you mean is it possible to get rich, or wealthy, on a middle-class income, then the simple answer is yes.

This man was a UPS driver for years. He made a maximum of $14,000-$15,000 a year:

main qimg a8e047eb9803db971f0256dde21070ce lq
main qimg a8e047eb9803db971f0256dde21070ce lq

Theodore Johnson died with $70million after a friend told him about investing, which is why he got into it.

Yes, you read that right. $70million. Now sure, when he started investing, 14k-15k a year was worth 50k-75k in today’s money.

Yet it still wasn’t a huge salary. So, how did he manage it? Well, he invested very smart, long-term.

He wanted to make a difference when he died, so he gave it to charity.

He isn’t alone. This man was a janitor called Ronald Read who accumulated $8million:

main qimg 28d7fda4f030e8be59885b74d65e2944 pjlq
main qimg 28d7fda4f030e8be59885b74d65e2944 pjlq

This lady was a secretary and accumulated $9m:

main qimg 258d5a8768eac01dbee4538887441885 lq
main qimg 258d5a8768eac01dbee4538887441885 lq

You might think these are one-offs. However, stats show that 14% of the world’s millionaires are teachers, and about 50% are middle-income professionals.

The reason is simple. Income doesn’t always rise exponentially with time. Wealth can.

What is more, there are always investment opportunities out there, as I mentioned on a recent CNBC interview:

As a final comment, I will speak about risk, as it is the most misunderstood subject.

Do you assume that you are playing it safe with money in the bank?

You are fooling yourself 👉🏼 and here is exactly why:

1. If you save money in the bank you’re buying into the sure risk of inflation.

2. If you only rely on your savings for retirement, you’re risking everything on the assumption that things will go to plan.

But life doesn’t always go to plan. Some sort of risk is inevitable, it’s everywhere.

It is far better to:

  1. Put your eggs in numerous baskets and not just the bank or property
  2. Pick the risks you will take. It gives you more control.
  3. Take action, rather than setting New Year’s resolutions to save/invest more money + lose weight and forget about it!

Grocery prices in Russia will SHOCK YOU

Radicalized.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BoP4hrZff5U?feature=share

What are some scary psychological facts about human beings?

  1. When a tattoo is removed, the ink particles are eventually broken down and excreted through the urine.
  2. Our own immune system, meant to protect us, can kill us faster than the fastest-killing virus, Ebola (4 days)
  3. Your brain can play tricks on you, making you feel referred pain from your organs in unexpected places! For example, a painful pancreas can present as pain in your flank or back; a heart attack can feel like jaw or shoulder pain; a kidney stone can feel like testicle pain;
  4. The cause of period cramps is the uterus suffocating itself. During a period, the uterus contracts to shed its lining, and sometimes the contractions are so strong that they squeeze the blood vessels, cutting off the supply of oxygen and causing pain.
  5. The front of your tongue has a mind of its own and is always on the move, secretly exploring your mouth. Dentists are well aware of this behavior during impression taking, when the tongue can be seen chasing the dental tool or licking their fingers around the mouth.
  6. Your eyes are “immune privileged,” meaning the rest of the body’s immune system has no knowledge of their existence. If this immune system were to suddenly become aware of the eyes, it may treat them as a threat and try to neutralize them, potentially leading to blindness.

700 people needed paramedics as they queued to see the Queen’s coffin because of the 20 hour wait and the cold weather. Why are so many people so blindly adoring and loyal to the royals when they get treated like sh*t?

Through various work events, I’ve met the late Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince William, Prince Edward, Sophie (Countess of Wessex), Princess Anne, James (Viscount Severn), and Lady Amelia Windsor. Though James was only a toddler at the time. Regardless, none of them ever treated me with anything but respect and cordiality (when time allowed more than a passing handshake). And I’m about as lowborn as it gets. The bastard scion of an unwed mother, who was herself the daughter of a gangland enforcer and the 2nd cousin of the man who *ahem* allegedly disposed of the evidence of murders conducted by one of the UK’s most notorious gangs. My more distant ancestors on my mother’s side were Irish loyalists, and on my father’s side were Welsh coal miners. Sailors, miners, and criminals were what went into making me. And yet still, never have I ever been treated poorly by any member of the Royal Family I’ve ever had any interaction with.

As to loyalty… Dolce et decorum est pro patria mori. I’m from a family with a long military tradition. Loyalty to my nation and sovereign go without question. It’s Parliament, not the Royals, who inevitably fuck over me and mine. I’ve no reason to be disloyal. Furthermore, Queen Elizabeth is one of the most dedicated monarchs we’ve ever had. She gave her all to her country and her people. It is only proper that loyalty and service be returned.

 

The U.S. Has Made Taiwan a Trigger for War. Can China Disarm It?

Taiwan is a useful pawn in the U.S. strategy of confronting China as a “great power competitor”, Finian Cunningham writes.

Ever since China’s civil war ended in 1949 with victory for the Communist side, the island of Taiwan off China’s southern coast has been a U.S. pawn as a haven for anti-Communist forces. The United States has sponsored the Taiwanese separatists first under the dictatorship of Chiang Kai-shek and up to the present administration in Taipei. Ironically, Washington portrays Taiwan as “democratic and free”.

Washington’s support for Taiwan waned in 1979 when the U.S. endeavored to normalize relations with Beijing under the so-called One China Policy which defines Taiwan as under the sovereign control of the People’s Republic of China. The U.S. position conforms to the international norm of recognizing China as one sovereign nation in which Taiwan is but an island province.

The U.S.’s so-called normalization of relations with China was not genuine. It was a geopolitical move to wedge relations between Beijing and Moscow. Now that China and Russia have reestablished strategic connections under Presidents Xi and Putin, the U.S. has reverted to overt hostility towards China and its policy of using Taiwan as a cat’s paw to destabilize the mainland.

After the Obama administration embarked on its Pivot for Asia strategy in 2011, Washington earnestly reinstated relations with Taiwan in such a way as to deliberately provoke Beijing and undermine its sovereignty.

Tensions over Taiwan have become increasingly fraught as the United States steps up military supplies to the island territory. The weapons systems have become increasingly offensive in their capability of attacking China’s mainland. This development not only undermines China’s sovereign authority. It also poses an overt national security threat to Beijing. Taiwan is a mere 130 kilometers (80 miles) from the Chinese mainland across a narrow sea called Taiwan Strait.

This places China in an acute dilemma. Should it take preemptive military action or wait it out until politics takes its course?

A recent election in Taiwan was won by a pro-independence party. But there was a greater combined vote for parties that want more friendly relations with mainland China. That strongly suggests that Taiwanese people are against a military confrontation and are amenable to political reconciliation as proposed by Beijing. Perhaps over time, the Taiwanese population may develop a decisive majority that desires peaceful reunification.

The problem is the United States has control of the initiative to inflame tensions with China. In that case, Beijing might eventually be drawn into a military confrontation despite its aspirations.

The Return of Great Power Competition

Since the supposed end of the Cold War in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, for most of the ensuing three-decade period, the United States declared its main national security concerns to revolve around international terrorism. In recent years, however, the U.S. has relegated the perceived threat of terrorism and officially prioritized its strategic concerns about “great power competition”.

Russia and China have been labeled the top geopolitical rivals for U.S. global power. In this way, there has been a return in Washington to the Cold War geopolitics and rhetoric that dominated international relations during the five decades after World War Two. While Moscow and Beijing have both repudiated adversarial relations and have repeatedly urged peaceful coexistence in a multipolar world, the United States has relentlessly sought to depict the so-called “global rules-based order” as being threatened by Russia and China.

The current U.S. administration under President Joe Biden has contrived to portray international relations as an existential contest between “Western democracy versus autocracies”. This zero-sum terminology is typical of Cold War ideology which aims to polarize international relations into geopolitical camps of “us and them”. Such polarization is an essential function of U.S. and Western power politics and the promotion of U.S. hegemonic ambitions.

By dividing the world into “blocs”, the resulting conflictual relations and tensions are amenable to American militarism. In other words, cooperative peaceful international relations as advocated by Russia and China in their multipolar visions are anathema to the pursuit of U.S. hegemony based on unilateral domination.

China is Enemy No. 1 for the United States

Several U.S. strategic planning documents indicate explicitly the emphasis on “great power competition”. The 2022 National Security Strategy defines the U.S.’s priority concerns. The document states:

“We are now in the early years of a decisive decade for America and the world. The terms of geopolitical competition between the major powers will be set… the post-Cold War era is definitively over, and a competition is underway between the major powers to shape what comes next.”

The strategic outlook clearly determines China as the bigger threat to U.S. power. The document states:

“Russia and the PRC [People’s Republic of China] pose different challenges. Russia poses an immediate threat to the free and open international system, recklessly flouting the basic laws of the international order today, as its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has shown. The PRC, by contrast, is the only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to advance that objective.”

Another major U.S. planning document, the 2022 National Defense Strategy, also defined China as the “pacing challenge” to American global power. It was stated that China is “the only competitor to the United States with the intent and increasing capability to reshape the international order.”

The term “pacing challenge” is a euphemism for Enemy Number One. The prioritizing of China over Russia as the designated top threat to U.S. national security was reiterated in the National Defense Authorization Acts in 2023 and 2024. The NDAAs govern annual U.S. military spending of over $850 billion – about four times the military budget of China and more than eight times that of Russia.

The war in Ukraine which erupted in February 2022, has certainly accentuated tensions and hostilities between the United States and Russia. This may give the impression that Russia is deemed by Washington as a greater threat than China. Nevertheless, despite the heated rhetoric and war in Ukraine, the strategic outlook according to the U.S.’s own planners is that China is perceived as the long-term principal adversary.

Even Russian President Vladimir Putin in a recent interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson acknowledged that China was seen in Washington as a bigger threat than Russia. “The West is afraid of a strong China more than it fears a strong Russia,” said Putin.

U.S. is Planning on War with China

The United Air Force announced on February 12, 2024, a major overhaul and expansion of force structure in the Asia-Pacific. Its commanders specifically cited China as the motivating threat and reason for renewed military build-up for “high-end conflict”. When the civilian head of the U.S. Air Force, Frank Kendall, was appointed to the post in 2022, he told the U.S. Congress that his three priorities were: “China, China, and China.”

Several senior American commanders have publicly warned that the U.S. could be at war with China in the next five years. And they mention Taiwan as the flashpoint.

This war planning accounts for an overall U.S. military build-up in Asia-Pacific involving air, navy, and land weapons. Washington has been expanding military bases and missile systems in Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Guam, and most provocatively on China’s territory of Taiwan.

On January 16, 2024, it was reported by Taiwanese news media that the island territory was building two new missile bases on its east coast facing the Taiwan Strait and China’s mainland. The new construction stemmed from the expected arrival of more U.S. anti-ship missiles. The reports also indicated that five more bases were under planning.

These developments point to long-term planning by the United States for a military confrontation with China in the coming years.

Taiwan is the Primary Cat’s Paw for U.S. Hostility

Following elections in Taiwan on January 13, 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden stated that the U.S. did not support “independence” for the island territory.

Biden was thus publicly affirming Washington’s adherence to the One China Policy (OCP).

However, Biden’s public position on Taiwan and China can be better understood as part of the United States’ other policy of “strategic ambiguity”. Officially, Washington claims to recognize China as the sole sovereign power concerning Taiwan. Whereas in practice, U.S. actions point to another, treacherous agenda.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping met Biden in November 2023 at the APEC summit in San Francisco, the American side reiterated its obligations under the One China Policy. At that summit, President Xi called on the United States to stop arming Taiwan. He said Taiwan was the “most dangerous” issue and warned that China would use force if the matter is not resolved diplomatically for reunification.

Under Biden and his predecessor, Republican President Donald Trump, the United States has ramped up weapons supplies to Taiwan.

Provocatively, it seems, the U.S. has chosen to ignore President Xi’s admonitions about desisting from arming Taiwan.

The reported expansion of missile bases and supply of U.S. missiles to Taiwan indicates that Washington has set a course for antagonizing China by undermining its sovereignty over Taiwan.

On February 8, 2024, it was reported for the first time by U.S. and Taiwanese media that American special forces were being permanently stationed in Taiwan and the neighboring Kinmen islands near the Chinese mainland. This development is a major violation of the One China Policy by the United States. It puts into perspective the purported pledges made by Biden in person to Xi during the APEC summit.

Furthermore, the purpose of the U.S. forces in Taiwan has offensive connotations. The American personnel are reportedly engaged in training Taiwanese military units for conflict and monitoring China’s mainland forces.

It should be noted that these U.S. military developments in Taiwan followed a high-level meeting between America’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi which took place on January 26 in Thailand. Earlier that month, Chinese and U.S. officials also held “high-level discussions” at the Pentagon after a two-year suspension. The series of talks was reported in Western media as an effort by the American side to reduce tensions and improve communications.

Again, rather than such contacts being a genuine effort at improving relations, they seem to be more illustration of the U.S. policy of “strategic ambiguity”. More accurately, that policy should be called “strategic duplicity”.

It seems plausible that Washington is trying to mislead China over what its real intentions are regarding Taiwan and the wider issue of strategic confrontation. The Biden administration may state adherence to the One China Policy and call for better military-to-military communications to avoid conflict.

Yet, in practice, the United States is pushing ahead to supply Taiwan with more missiles. This unprecedented build-up of offensive U.S. capability is replicated in other territories across the Asia-Pacific.

The election in January of Lai Ching-te as the Taiwanese president provides Washington with a strident “pro-American” voice in Taipei for the next four years. Lai has previously called for Taiwan’s independence from China. Indeed, during the election campaign, Lai said there was no need to make such a declaration because Taiwan was “already independent”. Beijing has repeatedly declared its desire and sovereign right for full reunification of the island territory with the Chinese mainland. However, President Xi has warned that if Taiwan were to formally announce independence, China reserves the right to use military force to assert its legal sovereign control over the territory.

Taiwan is a useful pawn in the U.S. strategy of confronting China as a “great power competitor”.

By giving tacit support to pro-independence politicians in Taiwan, Washington is inciting separatist sentiments. Supplying the territory with U.S. weapons and military personnel also foments Taiwanese notions that Washington is a military patron who will come to Taiwan’s defense if a conflict were to erupt with mainland China.

Significantly, the incoming Taiwanese president is the third administration of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The DPP first came to power in 2016 under President Tsai Ing-wen. She was re-elected in 2020. Her vice president Lai Ching-te is taking over in May when he is inaugurated as president. The DPP has inflamed pro-independence politics over the past eight years with the full encouragement of Washington under both the current Biden administration and his predecessor Donald Trump. This political saber-rattling will likely continue over the next four years of Lai’s presidency.

It is also significant that the last eight years have seen a build-up of missiles in Taiwan’s arsenal. Before 2016, the island’s military capabilities were limited. Under the DPP, and with supplies from the U.S., Taiwan’s forces have acquired ballistic missile capabilities, especially anti-ship missiles. The target range of these weapons is short-range up to 500 kilometers which could reach China’s southern coastal provinces.

What needs to be monitored is the supply of longer-range U.S. missiles which would indicate greater strategic ambitions in a conflict with China. The American-sponsored militarization of Taiwan is correlated with the incitement of separatist politics on the island, which in turn foments tensions with Beijing.

On February 13, the U.S. Senate approved a $95 billion military aid package for foreign allies, including $60 bn for Ukraine, $14 bn for Israel and $8 bn for Asia-Pacific. The latter portion will allocate nearly $5 bn to Taiwan. The Asia-Pacific funding will cover the U.S. build-up of missiles in the region.

This is another indicator of U.S. hostile intentions towards China. It belies the seeming diplomatic engagement and renewed military-to-military communication exchange. The litmus test for rhetoric concerning the One China Policy is the facts on the ground of military offensive capability toward China.

The facts testify that Taiwan is being honed as a cat’s paw to antagonize and provoke China.

The Ukraine-Russia Analogy

There is a vivid analogy with how the U.S. has cynically used Ukraine as a provocation toward Russia. Ukraine has deep cultural ties with Russia and a long history of disputed territorial control. Over the past decade, the United States has ramped up military support for Ukraine and incited animosity with Russia. The tensions erupted in February 2022 with Russia ordering a military invasion of Ukraine to halt mounting provocations. A two-year war ensued and is continuing. It is the biggest war in Europe since the Second World War. An estimated 500,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed. The conflict has had a devastating impact on Europe’s economy. It brings nuclear powers perilously close to catastrophic all-out war.

China’s former ambassador to the United States, Cui Tankai, recently stated that China would not be drawn into a military trap in Taiwan. The seasoned diplomat alluded to the U.S.-instigated scenario of Ukraine and Russia. On the matter of increasing American arms supplies to Taiwan, Cui was quoted as saying: “Someone may be preparing a proxy war but we will not fall into that trap. We don’t want to see a situation where Chinese are killing Chinese.”

Such aspirations are laudable. Nonetheless, such a view is a hostage to fortune. The Chinese authorities may not want a war over Taiwan and may try their utmost to avoid a war. Beijing’s aspiration for peaceful reunification with Taiwan is no doubt genuine.

Still, unfortunately, the United States has the sinister power to turn Taiwan into a trigger. Washington is ramping up offensive military capability and fomenting incendiary pro-independence politics. Beijing does not control that hostile process. There may come a point when Taiwan becomes what Ukraine is to Russia – a site of proxy war by the United States.

In that case, there is a stern prognosis: China should act militarily sooner rather than later to assert its control over Taiwan. A war seems inevitable given the U.S.’s reckless and incorrigible provocations. The belligerence in Washington is constant regardless of who sits in the White House. The U.S. presidential election in November this year will make no difference to the strategic course. The longer China leaves its response, the bigger will be the military confrontation as a result of the increasing U.S.-supplied offensive capability of Taiwan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview on February 14, 2024, that a major regret he has about the current two-year-old war in Ukraine is that Russia did not act sooner to intervene against U.S.-led provocations. Putin ordered Russian military intervention in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, to defend the ethnic Russian population of former east Ukraine and to preempt the growing threat from NATO to Russia’s national security.

This author wrote an article 10 years ago regarding sinister developments under the NATO-backed regime in Kiev which came to power in February 2014 in a CIA-backed coup d’état. The article made the argument that Putin should have sent troops into Ukraine in mid-2014 to preempt what was a looming U.S.-led proxy war. Subsequent events in Ukraine – the horrendous scale of death and destruction – and Putin’s own recent admission of regret would suggest the author’s prognosis in 2014 was correct.

On the matter of Taiwan, there is a real risk of China repeating Russia’s problematic delay in acting decisively. By not acting decisively to preempt, China’s President Xi Jinping might also share the same regret about Taiwan as Putin does over Ukraine.

 

Can you describe the creepiest person you have ever met?

When I was about 20 years old and at that time I lived with my parents. They had a plastering company in after being rewired. One was an elderly man, due to retire the next year. The other was younger, tall, quite good looking, but there was something about him I couldn’t fathom. Every time he came into the room, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled, and the dog would whimper and go into the other room. I’d catch him watching me as I went about my business. I was crocheting to pass the time while they were there and he kept asking me about it and coming over to see how it was going. He’d put his hand on my shoulder as he leaned over to look. It freaked me out.

My parents went to walk the dog and left me to hold the fort. The older man randomly started talking about personalities and first impressions of people. He kept looking from his colleague and back at me. He said do you find you get a gut feeling when you don’t like somebody? I said that yes, I do. He still kept looking at his colleague, then he said that when we have a gut feeling it’s important to act on it, and that 9 times out of 10 it’s correct, even if the person seems to be okay. He looked at me, raised his eyebrows, smiled slightly, nodded slowly, and carried on with his work.

I swear to this day that he was warning me not to trust his work colleague.

Why are Singaporeans more likely to dislike America 🇺🇸?

I won’t speak for my countrymen.

Personally, I wish America well, because it is vital to the global economy.

But I choose to make a stand when it comes to war in East Asia, which America is hell-bent on provoking for selfish national interest—preserving American primacy.

I cannot, and will not accept that, and my efforts here on Quora is a mere token, informing and explaining developments to fellow East Asians.

For example, how the demonization and dehumanization of mainland China will inevitably lead to the victimization of Chinese diaspora, repeating the age-old pogroms and witch hunts suffered by Chinese diaspora over the last 4-500 years.

For example, how a weaponized dollar will bring ruinous harm to the financial health of East Asia, and options being developed against the certainty.

For example, the many hotspots around the region through which conflict with China may arise.

For example, the multi-dimensional economic war being waged on the mainland economy, and its fallout, rules-based order be damned.

America is not my home. I maintain an interest because what happens stateside directly affects my family’s future.

A strong, well-run America is good for the world. Unfortunately, both conditions are ebbing today.

And that spells danger for the rest of humanity.

I am merely curating and explaining developments, as America loses its primacy.

It is up to American society to recognize, accept and change course.

But that appears a faraway daydream today.

Elon Musk Think’s OpenAI Discovered Something

He is probably correct.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Al17U6nJMnc?feature=share

Goals for the new year

This is a a year of the wood dragon. It is a great expanse of opportunity for the well prepared explorer.

I suggest that everyone have goals.

That everyone have planned affirmation campaigns.

That everyone understands their career, work and fiances.

We cannot predict the future; as it is the nature of our thoughts that direct our actions. We can only play the gravitational influences; our Fate Forecasting.

Review yours today. Take note of the auspicious months and the inauspicious months.

A book, a journal… helps.

Note that I also have a new youtube channel. It is 100% devoted ONLY to affirmation campaigns. I think I have something like 15 to 20 videos already posted up on it.

HERE IS MY NEW CHANNEL

Please like and subscribe!

Today…

 

As a surgeon, have you opened somebody up only to realise that they were beyond saving?

Unfortunately, yes.

There was this patient, 55 year old guy. He came with acute abdominal pain. The patient was in severe distress and the vitals weren’t good even at presentation. He was way too unstable to get a CT scan so we went ahead with just an Ultrasound.

Ultrasound wasn’t very conclusive but it suggested intestinal obstruction. The patient was just getting worse and worse so we gave him initial resuscitation and decided to open him. We were prepared to face unexpected scenarios. But we weren’t prepared for what it actually was.

As soon as we entered the abdominal cavity, copious amounts of reddish liquid oozed out. A little deeper and there it was..about 80% of his stomach, duodenum, the entire small intestine a portion of ascending and transverse colon were almost black in colour.

Every surgeon’s arch nemesis…Superior Mesentric Artery thrombosis.

But in this case Stomach was also involved. Basically, the blood supply to his stomach and his entire small intestine and parts of large intestine was compromised. Due to this the parts were ischaemic. There is nothing you can do in this situation. If there was enough healthy gut remaining we would have just cut out the dead part and anastomosed the healthy parts. There just wasn’t enough healthy gut here. So we just closed the patient up, informed the relatives and sent the patient back to the ICU where he passed away a few hours later, surrounded by his family.

It’s very disheartening for a surgeon to accept there’s nothing you can do for the patient in front of you. But then, a good surgeon knows when to cut but the best ones know when not to. Just operating when we knew he wouldn’t survive the procedure would have led to him dying on the table.

At least buy closing him up he could pass away surrounded by his family. And believe me, that matters. That matters to the patient and that matters to the family. And while I was heartbroken at losing my patient, it gave me the tiniest bit of satisfaction knowing that we could give that family the last few hours with him. And, hopefully, we could give them closure.

 

This is a new trend…

Girls flashing. Showing a bare back and some side boob.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z6U4E8hM6_8?feature=share

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

Yes.

First one: I was a single mom and my daughter’s father never paid a dime in child support. When she was very young, I was pretty destitute. Needed my car to get to and from work, but couldn’t afford to pay for insurance. My car was such an old beater that I couldn’t pass the emissions test, and couldn’t afford the $150 worth of repairs required to get a waiver. And I couldn’t replace my expired license tabs without either passing emissions or getting the waiver.

So, I spent $25 on a temporary 3-day pass and put a layer of tape over it. Put another layer of tape over the first one and wrote a date 3-days out on the top layer of tape. Every 3 days, I would replace the top layer of tape and write a new date.

I was out late visiting friends one night and got pulled over by the police on my way home. They shined their light on my temporary pass and my heart sank. Officer asked for my license, registration, and proof of insurance. After handing them my license (and hoping they would forget about the rest), he said he pulled me over because my temporary pass was expired. I knew the date was good until the next day, so I said, “Officer, are you sure? I’m pretty certain it doesn’t expire until tomorrow”.

The officer looks at his watch and says, “My apologies, ma’am, you still have 15 minutes”. And he let me leave.

Second one: Two weeks later, I’m driving that same old beater (with freshly dated tape), it’s dark and raining, and some guy comes speed-racing around me while an officer is headed in my direction and the officer immediately hangs a U-turn. I thought he was going after the guy that was speeding, but no, he pulled me over!!

Asks for my license which I had in a zippered pouch with a ton of other cards (debit, credit and store rewards cards), and spent a long time rummaging to try and find it, the officer becoming more impatient and angrier by the second. I finally found it and presented it to the officer. He glances at it and then asks for proof of insurance. So, I decide to play it off, and I tell him, “That will be another few minutes, officer”. I opened my glove box, and right on queue, it vomited paperwork all over the floor of my car. The officer now has a great big “Frankenstein vein” pulsing on his forehead and he shouts “Never mind, I”m letting you off with a warning this time”. LOL, never did say why he pulled me over or what the warning was for!!

You are inferior

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/O5_1pgq7LLM?feature=share

Caldo Verde (Cabbage Soup)

Many soups of Italy, like this one, are served at the table with a jug of olive oil. The cabbage must be very finely sliced because it is barely cooked.

2024 02 13 10 33
2024 02 13 10 33

Ingredients

  • 1 pound potatoes
  • 1 pound green cabbage, finely sliced
  • Water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Peel and cook potatoes in just enough salted water to cover them. Blend potatoes with their cooking water. Thin with more water if necessary. You should have a medium consistency.
  2. Add cabbage and olive oil.
  3. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, until the cabbage is lightly cooked. It should be a little crisp.

Notes

Serve with a jug of olive oil.

 

Delusion

She’s in her early 20’s, but she will end up with lots and lots and lots of cats.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BhRNoGG2l2Q?feature=share

Why are Indian breakfasts so heavy as compared to the Western ones?

Size of breakfast is not a country thing. It’s a class thing.

In the west, Blue collar workers, people who work outside, or work with their hands tend to have a huge breakfast, small lunch and huge dinner. This is because during lunch time, they may not have access to refrigeration, and hence might have to take something for lunch that doesn’t​;t spoil. Or they may not be in a place where they can sit down and eat, so they take things that are easy to eat. So, they load up on calories in the morning. Physical labor requires a lot of calories

This is a “lumberjack” breakfast from Denny’s. Lumberjacks are people who go into the woods to cut trees. They need lot of calories

image 170
image 170

White collar workers, OTH, tend to eat all thought out the workday. If they are not having lunch, they are either snacking or having coffee. This is because their environment gives them free access to food. As a result, they don’t load up on calories in the morning.

This is what a white collar worker typically eats in the morning

image 169
image 169

 

 

What type of person angers you the most?

My friend and I were patiently waiting for our food at the table. As it was a self-service cafe, we got a number showing our order, and when it was announced we needed to collect it ourselves.

The number came up, and we went to collect our dishes.

Lo and behold, as we turned our backs a group of ladies gracefully lowered our bags on the floor and sat at our table.

Mind you, the whole process was less than a minute.

When we went back, we gently but firmly asked them to move.

“Oi, how am I supposed to know you guys are sitting here? You think by putting your bags here it’s your space?”

“Excuse m…”

“This is a public space and we can sit anywhere we want. Don’t think tha..”

BAM. I put my bowl down loudly. Everyone who wasn’t paying attention before turned their heads. She froze in shock.

“You saw our bags, you saw us take our food, and you threw our stuff on the floor. I will make a larger fuss of this unless. You. Move. From. My. Place.

They sheepishly left, leaving my pal and me to eat peacefully.


If you use your privileges to justify rude behaviour, you are just waiting for trouble to erupt.

Do not mess with a hungry person.

 

Bye Bye USA

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3Jc9iIAkO-A?feature=share

What happens to a bullet if it is shot into the air?

Tested on Mythbusters. Shot straight up, the bullet will climb and decelerate as it loses energy, at the top, the bullet will have zero energy and tumble back to earth, landing in the vicinity of the firing point. the bullet will experience atmospheric drag on the way up and the way down. There will be more drag on the way down due to the tumbling. The impact velocity will be the terminal velocity of the bullet. It will give you a nasty bump on your noggin, but not kill you.

Fired at any angle other than straight up, the bullet will retain enough energy over the top of its ballistic arc to come back down in a stable spin, and cause injury or death.

Under ideal circumstances (no wind, fired exactly straight up) the bullet returns to the location from which it was fired at the same velocity as the muzzle velocity.

Edit: (Yes, I’m a dumbass). The bullet returns to the location it was fired from at terminal velocity of a falling object, not muzzle velocity. I must have taken my stupid pill that morning.

The fact that the bullet tumbled on the way down both causes the bullet to slow down more and to have a higher likelihood of impacting on its side (larger impact area).

Short answer. Don’t try this at home.

Feel Good Music


Peter Thomas Orchestra – “Chariots of Gods Theme (Erinnerungen an die Zukunft)” (epic melody, 1970)
The Birdwatchers – “I Have No Worried Mind” (sunshine pop, 1966)
Georges Delerue – “Curly Sue Interlude” (instrumental, 1991)
Ray Davis & His Button-Down Brass – “A Taste Of Honey” (jazzy instrumental, 1964)
Agnetha Faltskog – “Disillusion” (beautiful song, 1973)
The Superficials – “Gone” (indie pop, 2001)
Claude Thornhill & His Orchestra – “If I Had A Ribbon Bow – Maxine Sullivan” (so smooth, 1939)
The Fireballs – “Light In The Window” (great pop, 1965)
The Objections (Sweden) – “I’m Through” (psych pop, 1966)
Juan Martin – “Romanza”, “Last Farewell” from “Serenade” LP (awesome orchestral pop, 1984)
The Quid – “Mersey-Side” (Merseybeat instrumental, 1963)
Mantovani & His Orchestra – “Theme From Moulin Rouge” (instrumental, 1959)
Drupi – “Sereno E” (classic song, Italy 1974)
Lewis & Clark Expedition – “Daddy’s Plastic Child” (psych-sunshine pop, 1967)
Pino Donaggio – Music from “Botte di Natale”: “Travis”, “The Prairie” (epic western, 1994)
XTC – “The Disappointed” (great power pop, UK 1992)
The Charles Kingsley Creation – “Summer Without Sun” (Joe Meek pop, 1964)
The Tornados – “Dragonfly” (nice instrumental, 1964)
Peter & Gordon – “Go To Pieces” (Merseybeat, 1965)
Secret Service – “Destiny Of Love” (romantic pop, 1983)
Enigma – “Prism Of Life”, “Beyond The Invisible” (epic stuff, 1997)
Johann Sebastian Bach – Cantata BWV 1, First Chorale (by Georg Christoph Biller) (baroque, 1724)
The Ventures – “Telstar” (classic instrumental, 1963)

Crowded House – “Not The Girl You Think You Are” (great song, 1992)
Ray Conniff & His Orchestra – “Taking A Chance On Love ” (happy tune, 1965)
Michel Legrand – “Chanson du Prince (sung by Jean-Pierre Savelli) from “Peau d’Ane” movie (romantic song, 1970)
Ennio Morricone – “Canzone Per Donatella” from “Quando L’amore e Sensualita” (piano instrumental, 1973)
Linus Of Hollywood – “When I Get To California” (neo-sunshine pop, 1999)
Guido & Maurizio De Angelis – “Trinity Stand Tall” song, from “Continuavano a chiamarlo Trinita” (western, Italy 1972)
Jean Sibelius – Symphony No.1, 1st Movement” (epic orchestral piece, 1899)
The Fredric – “Saturday Morning in Rain” (rare pop psych, 1968)
The New Colony Six – “The Time Of The Year Is Sunset” (haunting psych, 1966)
Ferrante & Teicher – “You’re Too Much” (romantic instrumental, 1959, here)
The Cleves – “You And Me” (pop psych, 1968, New Zealand)
Johann Sebastian Bach – “Cantata BWV 204 “Ich Bin In Mir Vergnügt”, by Ton Koopman / Ruth Holton (beautiful arias, 1724)
Cilla Black – “Something Tells Me” (sunshine pop, UK 1967)
Richard Alden & His Orchestra – “‘S Wonderful” (cool instrumental, here)
Paul Mauriat – “L’Avventura” (instrumental, 1972)
Justin Hayward – “Day Must Come” (sunshine pop, UK 1966)
18th Century Corporation – “Message To Michael” (“Bacharach Baroque”, 1968)
Johann Sebastian Bach – “Cantata BWV 8, Finale Choral” by Masaaki Suzuki (baroque, 1724)
Carlo Savina – “Le Nochi Buena” from “Le calde notti di Don Giovanni” (relaxing, 1971)
The Stone Country – “Everywhere I Turn” (US pop psych, 1968)
Carlo Rustichelli – Main Title from “Avanti” (happy melody, Italy 1972)
Duran Duran – “Last Chance On The Stairway”, “Save A Prayer” (new wave, synth pop, UK 1982)
Antonio Vivaldi – “Concerto No.5 in E minor, RV280: III. Allegro” (great baroque, 1712)
Foxx – “Sunshine Children” (happy little tune, 1970)
Zack Hemsey – “Mind Heist” (absolutely epic, 2010 – here)

Fat stores

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lZez8PIskg8?feature=share

Fine drawing

This wonderful drawing of the satisfied cat (thinking “I should buy a boat”, perhaps?) was made back in 1899 (published in Russian children magazine “Svetlyachok”):

image 165
image 165

 

Were Allied troops really mowed down while landing in Normandy like in the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan?

My grandfather, third from the right in the picture below. He was 19 when he was supposed to hit Omaha. His troop carrier was hit on the way in and he swam in with absolutely nothing. The story he told was this: I got up on the beach and laid down behind a big piece of wood that was part of a blown up something. He’d had to come out of all of his gear to keep from drowning. He was trying to calm down and figure out what to do when this old crusty major walked up like it was a beautiful day on the beach and asked him what in the hell he was doing. Bullets are zipping around and explosions everywhere, people screaming and this guy looks like there’s not a thing in the world happening. Grandpa says “I don’t know what to do! I’ve lost all my gear.” The major says “ There’s gear everywhere, boy! Start picking shit up and get off of this beach now!” So he did. He said he grabbed every loose rifle, pistol, backpack, satchel, everything and got as far up the beach as he could.

When Saving Private Ryan came out, he wanted to go see it. He and my Grandma went, about 10 minutes in he got up and Grandma asked him where he was going? He said “Home. It hasn’t been long enough yet.”

He was transferred to Patton’s army and went all the way to Czechoslovakia. I’m pretty sure he was in Belgium when this picture was taken. It’s used as the cover photo for a book called Steel Victory by Harry Yeide. Grandpa went through it and noted all the battles he’d fought in that were mentioned in the book.

image 168
image 168
image 167
image 167

Edit: thanks for all the upvotes and comments. It’s amazing that a simple thing like this can get so many votes.
Another quick story about the above picture. They were lazing around in the halftrack when the photographer came by and asked to get that picture. They all started digging rifles out and the guy on the very end couldn’t find his rifle. Somebody told him just to carry the BAR (I think that’s what he said but I’m not an expert in war weapons so it might be something different. Regardless, it’s the biggest gun and the smallest guy according to grandpa ) because nobody would know any better back home. Grandpa thought it was funny that the smallest guy had the biggest gun.

Edit 2: Several people have asked about the Major who sent Grandpa off the beach. I asked my Uncle about it and he said Grandpa never mentioned a name and probably didn’t even know his name. If anybody reads this and had a family member who was a walking, talking, badass Major getting men off of Omaha Beach, let me know.

 

Laundry hacks

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/j6-UY24Qepg?feature=share

What’s the most insignificant amount of power you’ve seen get to someone’s head?

I once worked with a teacher who thought it was a huge deal that she was the only teacher at the school who was allowed to use the laminator. She only had that position for logistical reasons… the laminator took a long time to warm up, so it made sense to do all of the laminating at the same time.

So, if you needed something laminated, you had to give it to her and, once per week, she’d fire up the laminator and run everything through it.

I have never once, in my decade of teaching, needed anything laminated. Not once.

Still, she brought up her position as “official school laminator” on a monthly basis. She was so proud of it. She’d email us updates about her pile of things to be laminated.

“I have a big pile this week, so, if you need something laminated, get it to me now. I’m going to start early so I can get this all done.”

It wouldn’t surprise me if she even had it on her resume.

Jane Smith, English Teacher, Director of Laminating, Girls’ Lacrosse Coach

The Big Show

Posted on


One of the novel things about this age is the role played by carnival acts in reinforcing public morality and shaping public opinion. With the exception of ancient Athens, human societies assigned entertainers a low status. After all, we still have the expression, “run away to the circus”, even though we no longer have the circus. The idea behind that expression is you reach such a degraded state that you literally leave decent society and join the low status world of the circus.

In modern America and the West in general, the circus not only plays a central role in society, but the circus performers also have enormous influence. So much so, in fact, the most powerful people want to be friends with the popular carnies. Every president has a stream of carnies coming through the White House, often attending state dinners with important foreign leaders. Carnies have even turned up in Ukraine, getting a special welcome by the Ukrainian dictator.

Of course, we have just had the biggest circus event on the American calendar, which is the Super Bowl, the title game of the NFL. According to the people in charge, almost all Americans stop what they are doing to watch the spectacle. The Super Bowl party has become something of an industry. Americans spend over $15 billion on parties that host three quarters of all adults. Naturally, all the important carnies seek a way to be part of what is the biggest carnie act of the year.

It is popular to compare the Super Bowl to the Roman games, maybe even dusting off Juvenal’s line about bread and circuses. There is some truth to that, but the Roman games were nothing compared to American entertainment. The games were a distraction for the masses and important people, but the performers were never treated like the modern celebrity or athlete. The performers in the arena were low status and important people made sure they remained so.

This is the great innovation of America. Entertainment has become a church at which the morality of the day is preached to the audience. It is easy to see at the Super Bowl, where moral messaging is everywhere. In the end zones there was a message about ending racism, a hobgoblin of the modern elites. There were ads about other hobgoblins like antisemitism, bullying and Gaia. They have your attention, so they make sure to let you know what you ought and ought not be doing.

Then you have the appeals to unity, by which they mean conformity. At the start of the game, you get patriotic songs. They even have something called the “The Black National Anthem” which is supposed to shame whites and remind them they can never be forgiven for the sin of whiteness. In a prior age, parishioners were told they were at the mercy of an angry God. Today they are told they are at the mercy of angry minorities, which is far more terrifying than an angry god.

When these songs are played at the start of the game, the players, who should only care about winning, make themselves cry and look moved by the program. This is where you see the supremacy of carny life. The star players know this game is really an audition for them to join the media circus or possibly get a brand going so they can be a celebrity past their playing career. Everyone wants to run away to the circus, even people already in the circus.

You see the warping power of the circus with the public romance of Chiefs player Kelce Travis and middle-aged warbler Taylor Swift. She is a super famous pop star, but she can always be more famous, so dating a famous sports star, especially one who gets to perform in the big circus, is good business. The NFL loves it and makes sure to feature this totally authentic romance in their shows. Any bets on whether these two love birds manage to build a life together?

All of this is the product of democracy. In theory, democracy is about convincing fifty percent plus one. In order to do that, you need to get the attention of the public, which is why celebrity becomes the coin of the democratic realm. The only way you can have a chance to influence anyone is by getting on the stage and you do that by getting everyone’s attention. Carnies live to get attention, so it does not take long before they take center stage in the democratic process.

It is why our politicians are mostly actors playing a role. The producers of the political shows are no different from the people who make movies, television shows or produce extravaganzas like the Super Bowl. They select people who can play the role, which often means picking people who will not question the script. Oklahoma senator James Lankford was picked because he is not smart enough to question things. He looks the part, and he reads his lines. That is why he is in the Senate.

It is easy to be critical of mass democracy, but the Super Bowl shows how powerful it is at controlling the masses. More people care about why Travis Kelce wore a suit made from garbage bags than the fact Joe Biden is non compos mentis. More important, it encourages the masses to empty their wallets in order to see the next show that the ruling elite will stage for them. Mass democracy is where the ruling elite charge the masses to be the masses.

For most of human history, carnies were relegated to the fringes of society because the running of society was too important to do otherwise. Today the running of society is over on the fringes, in the shadows where no one looks, because the carnies are now at the center of society. Maybe this is how the great experiment with participatory government is supposed to end. The masses think their voice matters, but in reality, no one cares, just as long as they pay full price for their ticket.

 

Sigma and Alpha males

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aC-4rjRWkhQ?feature=share

Why would a teacher question a 6-year-old about her gender?

Look… I’m 100% in favor of you being whatever gender you are. Once upon a time (maybe five years ago?) I was easily able to tell what gender a student was 99% of the time. I won’t pretend that I didn’t make mistakes here and there, but it was pretty damned rare. Every year for the last several years, I’ve had transgender students. In general, if you’re sensitive to it and you honestly do your level best to treat them with respect as to the gender they identify themselves as, you’re fine.

But here’s the problem: the English language has these tricky things called “pronouns.” Those pronouns are gendered.

Let’s say that I have a student named Jaime. Jaime looks stereotypically male, buuuuuut you’ve heard from other students that Jaime identifies as female. So what do you do? You can ignore it and only call Jaime by name, but that’s awkward and clearly avoids the issue… which is a bit disrespectful. You can call Jaime by male pronouns, but now you’re being an asshole if Jaime identifies as female. You can call Jaime by female pronouns, but that could really set a boy off if you call him by female pronouns. You could go with a gender-neutral pronoun, but “it” is daaaaaamned insulting.

You know… you could pull Jaime aside and say, “So… here’s the deal… I’m going to let you know that this is a safe place and I’m okay with you being whoever you want to be. I have been hearing rumors that you want to be called by female pronouns. Is that correct? Cool. Sounds good to me. I’ll do my best to honor your wishes.”

Except… now people are upset because you’re “questioning a six-year-old about his/her gender.”

You just can’t win.

Fortunately “people” aren’t my boss. I don’t serve them. I serve my students, so I’ll just continue to do… whatever it is that I already do.

Truth

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3qW2gBE93Z4?feature=share

Crossover: Dieselpunk + Retrofuture, by Victor-Albert Bouffort



“Victor-Albert Bouffort was an aeronautics engineer who took it upon himself to design and build some pretty crazy cars in the years after WWII. The first was this magnificent streamlined three-wheeler based on a Citroen Traction-Avant”. Read this good article about this man here.

2024 02 13 10 23
2024 02 13 10 23

 

What was a loophole that you found and exploited the hell out of?

It wasn’t exactly a loophole, but it was something I exploited the hell out of. I wanted a new snowmobile, and they offered nothing down, and no payments for two years, interest free. I couldn’t get a discount for cash, so I took the deal. This was quite a few years ago. The sled was $4000, so I put the $4000 in a GIC guaranteed investment certificate, at 5 percent for two years, ending a couple of days before the first payment was due.

The deal was that as long as you paid for your snowmobile before the two years was up, you didn’t have to pay interest. But if you owed 1 penny on the snowmobile after two years, you owed 19.99 percent a year for 2 years on the entire $4000.

So this was a bit of a stress, but manageable. I had a cash back credit card, and I paid off my snowmobile with the credit card, and got 1 percent cash back. I had also received another points credit card, that allowed me to transfer the credit card balance from another credit card interest free for 6 months, during the first month after I activated it. So when my credit card was due, I transferred the balance. I still had to pay for all my purchases, but the transfer was kept separate.

When the six months was up, my line of credit offered me zero interest for three months, on any money I borrowed that month.

But I figured I had already pushed the system as far as I could.

So at the end of two years and seven months, I had earned $400 interest and $40 in cash back, plus points, on my snowmobile.

I could have made it to at least 2 years and 10 months interest free, But I was starting to think I would forget, and miss a payment and I would wreck my credit rating, so I called it quits.

Fool-proof

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wYY1eIJzwSI?feature=share

“You Didn’t Even Post. So What Did You Do Today?”

I have had no idea what serious issue to post about today.

But this:

When I say that running MoA is a full time job it raises doubts and I may even get laughed at. But it is. Even when I don’t post.

I have to read, every day, a large number of pieces and/or watch videos to collect new ideas. It takes time to process those into conscious contexts and then those into blog posts.

Today, like every day, I have of course skimmed over of the usual mainstream stuff, NYT and WaPo nonsense, but found little in it to take note of.

I then skimmed through the comments at this blog and cleared up the spam list.

Then I walked through what my various news feeds provide. It is often quite a lot.

Here is what I consumed (read or watched) today and found worthy enough to copy URL, headline and some excerpts.

Middle East:

Ukraine-Russia:

China:

Other stuff:

That is all I did for the day. It feels like a lot. And that was without writing a real piece for the blog.

Oh, not to forget – I also bought food and prepared a meal for myself.

Later today I will read the Strana.news summary of the day (usually out at 18:00 UTC). At 20:30 UTC I will listen to Dima’s Military Summary (well, at least to the first 10 minutes of it).

Then it will finally be the end of my day.

So what did you do today?

Posted by b on February 12, 2024 at 17:46 UTC | Permalink

 

Is there still fear towards China in the Western world, now that it has become a global superpower? If so, what are the reasons for this fear and to what extent does it exist?

There is nothing to fear about China attacking you, or stealing your land or colonising you or bombing you indiscriminately. There is nothing to even fear about China being authoritarian or bullying you or stealing your intellectual property.

But you are right to fear China will learn fast, with work hard, will build the best infrastructure, will send their children to the best school, will work very hard and stay disciplined and whatever you do Chinese can do better, faster and cheaper.

With 1.4 billion people or 4 times the U.S. population, or double the western world, China will overtake you and beat you in everything you do! They cannot be stopped unless you are ready to lose your limbs! China will be wealthier, more successful, more modern, efficient and effective than you.

But you were made to have irrational fears and thoughts to make you forget your failings and the consequences of your over exaggerated expectations of yourself set by your own hubris and xenophobic tendencies that is fanned by western media. It exists everywhere in the west and particularly the Anglophone world.

Let me be honest to you. So that you don’t live under the rock anymore. China has overtaken you in every sense of the world. China is in fact the leader and the most powerful nation now! Never mind the flawed GDP and the self deception. But the good news is China don’t want you dead. China only want to keep selling to you!

Instant Mail Delivery, 1964 style:

image 166
image 166

 

Have you ever been rude to someone and thought that you were right in doing so?

Oh, yes!

It was about 30 years ago, and I was having my car cleaned at a very big car wash. When the cars came out of the wash tunnel, they were placed in one of 5 lines, where men were busily wiping the cars down. When it was done, the guys would wave their towel for you to retrieve your vehicle.

Now these were mostly Hispanic men (it was in So Cal), and most spoke little to no English. My car was in the middle lane. There was a car in front of mine, a luxury make that I can’t remember. The detailer waved me to my car, but I was stuck. The driver (a woman) was inspecting her car, and making another detailer redo where she would point. I am a patient person, but I truly was boxed in and couldn’t move until she did.

She’d lean close and point to another spot. This went on for at least 6 minutes. I was getting pretty annoyed, and finally, on a whim, I pulled out a $10 bill (keep in mind that most tips at that time were between $1–2. I got out of my car, walked over to the hard-working detailer, and handed the 10 spot to him, saying (loud enough for it to be heard by the woman) “Here, that’s for you, because you know that b@#$h won’t be tipping you.” I turned and walked back to my car, to scattered applause from other car owners who had been watching the whole scene.

The detailer quickly pocketed the cash, and the woman got into her car, slammed the door, and took off.

Pasta Fagioli

This classic Pasta e Fagioli is maybe the perfect pantry soup! With canned tomatoes, canned beans and pasta. A bit of pancetta is added, for a salty note and of course, cheese in the form of Parmesan or Pecorino.

Enjoy this hearty, easy pasta fagioli soup for a hearty lunch, or add a crusty bread (or garlic bread) and a salad for a lovely pantry dinner.

pasta fagioli 1200 55
pasta fagioli 1200 55

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces Santa Fe chicken sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced
  • 3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup uncooked small seashell pasta
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped zucchini (about 2 small zucchini)
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) shredded asiago cheese

Instructions

  • Step 1: Brown the pancetta or bacon.
  • Step 2: Add the diced onion and celery and cook until softened.
  • Step 3: Add the garlic and herbs.
  • Step 4: Add some tomato paste and cook for another minute.
  • Step 5: Add the canned tomatoes.
  • Step 6: Add the rinsed beans.
  • Step 7: Cook the tomatoes and the beans together for about 10 minutes. *You can make ahead up to this point and refrigerate to finish when ready to eat later.
  • Step 8: Add the broth.
  • Step 9: Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

FAQ

  • What kind of pasta can I use in this soup? Any small pasta is fine. I’ve used Ditalini pasta here. Small shells, macaroni or even orzo would work as well.
  • Can I use a different kind of bean? Absolutely, use what you have. Red kidney, navy, great northern or pinto beans would be great options.
  • Can I use canned whole tomatoes instead of diced? Yes. Just hand crush them before adding to the soup.
  • What is a Parmesan rind? It’s just the harder, darker outside of a Parmesan wedge. I like to keep the ends in a bag in my fridge for just these uses. If yours doesn’t have a rind, just cut off a chunk of the Parmesan and use that. No fresh Parmesan? Just stir a few Tbsp of grated Parmesan into the soup instead.

Top Tip

I feel like a bit of a broken record, but I’m going to say it again 🙂 Be sure to properly season your soup at the end of cooking. Taste it. If it tastes bland or flat, it needs salt. Some freshly ground pepper is nice, too. Need a touch more oregano? Stir that in at the end as well. And finally, top this soup with shavings of extra Parmesan (vs. grated). The hit of Parmesan is so lovely in this soup. Use your vegetable peeler to shave it on top before serving.

  1. Heat a large saucepan over high heat. Add sausage; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  2. Add broth and pasta; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes.
  3. Add zucchini and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes.
  4. Stir in basil, oregano and beans; cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until pasta and zucchini are tender.
  5. Sprinkle with cheese.
pasta e fagioli process
pasta e fagioli process

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups soup and about 1 tablespoon asiago cheese)

pasta fagioli 4 3 55
pasta fagioli 4 3 55

 

Simple

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

Have you ever seen a mass exodus after a respected employee quit or got fired?

I was the nursing director for two large units at a Level 1 Trauma Center. I was “offered” a wonderful opportunity to move to a newly created Nurse Research position – same pay grade, same salary. Now, I am 100% not a research minded person. I realized that this was a move by Nursing Administration to get me out of the unit director position. Since I was two years away from retirement, I took it.

There was a HUGE going away party since I had been at the hospital for 25 years at that point. Many nurses that I had hired and mentored had moved to other positions, management, education, etc…. The next week, five of the most seasoned nurses transferred to other units in the hospital. A month later, another four left to go traveling and specifically said in their exit interview and on social media that they were leaving because I wasn’t there. It was quite satisfying. I tolerated the position for two years and then I retired. At my retirement party, I looked across the room and realized that almost 100% of the Staff (nursing and others) had been hired by me over the years.

So I would call the exodus of the most experienced nurses – the ones who oriented, mentored, clinical experts, informal leaders – a max exodus.

 

Belief

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

As a teacher, had you ever had to enforce rules implemented by the school or district that you thought were ridiculous?

Yes, of course.

I’m upfront about this with my students, too.

“Look, kids, I didn’t make this rule, and I think it’s a stupid rule, but I am paid to enforce it, so do me a favor and just go along with it, okay?”

You’d be surprised at how many middle schoolers are receptive to that kind of frankness. Not all of the students… there’s always going to be the kids who like to push boundaries and break rules for the sake of pushing boundaries and breaking rules… but the majority of students are cool with you if you’re cool with them about these things.

The worst “stupid rule” I had to enforce was about seven years ago, when I worked at a school that was on the verge of closing, for a principal that was on the verge of retiring. Her retirement was about a decade too late, I thought. She’d been in education since the 1960s, and expected students to act the same in 2012 as they did back when she first started in the field.

Among the stupid rules I had to enforce:

  • Absolutely zero talking in the hallway while switching classes. Her office was at the end of the hallway, and she didn’t believe in closing her door for anything. She just expected 150 students aged 11–14 to all go into the hall at the same time, go to their lockers, and go to their next class in complete silence. Teachers had to stand by their doors to enforce this unenforceable stupid rule. We had faculty meetings every week, and almost every week, we were spoken down to about not enforcing the silence in the halls during passing periods. We were enforcing it as best we could. She just didn’t get that students these days don’t have that kind of self control or concern for rules they think are stupid.
  • All student work had to be in cursive. Even when I was a kid in the 1980s, they didn’t enforce the cursive writing rule. They taught us how to write in cursive in third grade, and by fifth grade, no one cared if we stuck with it. So I didn’t. I struggle to read cursive writing when the students do it. I prefer print. Most of the students preferred to print. But she insisted on everything being in cursive, because that’s how it was when she was a kid.
  • Faculty may not leave the school during their planning periods or lunch breaks. I once drove down the street to get a coffee during my planning period, and, when I came back, all of the students were in the parking lot for a fire drill. She saw me, and threatened to fire me if I ever did it again. I still did it. I’m an adult, and I can do what I damn well please during my breaks. If principals want to start with the “planning periods must be used only for planning” business, then I’ll just start with the “okay, then I am doing absolutely zero planning or grading at home in the evenings and on the weekends.” The truth is that most teachers… most of them I know, at least… do the majority of their grading and planning at home on the weekends and evenings. There is no way planning periods would cover all of it.

 

Gonzalo Lira Has Now Died After Trying to Flee Ukraine

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lWZ2HBMzfqY?feature=share

What is the funniest joke you’ve been told that you still think about to this day?

A young wife met her husband at the door when he came home from work, “Honey I tried getting something from the shelves in the garage, and everything fell over. Can you clean it up for me please? “ Husband just grunted and said “Who do I look like, Mr. Clean?” Two days later wife is at the door again. :Honey my car is smoking and making weird noises. Can you look at it please? Husband grunted ”Who do I look like, Mr. Goodwrench?” A few days later he is feeling guilty and comes home and announces. “ Hey honey I picked up everything needed to clean the garage and fix your car.” Wife said, Don’t bother it’s taken care of, the man next door did it for me.” Husband, ”Why would he do that?” Wife, I offered to bake him a cake or have sex.” Husband exclaimed. “What kind of cake did you make!’ Wife “ Who do I look like? BETTY CROCKER!

 

What are some problems that only boys face?

  1. The problem of scratching your balls in public.
  2. We can’t pleasure ourselves with everyday household items. For us, bananas are only meant to be eaten.
  3. If a man walks behind a woman on the street, she may think he is following her.
  4. You were probably told as a child that real men do not cry.
  5. Men cannot tell their friends how attractive their siblings are, as women can.
  6. It’s morning and you’ve got an awkward boner. You want to pee but you have to wait until the blood changes its route. (Men go to sleep with 206 bones, and when they wake up, they have 207)
  7. The boy must apologize to the girl when their vehicles collide, no matter who is to blame for the accident.
  8. It seems like we’re always being judged on how much money we make.
  9. A man usually doesn’t get proposed to by a woman, but there are a few exceptions.
  10. When you write an answer on Quora and don’t receive the same amount of views, upvotes, and comments as someone of the opposite gender, it’s easy to feel devalued.

Men Use AI To Put Clothes Back On Women! And Women ARE MAD AF

https://youtu.be/bMg8d5omkqg

Spaghetti Heaven!

When I lived in The ‘States, spaghetti was my primary food. It was affordable, tasty and easy to make. I would cook up hamburger (mince) and then add it to spaghetti with some peppers and onions.

When I moved to China, I learned about REAL noodles… and all sorts of different variations. All so darn yummy.

Zha Jiang Mian (Old Beijing Fried Sauce Noodle, 炸酱面)

A popular classic Beijing dish, Zha Jiang Mian features ground pork and onion cooked in a rich savory brown sauce with a hint of sweetness, tossed with noodles and then served with crunchy cucumber. It takes no time to prepare, is easy to cook, and can be prepared ahead of time. It’s a perfect one-bowl dish for hot days and is great for meal prep as well.

220608 Zha Jiang Mian 1
220608 Zha Jiang Mian 1

 

What is Zha Jiang Mian

Zha Jiang Mian (炸酱面), or translated literally, fried sauce noodles, is one of the most classic and famous dishes in Beijing cuisine. It’s not as fancy or well-known as Peking Duck, but if you travel to Beijing, locals will always recommend this dish to you.

My parents told me that zha jiang mian was a dish for poor people. The traditional recipe uses a thick salty soybean paste to make the sauce, together with a bit of ground pork and sometimes lard. The sauce becomes so rich and flavorful that you only need a small amount of it to accompany a whole bowl of noodles. This way, people don’t need to spend much to fill up their bellies.

Although it seems like a simple dish, it has a whole set of rules that govern how it’s served in Beijing. It is called Old Beijing Fried Sauce Noodles here, and this is considered the most traditional and authentic way to prepare the dish. In addition to the sauce made from yellow soybean paste, the dish is often served with sliced cucumber, sliced red radish, boiled bean sprouts, and yellow soybeans. By adding all these things to the noodles, you can create a balanced and flavorful dish that is refreshing and has a good texture.

220608 Zha Jiang Mian 3
220608 Zha Jiang Mian 3

 

Why this recipe

However, the recipe I’m sharing today is different from the traditional way of cooking Zha Jiang Mian. This is a family recipe that was passed down from my grandma, and I think it tastes much better than the traditional one.

Secret Ingredient: Sweet Bean Paste 

Instead of yellow soybean paste, my family uses sweet bean paste (Tian mian jiang, 甜面酱) to make Zha Jiang Mian. It is a thick dark brown sauce made from fermented wheat flour. Tian Mian Jiang is less salty than yellow soybean paste and has a slightly sweet flavor (It is the same sauce that accompanies Peking Duck and Moo Shu Chicken). It has a more delicate flavor and is less overwhelming than yellow soybean paste. Sometimes Chinese restaurants label it as hoisin sauce. But sweet bean paste is less sweet and has a deeper fermented umami than hoisin sauce.

You can find sweet bean paste at Chinese markets and many Asian markets. You can also purchase it on Amazon.

220608 Zha Jiang Mian 5
220608 Zha Jiang Mian 5

 

A more satisfying sauce

The traditional Zha Jiang Mian uses very little pork in the sauce. Because the dish is created for a budget meal, like I mentioned above.

For the homemade version, my mom uses much more pork and chopped onion to create a much better texture and more delicious sauce. Since sweet bean paste is less salty than soybean paste, you will also use more sauce per bowl of noodles, which makes the dish more balanced and satisfying. 

My mom likes to chop a fattier block of pork into small cubes instead of using ground pork, to achieve a better mouthfeel. Here I used ground pork to make prep much easier. But feel free to use cut-up pork for your dish if you prefer.

Ingredients

When you’re ready to cook, your counter should have:

  • Sweet bean paste and water
  • Sliced cucumber (and other toppings if you prefer)
  • Minced ginger
  • Shaoxing wine
  • Oil for cooking
  • Ground pork
  • Chopped onion
220608 Zha Jiang Mian 2
220608 Zha Jiang Mian 2

Type of noodles for Zha Jiang Mian

There are a few options for Zha Jiang Mian. Traditional Zha Jiang Mian uses a rather thick type of noodles. It’s a bit similar to udon noodles in terms of thickness, but with a chewier texture. 

If you have access to Asian market, try to find fresh noodles in the refrigerated section. The Lan Zhou Fresh Noodles or Da Xi Bei GunGun (my favorite) by HAVISTA, and the Plain Noodles from Twin Marquis are great options. You can freeze the portion you’re not using for up to 6 months.

If you can only find dried noodles, that’s totally fine. You can use either the thick type or thin types of noodles, depending on the texture you prefer. Make sure to use noodles made from wheat flour and water (there shouldn’t be eggs or other ingredients).

If you’re up for a fancier meal, check out my homemade hand pulled noodles for a more authentic experience.

Topping options

You can serve your Zha Jiang Mian with no toppings and the result will still be delicious. For a better texture, my favorite topping is sliced cucumber. Other crunchy vegetables such as sliced radish (red, daikon, or watermelon radish), blanched bean sprouts, and sliced carrots are great options as well. You can also add a small handful of salad greens to the dish. 

TIP: If you find slicing vegetables too time consuming, use a julienne peeler to save time.

An untraditional topping

Unlike the traditional way of serving Zha Jiang Mian, my mom loves to add scrambled eggs and tomato as a topping. This is a family tradition and I’ve never seen other people serve Zha Jiang Mian this way. But I love how it tastes. The tender tomatoes and eggs add more volume to the noodles and balance out the rich brown sauce, making the dish so delicious and colorful! 

How to cook zha jiang mian

Mix the sweet bean sauce

Sweet bean sauce is a thick paste that’s easy to burn in a hot pan. So you will need to add water to it to thin it out before cooking. It’s like the idea of miso paste, as you should dissolve it in water beforehand. 

Cooking Zha Jiang Mian sauce

  1. Gently cook the ginger
  2. Pan fry the pork
  3. Add the sauce
  4. Simmer to bring the flavor out of the sauce
  5. Add the onions and cook until tender
  6. Stir and serve!

The sweet bean sauce needs to be cooked for long enough to bring out the best flavor. That’s why you will start with a diluted sauce, and it will gradually thicken until it’s done. Make sure to stir the sauce frequently during the cooking, so it won’t burn on the bottom of the pan.

2024 02 11 10 29
2024 02 11 10 29
2024 02 11 10 2ttt9
2024 02 11 10 2ttt9
220608 Zha Jiang Mian 4
220608 Zha Jiang Mian 4

Cook the noodles and assemble

When the sauce is simmering, you can start a pot of water to cook the noodles. Because the Zha Jiang Mian sauce will be piping hot once it’s done, you can boil the noodles at the end, when the sauce is almost ready.

To assemble, transfer noodles to individual bowls and add a spoonful of the sauce. And top it with vegetables as you like. Then you can mix it all together and eat it.

My family’s recipe not only preserves all the deliciousness of a bowl of traditional Zha Jiang Mian, but also tastes better and is super comforting. Add a spoonful of sauce to the noodles and gently mix them; you will smell the pungent aroma and be unable to resist picking up the chopsticks and digging in. 

220608 Zha Jiang Mian 8
220608 Zha Jiang Mian 8

More delicious noodle recipes

Guys, this dis is authentic, and super delicious. If you love American (Western) “spaghetti with meat sauce”, you will absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this dish. It is worth the time to prepare correctly.

However, if you are in the West, go to any Chinese family run… Chinese restaurant, and ask for Zha Jiang Mian.

Pronounced like a “ja”. Say it twice fast as in “ja-ja”. Add “mian” which is noodles in Chinese. You say…

 ja-ja mian.

Or if you are shy ask for …

Ja-ja noodles.

You’ll love them.

zha jiang mian
zha jiang mian

Today…

What is the most condescending advice you received from someone who assumed you were poorer or less educated than them?

Originally Answered: What is the most condescending advice you received from someone who assumed you were poor or less educated than they were?

I worked at Trader Joe’s for 3 years while I was pursuing my Ph.D. One day, a woman and her granddaughter came through my lane. The girl, about 12, remarked that she thought it would be fun to work at Trader Joe’s someday. Her grandmother winked at her and said, “Oh I think you can do a little better than that.”

I continued scanning her groceries and said, “Keep it in mind if you’re ever in school getting your Ph.D. The flexible hours and benefits are great so you can focus on your studies.” I looked directly at the grandmother and said, “At least that’s how it’s working out for me.”

The woman was embarrassed, but I continued, talking again to the granddaughter. “And, just remember, a job you love and enjoy is the most important part.”

This is just ONE example of hundreds. Customers coming through my lane acting as though the only reason for me being there was because I was too dumb, too lazy, too whatever to be their equal. I worked with people with their MBA, artists, and people who didn’t have a college degree but were the hardest workers I’ve ever known before or since.

 

 

Ukraine SitRep: A Hated New Commander – Critical Lack Of Infantry

The Ukrainian President Zelenski has fired the commander in chief of the Ukrainian armed forces General Zaluzny.

Zaluzny was replaced by General Syrski, a somewhat unexpected choice as Syrski is hated by the troops for pushing them into meat grinders without a perspective of winning. Syrski, who was born as a Russian, had lost the cauldron battles of Debaltsevo (2015), Soledar (2023) and Bakhmut (2023). Currently Avdeevka is in a cauldron and likely to fall.

Rumors say that Syrski already ordered reserves to reinforce the troops in Avdeevka. Russian FAB bombs will welcome them.

The Economist describes Syrski as thus:

General Syrsky has a reputation for being willing to engage the enemy, even if the cost in men and machines is high. He is a divisive figure who provokes strong reactions from serving officers. Some praise his professionalism, others say he terrifies his subordinates and rules by fear. He is less likely to question the priorities of his president. As he takes on the top job, he will have to soften his style of command and learn to speak truth to power.

The reorganisation will also cause disruption as officers shift to new positions in the chain of command. It is important that these changes do not degrade Ukraine’s capacity to fight. Before long, the country will need a new mobilisation even if General Syrsky uses his troops mostly for defence—as, for now, he should.

Simplicius discusses the most plausible reason why Zalauzny got fired and Syrski promoted:

Ask yourself, why would Zelensky appoint a commander that the entire armed forces allegedly hates?

In fact, this is a ‘design feature’ not a bug.

Recall that the reason Zaluzhny was given the boot was he had become too powerful: he was too loved by the troops, and by the people. Why? One of the reasons is likely because he fought for the troops multiple times. In early 2023, documents were leaked showing that he nearly begged Zelensky to pull troops back from Bakhmut, but the narco-Fuhrer refused, wanting it as a symbolic city defense—perhaps taken with romantic delusions of Stalingrad.

During the grand summer ‘counteroffensive’, Zaluzhny pulled the brigades of the 10th Army Corps back and began to use them sparingly—much to the chagrin and disapproval of US sponsors—after the initial first few wipes devastated columns of Leopards and Bradleys along the infamous road of death near Rabotino and Mala Tokmachka.

Recently it was claimed Zaluzhny likewise attempted to get Avdeevka totally withdrawn. It does not seem that he likes to waste men for what he knows to be fruitless efforts. Syrsky on the other hand appears glad to grind them down.

So, has it become obvious yet? Zelensky needs a commander-in-chief he can control, someone not universally loved by the troops; someone who cannot use those troops at a time of opportunity to ‘march on Kiev’ and oust Zelensky from his citadel. Syrsky appears to fit the perfect prototypical role: undefiant, unpopular, uncharismatic, and most importantly, untempted by political ambitions—the ideal subserviant factotum to Zelensky’s regime.

There is no word yet what Zaluzny is going to do. He has the respect of the troops and good relations with the ‘nationalists’, i.e. the Nazi fringe militia of Ukraine. He also has the support of some politicians opposed to Zelenski.

A coup is thereby a possible outcome of this change.

Yesterday a Washington Post article, sources from interviews at the Ukrainian front, describes the utter shamble the Ukrainian forces are in:

In interviews across the front line in recent days, nearly a dozen soldiers and commanders told The Washington Post that personnel deficits were their most critical problem now, as Russia has regained the offensive initiative on the battlefield and is stepping up its attacks.

One battalion commander in a mechanized brigade fighting in eastern Ukraine said that his unit currently has fewer than 40 infantry troops — the soldiers deployed in front-line trenches who hold off Russian assaults. A fully equipped battalion would have more than 200, the commander said.

Under normal circumstances a mechanized battalion is supposed to hold a 3 kilometer long frontline. With only 40 infantry soldiers available that becomes an impossible task. The further deterioration from that depleted state will be rapid.

Oleksandr, a battalion commander, said the companies in his unit on average are staffed at about 35 percent of what they should be. A second battalion commander from an assault brigade said that is typical for units that carry out combat tasks.

Asked how many new soldiers he has received — not including those who have returned after injuries — Oleksandr said his battalion was sent five people over the past five months. He and other commanders said the new recruits tend to be poorly trained, creating a dilemma about whether to send someone immediately onto the battlefield because reinforcements are needed so badly, even though they are likely to get injured or killed because they lack the know-how.

“The basis of everything is the lack of people,” Oleksandr said.

“Where are we going? I don’t know,” he added. “There’s no positive outlook. Absolutely none. It’s going to end in a lot of death, a global failure. And most likely, I think, the front will collapse somewhere like it did for the enemy in 2022, in the Kharkiv region.”

The new Ukrainian mobilization law, which is supposed to refill the army with fresh bodies, is still creeping through the Ukrainian parliament. It will likely come into force only by April. The first new troops conscripted under it will take until July to be combat capable. One wonders is the current Ukrainian army can hold that long.

Posted by b on February 9, 2024 at 7:41 UTC | Permalink

My Wife/Her Friends Expected Me To Pay For Their $700 Dinner Bill, Instead I Walked Out!

https://youtu.be/CoEUiOE7044

As a police officer, what type of crimes are virtually never solved?

There are already some good answers here. One type of crime that has a low solvability is the “one off” variety, e.g. an offense the perpetrator does once before moving on. Solvability gets even lower if the crime is committed with no other connection between actor and victim.

For example, say that I am on a cross-country road trip, and take a detour to Ames, Iowa. I’ve never been there. I take I-80 to I-35 North, and stop off at a gas station/convenience store somewhere around Ames. I cover my license plates just before I get there, park around back or some other place where there are few surveillance cameras, and walk inside, robbing the store. I go back to my car, drive a few miles before getting rid of the license plate covers, and resume my trip. I stop for gas only at stations around I-80, none on I-35.

I haven’t given the cops much to go on. If I’m careful not to leave fingerprints and wear some clothing that makes it hard to get a good camera shot of my face, the chance this crime is going to be connected to me is pretty low. If I get greedy and use the same tactics at other crime venues, I increase my chances at getting caught with each iteration.

Organized crime hit men use a similar tactic. They take on targets that are outside their usual haunts, and do the deed in a place there are few witnesses. The police local to the site of the crime won’t know anything about the hit man. A federal agent looking for behavior patterns (M.Os. or modus operandi) might pick up the trail, but even that is a long shot, one that gets longer if the M.O. hasn’t been tied to the hit man.

While there are some smart criminals, most people who make it a habit to commit crimes aren’t especially bright, and have signature behaviors that tie the crimes back to them.

What is the most Russian thing ever?

There’s a sport called Airsoft. If you know about it, skip this part, but for those who don’t here’s an explanation.

Airsoft is like paintball, but a lot of its components, i.e. the guns, gear, etc. is a lot more realistic than paintball. A lot of LARPers and MilSim (Military Simulation) guys love doing stuff like that.

The sport started in Japan due to its tough gun laws but the sport soon spread to other places like Britain, America, and… oh… Russia for instance.

In America, MilSim events are huge. There is a lot of preparation involved. People will drop thousands on gear to look like this:

image 147
image 147

This is an image I found off Google. Rifle, easy with all attachments, $300+, not to mention any internal modifications he might have.

Helmet an easy $50, assuming its a nice one. Earpieces have wires, so they’re probably communication linked, noise cancelling and sound enhancing. Easy $70–80. Crye combat pants. $100.

Even vehicles, which probably cost thousands to kit out:

image 148
image 148

As you can see, American MilSimmers are rather dedicated.

However, compared to Russian MilSim events… Well let me just say this. Its like comparing a pickup game of basketball with the neighborhood friends versus an all out NBA game. Take a look at this video.

https://youtu.be/hVyWHsElhME

Fucking hell. Russians bring multimillion dollar TANKS to their Milsim events. Plus, as you saw in the second vid, Russian soldiers got involved to take blank potshots at people to add to realism!

Meanwhile in America you have people arguing about 10 foot engagement distances and bang killing.

Yep. Most Russian thing ever, bring a tank to a toy fight.

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a traditional Italian pasta from Naples that’s quick to put together from pantry staples. If you have canned tomatoes, garlic, olives, anchovies and capers in your cupboard, you can knock out this simple but flavourful sauce in a flash. It’s a stellar emergency meal everyone should know, with a “saucy” backstory of its own!

2024 02 11 09 18
2024 02 11 09 18

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

There are various colourful stories explaining how this dish came to be, and how Puttanesca pasta got its name. “Puttanesca” roughly translates to “working girls” in Italian (that’s a politically correct term I’m using there!) One tale tells how this dish was invented in the brothels of Naples so the smells wafting from the kitchen would entice potential … errr, clients. Another story claims this pasta was a quick and simple dish ladies of the Neapolitan night could throw together in a hurry in amongst their busy schedules.

Does this kind of talk on a G-rated food blog make you blush? 😉

Whatever the origins, today this is considered a classic and staple Italian pasta recipe. It’s budget-friendly, easy and quick to make, yet delicious enough to woo family and friends (or indeed, “paying customers” … 😉)

2024 02 11 09 19
2024 02 11 09 19

Ingredients in Puttanesca sauce

Being such simple recipe, this is one of those dishes that genuinely benefits from better quality ingredients. In this pasta, the one ingredient I find is really worth seeking out is fresh deli-style olives in olive oil or brine, rather than cheaper jarred ones you find on supermarket shelves.

Oh, also, anchovies – the secret “why is this simple sauce so good?” ingredient. If you skip it, the sauce isn’t quite as good! However you can leave it out if you wish to make the dish vegetarian / vegan (add a little more garlic, capers and olives instead).

2024 02 11 09 194
2024 02 11 09 194
  • Black olives – Try to use good quality, fresh olives from the deli. These come in either olive oil or brine and will add more flavour into the sauce as it simmers compared to bottled ones that come in sealed jars. Both pitted and unpitted are fine but pitting your own is best.
  • Anchovies – This adds savoury flavour and salt to the sauce without leaving it “fishy-tasting”. In fact, you’d have to have a highly attuned palate to be able to taste it at all. The anchovies are finely chopped and dissolve into the sauce, and any strong fishiness disappears leaving just deliciously deep umami.I prefer to use whole anchovies and finely mince it myself because it has better flavour than using anchovy paste. But paste is a handy alternative – my rule of thumb is 1/4 teaspoon of paste per anchovy (so use 3/4 teaspoon in this recipe).
  • Spaghetti – Traditionally made with spaghetti or vermicelli pasta (ie. the thinner spaghetti), though this recipe works just fine with any long pasta. Or short, for that matter!
  • Tomatoes – Not all canned tomatoes are created equal! Better ones are sweeter and break down better to create a sauce. TIP: If you find your tomatoes are a bit on the sour side, just add a touch of sugar to the sauce. It’s a cheat’s way of taking the sour edge off that is a game changer with for example, Spaghetti Bolognese.
  • Capers – Adds little pops of briny goodness and that unique caper flavour to the sauce. I usually use standard size capers. On occasion, I find they can be giant in size so I’ll reach for the baby capers instead. Both work!
  • Garlic – Because this is Italian food!
  • Chilli flakes (aka red pepper flakes) – A pinch of heat is wonderful in this sauce. It’s not a spicy sauce, here it’s just a background hum of warmth.
  • Extra virgin olive oil – For cooking and finishing.
  • Fresh basil and oregano – These finishing herb touches will really lift the dish and return some freshness to the sauce. But if you don’t have them, it is absolutely still worth making using a pinch of dried oregano. Don’t bother with dried basil, it’s basically flavourless.If you don’t have basil, serve with a sprinkle of parmesan instead. The extra flavour will compensate for absence of fresh herb flavour.

How to make Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Start the sauce first and get it simmering, then cook the pasta. They’ll both finish at the same time, ready to toss together!

2024 02 11 09 20
2024 02 11 09 20

This recipe serves 2. Use a medium size skillet here rather than a very large one, else the sauce will dry out too quickly when simmering. If you’re scaling the recipe up however a large skillet will be necessary to toss the pasta in the sauce (or use a pot for the sauce and tossing).

  1. Sauté aromatics – Start off by sautéing the garlic in olive oil until it starts to go golden on the edges. Then add the finely chopped anchovies, capers, olives and red pepper flakes and cook for a further 1 minute.This sautéing step is key to the flavour of the sauce. It blooms the flavour of the red pepper flakes and even more importantly, takes the raw fishy edge off the anchovies while causing them to break down, ready to dissolve into the sauce.
  2. Add everything else into sauce – Add the can of tomatoes, then add water by rinsing out the can. In goes salt, pepper and fresh or dried oregano, then give it a good stir.
  3. Simmer 10 minutes – Once the sauce comes to a simmer, turn the heat way down to low and let it simmer gently, stirring every now and then, for 10 minutes while the pasta cooks. The tomato will break down, the water will cook out, leaving behind a nice, shiny and thickened sauce. If at any stage it looks like the sauce is drying out (probably due to heat being too strong or using a skillet that’s too large), just add a splash of water.
  4. Cook pasta – Cook the pasta in salted water. Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of pasta cooking water. This is a key, essential step for cooking any pasta (well and properly!). We add a splash into the pasta sauce when tossing with the pasta. Starch that’s left in the cooking water helps emulsify the fats and water in the sauce. This has a thickening effect and also discourages the sauce from separating. The sauce clings deliciously to the pasta strands instead of leaving a watery pool of bland liquid at the bottom of your pasta bowl.You’ll see this step in every pasta recipe on my website. And every household in Italy makes pasta this way!
  5. Combine pasta, sauce and pasta cooking water – After draining the pasta, immediately throw into the sauce along with about 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water. I rarely measure, I just eyeball it.
  6. Toss, toss, toss! With the skillet still on a low stove, use 2 wooden spoons to toss the pasta vigorously for a minute. After 20 or 30 seconds of tossing, you’ll notice that the sauce in the skillet starts clinging to the pasta (thanks to the pasta cooking water!).The pasta is ready when the sauce is all stuck to the pasta rather than sitting in the skillet.Pasta/sauce gets dry – If at any stage the pasta (or sauce) gets too thick or dries out, rather than being slippery and shiny, just add an extra splash of pasta cooking water then toss more. This will resurrect the pasta and makes it “juicy” again. This is why we scoop out a big mugful of pasta cooking water! I do this multiple times when taking photos and shooting videos of pasta because it loses freshness within minutes and I can’t shoot that fast!Sprinkle with basil and serve immediately!
2024 02 11 09 21a
2024 02 11 09 21a

Pro tip: warm your pasta bowlsWatch how to make it

Pasta is a dish that is at its absolute best served hot and fresh. It is never the same reheated. It is also one of the rare dishes where I make the effort to warm serving bowls, to preserve the heat of the pasta when eating. I just pop them in a 70C / 160F oven to warm before I start cooking, or in the microwave for a minute before serving. It’s worth the small effort, especially in winter!

2024 02 11 09 22w
2024 02 11 09 22w
2024 02 11 09 23g
2024 02 11 09 23g

What to serve with Puttanesca pasta

Parmesan?

Puttanesca is traditionally not served with the typical shower of parmesan because it already has plenty of salt and savouriness from the flavour-packed ingredients. But I won’t stop you if that’s how you want to roll.

Having said that, if I don’t have fresh basil sometimes I use parmesan to compensate as a finishing touch (no it’s not the same thing at all, but I like to have a garnish).

Sides!

In my world, Puttanesca is planted firmly in the “emergency pantry meals” bucket so you won’t get a side salad if I make this for you. It’s also technically 95% vegetables anyway! 😉 However, if you’re after a super quick one that’s on-theme, Rocket with Shaved Parmesan fits the bill with a side of hot buttery garlic bread or focaccia (I’m very proud of this recipe, I hope you try it one day!).

Add a Tiramisu for dessert or Italian Almond cookies with coffee, and suddenly this humble “quick pantry dinner” has transformed into a full blown Italian dinner menu!

Watch how to make it

https://youtu.be/9i-KRU3wEok

I have an employee who constantly steals other people’s lunches. Do I fire him?

Yes. Always.

We had a 10 year employee working at my store named (ummmm) “Suzy”. She was the community out-reach leader (and amazing at it) and the intimates / beauty department manager. She had a perfect attendance record. She was one of TWO “Exceeds Expectations” leaders in the entire store. She went to EVERY fundraising event and was absolutely one of the most delightful human beings I ever worked with.

I was in the break room with the store manager. In walked “Suzy”. She opened the fridge, dug out a bottle of iced tea. Said (out loud), “No name! Fair game!” and opened it and drank it. We didn’t even have time to stop her. We saw her take an item from the fridge. There was no moral dilemma on our part. The front of the fridge had a sign on it saying, “If it’s not yours and you take it, it’s theft. Period.” We had a camera pointing at the fridge because food theft had been a past issue.

“Suzy” was walked off the property the same day.

She was stunned. “But I have perfect attendance. I’ve gotten exceeds expectations on every review. I’m the community captain.” It absolutely broke my heart (she was one of my all time favorite employees). We had to explain to her, “Nobody gets immunity to the rules. You cannot be the greatest employee ever and expect that you earn some kind of points that grant you forgiveness, especially in an area so critical to trust and morale. All theft is treated the same, regardless of size or intent. You took something that didn’t belong to you.”

Theft is and should always be treated with absolute zero tolerance. No exceptions ever. Making exceptions demands future exceptions for all people. Making exceptions about theft opens the door to low standards. Better to fire all the perpetrators and shut the unit down until backfill can be identified than to allow a thief to continue being employed for even one second.

Victor Davis Hanson: The Demise of Europe

https://youtu.be/Wbul826yfp8

 

How can parents be so unloving that they would make their own child homeless by kicking him or her out into the street?

I did it.

My son stole $2000 in a locked box from under my bed as I slept. He knew I needed that money to do badly needed repairs on the house we had just moved back into after a divorce. He had just gotten out of a juvenile treatment facility. He refused to get a job. He kept bringing a friend over at night when I was working.

My house reeked of marijuana every morning when I got home. They ate my food. He was 18. A legal adult. When I discovered he stole the money I had him arrested.

He was put in jail. No one would bail him out so he stayed there for three months. At court I told him I did not want to see him until he was a contributing member of society. He had to have a legal job…not selling street drugs etc. He was given time served plus probation and had to pay restitution. He got out of jail and lived with the kid who had been hanging out at my house.

His mother kicked them both out. My son found his birth father and stayed with him. He soon learned the man’s sole goal in life was to stay high. My son then stayed with another friend, couch surfed.

Lived in an office building bathroom. Then with a woman who was crazy. Then a friend rescued him. He lived with them and their father for two years.

They made him stay clean, clean up after himself, eat healthy, get and keep a job. He then asked if he could come back home.

He is now 24. The other day he thanked me for holding him accountable. He has a job he enjoys and is saving money for a future. Some kids just need tough love.

This is funny

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CzpyaT2oF_0?feature=share

 

What are some funny things you’ve seen happen with the police chasing someone on foot?

My husband is a retired Royal Thai police officer. He rarely told me much about his days, not wanting me to worry, get upset.

He did, however, share a few events that had me laughing…

Story 1

Husband and his men were chasing a small group of meth dealers who abandoned their car and ran into the tall grass of a swampy field.

Husband has the usual regulation, very short hair and was wearing a bright orange vest that was clearly marked POLICE, front and back, in huge English and Thai letters.

He waded into the swamp and stood next to one of the meth dealers who told him to take off the bright vest because the police were searching the area!

Story 2

Husband and his guys raided a gambling den at dawn. The players, many of whom were very drunk, ran to their motorcycles, trucks and cars to get away.

Four men staggered to their car but were stunned because the police seemed to be keeping pace on foot with their ‘pedal to the metal,’ speeding car.

In fact, they had jumped into an abandoned car that had no engine and hadn’t noticed they hadn’t moved at all.

Story 3

‘Uncle’ Tan was a quiet, older man who grew veggies and sold them from the back of his pick-up.

Officers received a call saying that Uncle had unsuccessfully tried to rob a local shop with a plastic water pistol and was walking down the highway, TOWARDS the police station.

He seemed pleased when he was arrested.

As was the norm, he was told he could be held for 48 hours in the police station jail, longer if a judge deemed it necessary. Uncle perked up at the possibility of ‘longer.’

The officers were puzzled until the truth came out: his wife’s sisters were coming for their yearly visit, and Uncle said that he was just too old to go through that hell again. He had thought he would be in jail for weeks.

The judge showed leniency, asking the police to hold Uncle until it was deemed safe for him to go home.

* Note: this was NOT in husband’s district.

Due to the numerous US military bases in countries close to China and the creation of the AUKUS, is China imprisoned?

Does it occur to you it could be the U.S. that could be imprisoned? If the U.S. ends up spending tons of money meaninglessly and without a return and yet it cannot stop spending billions to continuously do shit that don’t pay it is the U.S. that is trapped. China don’t gives a shit it simply just let the US waste all it money bribing nations who refuse to do shit, just to pretend to the world it has allies.

For us in Asia. Even Japan, Korea, Phillipines and India have no wish to do shit as it knows the repercussions and it has been China’s neighbour for some 5000 years! It may have no choice but to barked some shit on China to get the U.S. off its back. But sure won’t risk it to do more than that. So the U.S. having a pay billions get some pretend shit is outright silly and wasteful.

So who is trapped? China can and will do what it wants. And the U.S. has to stay and waste a ton of resources to get pretentious shit that China gives a damn. To me the U.S. is trapped in its own stupidity!

 

 

What are the best ways to improve your personality?

Best ways to improve personality :

  • Groom yourself, even if you’re living alone . Keep your beard clean and trimmed. Girls may wax, if necessary.
  • Always carry a wallet, Comb, Belt, Perfume, a pen with you.
  • Workout at least 1 hour a day, it’s the least you could do for your body.This will keep your confidence up, your body healthy and your face free of pimples.
  • Cover your mouth while sneezing, coughing, etc. Say ‘Sorry/Excuse me’ afterward.
  • Invest in your own personal hygiene like flossing your teeth, cleaning your mouth, wearing cologne.
  • Speak a bit less and think before you speak because one wrong word can hurt your personality.
  • Talk looking into the eyes of the other person.
  • Be a man of your words , If you promise to do something for someone, make sure you do it .
  • Show respect for other person’s opinion. Never tell a person he or she is wrong.
  • Learn the difference between Ego and Self-respect. There’s a very thin line between them.
  • Hustle as much as you can. Fast success brings ego, slow success builds personality.
  • Do Meditation.(Meditation transforms you into a new human)
  • Never make fun of someone’s disability whether it’s financial, mental or physical.
  • Never hesitate meeting new people. People have own experiences and knowledge to share with you.

Mushrooms!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZEjDf2o21kI?feature=share

What is the most ludicrous thing someone got fired for at your job?

My coworker, Marty, at the Department of Correction was fired after bantering with our department’s business manager. She was a diva with a (very) high opinion of herself and one morning Marty told her that she looked “nice”.

She cocked her hip and smiled at him, and asked if he was implying that she didn’t look good every day. Marty responded that she did, indeed, look good and that she looked good enough to eat. That ended the conversation and I went on my merry way.

When I returned to the office late that afternoon, another coworker pulled me aside and asked, breathlessly, if I’d heard about Marty. I hadn’t — I’d been out installing computers in a prison all day — so she said that he’d been fired! For sexual harrassment! The diva business manager had filed a complaint against him.

I immediately tracked my boss down and told her the complaint was bullshit, and that I’d witnessed the entire exchange. She said that her hands were tied because Marty admitted saying the diva looked good enough to eat. It was considered inappropriate verbiage for the workplace and the diva insisted that she would be uncomfortable working with Marty.

I kept my contact and conversations with her to a minimum from that day on.

 

How to use a telephone

Cool vintage stuff…

telephone guide 1951 4
telephone guide 1951 4
telephone guide 1951 5
telephone guide 1951 5
telephone guide 1951 6
telephone guide 1951 6
telephone guide 1951 7
telephone guide 1951 7
telephone guide 1951 8
telephone guide 1951 8
telephone guide 1951 9
telephone guide 1951 9
telephone guide 1951 10
telephone guide 1951 10
telephone guide 1951 11
telephone guide 1951 11
telephone guide 1951 12
telephone guide 1951 12
telephone guide 1951 13
telephone guide 1951 13
telephone guide 1951 14
telephone guide 1951 14
telephone guide 1951 15
telephone guide 1951 15
telephone guide 1951 16
telephone guide 1951 16
telephone guide 1951 17
telephone guide 1951 17
telephone guide 1951 18
telephone guide 1951 18
telephone guide 1951 19
telephone guide 1951 19

How does China’s exclusion from the International Space Station affect its space ambitions?

China has been excluded from the ISS project, which has greatly promoted the development of China’s aerospace technology.

You can imagine that 20 years ago, several young people decided to save money to buy a car and then use it together. The Chinese were excluded. He was told: Your money is dirty and we will not accept it.

You have to understand that Russia, which the United States considers an enemy, is accepted, while China is excluded. How humiliating is this to China?

image 146
image 146

The young man decided not to pray to join but to work hard on his own. Finally, he made enough money to buy a car of his own. A new car that belongs only to him.

The group of young people who pooled their money to buy a car are still using that old car together, even though it is very old. All participants are not yet able to buy their own cars.

When they saw a Chinese driving a new car alone, they were filled with envy, but they said: His car is smaller than ours!

Let us assume that if China was allowed to join, what would be the result? They may have a module on the ISS, but they will never have their own CSS.

image 6
image 6

Now everything has changed

The Chinese space station is so advanced that they even use Hall thrusters to maintain orbit without having to consume a lot of fuel like the ISS.

Famous media commented that the interior of CSS is like an Apple store, while the ISS is like an old grocery store.

Were you thinking this?

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

 

What stupid thing did you do when you were a child that turned out to be very funny?

My father was a very serious and strict man. We lived in a nice house with a covered front porch on a hill overlooking a valley. One day when I was 10 yrs. old I was with my father on the porch ,there was a man dressed in a suit and tie and they were discussing serious business. I knew not to disturb them in any way. I had to remain quiet so I quickly became bored. I looked around the porch for something of interest when I spotted a small stone on the floor. When I picked it up I thought it was such a perfect throwing stone, the shape and the way it fit in my hand I just knew it would travel a record breaking distance down that valley. I took a few steps back so I would be behind dad’s peripheral sight as they both were facing the valley in deep conversation. I focused on a bush for my target . I took a couple deep breaths and threw the stone with every muscle I had.

To my horror the stone slipped out of my hand . I heard a deep moan as my father collapsed to one knee . As he grabbed his left ear he uttered”” “JUMPIN JESUS” WHAT WAS THAT ? I was so afraid I couldn’t speak. The stone had hit the bone behind his left ear and instantly a purple knot appeared . WELL , WHAT WAS IT ? I finally managed to say… a rock.. A ROCK ! Get in the house. Well, lucky for me their conversation lasted longer giving him a cooling off period. When the man left Dad gave me a lecture about throwing rocks and interrupting adults. Surprisingly there was no physical abuse which I expected. Now many years later even though he’s gone , I can hear his voice as if he just now said “WELL, WHAT WAS IT ?” And I get a good laugh about that frightened little boy .

The Imperialist projection against China

image 145
image 145

Do you wonder why I put the Deng Xiaoping face on my post? Because the post I am writing tends to make sense for what I will try to convey. As you know, in the mainstream media, basically the West tends to use this Imperialist projection against the Chinese nation. It has become a human sin for the Chinese people to seek their old legitimate rights such as the right to become rich and powerful, the right to become among the most respected nations it used to be during the Ming towards Qing era.

The mainstream media has changed its focus from China’s rising economic threat towards China being the country seeking sphere of influence in Asia. This projection is among those who had committed this act before. History doesn’t lie, not do the suffering of the people they had to face from the British to the American Imperialism which still is going today in many forms.

China has now become one of the second largest economies in the world and the first if we see it through a PPP basis. The nation’s citizens are now enjoying a much better, high quality life in comparison to what their parents had to face under Mao respectfully. China, just like Deng envisioned, became the county that is leading the world in science, tech, and environment policies where China has been recently focused on being the country focused on building a strong green economy.

Media nowadays tends to portray China as aggressive and imperialist. Every investment China does in other countries is judged as a form of imperialism, every defense that China undertakes or its mission to uniting Taiwan is seem as foreign aggression by the West on China when they only want to take what was lost before. This judgment is not just fueled by the West but also by CINOs, or in other words ‘Chinese just in name’ that have Chinese names and ethnicity but they lack the Chinese spirit to show sympathy for their homeland. Most of these can be found in countries like Malaysia and Singapore or even U.S. who tend to side with the West’s aggression against China. This lack of knowledge is what has made ignorance prevalent today. The lack of the understanding the Chinese mindset and their way of doing things is what made them see China from a hostile viewpoint rather than a positive one.

image 144
image 144

Socialism: what do I mean? Well to understand China’s foreign policy and the way how it perceives the world is through the socialist perspective. You see Socialism didn’t come out of thin air in China. People before Mao used to be exploited, oppressed by the Chiang Khai Shek government. The land was controlled by the foreign businessmen who used China as a source of destination to build capital under the Chinese labour. This unequal relationship between China and the West is what made the Chinese more angrier, coupled with the hate from their humiliation. The weakness of the Chinese civilization is what pursued the Chinese people to seek a new radical solution and that was Socialism which back then Chairman Mao worked tirelessly to increase the support and work towards unifying China.

Its basis was simple: to fight against oppression, build an equal society and bring back China as the nation it once was. Which means an independent, strong China without being anymore humiliated. Thus when Mao United China is the time where humiliation of China ended and China began to recover. During the recovery, China faced many obstacles. Once was the American aggression in Asia, the other was the restrictions which were put against China because they were “Communist,” then the aggression from outside. China, after seeing Korea fall to the American forces, was forced to send its troops and successfully push out the American troops and North Korea was saved. Hence the socialist and proletarian cause was built on self defense and defending neighbours from Imperialist aggression that came from thousand miles away.

image 143
image 143

After Chairman Mao’s death, Deng Xiaoping came to power, which is praised for the new reforms that brought China to the place it is today. A new socialist modern economy built by Chinese people and a strong country looking to move forward even more and bring back the national rejuvenation to the Chinese people. The Deng Xiaoping goal was to always revitalize China which is now being carried by the leader Xi Jinping. Which meant a rich China which used to be under Qing before the Imperialist oppresion, a strong China in Asia and a China that is respected and seen as the gateway to the Eastern civilization and not a China that will replace the role of the West.

Deng Xiaoping in a public forum told others:

China shall always belong to the Third World and shall never seek hegemony. This idea is understandable because China is still quite poor, and is therefore a Third World country in the real sense of the term. The question is whether or not China will practise hegemony when it becomes more developed in the future. My friends, you are younger than I, so you will be able to see for yourselves what happens at that time. If it remains a socialist country, China will not practise hegemony and it will still belong to the Third World. Should China become arrogant, however, act like an overlord and give orders to the world, it would no longer be considered a Third World country.

What do these words mean? It is simple. The leader who laid out the reforms for his nation and the next vision, he is also the one who made sure to future generations to always see China as a nation similar with others of the third world. He never advocated a China which replaces the West’s role, he never advocates for a dominated Chinese power that controls Asia in the similar way of how United States has controlled South America.

This is also one of the main factors that led China into creating SCO and BRICS organizations, because the vision is simple: to build prosperity and encourage integration and connectivity with the third world that includes all of the former nations that were once colonized and exploited. Anti-Imperialism is after all something that has been pushed from Marxists itself, because the concept or freedom isn’t mainly focused on ending exploitation but also imperialism that caused the third world to suffer under the hands of the Western nations, that exploited its natural resources to feed their population.

Anyone who tends to see China in a Western way then that kind of thinking is bound to fail and even insult your own intelligence. No rational person would be crazy enough to compare China to a Western country and I believe the track records of US and other western countries, tells us a lot about the morality that the West loves to show many times.

But what kind of vision then does China see for the world?

image 142
image 142

Of course the role that China will play will fundamentally change the world in many ways, and right now we are already noticing many changes especially in Asia. We are seeing a role that keeps growing each year. And a strong China is at the same time bringing a good balance to the world especially when it’s necessary to counter the bi-polar world order by US

  1. Multipolarism: China’s idea of Multipolsrism came even more to light after the importance and value of BRICS began to rise. This is in vision with Deng Xiaoping’s stance who’s always have said to never seek hegemony. China sees Multilateralism as the only way to bring equality to the world order where some certain nations seek a greater role in the world affairs and share a certain security to meet the world challenges.
  2. New Financial system: Putin in the interview with Tucker laid out a very good critique of the US dollar. He mentioned how the United States’ policies towards other rivalries have caused mass panic in the world, and it is true in many ways. After the Russia war in Ukraine began, the West was so quickly to launch the heaviest sanctions in history. This didn’t collapse Russia’s economy and instead they shot themselves in the foot. Because the world for the first time in history was ready to move and make a change in the international order, which was the beginning of implementing new different currencies in trade with other countries. This thing is only going to become more common especially as BRICS advances.
  3. Unity within their territory: Many people tend to see China’s actions in Taiwan in a wrong way but instead this isn’t the case. China has only sought to reunify its territories that were once lost. The ROC and PRC were at civil war which the ROC lost and retreated to Taiwan. Technically they are still at war, because considering that no peace treaty has been made or even ceasefire, this makes it legitimate for China to reunify Taiwan.
  4. The development of BRICS: BRICS will continue to play even more important roles in the next decades, it will be more than just an organization. It will be the representative of the East and of the Global South. It will put the other part of the world in equal footing with the West. This balance is exactly what the whole world should pursue, because the moment there is a balance of power, then you will be at peace and respected. Though my opinion of BRICS might be optimistic, but as of now, I believe that all members have one desire, and that is to seek more independence from the US dollar regime.

 

What are some psychological facts that people don’t know?

Does it really matter which type of clock we are using?

Yes! It does.

Reason is “Those who use ‘Analog clock’ are more aware of the ‘time spent’ & the ‘time left’ than those who use Digital clock”.

How? Is what your question right?

Here we go. Let’s have a look at the digital clock.

image 9
image 9

What did we get? The time is 9:30 & that’s it. Only the current time.

Now, Analog clock.

image 8
image 8

Just look at it. Look at how beautiful it is. What do we observe here? 11:55. That’s it? No. But along with the current time there is something else.

image 7
image 7

This we sense by intuition. An Analog clock resembles a pie chart which can represent selfexpressive data.

Intuition matters! It is the advantage of having Analog clock.

This is not so easy with digital clocks. Because we need to force our brain to calculate the ‘time spent’ ,‘time left’, etc.

The USA is so fucked

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IAFUtL-zOtY?feature=share

 

How does a woman feel when she is getting old and no one wants her?

I’m not getting old. I’m there. I’ll be 77 years old in a couple of weeks, so I believe I qualify to answer this question.

I have a lover who is younger than I am. And if I were to “lose” him, I would readily find another, if I desired it.

However, I pay close attention to my figure, my wardrobe and my makeup. It takes me about half an hour to put my makeup on skillfully enough so I don’t look as though I’m wearing any. I dress nicely even when I have nothing important to do, although I am still in business, which keeps my thinking sharp. I watch what I eat carefully, most days keeping at 1200–1400 calories total for the day. This enables me to have lunch or dinner with my love or friends in a restaurant pretty much any time I wish.

I don’t exercise, though I know I should. However, I have two flights of stairs that I go up and down many, many times per day. I tell myself that this helps.

I read extensively, and not just on the damn internet. I have an immense library and continually add to it. I read in science and in the arts. Although I do try to avoid politics, these days. I am responsible for my feelings, and I like them to remain hopeful and serene. But my reading enables me to converse on many topics. And until Covid, I also traveled, an activity which broadens anyone’s perspective.

So in answer to the question, I feel just fine, thank you very much. And I also feel – and know that I am – desired.

I hope perhaps your young mind has been opened, even a bit. Thanks for the question.

A very good illustration

This is a good illustration why the size and growth of US debt is totally out of whack with the real economy.

American debt is already THE systemic risk to the world economy. There is not enough money in the world to satisfy America’s ravenous appetite, not even if it prints them for free.

This is why the BRICs are desperate for an option to the dollar.

image 141
image 141

 

Have you ever dined at a restaurant that left you thinking ‘is this a joke’?

Hubby and I went to a fancy steakhouse in Atlanta for dinner a few years back. Having checked out the restaurant’s online menu, we made sure we were appropriately dressed—me in a long Italian silk dress and hubby in some business casual outfit. We arrived at the time of our reservation and experienced multiple WTF moments—

1. We were led to a side dining room instead of the fancy main dining room shown on their website. The decor was shall-we-say interesting. It resembled a kindergarten cafeteria, with folding chairs.

2. All the other guests there looked like they had just attended a basketball game.

3. The female manager had a LOW-cut cami and jacket on. Her boobs were 75% exposed.

4. On my way to the ladies’, I passed the kitchen and caught a whiff of rotten fish.

5. Before the server set my plate of scallops down, I smelled a stench that could have only come from decayed seafood.

6. Service was slow, but that was the least of our concerns.

All this cost us $250, tip included.

If you wonder why we did not raise any issues about what we went through, it was a mystery shop. Essentially, I was contracted to observe anything about the restaurant’s operations. In the end, the meal did not cost us anything. We were actually paid some money for the effort. However, the experience was so bad that I did not offer to take the same assignment for several years to come.

Vintage Ads and Celebrities’ Glamour on These Classic Vespa Scooters

Vespa ads 2
Vespa ads 2
Celebrities on Vespa 12
Celebrities on Vespa 12
Celebrities on Vespa 11
Celebrities on Vespa 11
Celebrities on Vespa 8
Celebrities on Vespa 8
Celebrities on Vespa 7
Celebrities on Vespa 7
Celebrities on Vespa 5
Celebrities on Vespa 5
Celebrities on Vespa 4
Celebrities on Vespa 4
Celebrities on Vespa 3
Celebrities on Vespa 3
Celebrities on Vespa 1
Celebrities on Vespa 1

The DELUSIONAL OBSESSION with 6-Figure Salaries in Modern Dating

Future cat ladies. (And I do love my kitties. But no man is going to be able to make them happy.)

https://youtu.be/GvNEtlEb2ss

Italian Drunken Noodles

Italian drunken noodles are my Italian fusion take on one of my favorite Thai-style dishes. Brimming with noodles drenched in a flavorful, wine-infused sauce, bits of spicy Italian sausage, plus sweet bell peppers, onions and basil, this Italian take on drunken noodles is not only scrumptious, but quick and easy to prepare as well!

italian drunken noodles 03 03 13 1 ca
italian drunken noodles 03 03 13 1 ca

Yield: 6 servings

An Italian twist to a favorite Thai dish

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of trying Thai drunken noodles (or pad kee mao), you know what an amazingly vibrant, rich and flavorful dish it is.

With ribbons of broad rice noodles drenched in a sweet and savory sauce, charred red and yellow bell peppers and onions, a choice of spicy meat, tofu, or shrimp, and a light flourish of freshly julienned Thai basil, this dish always hits the spot when it comes to all those big flavors I crave in Thai cuisine.

I must admit, whenever I would enjoy this dish, it always made me wonder what an Italian version of it would taste like…

italian drunken noodles 03 03 13 2 ca
italian drunken noodles 03 03 13 2 ca

How to Make Drunken Noodles with an Italian Twist

In keeping with those basic components of noodle, meat, veggie, sauce and herb, it’s easy to see how Thai-style drunken noodles can easily be “morphed” into a brand new, Italian-style dish with a distinctly different flavor profile, while still maintaining the spirit of the original.

This is what I love and appreciate about fusion food!

What I did with this Italian drunken noodles recipe was to substitute wide and tender pappardelle noodles in place of the broad rice noodles, and then switched out some spicy and rich Italian sausage for the tofu, shrimp or chicken typically served in the Thai version.

For the sauce element, I used a tomato base kissed with a hint of wine in order to make the dish a bit “drunken”, and then kept the classic vegetable medley of multi-colored bell peppers and onions, plus that flourish of fresh basil to tie all the flavors together.

Here’s a glance at my Italian drunken noodles recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe below…)

  1. To get things started, I cook my pappardelle noodles according to package instructions, and keep them warm while I prepare the sauce.
  2. For the sauce, I place a large, heavy-bottom pan over high heat, and add a drizzle of olive oil; once hot, I crumble in the spicy sausage and brown it until cooked through, then remove it from the pan.
  3. Next, I caramelize my onions in the pan drippings, then add in my seasoning, followed by my bell peppers, and saute until golden; then, I add in my garlic and wine, reducing that just a bit.
  4. Finally, I add the diced tomatoes, with their juices, into the pan, along with the browned sausage, and allow the mixture to simmer for a couple of minutes; and then, I finish the sauce with a touch more olive oil and some fresh herbs before adding in my warm pappardelle noodles, and tossing everything to combine.
italian drunken noodles 03 03 13 3 ca
italian drunken noodles 03 03 13 3 ca

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces pappardelle noodles, uncooked
  • Olive oil
  • 4 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed
  • 1 large onion, quartered and sliced thinly
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
  • ½ cup white white (I used Chardonnay)
  • 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
  • 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, julienned, divided use

Preparation:

  1. Prepare the pappardelle noodles according to instructions on package; then, drain the noodles very well, and keep them warm while you prepare the sauce.
  2. Place a large, heavy-bottom pan or braising pot over medium-high heat, and add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil; once the oil is hot, crumble the spicy Italian sausage into the pan in small chunks (you want to keep the sausage fairly chunky), allowing it to brown in the oil for a few moments on each side; once the crumbled sausage is browned, remove it from the pan/pot with a slotted spoon and place into a small bowl to hold for a moment.
  3. Next, add the sliced onion into the pan with the sausage drippings, and allow it to caramelize and become golden for roughly 5 minutes or so, stirring to keep it from burning (add a touch more olive oil, if necessary); once the onion starts to become golden, add the salt, Italian seasoning and cracked black pepper, and stir to combine.
  4. Add in the sliced bell peppers, and allow those to saute with the onion for about 2 minutes until slightly tender and golden; next, add in the garlic, and once it becomes aromatic, add in the white wine and allow it to reduce for a few moments, until almost completely reduced.
  5. Next, add in the diced tomatoes with their juice, and return the browned spicy Italian sausage back into the pan, and gently fold the mixture to combine; allow it to gently simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes to blend the flavors, then turn the heat off.
  6. To finish the sauce, drizzle in about 2-3 good tablespoons of the olive oil to create a silky, rich flavor, and stir in the chopped parsley and about half of the julienned basil.
  7. Add the cooked pappardelle noodles directly into the sauce, and using tongs, gently toss and combine the noodles with the sauce and all of the ingredients in it; check the seasoning to see if you need to add any additional salt or pepper.
  8. To serve, add equal portions of the Italian drunken noodles to bowls, and garnish with a sprinkle of the remaining julienned basil (you can even top with shaved parmesan, if desired, and an extra drizzle of olive oil).
italian drunken noodles 03 03 13 5 ca
italian drunken noodles 03 03 13 5 ca

Tips & Tidbits for my Italian Drunken Noodles:

  • The larger the pan, the better: Use a large, heavy bottom pan (cast iron or a Dutch oven) for this dish, as it retains heat well and will give a little extra color and flavor to your peppers and onions; plus, it provides room to add the noodles directly into the sauce at the end, and toss ’em around.
  • Pappardelle are best, but don’t sweat it: Pappardelle noodles are the broad or wide egg noodles that look a bit like “ribbons”, and you should be able to find them in the pasta section in most markets—they really are best for this recipe; but if you can’t find them, feel free to substitute whatever type of pasta noodle you like. The flavor will still be amazing.
  • Go white or go red: White wine is what’s called for in this recipe, but red wine would also be a delicious choice; use whatever you’d actually like to drink with this dish.
  • Looking to leave out the alcohol? No problem: If you’d prefer to leave alcohol out, then simply substitute chicken stock for the wine, and add a little squeeze of lemon at the end for that “brightness” as well.
  • Go Veg: For a meatless version, omit the spicy sausage altogether, and enjoy just the veggies, noodles and sauce; but you can always use a vegetarian “crumble” in this dish as well, or even use cubed tofu to keep in line with the Thai inspiration.
  • Prep ahead: You can make the sauce element of this recipe ahead of time, such as the day before you’d like to serve it, which will actually give the sauce more time to sit and gain deeper flavor; just prepare the noodles the day of, toss with the warmed up sauce, you’re set to go.
italian drunken noodles 03 03 13 6 ca
italian drunken noodles 03 03 13 6 ca

General Instructions

  1. Place a large, heavy-bottom pan or braising pot over medium-high heat; add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, crumble the Italian sausage into the pan in small chunks, allowing it to brown in the oil for a few moments.
  2. When the crumbled sausage is browned, remove it from the pan/pot with a slotted spoon and place into a small bowl to hold for a moment.
  3. Place in the pan the diced bell peppers, salt, Italian seasoning and cracked black pepper. Stir to combine. Allow to sauté for about 2 minutes until slightly tender.
  4. Add the garlic. Once it becomes aromatic, add the white wine and allow it to reduce for a few moments, until almost completely reduced.
  5. Add the diced tomatoes with their juice.
  6. To finish the sauce, drizzle in about 2 to 3 good tablespoons of the olive oil to create a rich flavor.
  7. Add the chopped parsley and about half of the basil.
  8. Return the browned Italian sausage back into the pan and gently fold the mixture to combine. Allow it to gently simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes to blend the flavors. Then turn the heat off.
  9. Stir and keep warm while you prepare the noodles.
italian drunken noodles 03 03 13 4 ca
italian drunken noodles 03 03 13 4 ca

 

Will the U.S. really defend Taiwan?

During the debate, KMT Presidential candidate brought up a very good point. The US sold 400 missiles to Taiwan for $6 billion. That came out to be $15 million / missile. But then when the US was defending Israel from attacks they fired those missiles and were reporting that they were expensive $3-million missiles.

Why were they sold to Taiwan at 5x the price? It makes sense if the US is leveraging the reported danger to extract as much value as it can from Taiwan. It doesn’t make sense if it has intentions to defend Taiwan.

The Mainland is ending its preferential treatment towards Taiwan which would hurt the ability for Taiwanese products to be exported to the Mainland. The US can help mitigate the impact to the Taiwanese economy by increasing imports from Taiwan and signing a free-trade agreement but it hasn’t.

How can anyone expect the US to give up its lives for Taiwan if it can’t even give up a bit of its profit?

 

What are some tips for becoming successful?

Tips for becoming successful :

  • Always keep a diary and a pen with you. Whenever you get any intriguing idea, write that down in your diary. When you open this diary, you’ll realize that you have a great set of ideas.
  • Leave your comfort zone as nothing grows for good there. Take risks in your life. Risks come with reward. Look at the rewards and move ahead.
  • Introspect and improve. Realize your mistakes and improve them. Try your best to not to repeat your mistakes again.
  • Success is something you take by force. No one will give it to you freely.
  • The secret of success is hidden in books and old-school wisdom. Yet most people hate to read books. No wonder, few people are successful.
  • Stop expecting instant satisfaction. Patience, persistence and perspiration are your best friends. Remember that there are NO shortcuts in life.
  • Cry as hard as you want, but make sure that when you stop crying, you never cry for the same reason again.
  • No matter how much it hurts now. Someday you’ll look back and realize, your struggle changed your life for better.
  • If you are an intelligent person, you will try to do what you love the most. But if you are a genius, you will only do what is needed.
  • Students believe that there is only one right answer to every question. That is why people always want to follow the crowd because they think there is only one right way to live life. Find your own way . don’t follow the crowd
  • Putting in the work daily without quitting. Going through the drudgery and mundane tasks repeatedly. Practicing everyday like insane just to master your craft.
  • Don’t bother about the judgements of society, friends, peers and relatives. You want it, go for it. Don’t give a fcuk about others , live your life , give your best
  • And Finally , Make the best out of every hour.

 

Modern women lifestyle

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Bclgu6le1CA?feature=share

Must the CCP fall? They can’t assimilate everyone in China into Chinese culture.

The Chinese Communist Party is not in charge of assimilating everyone into Chinese culture, and it does not promote it. In fact, the Party makes a big deal out of preserving minority cultures, and giving them special advantages such as in numbers of children they can have (unlimited), and giving minority students extra points in the highly competitive university exams. There is some grumbling from Han Chinese about all the benefits minorities get in China.

Some minorities such as the Manchus, some Mongolians and some Tibetans have been absorbed by Chinese culture, not by any government policy. The general rule in China is that any non-Han Chinese minority, if it adopts Chinese language and the Chinese non-nomadic lifestyle, will eventually disappear over several generations.

This is not done because of any government policy; it is just that Han Chinese language and culture have a very strong pull which is hard to resist over time. This is because more than 90% of China’s population is Han Chinese, and once a minority adopts the language and then culture, it loses its own identity.

This is not done under any threat of force, but is done voluntarily by individuals.

 

More fun with the the Vespa scoots…

We start with Ann Margret.

0
0
1960s beauties with vepas 3
1960s beauties with vepas 3
1960s beauties with vepas 4
1960s beauties with vepas 4
1960s beauties with vepas 5
1960s beauties with vepas 5
1960s beauties with vepas 7
1960s beauties with vepas 7
1960s beauties with vepas 9
1960s beauties with vepas 9

Western women are BROKEN

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9lBhgXWuR8s?feature=share

She Made Him Wait, While Keeping a “Friends With Benefits”

The USA is sinking under the deep blue waves…

https://youtu.be/rySWo7F1Tys

What did your boss say to you during a meeting that resulted in you immediately resigning?

It wasn’t so much what my boss said, it was more about what the company did. Being more specific, what the sales department and management did.

At the time I was a senior developer for a medium sized, privately owned and pretty much unheard of software company.

One day I found out, quite by accident, that the sales department had told a prospective client about some wonderful new software that we had.

The only problem with that was this wonderful new software didn’t exist!

So, sales lied to the client.

Then came all the fanfare, because they actually sold it to them… with an impossible delivery date, even for a team five times our size.

The plan was for the dev team to develop this new software working sixty hours a week without overtime pay, while management strung the client along until the final delivery more than a year later.

So there was this big pep talk meeting – you know the ones – we need you guys to help us deliver and all, and we’ll make it up to you afterwards, we promise. We’re a big family and we are in this together and all that kind of stuff.

I didn’t believe a word of it.

After the meeting I confronted my boss who said, “Well, you know how it works.”

At that moment I knew he didn’t have my best interests at heart and I looked at him and said, “I want no part of it.”

Then I got up and left the building without saying another word.

The next day when I didn’t show up for work my boss called me asking where I was. I told him, “Sorry, I thought I was quite clear yesterday, as I said, I quit!”

He said, “But you can’t quit! We need you! You’re our only senior developer!”

And I answered, “Watch me!” and hung up the phone.

It’s been four years now and the company still hasn’t delivered the final version of the software nor has it made good on its promise to their employees!

I’m sure glad I quit when I did!

Different generations

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JM1NfrrC4Pk?feature=share

 

Who was the weirdest classmate that you’ve ever had?

Chad.

You ever have that goofy kid who could never take anything seriously? Who took any opportunity to be the center of attention? Who relished being the class clown and wore the jester’s hat like a triumph? That was Chad. I don’t remember how many grades in elementary school we had together before he and I transferred to other schools at the end of fouth grade, but it was at least a couple. He used to not only drive the teachers crazy but even us students too! Every day we had to bear witness to his never ending shenanigans, sometimes he would start up with a joke and the whole class would collectively groan and grab their faces. If I’m being honest, I was his friend but even I found him to be too much at times, too optimistic, too dramatic, too goofy, too Ace Ventura. I remember thinking, “why can’t he just be normal for a day?”

I went to middle school with some of the kids/friends from this elementary school. One of the popular boys, Randy was one of them. We were talking during free period one day when I brought up Chad. He also remembered him and smiled. We exchanged stories about his greatest hits and laughed. Then he told me something that absolutely broke my heart, and only spoke as a testiment to Chad’s resiliencey. He told me Chad’s stepfather used to beat him, often. At some point the authorities found out and removed him from his home. His everday life at home was hell, his only respite was during the time he was safe and felt safe at school, and Chad always made the most of each moment because he knew when he got home that day and every day after that, there would be no more laughter.

I hope he’s doing better, and I hope he’s happy where ever he is now. It goes to show you never know what someone is going through, even if they smile in your face everday. I have never forgotten about Chad, and I never will.

 

Were you ever treated poorly when you wanted to purchase an expensive item until they found out you were rich?

Just recently actually.

My twins birthday is coming up. And I was thinking of rewarding the missus by upgrading her car to something better.

A Range Rover Evoque 🙂

So the search started, and I finally scored a good deal on this particular high spec (and a higher priced) Evoque that’s is in a dealership nearby to my house.

Off I went. Arrived in my old e46, and I asked to see the car. This local Chinese chap took one look at me, and probably deduced that I was too young, or too shabby looking to even qualify to get an evoque, and decided to reject me.

He told me, put a deposit before even thinking of sitting in the car!

Before you think I made drama, let me tell you that the opposite happened: I smiled and walked back. I don’t necessarily like to deal with idiots, so I don’t mind looking for another.

For some reason, just as I was about to leave, another salesman from India who is working there came to me, apologized profusely and told me that he can serve me better.

I accepted.

I went to see the car, and told him that I would love to take it for a test drive 5 minutes away to my house to show it to my wife to ask her opinion on the spec and color. This guy agreed, and said we could do a short run.

So off we went.

The moment this Indian guy saw the neighborhood and my house, and the cars parked in there, he realized that he scored a lottery prospect.

After that, I was practically given free reign to do unlimited test drives and checks on that car, unaccompanied.

I saw the car on Wednesday. Thursday I contemplated on it with the missus between that or Cayenne. She wanted Range Rover, so be it.

On Friday I agreed and signed the papers in the AM. That evening the bankers called to tell the dealer that the loan passed. This coming Monday I am taking the car, once paperwork’s is completed.

$90 billion spent on disinformation about China, what did the US people get?

This is really great. I really like Charles.

https://youtu.be/IkDmdmfhzU4

 

 

How historically accurate is the theory that the ancient Minoans were actually in fact the mythical empire of Atlantis or at least the inspiration behind it?

Of course, only Plato could answer this accurately but here’s my penny:

In Greek mythology, Thera and the eruption are missing and the explanation for this is that the eruption miraculously didn’t affect mainland Greece. The Greek myths that express their collective memory, although they involve foreign lands often, had to be of Greek interest and the eruption, no matter how cataclysmic it was, was not. So, Plato didn’t possibly have a clue about the events of the Bronze Age which took place almost 1,000 years before his time.

image 150
image 150

As you can see, the mainland is out of ash range. Image from https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/santorini/minoan-eruption/size.html

What could be his inspiration for the description of Atlantis then? I can only make assumptions…

However, having in mind that Plato had traveled enough, how about the circular Punic port of Carthage?

image 149
image 149

 

Why do Chinese people think that China is better than the USA?

Security is better. When i studied in Chicago, I was told to always keep 20-dollar life money in the pocket in case anyone wants to rob me, and UChicago has the so called safe ride to take students home because walking alone at night is not safe. Here in Shanghai, Beijing or any major cities (except Guangzhou perhaps), it’s safe for girls to walk alone at night. And people don’t shoot people so often, especially struggling students don’t kill classmates or teachers. At worst, they jump from buildings without harming others.

Second, food is cheap and delicious if you don’t mind antibiotics, additives, pollutants etc. (If you count in unhealthy western food, the Chinese food is not that bad in quality.) Clothes are cheap and good quality. In fact most products made in China are cheap and accessible.

Third, online purchase and delivery and other services based on the internet is incredibly convenient. As long as you don’t care about personal information, China has all kinds of Apps to satisfy your physical and mental needs.

Fourth, the government agencies and hospital systems are much more efficient than those in USA. I am not saying the quality is better but the waiting period is shorter.

One thing I dislike is a must of vpn to access foreign media. But this is like a filter, the gov don’t want ignorant children and people to access to those anti-China information, because they can’t do critical thinking, so the gov thinks that if those were to be brainwashed, they would have to be brainwashed by us not the Western. I am neutral to it. Common people are like pawns, they’d better just stay where they were and do both to avoid being cannon powder.

Family?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2wFvhDKzSjg?feature=share

 

 

Can you tell me about your first camping experience with your family? How old were you and how did it go?

I was 10 my brother was 13 and mom and dad was in there 30. We when to a old run down house that Dad was used to go on fishing trip when he was a kid. Mom said it so run down. Dad said it still got a roof on it. Mom said ok we stayed. We got what fews begs we have out of the car and we when into the house. it started to Strom very bad. We stayed dry in that old house. About two hours passed we was getting our sleeping bags out. We hard a loud pop. The wind had blown a big tree on to the car. The car was totaled. Mom said we 150 miles from home without a car. No one could sleep until the Strom had stopped that was all most 3 hours. By morning there was a new storm and like the other one it to blowed a tree down on to what left of the car. We ended up been there for over a week. Our foods ran out after five days. We all fished for our foods. 6 days in as we was all fishing. A big tree fell onto the dam house. If me and my brother was have been in our room a sleeping we were been hurt or killed.

GAMECHANGER: China Tests ‘Dream Shell,’ Achieving Mach 7 Speed

Wow.

https://youtu.be/HHK6Yfk5wuA

What’s something that sucks about being a man?

Both my wife and I worked, we both had good jobs and shared the childcare of our 4 children. I was always the more nurturing parent, if the children ever hurt themselves they would always come to me, I was more affectionate, I used to bathe them, read to them, tuck them in and look after them most weekends. My wife was extremely jealous of my relationship with the children and they grew up, we grew apart. She used to often go out with the girls on a Friday and Saturday night and occasionally wake up the following day with a hangover so bad she would spend the day in bed. Which was fine with me, meant that I had more time with the children and we used to find somewhere to go and have real fun.

Unsurprisingly after 13 years of marriage, when our eldest was 11, she decided to leave me, she had an affair and that was that.

What really sucks about being a man is the custody battle that I had after that. The standard custody model still is, for the father, every other weekend and maybe one night during the week. Everyone assumes that the mother is the ‘right’ parent for the children to live with and I had to fight that prejudice every day for a very long year.

My ex-wife even told me that she didn’t really want custody of the children, she only was fighting because the bigger percentage of time she got, the more Child Maintenance she would get. The first time that we were in court she started off by saying that I shouldn’t see the children at all, claiming that I had abused the children, hit them, raped her and had an affair with a teenager. The judge ordered that I didn’t see the children at all, while this was investigated. That was a hard couple of months.

After a year, meetings with social services, so many court visits that I had my own seat in the waiting room, I eventually got 50:50, the best a man could ever hope for in this world.

Even though we had exactly 50:50 I still had to pay Child Maintenance because she gets the Child Benefit. Guess why … Child Benefits default to the mother at the birth of the child.

I Visited World’s Largest Tech Show…You Won’t Believe What China Did

https://youtu.be/YOOoJbzG1BU

Swimming in toxic waste

 

Back in the late 1980’s, I attended a local County zoning board meeting. This was in Indiana.

I had a personal reason for being there which is of no concern at this time. Maybe I’ll talk about it later on, but it’s really just a trivial thing.

Anyways, the bulk of the meeting as that a couple of big conglomerates wanted to dump their industrial waste, medical waste, and radioactive (!) waste in our county in a landfill outside of our town. They would do it for free, and we would allow them. All the the board members were “gung ho” on this proposal.

WTF?

I mean it, it was like they must have been having sex with the corporations, they were gleefully pushing the paperwork through. I have never seen such happy people. I was really stunned.

“Yes please! Can I have some more toxic waste, HIV needles, radioactive liquids, and cancerous shit sir?”

But a gal stood up.

I knew her. I worked with her.

And she stopped the entire (future) train wreck. In fact, the smiles disappeared from the boards faces as a true and real anger started building in the room.

She reminded them of “Love Canal” and WTF were they thinking! And she and others were going to make a big issue of this, and screams of bribery and money changing hands and all that went a flying.

The meeting ended.

And nothing was resolved.

The next week, we read in the local paper that the board passed the company, and allowed it to start dumping the toxic trash near us.

I guess that they just went ahead and did it anyways, and the “public hearing” was just for show.

The United States is like that.

Just for show. They do what they want.

Oh, there are rules and regulations.

They do what they want.

Oh, there are rules and regulations.

For you. For me.

But not for THEM.

The entire community was screwed over.

People! I am convinced that the ONLY way to set things right is to erase it all and start fresh.

Today…

As a concerned Australian myself, how do Americans feel that their taxes are being used to destroy other countries and make wars instead of their own well being?

Im thoroughly pissed off. Im Australian too but I see on the news tonight that USA has just started the war in the middle east. They dont give a fuck whos country they bomb but they are doing it to bomb Iranian supporters. Americans also have bases in countries not their own so whats the fucking difference. Biden says were no going to bomb Iran just every supporter base outside their borders. So that has to mean that every US bases outside its borders are no fair game too.. This IS the beginning of the true WW3 and Im pissed off because not only my taxes but my countrymen will most certainly be asked (forced or coerced) into fighting in the middle east in support of USA. USA are the fucking bad guys here just like they were in Afghanistan and Iraq and in Vietnam before that. We should not be involved in this. I dont support Iran and I dont support Syria or Jordan or Lebanon or Gaza but for gods sake please realise that its the USA that are starting and supporting these wars. The only thing I support now is Justice and humanity and I cant see it anywhere.

 

Comfort

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

What are some of the key reasons why Apple’s sales in Greater China declined by 13% YoY?

So the U.S. and U.S. dog nations thinks that when you do shit on Huawei all for containing their progress has no repercussions?

Think again!

Everything you throw at China it will boomerang back 3–5 times as hard on you! Bear that in mind 1.5 billion Chinese and Chinese origin for a start and another at least 2.5 million sympathetic to China others will turn off similar U.S. or western brands representing 60% of world demand to spike the west back.

So think very very very carefully before you ever do shit. China is happy to share a loaf of bread with the west if it plays fair. It not it will have no choice. Take EV’s for example. If the west start anti China shit, 60% of world’s demand is at stake. Japanese and western brands better think twice if you start this racist shit.

Apple is a good company. But the U.S. government forces it to do shit in China so it has to bear the repercussions. Learn how to say no to the U.S. government. Remember for very new outlet for McDonald’s, KFC s and Starbucks in the U.S, China open 10 new outlet. For every GM sold in the U.S. 2 is sold in China. Think twice before you do shit!

Apple, is learning the hard way now, GPS learned the hard way, US chips are are thoroughly fxxked up, US senators learned that depriving Chinese from ISS allowed the Chinese to put up a better, faster, more technologically advanced Chinese space station up in space! Those shit western brands that foolishly talk up fabricated shit about the Uyghurs all lost a boat load of money!

12 Reasons Why Men Don’t Want To Get Married Anymore

https://youtu.be/m6ekTwCMjZ0

Pepperoni Stromboli

2024 02 03 13 17
2024 02 03 13 17

Ingredients

  • 2 (16 ounce) loaves frozen bread dough, thawed
  • 1/2 cup spaghetti or pizza sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 4 ounces sliced pepperoni
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Punch dough down. On a lightly floured surface, roll each loaf into a 20 x 8-inch rectangle. Place one rectangle on a greased baking sheet.
  2. Spread spaghetti sauce in an 18 x 4-inch strip down the center. Sprinkle with oregano, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese. Fold long sides of dough up towards filling; set aside.
  3. Cut the remaining rectangle into three strips. Loosely braid strips; pinch ends to seal. Place braid on top of the cheese; pinch braid to dough to seal. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

 

 

99% on line

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fML2GjTpoY0?feature=share

Has a teacher ever accused your child of doing something that you know he could not have done?

When my daughter was in fifth grade, if her bus got to the school very early before school, instead of going to the cafeteria and waiting there, she would go to her, previous kindergarten teachers room and help her with the five-year-olds. She would read to them, play with them or help organize the day for the teacher by passing out papers, crayons, etc. once the bell rang that the school day was starting, she would just go to her own classroom and begin the day normally. My daughter very much liked her kindergarten teacher, and she, being a youngest child, enjoyed being around young children. She felt good about helping out and very much enjoyed these early morning volunteer sessions.

Well, everything was fine until somehow her fifth grade teacher found out what she was doing. To this day, I don’t know why, but her fifth grade teacher was absolutely livid that she was not dutifully sitting in the cafeteria until school started. She called my sweet and helpful girl, a little sneak. Said that she was sneaking around the school before school started even though she knew very well what the rules were. I have to assume that the kindergarten teacher also knew what the rules were, but never had a problem with it, or told my daughter to go ahead and go to the cafeteria or to her own classroom. The lunatic fifth grade teacher further demanded that my daughter write her a letter of apology for not following the rules.

anyway, when my daughter came home from school that day and tearfully told me how she had been treated by her fifth grade teacher, now I was livid. I called the school and demanded a conference with the teacher and the principal and my daughter. We had a conference, and they tried to calm me down by telling me it’s all about safety, and they have to know where our children are at all times that they are on school grounds, blah blah blah. Which is fine. But that needed to be calmly and kindly explained to my daughter instead of assassinating her character. I demanded that the teacher apologize to my daughter. After the principal pressed her, she very awkwardly and haltingly apologized. I further informed them that my daughter would NOT be apologizing to anyone for innocently trying to be helpful and kind.

But my daughter did not get to volunteer in the kindergarten classroom after that day. And they did not find her a replacement volunteer opportunity, either. And, of course, she hated her teacher from that day forward. And even now, when she is 23 years old, Every time she thinks about that teacher, who chose to believe the worst, instead of seeing the goodness in her, she becomes angry all over again.

Mandatory Paternity Test Law Passed – No More Paternity Fraud From Women

https://youtu.be/eeOtmQhNxwc

Why did the Edmund Fitzgerald sink?

Most serious researchers into the Edmund Fitzgerald’s shocking destruction on 10 November, 1975, in a gale on Lake Superior believe that the ship sank from a combination of factors. This is largely due to widespread dissatisfaction with the conclusions reached by the US Coast Guard in the immediate aftermath of the sinking.

image 58
image 58

Great Lakes Ore Carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald

Edmund Fitzgerald History, The Fateful Journey

The Coast Guard’s official report on the loss of the Fitzgerald, dated 26 July 1977, stated that the most likely cause of the wreck was improperly sealed cargo hatch covers (the rectangular structures amidships that are clearly visible in the photo above), which led to gradually accumulating water in the non-subdivided cargo hold. As more and more “boarding seas” sent water crashing over the main deck, the ship sank lower and lower until finally, its bouyancy was overcome and it plunged to the bottom of Lake Superior. In short, the ship was lost due to the failure of its crew to properly secure it against the conditions caused by the severe storm in which it sank. This is probably the closest thing in maritime circles to citing “pilot error” as the cause of a plane crash. The Coast Guard’s document is located in its entirety here:

http://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/5p/CG-5PC/INV/docs/boards/edmundfitz.pdf

The Lake Carriers Association—the professional trade group representing the shipping companies which owned the US-flagged ships on the Great Lakes—immediately and vociferously disagreed with the Coast Guard.

Lake Carriers’ Association

Paul Trimble, a retired USCG vice admiral who was then the president of the LCA, wrote a letter to the National Transportation Safety Board on September 16, 1977, that specifically disputed the cornerstone of the Coast Guard’s theory on the sinking. His letter stated that:

“The present hatch covers are an advanced design and are considered by the entire lake shipping industry to be the most significant improvement over the telescoping leaf covers previously used for many years. The one-piece hatch covers have proven completely satisfactory in all weather conditions without a single vessel loss in almost 40 years of use…and no water accumulation in cargo holds.”

Having thus rejected out of hand the idea that the Fitzgerald’s crew had essentially been negligent or at least careless in securing the hatch covers, the LCA’s suspicions immediately centered on an event that occurred several hours before the sinking, soon after the ship had departed from Superior, Wisconsin, fully loaded with more than 26,000 tons of taconite iron ore pellets. This was a possible running aground or “shoaling” of the ship near Caribou Island.

image 57
image 57

Caribou Island in Lake Superior, North America. Photo Courtesy of Morris Chisholm by way of Flickr dot com.

Caribou Island – Wikipedia

During its final journey, Fitzgerald was traveling in concert with another large freighter, the SS Arthur Anderson, under the command of Captain Bernie Cooper. At around 1530 (3:30 in the afternoon), or roughly 4 hours before the Fitzgerald sank, Cooper received a radio transmission from Captain Earnest McSorley of the Fitzgerald. McSorley told Cooper:

Anderson, this is the Fitzgerald. I have a fence rail down, two vents lost or damaged, and a list. I’m checking down. Will you stay by me till I get to Whitefish?” By “checking down”, McSorley meant that he was reducing speed so the trailing Anderson could close the distance and keep an eye on the Fitzgerald in the gathering storm. Cooper radioed McSorley and asked if he had his pumps going, and McSorley said, “Yes, both of them.”

image 56
image 56

Massive Storm Waves Breaking on the Shore of Lake Superior. Wave Heights of 35 Feet or More Have Been Observed During Storms on the Lake.

It is crucial to note that the storm was already underway by this point in the day on 10 November. Winds had reached near gale force several hours earlier, at 7 AM that morning, with wave heights of 10 feet observed. Thus the Fitzgerald was in heavy seas well before it passed by Caribou Island, and more so at the time McSorley reported that his vessel had been damaged. Just prior to the Fitzgerald’s radio communication with his ship, Cooper and one of his bridge staff on the Anderson—sailing astern of the Fitzgerald and watching its course on the Anderson’s radar—both remarked to each other that each thought McSorley and his ship were far too close to Caribou Island and a known underwater hazard called “Six Fathom Shoal”. A “list” meant that the Fitzgerald had taken on enough water to make the ship lean over on its side. A downed fence rail could only have been caused by either a heavy impact with a large object of some kind, or—much more likely—”hogging” of the ship. This would have snapped the steel rail as it was bent to the breaking point by the ship’s hull itself being forced upward from an impact with something on the lake floor beneath the vessel. Although Cooper’s sometimes excitable and occasionally inconsistent testimony led the majority of investigators to discount the idea that the Fitzgerald had struck rocks jutting up from the lake bottom, others were convinced.

Subsequent radio transmissions from the stricken ship indicate that McSorley was worried. Between 4:30 and 5:00 he called the Coast Guard on the emergency channel—the “distress frequency”—and also put out a general call asking for information about the lighthouse and the radio beacon at Whitefish Point, at the southeastern end of the Lake. The comparitive safety of Whitefish Bay was just beyond the Point.

Further, although McSorley did not tell Cooper that he was particularly concerned by whatever had happened near Caribou Island, around 5:30 he reported to another ship captain, Cedric Woodard of the Swedish cargo vessel Avafors, that:

“I have a bad list, lost both radars. And am taking heavy seas over the deck. One of the worst seas I’ve ever been in.”

Woodard replied: “If I’m correct, you have two radars.”

McSorley: “They’re both gone.”

It should be noted that McSorley said something at this time that was apparently picked up in his transmission to Woodard because McSorley was shouting to the crew while leaving his radio mic on. As described by writer Hugh Bishop in his Lake Superior Magazine article “Edmund Fitzgerald: Decades of Speculation, Fascination and Grieving”:

“Captain Woodard, who was acquainted with McSorley and had talked with him many times previously, said in testimony that he didn’t recognize the voice when first they spoke and that McSorley sounded strange.

Still later, at about 6 p.m., Woodard called the Fitz to report that the light had just come on at Whitefish Point. During that conversation, he stated that McSorley inadvertently left the microphone on when he said to someone in his pilothouse, “Don’t allow nobody on deck,” also saying something about a vent that Woodard couldn’t understand.

In Lake Superior Port Cities Inc.’s newly released book, The Night the Fitz Went Down, Captain Dudley Paquette vividly describes his voyage through the massive seas of the November 9-10, 1975, storm as master of the downbound Inland Steel Company’s SS Wilfred Sykes. He is particularly intrigued by the command that Woodard overheard.

“In those seas, such a command goes without saying, so why did McSorley have to emphasize it?” he asks. “There had to have been something happening on the deck that a mate thought they had to get control of – even if it meant putting lives in danger.”

Whatever prompted that command just a little over an hour before the sinking, Paquette analyzes that it would have been catastrophic and visible from the pilothouse in the darkness of an early November evening. That would likely mean that it was at the forward end of the weather deck. Previously suggested possibilities are that a hatch cover washed off or the heavy deck crane or the spare blade for the propeller broke loose and crashed about.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if a hatch cover came off, because I loaded right beside him in Superior on November 9 and the deck crew was still putting on hatch covers when they left the Superior Entry into Lake Superior,” Captain Paquette says. “It’s likely that they didn’t latch a lot of the hatch cover clamps because the crew was on Sunday overtime pay and they were so late getting covered up – and the weather was very nice at that time.” Captain Paquette thus sided with the Coast Guard and essentially blamed the crew.

Edmund Fitzgerald: Decades of Speculation, Fascination and Grieving

By this point, then, at around 6 PM, the Fitzgerald was badly damaged, listing from increasing amounts of water in its cargo hold and in other spaces—too much for the ship’s powerful pumps to stay ahead of—and sailing blind.

Worse, meteorological reconstructions of the 10 November 1975 storm show that it was exceptionally powerful even by the Great Lakes’ notoriously vicious standards.

image 55
image 55

Unusual and Violent Waves on Lake Erie in a Recent November

The Spectacular, Rip-Roaring Waves of Lake Erie’s ‘November Witch’

The November Witches Of The Great Lakes | WeatherBug

Why the Edmund Fitzgerald sank

In some ways the seas during the worst storms on the Great Lakes are more difficult than what ships would encounter in the open ocean. This is due to the “Bathtub Effect” that produces oscillating waves which collide with each other from two or more directions. A “seiche”—similar to a tsunami—can also develop as sustained winds blow enormous amounts of water ahead of them down the Lakes. Similar factors have led to ten foot waves being seen even on as small a body of water as the 50 square mile Sea of Galilee (referenced in the New Testament in Matthew 8:23–27).

Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 8:23-27 – New International Version

SIDEBAR – The Bathtub Effect

— This blog post is discussing the Bathtub Effect as observed in the Gulf of Mexico and not the Great Lakes, but is still a good overview of the phenomenon.

What Is a seiche?

Captain McSorley knew that his ship was badly wounded and in mortal danger. Knowing also that he was not far from Whitefish Bay, he decided to run for it. Unfortunately this decision put him squarely in the worst possible place at the worst possible time. The Fitzgerald sailed into the exact spot where the storm reached its maximum power, and at the center of the worst waves and seiche storm surge produced by the 80-plus MPH winds and “bathtub effect”.

image 54
image 54

The Final Voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior. The Ship Sank 17 Miles Northwest of Whitefish Bay.

The last communication with the doomed vessel came via radio at about 7:10 PM. Anderson first mate Morgan Clark radioed the Fitzgerald to notify him of a radar contact about 19 miles ahead. McSorley acknowledged this and asked if he “was going to clear”, ie, if there was any danger of a collision. Clark said that there was none, then asked how things were going. McSorley replied, “We are holding our own”.

Soon after this, the Fitzgerald entered a snow squall and radar contact was lost. Just prior to Clark’s transmission, Cooper later testified, the crew of the Anderson had felt “a bump”, an impact that hit their vessel from behind. Looking back from the pilothouse, the bridge crew saw two huge waves partially engulf the ship, moving forward from the stern. The second of these struck the back of the pilothouse, which forced the bow of the Anderson down into the seas. As Cooper described:

“We took two of the largest seas of the trip. The first one flooded our boat deck. It had enough force to come down on the starboard lifeboat, pushing it into the saddles with a force strong enough to damage the bottom of the lifeboat.… The second large sea put green water (the powerful center of a wave) on our bridge deck! This is 35 feet above the waterline.”

image 53
image 53

SS Arthur Anderson, a Great Lakes Freighter That Traveled With the Edmund Fitzgerald on 10 November 1975. Note the Height of the Ship’s Pilothouse in the Bow of the Vessel.

Cooper’s ship, though badly rattled, quickly recovered from the force of the blow, and the crew watched the two giant waves move down the Lake—toward the struggling Fitzgerald. All contact with the Fitzgerald was lost about 10 minutes later.

The subsequent report by the Coast Guard was based on extensive video of the wreck on the bottom of Lake Superior. The footage was taken by the US Navy’s CURV III (Cable-controlled Undersea Recovery Vehicle).

CURV – Wikipedia

Conditions on the lake bottom, 535 feet down, were somewhat muddy and so the quality of the video was not ideal.

Following the Lake Carriers’ Association letter to the NTSB that disputed the Coast Guard’s conclusions, a second report—this one by the NTSB itself—was issued.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55fd6fdbe4b0154e882ba4d7/t/562e1f79e4b04e54c8a031bd/1445863289573/EdmundFitzgeraldNTSBReport.pdf

Taking a somewhat broader view of the tragedy, the NTSB document considered in more detail several possible contributing factors. Most of these had been briefly touched upon by the Coast Guard but not discussed comprehensively.

One of these was the near-certainty that the Fitzgerald was overloaded on its last trip.

image 52
image 52

An Early Photo of the Fitzgerald, in Light Condition at Pierside, Probably in the late 1950s or Early 1960s. The Ship Was Launched in 1958.

image 51
image 51

The Fitzgerald Riding Low in the Water While Fully Loaded, Sometime in 1971. The Ship Would Have Looked Much Like This As It Sailed Into the Storm on 10 November 1975.

The distance from the waterline to the main deck of a ship is known as “freeboard”. On the night before its destruction, the Fitzgerald probably left port with as little as 11 and a half (11.5) feet of freeboard and possibly even less. This was a dangerously thin margin of safety, particularly in a storm, even had the ship not been damaged.

There was also the possibility that the Fitzgerald was not entirely seaworthy in other respects when it sailed from Superior, Wisconsin. The NTSB noted:

“A former chief mate of the FITZGERALD testified that between September 13 and October 3, 1975, the FITZGERALD discharged at Toledo, Ohio. Because of the FITZGERALD’s deep draft, she was not able to pull up to the dock and had to lay off some 12 feet each time. The ship seemed to plow its way toward the dock every trip, he said. Similar “groundings” of other Great Lakes bulk cargo vessels during discharge at various ports were observed by Coast Guard Marine Inspectors during the winter of 1976 and the spring of 1977 and by Safety Board personnel during the summer of 1977.

In other words, there may have been unrepaired damage to the bottom plating of the ship’s hull that was the result of literally plowing its way the last short distance to various unloading docks around the Great Lakes shoreline.

This idea has some corroboration from one of the ship’s surviving previous crewmen, Jim Woodard, who had sailed on the Fitzgerald for some time in the 60s and 70s. He told a recent interviewer that the Fitz “was a wet ship”—meaning it leaked noticeably and often shipped water while underway—and that he just did not have a good feeling about it, even though it was widely known as “the pride of the American side” and an assignment on board was greatly prized among Great Lakes mariners.

Forty years after the sinking of the Fitzgerald, untold stories…

It is also possible that the vessel’s design itself was inherently flawed and at least somewhat structurally unsound. Support for this point comes from the fact that the Fitzgerald’s sister ship, the SS Arthur M. Homer, which had undergone a very expensive lengthening and reconstruction to increase its cargo capacity, was suddenly and unexpectedly removed from service by its owner, Bethlehem Steel Corporation (now defunct) just 5 years later, in 1980. A similar conversion had been planned for the Fitzgerald itself.

The following passage from the Wikipedia article about the sinking explains:

“Retired Great Lakes Engineering Works naval architect Raymond Ramsey, one of the members of the design team that worked on the hull of Fitzgerald,reviewed her increased load lines, maintenance history, along with the history of long ship hull failure and concluded that Fitzgerald was not seaworthy on November 10, 1975.

He stated that planning Fitzgerald to be compatible with the constraints of the St. Lawrence Seaway had placed her hull design in a “straight jacket .” Fitzgerald’s long-ship design was developed without the benefit of research, development, test, and evaluation principles while computerized analytical technology was not available at the time she was built.

Ramsey noted that Fitzgerald’s hull was built with an all-welded (instead of riveted) modular fabrication method, which was used for the first time in the GLEW shipyard. Ramsey concluded that increasing the hull length to 729 feet (222 m) resulted in a L/D slenderness ratio (the ratio of the length of the ship to the depth of her structure) that caused excessive multi-axial bending and springing of the hull, and that the hull should have been structurally reinforced to cope with her increased length.”

The Great Lakes Engineering Works The Shipyard And Its Vessels

image 50
image 50

The Launch of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald at the Great Lakes Engineering Works in Detroit, MI, 7 June 1958. The GLEW Was for Many Years a Major Shipbuilder on the Lakes, and Has Since Gone Out of Business.

Eventually the NTSB report gave its “Findings” and “Probable Cause”, which largely echoed the Coast Guard’s previous findings but with additional detail:

“Findings:

1. The FITZGERALD’s hatch covers were not weathertight and allowed water to enter the cargo hold over an extended period. This water was not detected because it migrated down through the cargo. There was no method provided for sounding the cargo other than visual observations, nor was there any method for dewatering the cargo hold with the vessel trimmed by the bow.

2. Amendments to the Great Lakes Load Line Regulations in 1969, 1971, and 1973 allow Great Lakes bulk carriers to load deeper. This deeper loading increased deck wetness which caused an increase in the flooding rate through nonweathertight hatches or other nonweather-tight openings.

3. The topside vents and fence rail were damaged before 1520 either by a heavy object coming adrift on deck or by a floating object coming aboard with the seas. The FITZGERALD’s hull plating probably was damaged also; the damage propagated and caused flooding of the ballast tanks and tunnel.

4. Flooding of ballast tanks and the tunnel caused trim and a list. Detection of ballast tank flooding prompted the ballast pumps to be started. However, the flooding rate through the hull damage, which was propagating, increased and exceeded the capacity of the pumping system.

5. The hull stress levels, even with a substantial amount of flooding, were low enough that the hull girder did not fail before the sinking.

6. The forces on the hatch covers caused by boarding seas were sufficient to cause damage and collapse. These forces increased as flooding caused a list and reduced the vessel’s freeboard.

7. Flooding of the cargo hold caused by one or more collapsed hatch covers was massive and progressed throughout the hold. Flooding was so rapid that the vessel sank before the crew could transmit a distress call.

8. The vessel either plunged or partially capsized and plunged under the surface. The hull failed either as the vessel sank or when the bow struck the bottom.

9. The availability of a fathometer aboard the FITZGERALD would have provided additional navigational data and would have required less dependence on the ANDERSON for navigational assistance.

10. The most probable trackline of the FITZGERALD, from west of Michipicoten Island to the position of her wreckage, lies east of the shoal areas north and east of Caribou Island; therefore, damage from grounding would have been unlikely.

11. The shoal area north of Caribou Island is not shown in sufficient detail on Lake Survey Chart No. 9 to indicate the extent of this hazard to navigation. A contour presentation of this hazard would allow mariners to better assess this area and would help to eliminate the erroneous conclusion that there are isolated spots of shallow water, where in fact there is a large area of shoal water less than 10 fathoms deep.

12. Insufficient water depth has been observed at some loading and discharge piers. “Groundings” of vessels at these locations induce hull stresses of unknown magnitudes and create the potential of undetected hull damage and wear.

13. Although the National Weather Service accurately predicted the direction and velocity of the wind expected over the eastern end of Lake Superior on November 10, 1975, the predicted wave heights were significantly less than those observed.

14. Loading information on the FITZGERALD and other Great Lakes bulk cargo vessels was not adequate.

15. Great Lakes bulk cargo vessels normally can avoid severe storms. The limiting sea state for Great Lakes bulk cargo vessels should be determined, and the operation of vessels in sea states above this limiting value should be restricted.

16. The presence of an EPIRE aboard the FITZGERALD would have provided immediate automatic transmission of an emergency signal which would have allowed search units to locate the position of the accident. The accurate location of this position would have reduced the extent of the search area.

17. Installation of trim and list indicating instruments on the FITZGERALD would have provided the master an early indication of flooding that would have an adverse effect on the vessel. These instruments would have given an indication of whether the master’s corrective action was adequate.

18. The surface search and rescue capability of the Coast Guard on November 10 was inadequate.

Probable Cause:

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the sudden massive flooding of the cargo hold due to the collapse of one or more hatch covers. Before the hatch covers collapsed, flooding into the ballast tanks and tunnel through topside damage and flooding into the cargo hold through nonweathertight hatch covers caused a reduction of freeboard and a list. The hydrostatic and hydrodynamic forces imposed on the hatch covers by heavy boarding seas at this reduced freeboard and with the list caused the hatch covers to collapse. Contributing to the accident was the lack of transverse watertight bulkheads in the cargo hold and the reduction of freeboard authorized by the 1969, 1971, and 1973 amendments to the Great Lakes Load Line Regulations.”

In short, the ship sank because of progressive flooding following damage sustained from some cause near Caribou Island, aggravated by overloading. The initial flooding and overloading made the Fitzgerald go lower in the waves of the storm, which began a downward cycle of boarding seas. These gradually brought more and more water aboard until a final, catastrophic collapse of one or more hatch covers allowed sudden additional and overwhelming flooding that drove the ship to the bottom.

The NTSB added that the storm was significantly stronger than weather reports had predicted, and both the Coast Guard and the NTSB noted that the navigational charts used by McSorley were not entirely accurate regarding the underwater hazards around Caribou Island. This last factor led the NTSB to take the unusual step of including a dissenting opinion in its conclusion. Board member Philip Hogue wrote:

“The most probable cause of the sinking of the SS EDMUND FITZGERALD in Lake Superior on 10 November 1975, was a shoaling which first generated a list, the loss of two air vents, and a fence wire. Secondarily, within a period of 3 to 4 hours, an undetected, progressive, massive flooding of the cargo hold resulted in a total loss of buoyancy from which, diving into a wall of water, the FITZGERALD never recovered.

Like the Marine Board of the Coast Guard or the majority of the Members of the National Transportation Safety Board, I could speculate or surmise in the first instance that flooding into the cargo hold took place through ineffective hatch covers or in the second instance that flooding took place due to the failure of hatch cover Number One due to massive seas. I reject these arguments because neither of them is fully cognizant of the ramifications of the first reported list, the loss of two vents and fence railing at approximately the precise time the FITZGERALD was reportedly in or over shoal waters. Between the first reported damage and the time of the sinking, approximately 3 to 4 hours later, seas of 25 to 30 feet and winds gusting to 80 knots were variously observed. Without exception, expert testimony has affirmed the fact that seas in shoal waters are inherently more violent and wild than in open water. It follows, therefore, that subsequent to her initial sustained damage, the FITZGERALD suffered progressive damage from laboring, rolling, and pitching for the next 3 to 4 hours as it proceeded toward Whitefish Point Light. At or about 1730, Captain Woodard aboard the Swedish vessel AVAFORS received a report from Captain McSorley stating the FITZGERALD had a “bad list,” had lost both radars and was taking heavy seas over the deck in one of the worst seas he had ever been in. In approximately 2 hours from the initial report of a list, the FITZGERALD had acquired a “bad list” and sustained the loss of both radars. Approximately 1 hour 40 minutes later at or about 1910, the FITZGERALD reported it was holding its own. This was the last transmission ever heard from the FITZGERALD. Aside from the expert testimony elicited at the Coast Guard Marine Board hearing, it is self-evident that Captain McSorley had a damaged ship, and that he did not know how damaged she was….

It is reasonable to assume, from all that is known of Captain McSorley, that his first report of damage was based on damage sustained immediately prior to 1530 and that it was no small consideration that caused Captain McSorley to ask the ANDERSON to stay with him, saying, “I will check down so that you can close the distance between us.””


In the end, while these are expert and informed opinions, no one really knows for certain what sank the Fitzgerald. There is an enduring mystery about the ship and its final voyage that is both tragic and strangely compelling. In this vein Woodard said something striking. He had spoken with many of the Fitzgerald’s crew when his ship and the Fitz were in port a couple of weeks before the sinking.

“God strike me dead if I’m lying,” Woodard said, his spontaneous laughter checked. “We pulled in behind them and everybody I saw on that crew had an aura around them. That’s the honest-to-God’s truth. They glowed, just like a little brightness, you know what I mean?”

When asked if he was benefiting from hindsight and imagination, Woodard said, “I’ve never seen that since.”

My mother once told me a similar story. She said she had seen our next door neighbor at the local post office just before he was killed in a car wreck by a drunk driver. She later described seeing the same kind of strange aura and light around him when she looked at him.

Do with that what you will. As I say, there is mystery here.

Perhaps the biggest lesson that should be taken from the sinking is that no matter how skilled the sailors and how large the ship, all are still less than specks of sand compared with the vastness and power of the sea and of great storms over large bodies of water. It is no wonder, then, that both the traditional US Navy Hymn and Gordon Lightfoot’s enduring ballad speak with reverence of the power of both Nature and Nature’s God.

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

 

 

How the US Keeps Fighting China, Knowing It Won’t Win?

Damn. This is pretty good.

https://youtu.be/Jm4o9-_grQs

What do you think was the most ingenious military tactic ever executed?

It’s a toss-up between Caesar at Alesia and Alexander’s siege at Tyre. But for this answer I’ll focus only on Caesar.

Those two are definitely in my list of top battles not only because of the absolute understanding that Cesar and Alexander had of the flow of battle, or the mind-blowing tactics they used, but also because of the ingenuity they showed and just the relentless determination to bend the universe to their will.

Let’s jump straight to it.

Caesar at Alesia

image 67
image 67

Just look at this. What you are seeing is Caesar laying a siege while at the same time being besieged by another force. Just… OK.

The year is 52 BC. It’s the culmination of 8 years of Gallic Wars. The leader of the Gauls is Vercingetorix. A great general himself and a chieftain of the Arveni tribe. He had organized a fairly large rebellion and even convinced several tribes, allies of Rome, to defect and join his cause. After shadowing Caesar’s legions for some time, and playing a game of cat and mouse, he ended up retreating to the hill town fort of Alesia. Around 30,000 strong, together with the local civilian population were stationed in the small fort.

Caesar, being the great tactician that he is, opted for a prolonged siege, to starve and demoralize his enemy. He ordered the construction of a 18 km long wall to circumvent the town and prevent the enemy’s escape (the middle fortification that you see on the photo above). As you can imagine, this is already a little unorthodox. Sieging a fortified town with a smaller force, in the middle of enemy territory, with little to no supplies. But then what this total badass did was to turn around and build a secondary, outer wall, 21 km long, circumventing the first one, with enough space to contain his entire army. And those walls, weren’t anything simple either. There was enough space for his man to patrol them, as well as more than 20 towers, trenches, and even a moat which he somehow filled with water.

Between the choice of attacking a superior force with better position and being trapped between two armies, Caesar opted for a 3rd option – to build his own frigging castle.

While all of this was happening, Vercingetorix’s relief force arrived, adding more than 50,000 to his already larger force. Caesar was outnumbered 3 to 1 and was smack in the middle of the two armies.

The battle raged for several days, the Gauls were attacking simultaneously from the inside and outside, with the two side’s cavalries chasing each other around the fortifications. On the 3rd day of fighting, a focused attack on one side of the fortifications almost broke the Romans but a young soldier by the name of Mark Antony snatched victory from defeat with his commanding skills.

On the final day of the battle, both Gallic armies made a last attempt to break Caesar and attacked simultaneously, spreading to cover the whole length of the fortifications. The Romans were spread thin and Caesar was commanding his reserves himself, rotating groups of 500–1000 man and reinforcing every spot that was about to falter.

Completely surrounded and fighting on all directions at once, Rome’s legions were in dire situation. Then the worse thing happened, the outer Gallic army bridged the outside walls and poured in the fortifications. Caesar rallied around 7,000 soldiers from wherever he could spare and formed a shield wall on the two sides of the broken fortifications, trying to contain the Gallic spill. Then, from another side of the wall he sent his remaining cavalry who were useless defending the walls anyway, to break out of the fortifications, circle around and charge from the location where the Gauls were entering his defenses. In the most epic pincer move ever, Caesar’s cavalry came seemingly out of nowhere, scaring the attackers shitless, and making them think another army was approaching. This caused general panic. Seeing this, the whole Gallic relief force retreated, leaving only Vercingetorix and his remaining forces trapped inside the fort.

Vercingetorix rode out and personally surrendered to Caesar the next day.

image 66
image 66

Caesar seen here, forced to sit down due to the sheer weight of his balls.

 

“A Total COLLAPSE Is Coming” – Whitney Webb WARNING 2024

https://youtu.be/W9S8INDDifU

Do you think Senator Tom Cotton’s questioning of Chew Shou Zi, TikTok CEO, implies that Singaporeans have communist ties just because of the ethnic Chinese majority in Singapore?

Yes. The key word is Chinese, not Singapore. But then Zuckerberg’s wife is Chinese and he was not asked about It. Chew was asked about his wife and children. Maybe if Tom Swabhead goes to Singapore, their immigration control should ask

“Are you a member of the Ku Klux Klan?”

“No, sir I am from…..”

“ Just answer the question”

“ No sir”

“Did your ancestors fight for the Confederates?”

“Sir, that was before my……”

“Yes or no please”

“You can’t expect me to…. no sir”

“Did your great grandfather own slaves ?”

“What makes you think so?”

“Your surname is Cotton. And have you heard of Uncle Tom’s Cabin?”

 

I Walked In On My Fiancée “Servicing” My Dad, Got In On Video And Now I’m Sending It To Her Family

https://youtu.be/NAjnTIl9jL8

What’s the weirdest thing a guest has done at your house?

One day when I was around 18 or so, my mom got a can of soup out of the pantry. When she went to open it, she found the can had already been cut and the soup was all moldy inside:

image 65
image 65

She grabbed another can: same thing. My mom ended up pulling all the canned items out of the pantry to check each one. All said, there were at least a dozen cans of soup that had been opened and carefully placed back on the shelf, and they were now absolutely disgusting inside.

My brother, my father, and I all swore we had not been responsible for this. None of us had any theories (well, no reasonable theories) as to how this might have happened.

It wasn’t until a while later (might have been a few months or even a year or more later, don’t really remember clearly) that my mom was telling this story at a gathering of a large group of family friends when one of my best friends, Joelle, interjected with: “Umm, I think maybe that was me…”

And then we finally got our explanation for the whole bizarre event.

Several months prior to “the soup incident,” my family had gone away for a week-long vacation. Joelle, also 18 or so, had been our house-sitter since we had pets that needed to be taken care of.

She now recalled for us how one night she had been in the mood for a bowl of soup (and we had told her to feel free to eat anything she wanted). So she grabbed a can of soup and our can opener, which wasn’t like the electric one she was used to. Ours looked like the one on the left while she was used to the kind like the one on the right:

image 64
image 64

With the can openers she was used to, the blade would pierce into the top of the lid, cutting down into the metal inside the rim, like this:

image 63
image 63

Ours, on the other hand, was a “safety” can opener that cut into the side of the can, just below the rim:

image 62
image 62

So, after finally managing to latch the thing onto the can, she twisted it around the can like steps 1 and 2 below:

image 61
image 61

But she never got to step 3, because to her, it didn’t look like it worked.

image 60
image 60

Hungry, and determined to not let the defective can opener deprive her of a bowl of soup, she tried a different can. Then another…and another…before finally just giving up and eating something else entirely. And since she didn’t manage to open anything anyway, she just put all the cans back into the pantry the way she’d found them.

She never mentioned it to us before, because who wants to admit to being the dumbass who can’t operate a simple can opener?? Besides, it’s not like we would ever find out…

And that is the story of how our house guest accidentally left us with a pantry full of moldy soup.

*images are not of the actual incident. I got all the images from a Google image search and then added the borders, arrows, and commentary.

SPOOKY, Empty Towns In Rural, Forgotten Texas

https://youtu.be/Nj_2O6SNQsM

What happened at a wedding that made you feel horrible for the bride?

Nearly 90% of the 500 invited guests didn’t attend the wedding.

This wedding was recent, just last Christmas. The bride and groom, let’s call them Michelle and Paul, were married on December 24, of all dates.

Michelle is a goddaughter of my aunt and her mom has been friends with my aunt since high school. Paul is a third generation Filipino Chinese but his grandmother is very traditional. She insisted on consulting a feng shui expert, who claimed that December 24 was the best date for the couple to get married on. How he decided on this advice, I have no idea.

In Filipino culture, Christmas is the most important holiday of the year. During Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Filipinos will surely be home to celebrate these days with their families. How Filipino families will spend Christmas is always pre-planned, so don’t think they’ll give up being with their families on a very special occasion just so they can attend your wedding.

Michelle’s mom lamented that her daughter and future son-in-law almost had no say on the details of their own wedding, and that everyone in Paul’s family seemed to blindly obey their matriarch.

As soon as my aunt received the wedding invitation, she called Michelle and her mom right away to let them know that she won’t be able to attend the wedding. To make it even less likely for guests to attend, the wedding was set at 6 PM, which is going to be followed by dinner at a hotel. Knowing how big weddings really go, the 6PM ceremony will last for an hour, then it’s followed by endless picture taking in the church, which is followed by even more picture taking at the reception. When guests finish dinner, there’s going to be a program and other traditional wedding stuff that will take hours. So, the guests will be essentially spending Christmas Eve at this wedding and not at home with their families.

So the wedding took place as planned, but only two or three members of the entourage made it. After pictures were taken in the church, the two bridesmaids and the best man, who is the only part of the groom’s entourage who made it, left and rushed to get home.

The reception was really sad. Only family members were left in attendance that the program was nixed.

A few days after the wedding, my aunt had a chat with Michelle’s mom and she was still disappointed. She had hoped that the wedding would be set on a different day so that most of the guests could attend. She said that the function hall was practically vacant with rows of empty tables. The servers who were hired to accommodate 500 guests ended up serving one guest each. She sent my aunt a picture that looked like this:

image 59
image 59

(Photo Credit to emmalovesweddings via Pinterest)

It really baffles me why this wedding still took place as planned and there didn’t seem to be any adjustments made. It’s truly bizarre and not something a bride would like to remember about what could have been the happiest day of her life.

Edit: First, thank you for the upvotes 😊🤗 I never thought my answer would get this much attention since the question was answered many times before I did.

If I did not reply to your comment, it means I can’t find it 🙁 I don’t get notifications on some comments.

I’ve been to many weddings and have heard of and seen some unpleasant things happen that I can add a few more to this answer. The reason why I chose this wedding for my answer is because of it being so bizarre, it’s unbelievable.

Here are some information to help explain how the wedding went as it did and I learned this from my aunt after I posted this answer.

The grandmother paid for the bulk of the wedding expenses. She paid close to 90% of the costs and in a way it helped explain why she had the last say on the decisions. If the wedding was meant to be a gift (this is only a speculation), she should have just given the money to the couple so they can plan their wedding according to their choices.

I still can’t get my head around this: Grandma booked the venue on the day the invitations were sent out. So there really was no point in waiting for RSVP. One of the wedding planners quit at this point— not surprising at all.

Before the invitations were sent out, the bride’s family was advised by several friends that a Christmas Eve wedding is not a good idea. According to my aunt, one of the bride’s uncles was heard saying, “I told Michelle not to expect us if she’s having her wedding on Christmas Eve. We already made plans.” Several friends also said basically the same. “If the wedding is on Christmas Eve, we won’t make it. Count us out.” So the family already knew that many of the guests won’t make it. The groom informed his family of this. Clearly they were not able to convince grandma, who said, “We will proceed as planned.” I’m pretty sure one can still cancel or make reductions on catering services at reasonable charges but grandma did not. Well, it’s her money. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The few members of the entourage who made it apparently had an agreement with the couple. The best man and two bridesmaids, one of them turned maid of honor, promised the bride and groom that they will stand for them during the ceremony at 6PM, but also promised their families they will be home in time to spend Christmas Eve. This is why they appeared to have ditched the couple at the church when they did not. Because of this lack of a wedding party, certain parts of the ceremony were “altered.” it got me asking this question, if there were only this few members of the entourage, couldn’t members of the family take their place? It seems that the more details I got, the more questions I have.

The “RSVP” doesn’t always work in my culture. Sadly, most people do not bother replying to an invitation. If they want to attend, they’ll simply show up and sometimes they do so with extra guests in tow. If they don’t or can’t make it to the occasion, they will simply do not show up. I know this from experience. This also explains why in most gatherings, the host prepares food based on the number of people who were invited, not with the number of people who confirmed to attend. Paul’s grandmother must have had the same thought, but it was definitely not a smart move to go ahead and have the caterers prepare according to the number of invited guests. Adjustments should have been made when several guests already expressed their regrets about not being able to attend in favor of spending Christmas Eve with families.

One guest told my aunt, “It is wrong of them to assume we’ll give up Christmas Eve in favor of the wedding. If you invite me for any occasion on a Christmas Eve, it is understood that I will not attend.” I’m assuming the other guests shared the same sentiment.

There was a compromise on the wedding date and the wedding ceremony. I was also curious about this and I learned that the families came to an agreement. The wedding ceremony was held by Catholic rites in deference to the bride’s religion, but the date of the wedding will be decided by the groom’s family, who are Chinese, thru a feng shui reading. It was probably an attempt at combining traditions for the merging of two families but it did not work.

There’s definitely a lot of absurdity on this wedding that I still find it hard to believe the entire thing happened at all. I hope for the best for the couple.

Magic Music for Cats – UNBELIEVABLE Results (Tested 2022)

https://youtu.be/LoW_AddZKkU

Ending The U.S. Presence In Middle East

The Biden administration, in its utter stupidity, is launching a(nother) full fledged war throughout the Middle East.

U.S. launches retaliatory strikes after deadly attack on Jordan baseWashington Post – Feb 3, 2024
The operation, targeting numerous sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iranian forces and its affiliates, followed the killing of American troops last weekend

> U.S. forces launched a broad attack against Iran’s powerful military wing and affiliated militias in Iraq and Syria on Friday, delivering a blow to armed groups that Washington has blamed for killing American troops in Jordan and a surge of violence across the Middle East. <

Daniel McAdams @DanielLMcAdams – 11:01 UTC · Feb 3, 2024

The Biden Administration just literally just blew up all the weapons of the Iraqi brigade that was fighting ISIS!
Let that sink in…

Hawkeye1812Z @Hawkeye1745 22:09 UTC · Feb 2, 2024

🇺🇸💥🇮🇶Footage shows the explosions of the headquarters of the Anbar Operation Command & the headquarters of the 13th Hashd al-Sha’bi Brigade, after it was targeted by US raids, in the Anbar province of Iraq

That is is unit which is fighting ISIS … 🤔
Embedded video

Secretary Antony Blinken @SecBlinken – 21:01 UTC · Feb 2, 2024

I am returning to the Middle East this coming week to continue working with our partners on how to achieve durable peace in the region, with lasting security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

President Biden @POTUS – 22:45 UTC · Feb 2, 2024

Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces struck targets in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia use to attack U.S. forces.

We do not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world.

But to all those who seek to do us harm: We will respond.

Elijah J. Magnier @ejmalrai – 14:11 UTC · Feb 3, 2024

The US: We don’t want to escalate the war in the ME, but we bombed Yemen & killed 10 Yemenis, we bombed Syria & Iraq & killed 16 Iraqis, 7 Syrians, but please de-escalate coz we will bomb you more in the coming days. In the meantime we are sending bombs to Israel to bomb Gaza.

In 2020, after the U.S. assassination of General Qassam Suleimani, the leadership of Iran announced that, in consequence, the U.S. presence in the Middle East will be ended. Iran and its allies have since diligently prepared themselves to achieve that aim.

The hot phase of the process itself was initiated primarily by Hamas on October 7 (which followed the October 2 desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Zionist settlers). The secondary and tertiary steps were launched by Ansarollah in Yemen and Kataib Hizbullah in Iraq.

In each cases the U.S. and its Israeli proxy responded with harsh escalations.

It was the biggest mistake they could make.

agitpapa @agitpapa – 15:07 UTC · Feb 3, 2024

Harakat al Nujaba PMF declares that it will not be defeated or subdued by US airstrikes and vows to teach the US humility with fire, says it has surprises in store.
Attached image

Syrian military statement: US occupation cannot persistAl Mayadeen – Feb 3, 2024
In its statement, Syria’s military emphasizes that the US is working on reviving ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

> The statement also affirmed that the Syrian army will continue to defend Syria’s land and people, and strike all terrorist groups, regardless of how much their sponsors and supporters try to obstruct this goal. It added that it is determined to liberate the entire Syrian territory from all terrorism and occupation, including the US occupation which “cannot persist.” <

The Axis of Resistance is present throughout the Middle East. It has its own economic and social networks. It produces its own weapons and its fighters are well trained to fight under the local circumstances. This is an enemy the U.S. can not defeat.

As Aaron Maté explains:

These groups’ decision to strike US forces in response to the Gaza genocide follows a well-entrenched pattern of resisting joint US-Israeli aggression, or what the Journal describes as efforts to “push back against American and Israeli influence” in the Middle East. And contrary to US claims that Iran’s main regional allies – Hezbollah in Lebanon, Ansar Allah in Yemen (the Houthis), the PMU in Iraq, Hamas/Islamic Jihad in Palestine, and the Syrian government — are all mere Iranian “proxies”, these groups “have domestic agendas of their own and operate with some measure of autonomy,” the Journal notes. US intelligence analyst Brian Katz concurs. Iran’s allies “are no longer simply Iranian proxies,” Katz writes. “Rather, they have become a collection of ideologically aligned, militarily interdependent, mature political-military actors committed to mutual defence.”

The conflict has boiling on a low flame for some time:

As the Washington Post notes, Iranian allies in the region “began targeting U.S. interests in 2018, after then-President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from a landmark nuclear deal with Tehran” as part of a hawkish policy of “maximum pressure.” Rather than return to the Iran nuclear deal upon taking office in January 2021, Biden continued the Trump agenda – and knowingly endangered US troops in the process.

When Biden “ordered airstrikes on militia groups” in Syria, the Washington Post reported in August 2021, that ended up “sparking a fresh cycle of reciprocal violence, with militiamen firing at a facility housing U.S. troops and American forces responding with artillery fire.” Biden’s support for Israeli aggression against Syria yielded the same result. When a drone strike hit a US military base located in southern Syria in October 2021, US and Israeli officials acknowledged that it was “Iranian retaliation for Israeli airstrikes in Syria,” the New York Times reported.

In launching and encouraging attacks on Iranian allies in the region, Biden was pursuing an arrangement that he forged with the Israeli government In August 2021, then-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett urged Biden to pursue “a death by a thousand cuts” strategy, in which the US and Israel would “[counter] Iran through a combination of many small actions across several fronts — both military and diplomatic — instead of a single dramatic strike,” Axios reported. The goal would be to put Iran’s “regional aggression” – a euphemism for resisting US-Israeli hegemony – “back in the box.” Toward that goal, one of Bennett’s key requests was that “Biden not to pull U.S. forces out of Iraq and Syria,” which the Israeli delegation felt quite “optimistic” about. In Biden, Bennett gushed, “I found a leader who loves Israel, knows exactly what he wants and is attuned to our needs.”

In opposite to those plans it is the Resistance which is using small and increasingly larger cuts to eliminate, over time, the U.S. presence in the Middle East. It is dead serious.

As Aleks of Black Mountain Analysis writes:

I would like to ask you now to understand the following: It is not what I want or my opinion; it is the ice-cold reality: On October 7th, a war was started by the Axis of Resistance. It was started against both Israel and the Western occupation of the Middle East. As stated above, it will not end before all occupation forces are out of the Middle East, the Two State Solution has been implemented in Israel, or all people in the Middle East are dead … period.

I have no emotions here; I’m not invested in the region. This is a logical assessment of what is currently happening in the region. It is not going to stop until one of the scenarios is implemented.

Other interested powers are already positioning themselves for a new situation in the Middle East.

Give it two, three or maybe even five years. But the envisioned results WILL be achieved.

Posted by b on February 3, 2024 at 15:38 UTC | Permalink

Art break

0 10
0 10
12530888 984700121637014 783992671 n
12530888 984700121637014 783992671 n
12724829 640047039467870 1303482314 n
12724829 640047039467870 1303482314 n
13285461 1781359605483903 2013647083 n
13285461 1781359605483903 2013647083 n
13437150 878089662334812 1668431538 n
13437150 878089662334812 1668431538 n
13671955 936719199790264 822527482 n
13671955 936719199790264 822527482 n
14128890 194267534312087 1136175854 n
14128890 194267534312087 1136175854 n
37597816 271518643639206 5939034129268998144 n
37597816 271518643639206 5939034129268998144 n
49413245 528219164333888 62132690266630696 n
49413245 528219164333888 62132690266630696 n
49906805 286557092037492 1039974154486177309 n
49906805 286557092037492 1039974154486177309 n
90089466 1755265167947159 1490993781655110871 n
90089466 1755265167947159 1490993781655110871 n
91255299 202814234349687 5761158773999384818 n
91255299 202814234349687 5761158773999384818 n
92520642 532681297393274 6930534662542131057 n
92520642 532681297393274 6930534662542131057 n
104615594 730534774358791 3634265249203653115 n
104615594 730534774358791 3634265249203653115 n
106704936 1011607739291726 1718652800639072428 n
106704936 1011607739291726 1718652800639072428 n
118074523 662826097667760 4029915352404519245 n
118074523 662826097667760 4029915352404519245 n
134767428 482859659783313 4024870876840033286 n
134767428 482859659783313 4024870876840033286 n
Untitled 12 60bf27a1e13d2 880
Untitled 12 60bf27a1e13d2 880

The Age of Making Money is Over. The middle-class is done.

https://youtu.be/rJJBnmDkEwI

Sausage and Cheese Calzone

HomemadeCalzones 03
HomemadeCalzones 03

I don’t know about you, but the only thing I love more than pizza is a big calzone filled to capacity with all of my favorite fillings. Calzones are the ultimate in Italian comfort food if you ask me. More than lasagna or spaghetti, when I want something that fills me up and leaves me feeling all warm and fuzzy on the inside, I go for a calzone. These calzones are the best I’ve ever had because they’re fully homemade. From the dough to the sauce, it’s all made from scratch right in the kitchen, so it’s the freshest, tastiest calzone ever!

Homemade Calzone Recipe

HomemadeCalzones 08
HomemadeCalzones 08

There’s nothing better than this delicious calzone recipe for a dish that’s full of Italian flavor. A flaky, homemade crust surrounds a filling of Italian sausage, onions, pepperoni, three kinds of cheese, Italian seasoning, and more tasty ingredients, then they’re served with a tasty marinara sauce. When you put them all together, you get a recipe for hand-held deliciousness that you just cannot beat. It’s just like holding a tiny pizza in your hand and then devouring it.

Ingredients

  • Pizza dough
  • 1 pound sweet Italian sausages, skins removed
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
  • 10 ounces mozzarella cheese, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes

Instructions

  1. Prepare pizza dough.
  2. In a skillet, cook the sausage and onion over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring to break up the meat.
  3. Add bell pepper and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring often, or until the sausage is cooked through and vegetables are soft.
  4. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Stir in the mozzarella, parsley and red pepper flakes.
  5. Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Brush 2 baking sheets with olive oil or spray with olive oil cooking spray.
  6. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Take one piece of the dough and with floured hands press it into a 6-inch round. Stretch or roll it out with a rolling pin into a 12-inch circle. Leaving a 1/2-inch edge, spread a quarter of the filling over half of the dough. Dampen the edges with water. Fold the dough in half to enclose the filling; seal the edges with a fork. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. With a large spatula, carefully transfer the calzones to the prepared baking sheets.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp on the outside.

Serve warm.

Variations

One of the best parts about these homemade calzones is that you can play with it to make it exactly the way you want it. After making the crust, the rest is up to you. Go super rustic or make it semi-homemade. Use your favorite toppings. You can tweak it to your heart’s content.

Favorite Pizza Toppings

Just like a pizza, this calzone is totally open to your interpretation. Use any of your favorite pizza toppings from sausage and pepperoni to salami, ham, and pineapple, olives, anchovies, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, and more. If you’d put it on a pizza, you can put it in this calzone.

Vegetarian Calzone

Make this recipe vegetarian by filling it with your favorite pizza veggie options. The marinara sauce pairs perfectly with any vegetable that you’d normally put on your vegetarian pizza.

Semi-Homemade Calzone Recipe

If you don’t want to go the homemade route, make this recipe semi-homemade. Use premade pizza dough and pizza sauce to cut down on time. Then make the rest of the recipe per the directions.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have questions about this homemade calzone recipe, then I have answers. The following FAQ answers all the most frequently asked questions regarding calzones, so it’s worth a read before diving into the recipe.

What is a calzone?

A calzone is simply a folded pizza. Its essentially an Italian version of a savory turnover.

What’s the Difference Between Calzones and Stromboli?

There are three major differences between the two. Calzones are simply a round crust folded in half and stuffed with toppings and sauce. On the other hand, Stromboli is rolled into a spiral with a bit of extra dough folded over the top to seal it. Another major difference is that, while both the calzone and Stromboli are dippable, Stromboli will often have sauce baked inside it while calzones never will. Finally, calzones almost always have ricotta cheese in them, and Stromboli doesn’t.

Do Calzones have Sauce Inside?

No. Calzones are dipped in sauce. The sauce is never baked in.

Do Calzones Always Have Ricotta Cheese in Them?

Traditional calzones almost always have ricotta cheese in them.

Is a Calzone Just a Folded Pizza?

Pretty much!

2024 02 03 13 13
2024 02 03 13 13

What to serve with calzones?

These are hefty, hearty hand-held pizzas, so the best things to serve are light options like a side salad or roasted vegetables.

Can you freeze calzones?

Yes. Let the leftover calzones chill in the refrigerator, then wrap them tightly in clingwrap and store them in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bags.

Homemade Calzone Recipe Ingredients

This recipe is fully homemade, so there are several ingredients. The great thing is that they’re all simple and easily found at your local grocery store.

For the Dough

  • All purpose flour
  • Instant dry yeast
  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Warm water
  • Olive oil

For the Filling

  • Butter
  • Onion, diced
  • Hot Italian sausage
  • Oregano
  • Basil
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Ricotta cheese
  • Mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • Parmesan cheese, shredded
  • Fresh parsley, chopped
  • Garlic salt
  • Black pepper
  • Large eggs, with one egg beaten
  • Pepperoni slices

For the Marinara Sauce

  • Tomato sauce
  • Tomato paste
  • Crushed tomatoes
  • Onion powder
  • Garlic salt
  • Oregano
  • Basil
  • Black pepper
HomemadeCalzones 13
HomemadeCalzones 13

How to Make This Homemade Calzone Recipe

As a fully homemade recipe, you’ll be making the dough, filling, and sauce. Don’t let that deter you, though. All three parts of the recipe are very simple to make. Requiring only basic steps that anyone can do.

Step 1: Make the Homemade Pizza Dough

In a large bowl, whisk flour, yeast, salt, and sugar together. Add warm water and oil. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer with the dough hook, mix on low until ingredients are well incorporated. Increase speed to medium and continue mixing until dough forms into a ball (about 8-10 minutes).

Place dough ball into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. Next, transfer to a well-floured surface and divide the dough into 9 even pieces. Place dough pieces on a large baking sheet or parchment paper and set them aside.

Step 2: Make the Filling

In a large frying pan or skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add sausage, onions, and seasonings to the pan and cook until sausage is completely cooked through and no longer pink and onions are translucent. Drain and set aside to cool. In another bowl, add the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and parsley. Stir to combine then add eggs. Mix well. When the sausage has cooled, add the cheese mixture, stir to combine. Set aside.

Step 3: Make the Marinara Sauce

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add tomato sauce, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and seasonings. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer over low-medium heat for 20-30 minutes.

Step 4: Assemble the Calzones

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. Set aside. Then, roll each dough ball into 6-inch circles. Add a heaping tablespoon or two of the sausage and cheese mixture to the center of the dough. Fold the dough in half and press and pinch the edges together to form a seal. Brush the tops of each calzone with beaten egg and place them on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 – 13 minute or until golden brown and serve with the marinara sauce.

HomemadeCalzones 02
HomemadeCalzones 02

 

Dangerous

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

The new world order so called (Russia, China, Iran and North Korea) may this year or 2025 initiate a coordinated war of military objectives to defeat the USA and its Western allies? Could the USA be on four military fronts at the same time?

First let me help you understand further. If U.S. has the audacity to attack China. It won’t be 4 fronts. It will be at least 10 fronts! The U.S. has done so much shit there is at least 10 nations that wants to teach the U.S. a humbling lesson!

Luckily for you guys China won’t attack you unless you attack them! China wants peace and prosperity not wars and ravages. But still if you make the mistake China will make you pay dearly. Don’t say we did not warn you.

If you attack China in, in China, China will attack the U.S. in U.S. mainland. Don’t be fooled that China will submissively let you walk all over them. This is 2024 not 1842! Let’s hope you are smart enough to be humble.

 

EVERY URBEXERS NIGHTMARE – WE NEVER EXPECTED THIS TO HAPPEN

https://youtu.be/lhYRZpW6XCM

What was your real life experience of a movie cliche?

I was at a comic convention that was being held inside a mall. I was dressed as Batman. We decided to walk around the mall for shock value, as we were and are weird that way.

While my friends went into a store to shop, I stood outside a Barnes and Noble bookstore waiting for them. Suddenly, an alarm rings!

The shoplifter had books under his shirt. His hope was to mingle with the Saturday afternoon crowd and be lost in the shuffle, getting away with his ill gotten gains. Keeping his head down, he tries to blend in.

Suddenly, a pair of black boots fills his view. As his gaze travels upwards, he sees a scalloped cape, a Bat emblem, and finally the terrifying visage of…the Batman!

Shocked that Batman was in front of him, he paused…just long enough for the security guard to catch up and snag him. The guard thanked me by saying, “Thanks for helping me nab him, Batman!” He then led the shoplifter off.

Someone called the local news crew, who sent a reporter. By the time they had arrived, the convention was over and I was home. A friend of mine who works at the station told me what happened. The reporter talked to the security guard who confirmed the story. The reporter asked if there was any security footage of the event.

When they checked, because the footage was in black and white, they could barely make out the young man in the t-shirt, but the black clad Batman was not seen. They decided not to run the story without visuals.

Once again, the movie cliché of Batman catching criminals but no one could prove he was there became manifest.

 

 

1930s ABANDONED Time Capsule House with MANY Valuables left inside

What a beautiful, but abandoned, home.

https://youtu.be/ovHOlV4flxM

What did someone say/do that made you close down your account and go to another bank?

I made a deposit at the teller window for a check for $741.23. (Yes that’s a very “specific” amount” but important to my story.) I got the deposit receipt back and went on my way. As soon as I got home to enter the transaction my register, I noticed a discrepancy. The deposit receipt said my deposit was for $741.32. I had a copy of the deposit slip I had given the teller, and it said $741.23- the correct amount. Granted it was only 9 cents discrepancy so I thought “No big deal. They will just fix it.” Well, it ended up being a huge deal. I had a number of things set up for auto pay from my bank that would start coming out 2–3 days later. I always try to give myself a window “just in case” I am late depositing my check and it doesn’t post until the following day or something.

Well, the next morning the deposit was showing up as though it had posted- still with the 9 cent discrepancy, so I figured they would just deduct the 9 cents within a couple of days and all would be well. Nope, they completely reversed the deposit and took ALL of that money back out of my account. By the Tuesday following the weekend, I was “in the red” due to “NSF fees.” I called to find out what happened- thinking maybe I had forgotten to enter an auto pay into my records. Nope, I was told that the discrepancy had triggered an investigation of my account and my funds would be held for 21 days. I asked if I could leave a message for the branch manager to give me call. I was told that would be fine. I left a message, and received no call back for a couple of days. This was very unusual.

This was a bank I had used for YEARS for personal and business reasons. The company I work for had a long business relationship with the bank as well. I knew the branch manager well. I arrived at the bank to talk to the branch manager and found out he was out of the country dealing with a family emergency and wouldn’t be back for at least two weeks. I asked to speak to whoever was filling in and explained the nature of the situation. Well, the “substitute” manager was extremely unpleasant and unprofessional. She berated me and was practically yelling at me for an error that was THEIR fault. I was told the situation could only be remedied right away by “a cash deposit large enough to cover the original check and enough to cover the NSF fees.” I was still reeling from the fact it had happened at all. I went back to discuss the matter with my employer, an attorney. He spoke to someone he knew at another branch and they were able to fix the immediate problem, and restored all of my NSF fees. My employer was NOT happy. Shortly after the dust settled, my employer asked me to set up an appointment for us to go down and remove some items from our safe deposit boxes to take out items for an “inventory” of the boxes. While I was in the vault removing the items, my employer was out in the lobby closing down all of the accounts and the boxes. We moved them next door to a different bank.

Our usual branch manager came back to the news that we had closed all of our accounts. He asked why this happened over something so “insignificant” as a 9 cent discrepancy. I went through the entire scenario. He was so upset that it had happened, but he understood why. The manager that berated me is now gone. I will NEVER work with this bank again. They were the issuer of a rewards card I had for travel. I cashed out all my rewards and closed the card. If I ever find out they are the issuer of any credit card I may apply for, I just say “no thank you.”

Remember … work your grind

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EZPQe7TExlg?feature=share

Is the United States capable of defeating the Chinese army without using nuclear weapons, given the advanced technology of the US military?

I think you mean either the Navy or the Air Force. There is no scenario where the US Army engages the Chinese Army without first Naval and Air engagements.

And the loser of the engagement won’t be fighting an Army war afterwards.

The current state of the art is that the Chinese have a decisive advantage over US war ships. The US would have to traverse 1,200 miles of Ocean minimum to attack China or Chinese forces. During those 1,200 miles of Ocean, the US fleet would come under attack from ASBMs (anti-ship ballistic missiles), Hypersonic wave riders that can come in from any direction, and supersonic anti-ship missiles.

The Pentagon simulations show that US ships don’t have enough ammunition to prevent most if not all US ships from being sunk.

If the US launch fighters, then the US F-35 from 10 carriers (about 700 fighters) would be facing several thousand Chinese fighters of various grades but with PL-15 air to air missiles which out range US AIM-120 by at least 30 miles.

 

 

If your army have pistols and the enemy has rifles and we are fighting on a open plain starting at 1,000 yards with no obstacles, who would win?

 

WTF Girl?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hl9T4Nn_JeE?feature=share

Ukraine Army Uses American-Supplied HIMARS to Strike Bakery, Killing 20 Civilians

World Hal Turner 03 February 2024

The Ukraine Army used an American-supplied HIMARS precision rocket system, to attack a Bakery/Restaurant in the ex-Ukraine city of Lysychansk, Luhansk, Russia today. The strike killed at least twenty (20) people and destroyed the building.

TERRIFYING SCENES of dusted and bloodied bodies on stretchers could be seen as the dead and injured victims were pulled from rubble.

Lysychansk is a city of about 99,000 people and is some 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Ukrainian-controlled territory.  It is not  a military center and has no military troops or bases there. 

It is clear Ukraine hit this city because they wanted to kill CIVILIANS.  The scalable map below shows the location of Lysychansk.

https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d141171.10110017186!2d38.41226461490611!3d48.893455237813825!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x41200ff1a84cd0c5%3A0x4dcad050a5b70faa!2sLysychans%27k%2C%20Luhansk%20Oblast%2C%20Ukraine!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1707002419291!5m2!1sen!2sus

Video of a heavily damaged building, with emergency workers pulling out an entirely crushed car, is already making its way across global social media sites has people asking why the Ukraine Army would hit a bakery?  The answer: The bakery was known to have fresh bread on weekends.

The Luhansk Information Center said Ukraine shelled the bakery using the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

Lysychansk voted in a supervised and internationally-observed Public Referendum, to secede from Ukraine and to join Russia.  Ukraine would not let them go.

The city was liberated from the Ukrainian Nazi government by Russian forces in the year 2022.

Since then, from time to time, Ukraine has fired into the city from the distant front lines, for the sole purpose of harming civilians, whom they hate for voting to leave.

People all over the world look down on China and have a bad image of China, but why are only the Chinese not aware of this?

Solution?

Simple

Open up China and ALLOW MORE AND MORE PEOPLE TO SEE CHINA FOR THEMSELF

That’s what’s being done

Rather than keep responding to Western Lies, China took the best way out which is to

Come & see for Yourself

Every foreigner who comes to China, reports on the reality which is seen by at least 50–100 more foreigners and gradually they begin to see the LIES that the Mainstream media has been spreading

It’s how CHINA BROKE THE UYGHUR LIES

Rather than respond to Western propaganda which would matter very little, they invited and had 600,000 people visit Xinjiang including 80,000 foreigners from the West & Japan plus another 400+ delegates from across the world

Not one of them could respond to the propaganda spread by the West and many downright called them “LIES”

So the West quietly changed Genocide to CULTURAL GENOCIDE which was addressed by a Chinese who said “So what , you want us to remain in the 19th Century is it?”


I recently sent a mail to their tourism department and they said Xinjiang needs NO PERMISSIONS whatsoever for any size tour group

You can book a ticket to Urumqi and as long as you follow Visa norms, you can travel anywhere you want within China


The Chinese of course are aware of this but they know it’s a lie. They know how their life is.

They are puzzled to know they are being repressed by the CPC and regard the whole thing as obviously childish lies.


Simple as that

BOOK YOUR TICKET and find out what China really is like.

Best way to counter the lies

 

What is the biggest misconception people have about life?

Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I had very average scores in the 12th grade and the CET exams. I did not prep for or take the JEE. I randomly walked in to the BITSAT and AIEEE and obviously didn’t clear those either. My father wanted me to take a “core engineering” branch like Mechanical in a semi-decent college. He was willing to help figure out a way to pay for that. However, I was only interested in computers at the time; so I decided to push back. Also, I don’t like handouts or shortcuts so decided to take my rightful place at the new college-by-the-highway and see where life took me.

At the time, a lot of people mocked me and said it was stupid of me to have screwed up my one chance to make my life better. Most people started dismissing me from their lives as just one more from the crowd. Four years later, I got an admit from Stanford University and suddenly everyone wanted to be my friend; everyone wanted to tell me how they always believed in me. I was not buying it. The journey wasn’t romantic at all. Every day, every week, every month was a struggle, a fight worth fighting, a life worth living. I found my true friends and the love of my life during that journey. They were the people who stood by me and had my back when I was a nobody.

Being at the small college gave me time to pursue what I genuinely enjoyed. I loved building robots and my HoD supported me whole heartedly as I participated in competitions across the country along with my friends (from 3 different colleges). I would not have received such an opportunity had I taken admission at another college where grades mattered most. It was this support, encouragement and exposure that helped me build a stronger profile.

You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.


My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. My friends and I started building robots in his house when we were 19. We worked hard and in three years, we had won many national and international competitions and earned a name for ourselves in the country’s AI circles. Do note, this was way back in 2007 when AI was a very new field that not many people fully understood. We started a company that enabled us to teach college students about robotics and AI, and, we were happy. And then we closed it all down. Life happened. A couple of us got jobs and moved. One of my friends had to take some extra classes and had to repeat a year. And as for me, I had no clue what to do next so I decided to take a year off and watch birds while I applied for my M.S.

Our robotics team was very near and dear to me. My team was literally my best friends, the guys I grew up with since I was a toddler. To close shop and move on like that was heartbreaking. We had dreamed of conquering the world together as teens but life would have none of it. This was the first time I understood what it meant to give up something you love. Luckily we all stood by each other and ensured that we helped one another move on with things. After all, there’s more than one way to achieve your dreams. And things did eventually work out really well for all of us.

I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if we hadn’t dissolved the company. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patients needed it.

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.


My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I watched my idol read a quote that went something like:

“If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 13 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Earlier this year, my father had a severe stroke. It took me 36 hours to get back home to be with my mother. Those were the longest 36 hours of my life. We spent the next three weeks with dad in the ICU as he battled for his life. Until then, death was always a concept that we had discussed often but never actually witnessed. We practically lost him a couple of times but he made it back. This taught me some very important life lessons, especially around what my priorities should be.

I learned how fragile life is and that family should always come first. It struck me deeply how we will all someday lose the people we love. I realized how important it is to make every moment count.

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.


What is the biggest misconception people have about life?

“I’ll do that tomorrow”

 

It’s starting in Europe – the uprising has begun

https://youtu.be/0YrEgimqFWw

Wacky dance and wet condensation

 

There’s something curious about China, well… at least in Southern China. You see, all the buildings are stone facing on cement. These are huge mega buildings all of stone and rock. And you know what?

Yeah.

When the weather is right, condensation forms….

The cold and cool buildings hit the mist wet laden air, and condenses. The walls are wet. The windows are wet. The floors are wet. Everything is wet.

I do not mean, every now and then. I mean, that when things condense… everything is like living in a glossy layer of water. Holy cow!

It’s a thing about China. Not a big issue, but rather a curiosity.

Here’s another… for today…

 

China’s “wacky” dance breaks barriers, unites the world

Yes. This is truly popular here in China. I am just surprised that it is popular in the rest of the world also.

https://youtu.be/Rwb54NW8CcU

What was your “I am surrounded by idiots” moment?

At my previous workplace, I had a friend who used a wheelchair. He was a normal guy with a great attitude. Everyone was super nice to him and treated him as a special person, except me.

We had alloted workstations. So people usually preferred to use the same stations every day. One day, someone offered him a station that was closer to the washroom. I was there, and the offered workstation was alloted to me.

I immediately objected, and asked the reason for the same. I also asked the guy if he wanted to move there? He clearly denied any such kinda request made to the management by himself. However, it was an over-smart person who wanted to shine and look empathetic in front of the team.

I clearly refused to leave my place. The meeting was over and, while leaving the room, the guy thanked me for treating him like a normal person. But everyone else looked at me like I was standing there wearing just my underpants. We later became friends as he felt normal in my company. He never wanted to be treated like a special person. He never wanted to be helped without asking for it.

Even the manager later advised me to think before I spoke. I just asked her, “is it not okay to treat someone as a normal person?”

PREQUEL – She Thought An Open Relationship Was A SURE THING Until Learning Her BF’s Dad Coached..

https://youtu.be/Y1tA7RO9fMI

In short, who’s Qian Xuesen?

Qian Xuesen was an exceptionally talented engineer and one of the founding fathers of China’s space industry. He spent much of his early scientific career in the US before being imprisoned on groundless accusations as McCarthyism swept across the country.

After spending four years under subsequent house arrest, Qian returned to China vowing to never step foot in the States again. His departure dealt a significant blow to America’s rocket program and laid the foundations for China’s journey to become a formidable space power.

Today, as Sinophobia is once again on the rise, academics of Chinese descent are leaving the US at record levels. In this light, Qian’s story should be viewed as a warning of the dangers of Cold War Zero-sum-ism.

Kavita Puri, one of the BBC’s less biased journalists, gives a surprisingly fair and detailed account of Qian’s life and his contributions to mankind. She writes:

image 40
image 40

In Shanghai there is an entire museum containing 70,000 artefacts dedicated to one man, “the people’s scientist” Qian Xuesen.

Qian is the father of China’s missile and space programme. His research helped develop the rockets that fired China’s first satellite into space, and missiles that became part of its nuclear arsenal, and he is revered as a national hero.

But in another superpower, where he studied and worked for more than a decade, his significant contributions are rarely remembered at all.

Qian was born in 1911, as China’s last imperial dynasty was about to be replaced by a republic. His parents were both well-educated and his father, after working in Japan, established China’s national education system. It was evident from an early age that Qian was gifted, and he eventually graduated top of his class at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, winning a rare scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US.

In 1935 a trim, well-dressed young man arrived in Boston. Qian may have experienced some xenophobia and racism, says Chris Jespersen, professor of history at the University of North Georgia. But there was “also a sentiment of hope and belief that China [was] changing in fundamentally significant ways”, and he would certainly have been among people who respected his knowledge.

From MIT Qian moved to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), to study under one of the most influential aeronautical engineers of the day, the Hungarian émigré, Theodore von Karman. There Qian shared an office with another prominent scientist, Frank Malina, who was a key member of a small group of innovators known as the Suicide Squad.

The group had earned this nickname because of their attempts to build a rocket on campus, and because some of their experiments with volatile chemicals went badly wrong, says Fraser Macdonald, author of Escape from Earth: A Secret History of the Space Rocket. Though he adds that no-one died.

One day Qian got drawn into a discussion of a complicated mathematical problem with Malina and other members of the group and before long he was an integral part of it, producing seminal research into rocket propulsion.

At the time, rocket science was the “stuff of cranks and fantasists,” Macdonald says. “No-one is taking it seriously – no mathematically inclined engineer would risk their reputation by saying this is the future.” But that quickly changed with the start of World War II.

The Suicide Squad caught the attention of the US military, which paid for research into jet-assisted take-off, where boosters were attached to the wings of aircraft to enable them to get airborne from short runways. Military funding also helped establish the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in 1943, under the directorship of Theodore von Karman. Qian, along with Frank Malina, was at the heart of the project.

Qian was a Chinese citizen, but the Republic of China was an ally of the US, so there was “no massive suspicion about a Chinese scientist at the heart of American space endeavour”, says Fraser Macdonald. Qian was given security clearance to work on classified weapons research, and even served on the US government’s Science Advisory Board.

By the end of the war he was one of the world’s foremost experts on jet propulsion, and was sent with Theodore von Karman on an extraordinary mission to Germany, holding the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel. Their goal was to interview Nazi engineers, including Wernher von Braun, Germany’s leading rocket scientist; America wanted to find out exactly what the Germans knew.

But by the end of the decade Qian’s glittering career in the US came to a sudden halt, and his life there began to unravel.

In China, Chairman Mao declared the creation of the communist People’s Republic in 1949, and quickly the Chinese came to be seen in the US as “the evil ones”, says Chris Jespersen. “So we go through these periods in the US where we are infatuated with China, then something happens and we revile China,” he says.

Meanwhile, a new director at the JPL came to believe there was a spy ring at the lab, and shared his suspicions about some members of staff with the FBI. “I note that they are all either Chinese or Jewish,” says Fraser Macdonald.

The Cold War was under way, and the anti-communist witch-hunts of the McCarthy era were just around the corner. It was in this atmosphere that the FBI accused Qian, Frank Malina and others of being communists, and a threat to national security.

image 224
image 224

The charges against Qian were based on a 1938 document of the US Communist Party that showed he had attended a social gathering that the FBI suspected was a meeting of the Pasadena Communist Party. Although Qian denied being a party member, new research suggests he joined at the same time as Frank Malina in 1938.

But this doesn’t necessarily make him a Marxist. To be a communist at this time was a statement of anti-racism, says Fraser Macdonald. The group wanted to highlight the threat of fascism, he says, as well as the horror of racism in the US. They were campaigning, for example, against the segregation of the local Pasadena swimming pool, and used their communist meetings to discuss it.

Zuoyue Wang, professor of history at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, says there is no evidence that Qian ever spied for China or was an intelligence agent when he was in the US.

He was, however, stripped of his security clearance and put under house arrest. Caltech colleagues, including Theodore von Karman, wrote to the government pleading Qian’s innocence, but in vain.

In 1955, when Qian had spent five years under house arrest, President Eisenhower took the decision to deport him to China. The scientist left by boat with his wife and two US-born children, telling waiting reporters he would never step foot in America again. He kept his promise.

“He was one of the most prominent scientists in America. He had contributed so much and could have contributed much more. So it’s not just humiliation but also a sense of betrayal,” says the journalist and writer, Tianyu Fang.

Qian arrived as a hero in China but was not immediately admitted into the Chinese Communist Party. His record was not impeccable. His wife was the aristocratic daughter of a Nationalist leader, and until Qian’s fall from grace he’d been living happily in America – he’d even taken the first steps towards applying for citizenship.

When he finally became a party member in 1958, he embraced it and always tried to remain on the right side of the regime. He survived purges and the Cultural Revolution, and thus was able to pursue an extraordinary career.

When he had arrived in China there was little understanding of rocket science, but 15 years later he oversaw the launch of the first Chinese satellite into space. Over the decades, he trained a new generation of scientists, and his work laid the foundations for China’s Lunar Exploration Program

image 223
image 223

Ironically, the missile programme that Qian helped develop in China resulted in weapons which were then fired back on America. Qian’s silkworm missiles were fired at Americans in the 1991 Gulf War, Fraser Macdonald says, and in 2016 against the USS Mason by Huti rebels in Yemen.

“So there’s this odd circularity. The US expelled this expertise, and it has come back to bite them.” In taking a tough line against domestic communism, he suggests, the country deported “the means by which one of their main communist rivals could develop their own missiles and space programme – an extraordinary geopolitical blunder.”

A former US Secretary of the Navy, Dan Kimball – later head of the rocket propulsion company, Aerojet – once said it was “the stupidest thing this country ever did”.

Today, there is once again heightened tension between China and the US. This time it’s not over ideology but trade, concerns over tech security, and China’s failure – as President Donald Trump regards it – to do more to contain Covid-19.

While most Americans have no idea about Qian and his role in America’s space programme, Tianyu Fang says many Chinese Americans and Chinese students in the US, do know about him, and why he had to leave, and they see the parallels with the present day. “US China relations have got so much worse they know they could be under the same suspicions as Qian’s generation,” he says.

In Fraser Macdonald’s view, Qian’s story is a warning about what happens when you expel knowledge. “The whole story of American science is that it is propelled by people coming from outside… but in these conservative times that’s a story that becomes harder to celebrate.”

The JPL’s contribution to the US space programme has, Macdonald believes, been much neglected compared to that of Wernher von Braun and other German scientists, who were taken in secret to the US soon after the visit paid to them by von Karman and Qian.

Braun had been a Nazi, and yet his achievements are recognised in a way that those of Qian and others from the JPL are not, Macdonald says. “The idea that America’s first viable space programme was started by homegrown socialists – whether Jewish or Chinese – is not really a story that the US is able to hear about itself,” he says.

Qian’s life spanned almost a century. In that time China grew from an economic minnow to a superpower on Earth and in space. Qian was part of that transformation. But his story could have been a great American one too – where talent, wherever it is found, could thrive.

Last year, when China made history and landed on the far side of the moon, it did so in the Von Karman crater, named after the aeronautical engineer who was a mentor to Qian. A nod, perhaps, to the fact that American anti-communism helped propel China into space.

 

27 Minutes Of Cheating Wives Caught RED HANDED 2023

https://youtu.be/22ivHljlJJU

Has a company ever chosen morality over profitability?

SC Johnson made a choice like this, and it’s hurt sales ever since.

image 228
image 228

Saran Wrap is a product people in the United States know well, and it’s been popular for years… it hit the markets in 1953, and quickly became popular for its utility in storing food. It blocked odors, it microwaved well, and it did a better job of clinging to containers than any other product on the market. (It may have been popular in other countries as well, but I have no frame of reference for that.)

If you’ve used Saran Wrap in the past decade or so, you’ve probably noticed it’s not as effective as it used to be.

Originally created by Dow Chemicals, Saran Wrap came under SC Johnson’s control in 1998. Shortly thereafter, they discovered that one of the chemicals used to manufacture the famous plastic wrap, polyvinylidene chloride, had toxic effects on the environment.

They attempted to find a replacement that would preserve the qualities of Saran Wrap people had come to love, but after a year of effort, SC Johnson made the decision to remove the chemical and release a new formulation. It’s not as effective, but it no longer poisons the environment.

There was no boycott, there was no federal investigation… the company discovered the danger, and then voluntarily gave up its competitive advantage in order to avoid harming the environment.

Source: CEO explains why SC Johnson hobbled Saran Wrap

 

Have you or anyone you heard of walked out of a job interview, and why?

I’ve walked out of several interviews. Here’s a fun one:

The interviewer tried to shame me for using my phone’s calculator to help solve a complex problem and check my work.

I was interviewing at a solar firm. They had turned a recent issue with a client into a test for the interview process. I thought it was a fun and useful way to see how a candidate thinks and solves problems, so I was on board.

That is, right up until the interviewer decided to cosplay as a junior high school math teacher from 1998.

“Did you just take out your phone and use your calculator?” I can still hear the scoff in her voice and picture the sneer she was grossly failing to hide.

I stared at her, waiting for her to say she was joking. No such luck. I remember thinking “Oh, this lady is serious. She really thinks I should just do all the math 100% in my head.”

I didn’t even bother to respond. I just got up and walked out. Ain’t nobody got time for that shit.

In a world where programmers google more than half of their job every day, me choosing to be prudent about my mental math skills is downright pedestrian.

I regret nothing. Any company culture that thinks a person being resourceful and using all available tools to check their work is some kind of PROBLEM, isn’t a company culture anyone should waste their time with.

All these years later, I can see what a product of the school system she was. Prioritizing resourcefulness and work ethic over book smarts is an entrepreneur’s mindset, not something some recruiter just out of her worthless college degree would value.

How Healthy Boundaries Will Save America.

https://youtu.be/aR2D3c6kRaw

Does a “fake it till you make it” attitude toward life actually work?

Meet Ferdinand Waldo Demara.

The Great Imposter.

image 227
image 227

Born in 1921, Ferdinand ran away from home at the young age of just 16.

With no qualifications, no money, and no occupation, Fred was essentially a nobody.

A nobody with no hope of a successful future.

A nobody with literally nothing to lose.

A nobody you wouldn’t even look twice at walking on the street.

Until one day, you open the newspaper and see this nobody’s face plastered on the front page.

In the ultimate example of “fake it til you make it,” Ferdinand Demara boarded the HMCS Cayuga, a Canadian Navy destroyer during the Korean War. He was impersonating a naval surgeon.

image 226
image 226

Ferdinand seemed to have successfully fooled the crewmates.

All was well.

Until numerous soldiers started taking life-threatening injuries.

With no other doctors everyone desperately looked to Ferdinand, the only naval “surgeon” on board.

This is the point where most people would throw up their hands and announce the game was up.

But Demara wasn’t ultimately labeled “the Great Imposter” for nothing.

Despite having absolutely no experience or training Demara told the crewmates to prep the injured for surgery while he quickly retired to his quarters.

Using his photographic memory Demara speed read through a medical textbook to learn how to perform surgery.

He emerged out his of room just a few minutes later, then operated on all 16 badly injured soldiers – including one who required major chest surgery.

The outcome?

Each and every one of the men he operated on walked away with their lives thanks to him.

image 225
image 225

Throughout his lifetime Demara also had other impersonations including a civil engineer, a sheriff’s deputy, an assistant prison warden, a doctor of applied psychology, a hospital orderly, a lawyer, a child-care expert, a Benedictine monk, a Trappist monk, an editor, a cancer researcher, and a teacher. One teaching job led to six months in prison.

There is no word on which textbook you can read to learn how to perform surgery in just a few minutes, but whichever one it is, it’s totally worth the money.

CONTROVERSIAL (Is it WRONG to tell the TRUTH?)

https://youtu.be/ukHekvBnhlg

Italian Baked Chicken

2024 01 31 20 29
2024 01 31 20 29

Ingredients

  • Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 bottle Italian dressing
  • Garlic powder
  • Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Season Italian dressing with garlic powder (use enough dressing to thoroughly coat chicken).
  2. Marinate chicken breasts in seasoned Italian dressing several hours or overnight.
  3. Drain chicken in a strainer to remove extra dressing.
  4. Place chicken breasts in a baking dish or pan.
  5. Sprinkle chicken with parsley flakes.
  6. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
  7. Cover chicken, reduce temperature to 325 degrees F and continue to bake for 30 minutes.
  8. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.

The DARK REALITY of Divorce for MEN Today | Why Men no longer want to get Married

https://youtu.be/c0UEM5wHie4

Have you ever been taught something in school that was completely incorrect?

When I was seven years old, I was given a Stanford-Binet style intelligence test by the local school authorities. The test was supposed to determine my future aptitude for school work.

The interviewer had a little bushy beard and wire-rimmed glasses. He peered over the desk at me and asked “Who discovered America?”

I answered, “The Indians.” This was 1976, and the term “Native Americans” didn’t exist yet.

He looked at me quizzically. “Are you sure that Indians discovered America?”

I said, “Columbus came to America. The Indians were here first. So the Indians discovered America.”

The interviewer shook his head sadly at me, clearly disappointed, and went onto the next question.

Just for the record, 1976 intelligence-test-giver guy:

The Indians were here first.

So the Indians discovered America.

I knew that.


But the story doesn’t end there.

It continues forty-two years after I got that question in school.

Today, an acquaintance of mine said they were applying for US citizenship. I congratulated them, and they told me there’s a civics test that they have to pass in person in order to become a US citizen. And they showed me the sample study test.

And right there. In black and white. Question number 59 reads as follows:

Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?”

And beneath that, were the permissible answers:

  • American Indians
  • Native Americans

There wasn’t any Columbus to be seen. He didn’t discover America.

He wasn’t even on the test.

 

Man Humbles Room Full Of Women | Reacting To Matthew Hussey

https://youtu.be/im2EPhjj2qI

Have you actually ever heard someone say ‘Do you know who I am?’ indignantly?

Frequently. In college, I worked at a metropolitan airport refueling corporate jets. Celebrities usually weren’t bad, but their handlers were beyond obnoxious. I started watching NHL specifically to jeer against the Detroit Red Wings and the New Jersey Devils, simply because of the jerks managing their transportation.

Anyway, during Furniture Market, people fly in from all over the world. Hotels are booked solid for a hundred-mile radius. Aerosmith happened to be playing at the Coliseum. Their pilot was a quiet old man, but the copilot was obnoxious. You could tell he was WAY too young and inexperienced to get a gig as a Gulfstream FO without some sort of family connection, but he admitted it anyway when babbling about his parents’ wealth.

They were there for the entire day. At any point, they could’ve asked for anything they needed, but he waited until the concert ended. By that point, I’m the only person working, because day shift had ended. He demanded fuel right after another pilot placed his order. I told him it’d take about a half hour, and he exasperated, “This is Aerosmith!”

I pointed down the ramp and said, “That’s the owner of the Miami Dolphins, that’s Oprah Winfrey, that’s some sort of Commerce Secretary in Mexico, but the one with the Highway Patrol standing by the plane all night is our state Governor, and he ALWAYS comes first.”

 

Could France have defeated Germany in WW 2? How?

Definitely yes.

  1. You have a navy. Use it. Historically, the French navy did next to nothing. An aggressive submarine hunting campaign would have put Kriegsmarine on defensive and prevented the Norwegian campaign. And no, Bearn was not that obsolete for an aircraft carrier.
  2. Use air force aggressively. The French used air force too passively – they didn’t dare to attack the German airbases – and it became costly. Many of the new fighters were not even assembled off the crates in Spring 1940.
  3. The Maginot Line works just as intended. Do not become complacent. Check out the Ardennes – it is not as impassable as you think!
  4. Keep Italy out of war. True, they are not worth of much, but they have a good navy.
  5. You have radios. Use them. Use encryption if needed. Time-critical communication is much more important than fear of eavesdropping.
  6. Tank is not a moving artillery bunker. It is the knight of the 20th century. Use tanks as the steel fist of the army, not moving field artillery. Concentrate them – not by dripping but pouring!
  7. Put Maurice Gamelin to retirement. He is too old to lead the army any more. Maxime Weygand had some good ideas, but listen to that young Charles de Gaulle.
  8. Evacuate civilians at time. The Blitzkrieg creates traffic jams.
  9. Read that German manual. I mean, On War by von Clausewitz. It is all there.

 

Man Humbles Room Full Of Women

https://youtu.be/3g9HVJubTmw

 

Even if the Chinese economy surpasses the US economy, China will still be less advanced than the USA, won’t it?

This is the composition of U.S. GDP in 2023

image 2
image 2

The person who asked this question was obviously considering the problem using linear thinking.

In the questioner’s mind, China’s economy is growing linearly, and its total volume will gradually and slowly surpass that of the United States. But since China’s population is four times that of the United States, when China’s economy surpasses that of the United States, its per capita level will only be 1/4 of that of the United States.

It may take another 20 or even 50 years for China to “really” reach the level of the United States.

I have to refute this idea, because in actual competition, there is a “critical effect”. This means that China’s pursuit of the United States is not linear, but will appear as a “cliff” or “avalanche” after reaching a certain critical point.

In order to support this view, we need to analyze how the strong economy of the United States is constructed.

Which brings us back to the picture above, which says a lot about the U.S. economy: Virtualization

In the entire GDP composition, the part that creates real wealth is very small.

What is real wealth? Food, industrial products, energy.

Bread, milk, cars, mobile phones, gasoline, airplanes, semiconductors, clothes, condoms, these things are real wealth.

What is virtual wealth? When you have enough real wealth, you can redistribute it. Services, consulting, lawyers, finance, medical care, house rental, trade. Virtual wealth is not real wealth. They are essentially the secondary distribution of real wealth.

With so little real wealth generated in the United States’ GDP, how do they maintain huge virtual wealth, achieve huge GDP, and maintain world-leading living standards?

There are two key points

1. Technology and innovation

2. Rules and Credit

Technology and Innovation:

The United States is the country with the largest investment in R&D in the world. In 2023, the United States’ investment in innovation and R&D will be 2.5 times that of the second-ranked country (China).

The United States leads the way in innovation capabilities and technological development.

With advanced technology and innovation capabilities, you can get huge wealth at a very small cost. To give a simple example, Americans take away 90% of the profits from an Apple mobile phone, and the remaining 10% is shared by other countries in the production, sales, and service links.

During the entire process, not a single screw was installed on this Apple phone in the United States.

This is the power of technology and innovation in transferring wealth. He can easily transfer real wealth created by other countries into American hands.

However, technology and innovation are not the strongest in the field of transferring wealth. After all, technology and innovation require large amounts of continuous investment and face huge competition. Europe, Japan, and China are all constantly challenging the United States’ position in the field of science and technology. Relying on this alone is not enough.

rules and Credit

The United States has shaped the global financial and trade landscape. They have established the dollar’s global currency status through war and the Cold War, and maintained their status and credibility with hundreds of military bases and huge armies around the world.

They also established many rules to protect their status. For example, patents, environmental protection, carbon emissions, IFS, and WTO. The entire world revolves around these rules.

This means that the United States can realize the transfer of wealth through rules and credit.

The simplest example: When the United States faces a lack of real wealth, they can start the money printing press and exchange green paper for the wealth created by people around the world. It also controls the flow and currency value of the U.S. dollar through operations such as raising and lowering interest rates. This method’s ability to transfer wealth far exceeds that of technology and innovation, and they don’t even have to draw a drawing.

These two keys are the reason why the United States actually creates little real wealth but has a lot of real wealth. It is also the basis for the United States to maintain prosperity and continue to grow even after its economy is hollowed out.

Now let’s go back to the beginning. What will happen if China’s economic aggregate exceeds that of the United States?

1. Changes in innovation capabilities

Innovation capabilities come from the cultivation and investment of talents. Both of these indicators increase with the growth of the economic aggregate. Due to purchasing power parity, China’s R&D investment is currently only one-third of that of the United States, but the number of patents applied for and the number of papers produced each year are already the same as those of the United States. Many technology companies such as Huawei and DJI have emerged that are ahead of their American counterparts. It can be estimated that when China’s R&D investment reaches 1/2 of the United States, their innovation capabilities will completely surpass the United States.

image 1
image 1

2. Changes in military strength

China’s military strength will gradually surpass that of the United States. Coupled with China’s strong manufacturing power, China’s military hardware growth rate and accumulation will gradually surpass that of the United States. Because of the complete localization of the economic structure, in terms of military assets, the return on China’s investment of 1 yuan and the United States on 1 dollar are close. Other countries will find that the stick in China’s hand is gradually surpassing that of the United States.

image
image

3. Changes in confidence

There will be a critical point in the balance of global mentality towards the United States and China. Gradually, all countries will think about a question: If China is the world’s largest customer and the world’s largest businessman, with the most powerful military and the best innovation capabilities, why do we still have to abide by the rules of the United States? Why do we need to continue using dollars?

When the third point starts to happen, it means that the avalanche effect is coming.

The United States will enter a period of rapid decline:

The credibility of the U.S. dollar has declined > the ability to transfer wealth has weakened > actual wealth has decreased > living standards have declined > social conflicts have increased > investment in innovation has decreased > brain drain > innovation capabilities have declined > the ability to transfer wealth continues to weaken > military strength is difficult to maintain > credibility continues to collapse.

At this time, China’s growth curve may still be flat, but the decline curve of the United States may become a “cliff.” The “per capita” level of both sides will change from “chasing with each other” to “one man’s loss is another man’s gain.”

This assumption is disastrous for the status of the United States, and it will frantically maintain its status at all costs.

This is not as easy as the questioner imagined, and may be a disaster for the whole world.

Here Is How The Pentagon Comes Up With Code Words And Secret Project Nicknames

We venture into the dark, fascinating, and often misunderstood world of the Defense Department’s code word and nickname generating processes. by Tim McMillan| UPDATED Dec 1, 2019 5:57 AM EST

If there’s one place one can find plenty of nicknames, it’s within the sprawling landscape of the armed forces. When it comes to the greater civilian world, there’s no historical precedent or agreed upon social norm for how someone or something gains a substitute informal title. However, given the Department of Defense’s fondness of rigid structure, it should be no surprise that when it comes to nicknames, there’s a policy for them, too.  

Meet NICKA 

Prior to 1975, names for military operations and projects were exclusively chosen at the behest of military commanders. As a result, within the annals of American military history one can find a diverse range of interesting titles from Operation Killer—a major 1951 counter-offensive during the Korean War—to Operation Beaver Cage—a U.S. Marine Corps operation that occurred during the spring of 1967 as part of the Vietnam War. 

However, shortly after the close of the Vietnam War, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) decided it was time to formalize the use of code words and nicknames by unveiling the Code Word Nickname and Exercise Term System, colloquially known as NICKA. 

For the Department of Defense (DoD), NICKA is both a set of policies governing the selection of defense monikers and a military-wide computer system that archives and prevents duplication of terms. 

Important to note, NICKA is primarily used for Department of Defense-related endeavors. Many operations or programs emerging from within the intelligence community use their own separate naming system. 

For example, the Central Intelligence Agency uses the Cryptonym system for developing code words and names. It is also worth noting that the National Security Agency (NSA), National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) all use the NICKA system 

NICKA outlines three distinctive types of monikers that can be used within the DoD:

  • Code Words
  • Nicknames
  • Exercise Terms 

Code Words

In NICKA, acode word is a single word that’s assigned to any program or operational plan that’s classified confidential or higher. Each component agency in the Department of Defense are assigned blocks of code words by the Joint Staff. When needed, the NICKA computer program will randomly select and assign a code word from the originating agency’s allocated block of terms. 

For example, in the lead up to the Gulf War, when the Combat Aviation Brigade of the 1st Armored Division needed a code word for their forward assembly area, the NICKA computer system pulled from one of the Army’s predetermined block designations and selected the amusingly mundane code word—LARRY. 

Essentially a password for entry in an exclusive club, the preeminent role of code words is to restrict access to sensitive national security information to only those who have a need to know. Assisting security, a code word itself will be safeguarded by being classified by one of the three security classifications—confidential, secret, or top secret—based on the security level of the associated program. 

Virtually anything conceivably classified, including programs, projects, locations, operations, objectives, missions, or plans, can be assigned a code word. One particular area code words can be highly prevalent is with Special Access Programs (SAP). As mentioned in The War Zone’s in-depth look at Special Access Programs, multiple components, sub-components, and projects can sprawl out from a single SAP “umbrella.” In this compartmentalized system of security, each of the different appendages of one SAP can potentially be assigned their own specific code word.  

Once NICKA assigns a code word, it’s considered active. An active code word will remain unchanged for the life of a program and cannot be altered by its users. The one exception being if there’s a concern a code word had been compromised. In this instance, a new code word would be issued. Equally, in certain situations, an unclassified cover term may get applied to a program for counterintelligence purposes. 

In addition to the obvious security and oversight reasons, the principal reason for a code word’s permanence relates to the significant role NICKA serves as an archive of all active and inactive code words. The system uses its database of terms to prevent any potential conflicts that could arise due to similarities or duplication of previous code words. 

As a Department of Defense system, NICKA will only assign single-word code words. However, in some instances, the Pentagon may take over a project or program that originated outside of the DoD, such as from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Department of Energy (DOE), commercial companies, or even foreign governments. In these instances, already assigned code words may not follow NICKA guidelines. In these occurrences, a program may be reassigned a new NICKA code word or the previous unregulated code name may be maintained.

Regardless, of whether it’s kept or not, the non-NICKA code name may still be added to the program’s database to stem off any future confusion or conflict. 

For example, technically before NICKA’s time and not a DoD project, the 1960s A-12 reconnaissance plane was developed and operated under the CIA code word “OXCART”. However, Kelly Johnson and his pioneering team of engineers at Lockheed Skunk Works used the code word “ARCHANGEL” for the A-12. Furthering the spy plane’s eventual identity crisis, flight crews would nickname the A-12 “Cygnus.” 

Though OXCART was the only officially assigned government code word, under NICKA, both the contract code word, “ARCHANGEL” and the A-12’s nickname “Cygnus,” would equally be archived to prevent duplicate use.

When it comes to code words. Many real-world military operations and programs, for example, “HAVE BLUE,“ “ACID GAMBIT,” “AUTUMN RETURN,” “SENIOR TREND,” or the infamous “YELLOW FRUIT,” are often reported as being the “code word” for a classified operation or program. However, per DoD and the Joint Chiefs NICKA policy, a code word always consist of just a single word. By NICKA, the above named examples would be “nicknames” and not code words. 

This does not mean that multiple code words cannot apply to a certain entity. Any intelligence product that contains Top-Secret NATO information would carry the code word “COSMIC” in addition to any other applicable ones. Certain categories of sensitive activities can even involve code words that become intrinsically linked and enter common usage linked together. “TALENT,” an overarching code word for aerial intelligence-gathering assets, such as the U-2 Dragon Lady and SR-71 Blackbird spy planes, and “KEYHOLE,” which covers intelligence-gathering satellites, are no longer treated as separate from each other officially and one will routinely see documents marked “TALENT KEYHOLE,” or using the abbreviation “TK,” as a single term.

Nicknames

As we briefly mentioned, when it comes to the designation of nicknames, NICKA offers some flexibility and gives military commanders the ability to be a little more creative. 

Whereas NICKA only assigns single-word code words, by policy, nicknames must be comprised of two separate words. Similar to the code word process, each DoD component agency is assigned a set of designated numerical block assignments by NICKA. In turn, the agency’s numerical block assignment will correspond to “alphabetical assignment list,” which is a range of two-letter alphabetical sets. The first word of any nickname must come from within an agency’s assigned alphabetical range. 

For example, using the now obsolete and unclassified NICKA block assignments, if a program within the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) needed to come up with a nickname, one would start by identifying the four numerical blocks assigned to the DIA (15, 33, 51, and 76). 

The next step would be identifying what ranges of two-letter combinations would be associated with an agency’s assigned blocks. Following along with the previous example, based on the alphabetical assignment list, the first word of a DIA program nickname would have to start with: 

Block 15 – Letters DM – DR

Block 33 – Letters IA – IF

Block 51 – Letters MM-MR

Block 76 – Letters SS – SZ 

When it comes to the second portion of the two-word requirement for nicknames, military planners have the unrestricted ability to get creative, provided phrases are not “improper” or “counterproductive.” 

By NICKA guidelines, improper nicknames would be terms that are: 

  • Inconsistent with traditional American ideals or current foreign policy. 
  • Offensive to good taste or derogatory to a particular group, sect, or creed. 
  • Offensive to U.S. allies or other free world nations. 

Additionally, NICKA forbids nicknames from being: 

  • Any two-word combination voice call sign found in the Joint Army Navy Air Force Publication Call Sign Book (JANAP-119). 
  • Include the words, “Project, Exercise, or Operation.” 
  • Words that may be used correctly either as a single word or as two words, such as “moonlight.” 
  • Exotic words, trite expressions or well-known commercial trademarks.

By military standards—where one can often find rules for rules—NICKA guidelines on nicknames are fairly limited and debatably common sense. Thanks to the tempered flexibility NICKA gives to nicknames, the system still affords for some bellicose poetry like “Beast Master”—a 2006 Army operation to clear the Baghdad suburb of Ghazaliya—an area itself (unofficially) nicknamed “IED Alley East,” or “Viking Snatch”—a 2007 counterinsurgency operation in Iraq. Still, especially at lower levels of command and for short-duration operations, one still often sees nicknames that do not comply with NICKA, including ones with single words.

In contrast to code words, nicknames, including their descriptions, meanings, and relationship, are also, by policy, supposed to remain unclassified, though the branches of the U.S. military still routinely classify them on the ground of national security. In addition, NICKA guidelines stipulate nicknames are not required, but can be assigned to actual real-world events, projects, or activities. One caveat to “not required” being with Special Access Programs, which are required to have an unclassified nickname assigned to them. 

Exercise Terms

Rounding out NICKA’s trifecta of officially sanctioned phrases, are exercise terms. As the name implies, exercise terms are monikers assigned to tests, drills, or exercises, which are assigned for the purpose of emphasizing the event is not an actual real-world operation. That said, the military has a bad habit of not sticking to DoD rules when it comes to publicizing or describing training exercises, often describing them as “operations.” 

For example, “Llama Fury” was a week-long Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training exercise at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in late summer of 2015. By NICKA policies, Llama Fury should have carried the “exercise” moniker. However, in press releases, multiple Air Force Public Affairs Offices described the event as “Operation Llama Fury.”

Though technically their own classification, exercise terms are more or less an extension of NICKA nicknames, with their selection and regulation falling under the same agency assigned alphabetical block system as the nicknaming process. 

Since some military training evolutions are regularly repeated, certain specific exercises will carry the same name with an added numerical postfix indicating the month or year the event occurs. For example, held annually from 2006 to 2018, some of the largest U.S. military war games ever performed in the Pacific Ocean were all conducted under the exercise term “Valiant Shield.” Since this training event was repeated for twelve-years, a four-digit identifier for the year training maneuvers were performed would accompany the exercise term, producing “Exercise Valiant Shield 2017,” and so on and so forth. 

For exercises that occur multiple times in a fiscal year, like “Swift Response,” a large training event between the U.S. and its European allies, the second iteration of the exercise in 2017 would be called “Swift Response 17-2.”

Least ambiguous of NICKA’s trio, code words play an essential role safeguarding extremely sensitive secrets. However, when it comes to nicknames and exercise terms, this aspect of NICKA is arguably more significant. 

For example, “Enduring Freedom,” (the U.S. Global War on Terrorism, though often applied solely to operations in Afghanistan), “Iraqi Freedom,” (the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent occupation), or “Inherent Resolve,” (the U.S. military intervention in Iraq and Syria to combat ISIS), are not merely nicknames, these phrases are meant to inspire and express the overarching intent of military involvement. 

More than just iconic inscriptions on military ribbons, medals, and service records, the perceptions associated with a few major military nicknames or terms become ingrained in the public’s collective conscious and often end up being enduring aspects of American history. 

So, there you have it. All those cool-sounding program nicknames, secretive code words, and intense sounding military exercises you probably heard of over the years, all likely came from a highly structured, yet obscure Department of Defense system puzzlingly named NICKA. 

LIVE Cat Games – Entertainment for Cats to Watch 24/7

https://youtu.be/Uhrpf1Cjgq8

I Had a Night of Wild(ish) Sex on Horny Goat Weed, aka ‘Nature’s Viagra’

Does the supplement meet all the gas station and corner store hype? I popped a few capsules and fucked my boyfriend to find out

Male enhancement is more important to the marrow of American culture than anything else that makes this country great — like breastaurants or the Claire’s ear piercing kiosk. For those of you who still fuck unenhanced, the deal is: a number of pills, both prescription and not, have become available to boost your boner in recent decades. The gold standard is still Viagra, famously a happy accident in the manufacture of what was meant to be a pill for hypertension. Another famous option is Enzyte, which I know less for its effects than for its creepy-ass commercials featuring Bob, the guy who can’t stop fucking his wife now that he’s on Enzyte. 

https://youtu.be/ghrWz7cVXv8

Then there are unlimited Great Value options for people who can’t or won’t get their boner pills from a doctor. Gas stations and corner stores have long sold pills that claim they can do everything from induce boners to increase your dick size to make you look upon the face of God. Such pills have largely been debunked as quack shit that does much more harm than good, but that’s just for people with dicks, right? Surely I, a humble pussy-haver, am safe from the array of troubling side effects ranging from “pain in dick” to “severe nausea.” (There’s not a self-respecting doctor in the world who would agree with that assessment, but fie on them, I say!)

The plant epimedium, more commonly known as horny goat weed, has sung its siren’s song to me from the Amazon supplement market for a long time. Other dick pills may come from Dr. Strangelove-esque laboratories, but horny goat weed is a humble plant — one that, per Chinese legend, a canny farmer noticed his goats were eating before fucking like crazy. According to the limited experiments that scientists have conducted, it might work, but most products that claim to contain it either don’t or contain only a negligible amount mixed in with numerous other extracts and compounds. Still, that uncertainty is the cost of admission not just with horny goat weed, but with all supplements on the market in the U.S. 

Either way, the allure of potentially enjoying some of “nature’s molly” with my boyfriend was too strong to ignore. Sure, it might not work, but also, it might.

I proposed a romantic evening. We’d enjoy a home-cooked dinner for two with a couple glasses of a nice full-bodied Cab Sav. From there, I’d turn off the lights and pour us some after-dinner Madeira to enjoy by candlelight. I would then change into something a little more comfortable. And my lover would take me into his arms so that we could take the last step of our journey together: sex modified by two fistfuls of Dorado’s Maximum Strength Horny Goat Weed capsules, since that was the first brand I could find that didn’t pull up a strongly worded FDA warning when I Googled it.

My boyfriend was on board, but raised an interesting philosophical question: “How do we know it worked? Do we measure?”

I’m not the, ugh, dick-measuring kind of gal, and so, I decided that we’d have to stick with that least reliable of evidence: the self-reported kind. So without further ado, here are my self-reported, only-lightly-tampered-with results from my Evening With Horny Goat Weed… (As with all the experiments I perform on my body for MEL, don’t try this at home.)

The dosage instructions on the bottle were to “take two capsules a day,” and to “take an additional serving 30 minutes prior to activity.” We hadn’t been taking two capsules per day and didn’t know what a sudden jolt of 2,000 milligrams of horny goat weed would do to our systems, so we compromised with three capsules each. I thought it would be romantic to serve the capsules in champagne flutes, but then I remembered I don’t own any. I put them in shot glasses instead, which lent the project an air of, how shall I put it — Jonestown-ishness.

We took our doses together at 8 p.m. My boyfriend rejected the suggestion that we ingest them by wrapping our arms around each other wedding-toast-style, which was fair. He grabbed a beer from the fridge but then put it back, reasoning that “I shouldn’t drink tonight so that we have controlled data.”

“Does that mean I shouldn’t smoke weed tonight?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “You smoking weed is the controlled data.”

We spent the next several episodes of Midnight Mass in full “kids taking acid for the first time” mode: “Do you feel it yet? Do you feel it now? How about now?” Back and forth we went for well over an hour. The instruction to take this stuff a mere 30 minutes prior to Activity was starting to feel like a prank. I did note that I felt particularly horny for the sheriff character on Midnight Mass every time he appeared onscreen, which was an encouraging step in the right direction, until my boyfriend pointed out that I probably just felt that way because he was so handsome.

Finally, at 9:30 p.m., a full 90 minutes after “dosing,” my boyfriend suggested that we go ahead and fuck. “Maybe the horny goat weed doesn’t kick in until the Activity starts,” he said. This sounded insane to me, but I also know nothing whatsoever about pharmacology, so I agreed.

The post-Activity verdict is that I’m not convinced the horny goat weed did anything. But I’m also not convinced that it didn’t! I engage in this stuff with a hearty degree of skepticism. On the one hand, I do believe in the research that tells us most of the salutary effects people claim to experience from their supplements are primarily attributable to the placebo effect, maybe with some lifestyle boosters thrown in if you also believe that the sorts of people who religiously take supplements are more likely than the average person to exercise regularly and forswear heavy smoking and drinking. (I certainly believe this latter hypothesis, based on my highly scientific study of the B-complex-poppin’ broads in a barre class I took once.)

On the other hand, something was going on with the Activity we had after taking horny goat weed. What the experiment lacked in measurable physical effects, it more than made up for in over an hour of wild sex. Maybe the sex was so heightened because we knew we’d taken something that was intended to enhance it, and felt duly enhanced as a result. Or maybe there really is some magic in that old silk hat that is horny goat weed. It’s played its part in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. Would people really do the same thing for thousands of years if it didn’t work? 

Well, yes, probably, so that line of thinking doesn’t help me conclude this experiment, either.

Nonetheless, the next day, my boyfriend said, “You know, I’d be down to take that stuff again and have more sex.” I agreed. And surely any experiment that ends in me having more sex is a successful experiment, right? 

So my conclusion is, horny goat weed: The world is burning, so I guess I might as well. 

OMG This New Footage Of Aliens And UFO’s Is Amazing

https://youtu.be/R0YSZTzaTQM

How To Not Lose Your Cool During An Argument

January 22, 2024

It’s happened to most of us – emotions run high during a disagreement and you end up saying or doing things you later regret. Yelling, accusing, or even worse, can damage trust and connection in relationships.

Maintaining composure during an argument is not just about self-control; it’s about fostering effective communication, respect, and ultimately, stronger relationships. Here’s how you can master the art of keeping your cool during heated moments.

1. Recognize the Signs of Escalation

Before you can prevent a volcano from erupting, you need to recognize its warning signs. Pay attention to your body’s signals. Increased heart rate, a rise in body temperature, or a clenched jaw can all indicate that your emotions are escalating. By recognizing these signs early, you can take proactive steps to remain calm.

2. Pause and Breathe

It sounds simple, but the power of a pause coupled with deep breathing is profound. Our bodies are hardwired for the fight-or-flight response when faced with conflict. This means adrenaline surges, heart rate skyrockets, and rational thought takes a vacation to Mars. But before you launch into a tirade that would make a sailor blush, take a deep breath (or ten). Inhale slowly through your nose, feeling your belly expand. Exhale slowly through your mouth, imagining all the tension whooshing out with each breath. Repeat. This simple act activates your parasympathetic nervous system, the calming counterpoint to fight-or-flight, and brings you back to a more rational state.

3. Listen Actively

In the heat of an argument, we often listen to respond rather than to understand. Shift your focus to truly hearing the other person. This doesn’t mean you have to agree with them, but understanding their perspective can change the tone of the conversation and lead to more constructive outcomes.

Repeat and paraphrase. Restating what you heard shows you’re listening and delays an impulsive response. “I hear you saying I don’t contribute enough, is that correct?”

4. Use “I” Statements

Express your feelings and thoughts without placing blame or judgment on the other person. Statements like “I feel frustrated when…” are less likely to provoke defensiveness than “You always…” This approach keeps the conversation centered on your experience rather than pointing fingers.

Don’t make it personal. Criticize the action, not the person. Say “I wish you had consulted me before deciding” not “You’re so inconsiderate.”

5. Keep the Goal in Mind

Remind yourself of the argument’s objective. Is it to win, to prove a point, or to reach a mutual understanding? Keeping the ultimate goal in mind can help steer the conversation away from unnecessary tangents and personal attacks.

6. Agree to Disagree

Sometimes, the best resolution is to respectfully acknowledge your differences. Not every argument will end with a clear winner or a unified opinion, and that’s okay. Agreeing to disagree can be a mature way to conclude a heated discussion without escalating emotions further.

7. Practice Empathy

Try to see the situation from the other person’s perspective. Empathy doesn’t require you to abandon your stance, but it fosters a more compassionate and understanding environment, making it easier for all parties to keep their cool.

8. Know When to Walk Away

If the argument is spiraling and productive communication is no longer possible, it might be time to step away. If you need to, say “I’m feeling too upset to discuss this calmly” and leave the room. Walk away to decompress before continuing.

Taking a break allows everyone involved to cool down, reflect, and revisit the discussion later with a clearer, calmer mindset

The Takeaway

Arguments are not inherently negative; they can be catalysts for growth, understanding, and change. The key is not to avoid them but to navigate them with composure and respect. By mastering the art of keeping your cool, you transform conflicts into opportunities for strengthening relationships and building mutual respect. Remember, it’s not about suppressing your emotions but about expressing them in a way that is constructive rather than destructive. So, the next time you find yourself in the heat of an argument, take a deep breath, and remember these strategies. Your relationships will thank you for it.

What is the cheapest/most useless thing you’ve sold for a ridiculously great profit?

I was at a yard sale once, and came across a glass jar of large marbles that had funny little figures of animals in them.

image 229
image 229

A friend of mine collected marbles, so I thought I’d buy them and give them to him to be funny. I think I paid $2 or so.

A week later, I visited my friend, and pulled out the jar, and asked him what he thought of my find. He went nearly white, and started pulling large books down off his shelves. An hour later, he had identified just about every last one. I could see the longing in his eyes. I asked if he wanted them. He looked at his price lists he’d written down, and said he couldn’t afford them. I said I’d just give them to him, but he refused that, too. Finally, I suggested he buy them from me for half price. He was delighted. At the end of the night, after sorting, cleaning, and classifying each one, he offered me $50 . . .

. . . per marble.


EDIT: More than half the comments ask what these were. They were very rare Sulphide Marbles, and they looked a lot nicer than the ones pictured here.

As for the people saying “Some friend you are!” . . . trust me, it was a compromise. He made even more on the deal than I did, and we’re still friends.

 

 

Why do computer science people get annoyed when someone asks, “Can you fix my computer?”

It pisses me off, because I love you.

When you give me the “can you fix my computer” call, the call means something different to me than it means to you.

To me, it means I will have to stay up all night, buy and try and swap replacement parts, image and restore your hard drive, remove all the malware, replace the cap on the motherboard that is clearly about to blow, and make your computer work the way you imagine it once did, all while ignoring my other family members, my paying work and life commitments.

At my standard rates I would typically charge around $4,000 to fix your seven year old virus-ridden Dell. Your seven year old virus-ridden Dell isn’t worth $100 on Ebay. Should I tell you that? Will you think I am lying or making the $4,000 number up? I am not. You will think I am insulting you if I tell you I make $4,000 for similar work. You are too cheap and too poor to pay me anywhere near that much though.

Of course I could always send you to Geek Squad. They would of course stupidly and automatically reformat your hard drive and reinstall the OS. If I do that, you will lose all your bank records and baby pictures permanently, to vastly less competent technicians than myself. They would take your money and destroy your data, and they would not even fix the true source of the problem. And you would be very, very, very sad.

And I would know in my heart I could have helped you, but didn’t.

No. I won’t do that to you.

I will take pity on you because you are clearly panicking and unable to eat, sleep or breathe until I save you and your data.

For you, and you alone, I will do a first-rate professional forensic data recovery and reinstallation. I’ll image the non-booting drive, work around all the bad sectors, copy it onto a virtual machine, extract your baby pictures and Quicken data, install a new non-shitty hard drive, reinstall all the apps and operating system and your recovered data (sans viruses and spyware), replace the dying fan, update the BIOS, and I will furthermore provide you with an external drive and teach you how to back up your system regularly with it.

Disappointingly, you will fuck up your computer again in a few years, when you refuse to take my advice and do regular backups on the backup drive that I bought for you, specifically for that purpose.

And when your piece of shit computer fails again, you will call me. Panicking. Again.

And the agonizing cycle will repeat.

Being the computer expert in the family is like being the doctor in the family, except you’re the surgeon and everyone expects you to operate on them constantly, suddenly, perfectly, AND pay for the operating room and sedatives and hospital recovery, AND you still consistently refuse to follow my medical advice.

I do all this, for free, because you are so thankful afterwards.

I do all this, for free, because I love you.

I just wish you weren’t so fucking stupid about computers sometimes.

Single, Childless Men Are Saying A Hard No To Single Mothers Looking For A New Man For Support

This is amazingly great!

https://youtu.be/UPzzySdt-QY

What is the worst medical misdiagnosis you have ever had or personally known someone to have had?

My former roommate was experiencing bleeding, although she was several years past menopause. Her PCP refused to do any testing because she was over 65 and suggested that she have a hearing test instead. Next stop was an OB/GYN that told her it couldn’t be the fibroids she had dealt with her whole adult life because those would have disappeared at menopause and sent her home without even checking her. The third, again with no tests, said she must have scratched herself “down there” and also sent her home.

Janet is a private person and didn’t mention any of this to me until the third brush off. I was furious and demanded that she see my PCP. She just went in for an initial consult and my doctor had he on the table for an exam immediately. Then she was sent for an ultrasound that found fibroids equaling a five-month pregnancy. The scheduled a hysterectomy where they found an inflamed fallopian tube. The biopsy of that reveled cancer cells, but only a couple.

Janet opted to go through preventative chemo and is cancer free eight years later. If she had followed the advice of the three prior doctors, the cancer would never have been caught and I doubt she would be alive today.

Ukraine SitRep: No Chance To Win – Zero Democracy – Power Scuffle

There are a few new reports and news bites from Ukraine which are of interest.

Stephen Biddle, a professor who was written on strategy and military power from a realist standpoint, looks at the state of the war In Ukraine.

How Russia Stopped Ukraine’s MomentumForeign Affairs, January 29, 2024
Deep Defense Is Hard to Beat

The essence:

By late spring, the Russians had adopted the kind of deep, prepared defenses that have been very difficult for attackers to break through for more than the last century of combat experience. Breakthrough has been—and still is—possible in land warfare. But this has long required permissive conditions that are now absent in Ukraine: a defender, in this case Russia, whose dispositions are shallow, forward, ill prepared, or logistically unsupported or whose troops are unmotivated and unwilling to defend their positions. That was true of Russian forces in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson in 2022. It is no longer the case.

The implications of this for Ukraine are grim. Without an offensive breakthrough, success in land warfare becomes an attrition struggle. A favorable outcome for Ukraine in a war of attrition is not impossible, but it will require its forces to outlast a numerically superior foe in what could become a very long war.

Biddle does not expand from there.

But we know that the current Russian disposition of waging an ‘active defense’ is delivering day by day some small progress along the whole front.

Ukraine’s artillery losses have become smaller because it simply lacks the munitions to fire. A cannon that can not fire stops to be a priority target.

First Person View (FBV) drones have became a major cause of all losses. Ukraine was first to use those but Russia has since rapidly ramped up their production. Meanwhile Ukraine is still lagging. Each day hundreds of these drones clear Ukrainian positions without causing significant losses for the attacking Russian side.

In the New Yorker Masha Gesses takes a look at the political scene in Kiev:

Ukraine’s Democracy in Darkness – (archived) – The New Yorker
With elections postponed and no end to the war with Russia in sight, Volodymyr Zelensky and his political allies are becoming like the officials they once promised to root out: entrenched.

Gessen finds that democracy in Ukraine, if it still exists, is in a sorry state:

Such was the state of Ukraine as it entered its third consecutive winter at war: still battling the demon of corruption, still defiant, yet visibly reduced, palpably tired. … In the meantime, in Ukraine, democracy is largely suspended. According to the regular order of things, Ukraine should have a Presidential election in March. Up until the end of November—a few weeks before the deadline for scheduling the election—Zelensky’s office seemed open to having one, but ultimately decided against it. “We shouldn’t have elections, because elections always create disunity,” Andriy Zagorodnyuk, a former defense minister who now advises the government, told me. “We need to be unified.”

An estimated four to six million Ukrainians are living under Russian occupation. At least four million are living in E.U. countries, a million more are living in Russia, and at least half a million are living elsewhere outside of Ukraine. Another four million have been internally displaced. These figures include a significant number of people who became adults after the war began and aren’t registered to vote. “Elections are a public discussion,” Oleksandra Romantsova, the executive director of Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties, which shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, told me. “But a third of the population is connected with the military. Another third is displaced.” With so many people excluded from the public discussion, what would an election even mean? …”

All power in Ukraine has been concentrated in the President’s office:

At the start of the war, when Russia was bombing Kyiv daily, the parliament had to consider the risks of continuing to hold meetings in its building, which has a glass roof. It decided to do so, but to vote only on bills that a majority wanted to bring to the floor, and to limit discussion of amendments. This effectively shifted the center of legislative work to the President’s office. Among other bills, the parliament approved the declaration of martial law, introduced by Zelensky on the first day of the war, and has regularly renewed it. Martial law enables the cabinet of ministers to control who can enter and leave the country—since the start of the war, men under the age of sixty have been forbidden to leave—and to regulate the work of all media outlets, printing presses, and distribution companies.

Zelensky’s office created the United News TV Marathon, a round-the-clock program of war-related news and talk shows, supplanting what had been a vibrant and varied television news market. The segments appear on six of Ukraine’s major channels and, at any given time, all of them are showing the same thing. Despite its name, United Marathon was clearly designed to be a sprint. In the early months of the war, the programming had a sense of urgency, of novelty and shock. Now even the worst days—when Russia fires a barrage of rockets that kill civilians across the country—are like all the other terrible days, when people are killed in the same way, in more or less the same places. There is little to analyze anymore. “The one thing all Ukrainians agree on is that we need an end to the Marathon,” Romantsova told me.

Other government-controlled media target an international audience.

An example of the power struggle around the presidential office could be witnessed yesterday.

Around noon several reliable political sources in Ukraine reported that President Zelensky had signed a decree to fire the Commander in Chief General Zaluzny. Hours later the Ministry of Defense denied that Zaluzny was fired.

From information gained since we can somewhat reconstruct what had happened.

Zaluzny had been ordered into the President’s office. He was asked to write his resignation. As consolation gift he would receive  an ambassadorship in some western European country.

Zaluzny rejected the request and insisted of getting fired or being allowed to stay in place.

Zelenski had planned to promote the Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence in Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov as the new Commander in Chief.

Here is where I believe that other high officers, and likely also the U.S. military, stepped in.

Budanov has been in special forces intelligence from the very beginning of his career. He has never commanded anything larger than a group. Not a platoon, not a company, not a battalion, not a brigade, not a division and not a corp. How can someone who has zero experience in leading actual force formations supposed to be the commander of all Ukrainian forces including the army, air-force and navy?

It is impossible.

Budanov seems to be somewhat loyal to Zelenski (though I bet he really isn’t). He is handsome and looks good on camera. He is a smooth talker. He is also a creative and talented terrorist. His actual military operations though, like the ground raids into Belgograd, have mostly been mediocre failures.

I am pretty sure that the Pentagon and even the White House may have called Kiev and stopped Zelenski from implementing such nonsense.

Zaluzny will, for now, stay in his position.

But the whole affair will have diminished the military’s view of Zelenski and his consorts. In just one day a military coup In Kiev has suddenly become much more possible. As further the military situation deteriorates the higher are the chances that it will eventually happen. ———–

Posted by b on January 30, 2024 at 13:18 UTC | Permalink

Man Humbles A Room Full Of Women| You Owe Him BOX If He Pays!

https://youtu.be/ZPzB5IidD_I

Thinkers OUTSIDE the United States Say “Civil War in U.S. is Inevitable”

World Hal Turner 30 January 2024

Alexander Dugin is a renowned thinker in Russia.  He has made remarks about the ongoing events between Texas and the Biden Regime and he thinks Civil War in the USA is now “inevitable.”  Here’s his thoughts:

Alexander Dugin

In America, the birthplace of pragmatism, pragmatism has vanished. The globalists, especially under the Biden regime, represent an extreme form of a globalist dictatorship, severing ties with the typically American tradition established by Charles Peirce and William James.

The tradition of pragmatism was based on a complete indifference to the prescription of normative content for both the subject and object. For a true pragmatist, the perceptions of the subject about itself, the object, or another subject are irrelevant — what matters is that everything functions effectively upon interaction.

However, globalists differ significantly, aligning more closely with British positivists and French fervent materialists. They persist with totalitarian brutality, dictating who and what should conform to their prescriptions.

To a pragmatist, it is inconsequential whether one changes their gender or remains the same, as long as it works for them. In contrast, globalists mandate gender changes, enforcing this through law and promoting it as a universal, progressive value. Anyone who opposes this view is labelled a ‘fascist’, or likened to Trump or Putin. They will insist on this approach, irrespective of its efficacy or self-defeating nature. Surprisingly, globalists share many traits with Ukrainians — an unsettling resemblance.

When globalists decide to increase illegal immigration, they relentlessly pursue this agenda, branding those advocating regulated immigration or border control as ‘fascists’, Trump supporters, or Putin agents. They press on with their prescriptive policies to the extreme, even if they prove utterly ineffective. For a globalist, anyone who disagrees with their viewpoint effectively does not — and should not — exist.

Hence, one can be certain that the progressives from the Democratic Party and the neoconservatives from both parties — just as obstinate and disconnected from pragmatism, realism, or traditional conservatism, thus alienating America’s true essence – are steering the country towards an inevitable civil war.

They refuse to engage in meaningful dialogue, disregarding whether their policies work or not. Their focus remains fixated on enforcing their ideals: transgender rights, illegal immigration, pro-choice stances, open borders, green energy, and artificial intelligence.

This represents a profound philosophical contradiction within the American system. Today, America is governed by those deeply out of touch with its identity, and thus, a new civil war in the USA seems inevitable. The globalists are set to ensure its outbreak.

Translated by Constantin von Hoffmeister

JRE | 40 years ago, a KGB defector chillingly predicted modern America

https://youtu.be/5oYAyX_YVWU

Chicken Parma

Our inspired rendition of the classic Chicken Parmigiana. Tender chicken cutlets, encrusted with Parmesan cheese and seasonings, are topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella.

2024 01 31 20 32
2024 01 31 20 32

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Perfect Pinch® Italian Seasoning
  • 1 pound thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 3 tablespoons oil, divided
  • 1 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and Italian seasoning on plate.
  3. Moisten chicken lightly with water. Coat evenly with bread crumb mixture.
  4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat.
  5. Cook 1/2 of the chicken pieces for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown.
  6. Transfer chicken to foil-lined 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding remaining 1 tablespoon oil if necessary. Spoon sauce evenly over chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
  7. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
  8. Serve with cooked spaghetti, if desired.

Prep: 15 min | Cook: 25 min | Servings: 4

Nutritional information (amount per serving) Total Calories: 398 Sodium: 478mg Fat: 22g Carbohydrates: 13g Cholesterol: 100mg Protein: 37g Fiber: 1g

 

What was said at a funeral that you will never forget?

We had a patient in our practice who came in with a badly infected tooth that needed a root canal right away. My partner examined him and warned him to start that day. He was unconvinced and said he wanted to wait, even declining his offer for a prescription. That patient was also a friend of my partner’s family and, wouldn’t you know it, there was a death in his family only one day later. I walked into the funeral home chapel and my partner greeted me. Ten minutes later, that patient walked in, with noticeable swelling that had reached to right under his left eye. When he saw us, he quickly walked away from us to the corner of the room. My partner finally went over to him and the man said, “I’m so sorry, doctor, you were right and I deserve what I have”. We called in a prescription for pain meds and antibiotics for him right away a he came in 2 days later.

 

Wife COMPLAINS The Open Marriage She Wanted Isn’t Fair As Husband Is Treating His GF Better Than Her

https://youtu.be/gRCWAf-cjK0

 

Stop Deluding Yourselves! NESARA/GESARA, Like “Q” and “Q Anon” and “Q Storm,” is a Fraud

World Hal Turner 31 January 2024

We’ve all heard about “The White Hats”  from “Q”, and “Q Anon” and “Q Storm”, which tell readers a secret group of high level people in the military is going to “save the country.”  It’s all lies.  Another such lie is the NESARA/GESARA thing.  More delusion.  Stop deluding yourself!

According to Wikipedia:  The National Economic Security and Recovery Act (NESARA) is a set of proposed economic reforms for the United States suggested during the 1990s by private citizen Harvey Francis Barnard. Barnard claimed that the proposals, which included replacing the income tax with a national sales tax, abolishing compound interest on secured loans, and returning to a bimetallic currency, would result in 0% inflation and a more stable economy. The proposals were never introduced before Congress.

Since the early 2000s, NESARA has become better known as the subject of a cult-like conspiracy theory whose original promoter was Internet personality Shaini Candace Goodwin, better known as “Dove of Oneness”. Goodwin, who appropriated the NESARA notions without Barnard’s consent, claimed that the act was actually passed with additional provisions as the National Economic Security and Reformation Act, and then suppressed by the George W. Bush administration and the Supreme Court. Goodwin’s conspiracy emails were translated into several languages and had a large following online.[1] Adherents to the theory have also been using the name GESARA (standing either for Global Economic Security and Recovery Act[2] or Global Economic Security and Reformation Act[3]) in order to extend the proposed NESARA reforms outside the US and to the rest of the world.[3]

Monetary reform proposal

Harvey Francis Barnard (1941–2005), an engineering consultant and teacher with a PhD in systems theory, created the NESARA proposal during the late 1980s and early 1990s.[4] Barnard printed 1,000 copies of his proposal, titled Draining the Swamp: Monetary and Fiscal Policy Reform (1996), and sent copies to members of Congress, believing it would pass quickly on its merits. Based on a theory that debt is the number one economic factor inhibiting the growth of the economy, and compound interest the number one “moral evil” and reason for debt, Barnard made several other attempts during the 1990s to draw political attention to the problems he saw in the US economy, and his suggested economic recovery proposal based on the root causes he determined. After Barnard’s efforts to gain political support did not succeed, he decided in 2000 to release his proposal to the public domain and publish it on the Internet. Barnard established the NESARA Institute in 2001, and published the second edition of his book in 2005, retitling it Draining the Swamp: The NESARA Story – Monetary and Fiscal Policy Reform.[1][5]

Conspiracy theory

Dove of Oneness

Soon after Barnard released NESARA on the Internet, a user known as “Dove of Oneness” began posting about it in forums and eventually created a website devoted to it. “Dove of Oneness” was later identified as Shaini Candace Goodwin, a former student of Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment.[1] Goodwin claimed that the NESARA bill languished in Congress before finally being passed by a secret session in March 2000 and signed by President Bill Clinton. Her theory held that the new law was to be implemented at 10 a.m. on September 11, 2001, but that the computers, and data (of the beneficiaries of the trillions of dollars of “Prosperity funds”) were destroyed on the second floor of one of the World Trade Center towers in New York City during the terrorist attacks. Supposedly an earlier gag order issued by the Supreme Court had prohibited any official or private source from discussing it, under penalty of death.[1] Goodwin referred to “White Knights,” most of them high-ranking military officials, who have since been struggling to have the law implemented despite opposition by President George W. Bush. Goodwin purported that Bush orchestrated the September 11 attacks and the Iraq War as distractions from NESARA.[6][7]

Goodwin’s description of NESARA goes far beyond Barnard’s proposal by cancelling all personal debts, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, declaring world peace, and requiring new presidential and congressional elections. Goodwin often claimed that Bush officials were attempting to hack into and bring down her web site to prevent her from publicizing the law.[8] She would purport to be connected with powerful authorities and used authoritative language, publishing messages in which she “ordered” the “White Knights” to enforce NESARA.[9]

Goodwin began commenting on NESARA in connection with Omega Trust, a fraudulent investment scheme whose creator, Clyde Hood, was on trial at the time. According to Goodwin, Omega Trust investors would receive their returns after NESARA was announced.[1][10] Goodwin repeatedly predicted that the NESARA announcement would occur in the very near future,[11][12][13] although in later years she became more reserved in these predictions.[14]

Barnard became aware of Goodwin’s description of NESARA before his death in 2005. He denied that NESARA had been enacted into law or even assigned a tracking number, and condemned Goodwin’s allegations as a disinformation campaign.[15]

Goodwin promoted the NESARA theory until her death in 2010.[16]

Further developments

After Goodwin began commenting on NESARA, other Internet-based conspiracy theorists latched onto it. One supporter, Sheldan Nidle, ties the imminent NESARA announcement into his years-old prophecy of an imminent large scale UFO visitation by benevolent aliens (occasionally on his website reports, but more prominently in his videos,[17] seminars and public appearances). Jennifer Lee, who used to publish internet NESARA status reports almost daily[18] on her now defunct site, discussed a host of other-worldly and “interdimensional” beings who are helping behind the scenes to get NESARA announced. Late Internet conspiracy theorist Sherry Shriner, who operated multiple websites, saw NESARA as linked to malevolent reptiloid aliens she asserted long controlled the U.S. government.[19]

Some NESARA supporters also make the claim that otherworldly beings are working to get NESARA announced. These include a “channeled” cosmic being called “Hatonn”[20] (an android Pleiadean), and another named “Sananda”. According to some proponents of Ascended Master Teachings, such as Joshua David Stone, Sheldan Nidle, and Luis Prada, “Sananda” is the “galactic name” of Ascended Master Jesus, which he uses in his role as Commander-in-Chief of the Ashtar Command flying saucer fleet. “Pallas Athena” is regarded as being the Vice-Commander of the saucer fleet. Ashtar (Ashtar Sheran) is regarded in these teachings as being third-in-command.[21] The designation of George W. Bush as a disguised reptilian often co-occurred with this claim.[22] Goodwin has claimed that Ascended Master Saint Germain came down from the etheric plane to physically meet with heads of banks and world leaders regarding the NESARA announcement.[23][24]

Followers of the NESARA conspiracy theory began using the name “GESARA” in the mid-2010s, by referencing the set of reforms as a “Global” – and not “National” – Economic Security and Reformation Act. They notably claimed that several East Asian groups were involved in enforcing the reforms worldwide, including the purported “White Dragon Society” which would benefit from fundings by “the successors of the last Chinese Emperor, Pu Yi“. One prominent advocate of “GESARA” has been a blogger based in the UK and going by the name “Alcuin Bramerton”. In 2020, “Bramerton” asserted that the “NESARA global prosperity programmes” were about to be announced and activated through an entity called the “Saint Germain World Trust” which would provide “one quattuordecillion US dollars” to “zero out (permanently cancel) all personal, corporate and national debts worldwide” and that further money would be provided to the “White Dragon Society” by the “Manchu family syndicate”.[3]

NESARA groups are known for certain to exist and to have attracted press attention in Utah,[25][26] and the Netherlands.[27] Members of these groups get together to discuss the status of NESARA, read the various reports, hold protests, and pass out fliers about NESARA to the public. Goodwin claimed that NESARA groups exist throughout several nations and US states including CaliforniaWashingtonArizona, and Texas, and provides hundreds of pieces of photographic evidence of people in public protests holding NESARA banners,[28][29] but it is not clear to what degree the people holding the banners are aware of what NESARA is, or for how long these groups were active. The News Tribune has traced the story behind at least some of these photos (photos of trucks driving around Washington, D.C. bearing the words “NESARA Announcement Now!”), and found that they were part of a $40,000 advertising campaign allegedly paid for by an elderly San Francisco resident who had made donations to Goodwin.[27]

NESARA’s concepts have also been incorporated by other conspiracy theories. In 2022, Bellingcat compared NESARA/GESARA to a “grandfather” of QAnon and reported that as QAnon’s iconography and concepts were declining in popularity, its adherents were becoming more and more invested in NESARA concepts and reviving that older movement.[2] People involved with the sovereign citizen movement have also subscribed to NESARA-related theories.[30]

Comparison to a cult and scam accusations

Critics consider NESARA to be a cult. Pointing to the fact that Goodwin, Lee, and Nidle frequently solicited donations from their readers, they accuse these leaders of being primarily interested in securing a steady stream of income for themselves.[31][32][33] Goodwin, who also asked readers to donate their frequent flyer miles,[34] claimed that she needed and had used the funds to travel to various locations around the world to secretly meet with high-level government officials about getting NESARA announced.[34][35] In 2004, The News Tribune published an article which called Goodwin a “cybercult queen” and described the NESARA phenomenon as a scam.[1]

A June 2006 complaint to the Washington consumer protection division accused Goodwin of using the NESARA story to defraud a 64-year-old San Francisco woman of at least $10,000. The woman’s daughter said the actual amount is much larger, in the hundreds of thousands.[27]

The prominence of failed prophecy also lends support to the cult theory. NESARA supporters often tell their readers that the NESARA announcement is going to happen in a matter of days. According to the documentary Waiting For NESARA, the claim was also made prior to March 2003 that George Bush was planning the war with Iraq only to further delay the NESARA announcement. It was prophesied that spiritual beings and UFOs would intervene with Bush’s plans and prevent the war.[25]

See also

Further reading

  • Gulyas, Aaron John (2021). Conspiracy and Triumph: Theories of a Victorious Future for the Faithful. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476680767.

Notes and references

  1. Jump up to:a b c d e f Robinson, Sean (18 July 2004). “Snared by a Cybercult Queen, Dove of Oneness”The News Tribune. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  2. Jump up to:a b “As QAnon Falters, European Followers Flock to a Financial Conspiracy”Bellingcat. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  3. Jump up to:a b c Gulyas 2021, pp. 161–162.
  4. ^ “Harvey Francis Barnard obituary”The AdvocateLegacy.com. 24–26 May 2005. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  5. ^ “A Legislative Proposal for Monetary and Fiscal Policy Reform (was: The National Economic Stabilization and Recovery Act)”. Archived from the original on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  6. ^ Goodwin, Shaini (11 September 2006). “NESARA’s Announcement Brings Truth about 9-11 Attacks”. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  7. ^ Goodwin, Shaini. “Announcement this Week?—NESARA Update #21”. Archived from the original on 16 April 2003. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  8. ^ Robinson, Sean (19 July 2004). “Up against ‘the dark agenda'”. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  9. ^ Gulyas 2021, p. 58.
  10. ^ “NESARA Scam”Quatloos!. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  11. ^ Goodwin, Shaini (4 May 2002). “NESARA: Gov. and U.S. Treasury Currency Info; Pros. Prg Deliveries”. Archived from the original on 18 June 2004. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  12. ^ Goodwin, Shaini (8 March 2004). “NESARA Debt Relief in U.S.; Income Taxes End; NESARA Editorial & Confirmations”. Archived from the original on 11 April 2004. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  13. ^ Goodwin, Shaini (13 October 2003). “NESARA; Dove Reports Email Improvements; Wild-eyed Currency Stories”. Archived from the original on 27 August 2004. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  14. ^ Goodwin, Shaini (23 June 2006). “NESARA Chronicles Parts 4 and 5”. Archived from the original on 25 September 2006. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  15. ^ “Rabbits: Rumors – The “Real” NESARA”. The NESARA Institute. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  16. ^ Gulyas 2021, p. 46.
  17. ^ “PAO Products”. Planetary Activation Organization. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  18. ^ “Jennifer Lee NESARA Reports”Quatloos!. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  19. ^ Shriner, Sherry. “NESARA Sucks: The Beast Economic Program”. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  20. ^ Ward, Suzy (July 18, 2005). “Special NESARA Edition”The Matthew Books. Retrieved 2007-09-25. Ward claims to write books that are “channeled” from her son, Matthew, who died in April, 1980 at the age of 17. The message cited is claimed to be channeled through a higher level “cosmic being” named “Hatonn”
  21. ^ Peterson, Ken. “Sananda on NESARA and Compassion”. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  22. ^ Icke, David“The Windsor-Bush Bloodline”. Archived from the original on 2007-03-31. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  23. ^ Goodwin, Shaini (April 28, 2007). “Peace Ordered; Corp. Eviction; Ascended Masters Working On Our Behalf”. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  24. ^ Goodwin, Shaini (July 28, 2002). “Support NESARA Fully to Receive Full Prosperity”. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  25. Jump up to:a b Haradon, Zeb and Elisa. “Waiting for NESARA”. Archived from the original on 2 January 2006. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  26. ^ Robinson, Sean (6 August 2004). “Documentary spotlights NESARA cult; Dove’s followers”The News Tribune. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  27. Jump up to:a b c Sean, Robinson (18 June 2006). “Some lucrative ‘New Age hooey'”The News Tribune. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  28. ^ “NESARA— Also called the Reformation Act”. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2020. includes several photo galleries: NTAT in action – July 4th 2005[1][2]
  29. ^ Goodwin, Shaini (2 October 2005). “NESARA Finishes Farm Claims Actions; NTAT Report; Canadians Sue Banks”. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  30. ^ Sovereign Citizens MovementSouthern Poverty Law Center, retrieved January 6, 2022
  31. ^ Goodwin, Shaini (February 6, 2007). “NESARA Lights Carry NESARA Forward”. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  32. ^ Nidle, Sheldan. “Sheldan Nidle Updates”. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  33. ^ Lee, Jennifer (October 7, 2003). “Jennifer Lee NESARA Reports”. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  34. Jump up to:a b Goodwin, Shaini (October 24, 2004). “NESARA; Bush Regime Stalls 9-11 Report by CIA Group; NTAT Reports”. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  35. ^ Goodwin, Shaini (July 18, 2004). “The Truth About Dove of Oneness: Her Life & Activities”. Retrieved 2007-09-25.

Even if you don’t believe the Wikipedia information and sourced citations beneath it, the whole idea that NESARA is somehow “secretly signed into law by Bill Clinton,” is totally absurd.  Here in the United States, there is no such thing as a secret law.  There can’t be.  If it is secret, how would anyone know to obey it?  How would anyone avoid breaking it?   The whole notion is stupid.

Yet there are literally thousands of people who buy into this crap on its face.  STOP BEING STUPID.  

How do felons get jobs if no one hires felons?

My dad was a bricklaying contractor (in the UK), think in the US that would be a stonemason? , He used to get letters from guys in prison saying they were getting out and could they have a job.

My dad consistently hired some of these guys, they were hod carriers, they were dirt workers and they earned good money for a good day’s work.

I remember an argument on site as one guy basically wanted to steal some stuff and one of the ex-cons was arguing with him (and it was about to get ugly) that you steal from others, but not from the guy who has helped you with work when you are out of prison.

As a teenager, I learned a lot from the felons who worked in construction. Every one of them did nothing but tell me to stay in school and go to college and work. One of them showed me the math of how even doing a bank job wouldn’t make you more than having a job for the 20 years you would spend in prison.

I learned not to swear at people, I did it once and one of the felons smacked me so hard I fell over, he helped me up and told me never to lose my temper with people and swear and shout unless I was willing and able to fight.

One of them, in particular, was a bad guy, he made no bones about it, beatings and at least one murder that he was suspected in. He worked harder to make sure I knew to stay in school and go get a real job and if he mentioned drugs once he must have mentioned them a million times.

Some felons should be locked up and have the key thrown away but most of the ones I have met in construction and later when I worked in a bar, knew they had done wrong and didn’t want anyone else going down the same path.

Felons get jobs by convincing someone to give them a chance and then not screwing it up for the next guy.

Have you ever witnessed an office prank that cost someone their job?

I and two other people were hired for the support department of a new financial software product. My job was to work with the developers on enhancements. The other two were software and hardware support. None of us knew UNIX, and that’s all this company used. PCs and MS-DOS were relatively common then, but not at this company. So, we had a sheet of commands to learn and the chief developer was training us.

“What’s this” said the prospective hardware guy when he saw the “wall” command. “That’s Write ALL” said the C.D. It puts a message in the message line of all the terminals on the system. But … don’t use it. That’s only for the System Admin or me, if they want us to broadcast a message to everyone.

Two weeks later, a Friday afternoon around 4:00 PM (office closes at 5:00) we all get a “REPORT TO CONF RM ASAP” followed by “ALL STAFF NO EXCEPTION”. We all come flying out of our offices and into the combined conference/reception area. Four developers, the two QA people, the office manager, the receptionist, myself and I think my two colleagues are behind me. We’re all looking at the CIO’s door, and that comes flying open.

“What’s this all about” he says, turning to the office manager. “No idea,” she says and the C.D. says the same. Next a phone call from corporate in Los Angeles. A very angry chairman is asking the CIO what the F*** is going on. Where did this message come from. He’s headed back to the office right now and there’d better be answers for him when he gets there.

Now we’re all puzzled. You see this was 1990 and we all knew stories of companies firing whole staffs. Often enough it was just like this: call everyone in and group fire them. But if the chairman didn’t know what was going on … ????

Now we’re looking around and it finally dawns on everyone. We’re all there except for the new hardware tech. The CIO is now looking at the software support person and me. We both say “He was here an hour ago. Never said anything to us about leaving.” By this point, the CIO had asked the SysAdmin to trace the message.

Yes … that’s who sent it. He (so we learned) realized he’d made a big mistake as soon as he hit enter. He thought his little prank would give us a nice little jolt for a Friday afternoon. He never thought we’d take it seriously. So when he heard us all scramble for the conference room while one of the QA people said “this is how they fired everyone where I worked before this. Here we go again …” he knew he was in trouble.

He claimed that he hid in the bathroom in the hallway for a few minutes. He figured we’d all go back to our desks a few minutes later, realizing it was just a prank. But when he came back in, he saw we were still in the conference room and he heard some angry voices. He says he grabbed his coffee cup and hat, and left for good.

His plan (after his prank blew over as he thought it would) was to talk to the supervisor privately. He’d admit that he did it, take his talking to and life would go on. He claims he never expected a company wide firestorm. In part, he didn’t realize that this message would pop up on every terminal in corporate HQ.

 

Modern Women Frustrated About Men Refusing To APPROACH Them “Women Hitting The Wall”

https://youtu.be/8FWzOppvG78

What are some mind blowing life hacks?

  1. Start every phone call with “My battery is almost dead”. That way you can hang up on them at any time.
  2. Want to cut into another lane of traffic but nobody will let you in? Cut in front of a Tesla, autopilot will force the car to stop.
  3. Hit the space bar twice for a full stop, and the next letter will be automatically capitalized too.
  4. If you can’t think of a word, say “I forget the English word for it”. That way people will think you’re bilingual instead of an idiot.
  5. If the person sitting in front of you on a flight reclines their seat all the way back and leaves you with no room, turn on the air con above you to full blast and point it at the top of their head.
  6. The best way to charge your phone faster is by switching it to airplane mode before plugging it in.
  7. Wet your nail clippers before using them. Your clippings won’t fly everywhere.
  8. Drive around with broken, expensive items in your car.
  9. If you’d like to use emojis on your Mac desktop, simply press Control + Command + Spacebar to open the emoji menu.
  10. Whenever buying something online, try using the coupon code “military”. Many sites have a military discount and don’t require any proof of military service.

 

How are Chinese automakers able to sell EVs at a much lower price than American counterparts like General Motors?

First China has the complete package.

From being the most effective and efficient manufacturing to having the most reliable and effective batteries to having the world’s biggest market by far, even bigger than the rest of the world’s EV market put together to a government and industry leader that has been farsighted and supportive for generations planning to convert ICE to EV.

China unlike the U.S. is not torn between protecting the oil barons and protecting the environment. China decided to skip investment on ICE all together because it sees EVs as the future. GM’s as well as most major car manufacturers is torn between conserving and protecting their well refined ICE technologies and making the shift to EV.

China even corner the most crucial materials and technologies needed to produce EV’s BYD is the only battery manufacturer cum vehicle producer rolled into one. What is worst is China produces everything at a third of US cost!

Their CEO are paid 1% of US CEO, their workers are paid a fifth of western workers who demand 10 times more rights and benefits but are willing to work half as hard! There is no way on earth that U.S. can compete. Chinese government focus fully on helping its people and build the best infrastructure. The U.S. focus on forever wars!

Texas Warned EVERYONE…This Crisis Is OFFICIALLY Unstoppable

https://youtu.be/ZsXmd-Y9Dyg

The watermelon cure

In China, I periodically have problems with intestinal and stomach gas from time to time. You know, I do like the spicy food, and all the rest. And it can get to be a problem with the farting and the burping.

Rather than take medicine for it, or anything like that… I discovered that a tall glass of watermelon juice takes care of the entire problem. One glass and the problem goes away.

That is, however, if the origin of the gas is from the stomach.

Anyways… Surprised me!

Ah, this is a little trick and suggestion for you foodies out there. Instead of medicines. Please take the time to drink watery fruit juices. Watermelon seems to work. Don’t really know about the other fruit, though.

Watermelon juice.

Cures stomach gas.

Things you won’t hear anywhere else.

Metallicman.

LOL.

Today…

Mourabiedes

2024 01 28 13 51
2024 01 28 13 51

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups butter
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup coarsely grated or finely chopped almonds
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 pounds confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 275 degrees F.
  2. Cream butter until light and fluffy.
  3. Mix in the 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar and egg yolk, creaming well. Beat in almonds. Stir flour; measure and gradually add just enough flour to make a soft dough that you can shape with your hands. Pinch off pieces of dough the size of a walnut and roll between your hands. Shape into half moons or stylized S shapes.
  4. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until lightly browned.
  5. Remove from oven; let cool in pan until lukewarm.
  6. Sift confectioners’ sugar onto wax paper.
  7. Carefully transfer the cookies from baking sheet to sugared paper. Sift more sugar over the top, coating them at least 1/4 inch with sugar. Let stand until cool; then store in a cookie jar or crock.

Makes about 30.

Preparing For The Collapse Of Society

by Michael

Are you convinced that we are headed for societal collapse?  If so, you are definitely not alone.  Survey after survey has shown that faith in all of our major institutions is dropping, and there is a growing consensus that very challenging times are ahead of us.  Here in 2024, we will be facing the most chaotic election season in our entire history, multiple wars are erupting all over the planet, economic problems are rapidly growing, destructive natural disasters are becoming more frequent, global authorities are warning us to brace ourselves for the next pandemic, and our cities are being absolutely overwhelmed by endless waves of new migrants.  The stage is set for a societal implosion of epic proportions, and many Americans are feverishly preparing for a coming collapse that they believe is inevitable.

For a long time, many people had faith that the government would be able to keep society stable, but now that has changed.  In fact, one recent survey discovered that a whopping 71.2 percent of all Americans “have no faith in the U.S. government to save them or prevent a doomsday event”

According to a survey of 6,200 Americans conducted by BonusFinder.com, 71.2 percent of Americans say they have no faith in the U.S. government to save them or prevent a doomsday event. Even more unnerving, many respondents believe Doomsday could come within the next year.

If you actually believe that the government will be there to rescue you when things really start hitting the fan, you are just being delusional.

If it was equally divided up among the entire population, the emergency supplies that the government has on hand would last less than a day.

Many Americans are realizing that they will be forced to rely on themselves as society collapses, and so an increasing percentage of the population is spending significant money on emergency preparedness…

Last April, the financial-services firm Finder found that the number of Americans who said they’d recently spent money on emergency preparedness jumped from 20% in 2020 to 29% in 2023. They spent an average of $150 on items such as nonperishable food, medical supplies, and cases of water. Today you can’t turn on a streaming platform without catching recommendations for popular survivalist reality shows such as “Alone” or “Naked and Afraid,” and on social media, homesteading and disaster-prepping influencers have amassed millions of followers across various platforms.

Disaster preparedness is on the rise, in large part, because disasters are as well: from the supply-chain shortages caused by COVID-19 lockdowns to the climate crisis, from wars in Ukraine and Gaza to tech-driven loneliness, from runaway disinformation to intractable political polarization. More people are asking: Am I better off being hyperdependent on the global industrial economy? Would it be safer to grow my own food, store my own water, and not depend on complex systems I don’t understand?

I am glad that more people are waking up and getting prepared.

But spending a couple hundred dollars on some emergency preparedness items simply is not going to be enough to survive what is eventually coming.

In Missouri, one woman named Rowan MacKenzie has literally spent $90,000 to prepare her family for what she believes is ahead of us…

A woman who has built a doomsday bunker says the door will remain closed to anyone outside her home, including family.

Rowan MacKenzie, from Missouri, who became a social media phenomenon after revealing she’s been prepping her home for 12 years, believes it’s necessary to prepare for the end of the world.

She previously hit the headlines after revealing she spent over $90,000 on her hidden bunker stockpile.

The 38-year-old began stocking up her cupboards 13 years ago and initially, bought lifelong essentials, such as beans and rice, which she taught herself to preserve through trial and error.

Do you agree with her approach?

When things get really bad, will you shut your door to those that are requesting help?

Of course there are many that will just try to take whatever they need.  Crime rates are already spiking all over the nation, and violent predators are seemingly everywhere.  Earlier this week, Zero Hedge posted an excellent article about the vast hordes of psychopaths that are coming out of the woodwork these days…

Discussions on collapse often turn to signs and signals – The economy, politics and social tensions have become increasingly unstable for many years now, and much like adding more and more weight to a man standing on a frozen lake, eventually the ice is going to break. The question is, how do we know when that moment will be?

As cultural systems begins to dissolve due to political clashes and economic decline the real evil tends to slither out of the woodwork. It happens slowly at first, then all at once. A sure sign of accelerating collapse is the growing prevalence of psychopaths and psychopathic behavior in the open.

The US appears to have entered the middle stages of such a collapse with many sociopaths and psychopaths beginning to feel that they might be able to act out their worst impulses without consequences. They are beginning to test the waters to see what they can get away with.

Those paragraphs really resonated with me, because they are so true.

I am sure that you have noticed the same thing.  Evil is literally growing all around us, and the inmates are taking over the asylum.

And I am entirely convinced that 2024 is going to be a historic turning point.

Are you ready for the tremendous chaos that is coming?

If you have not figured out where you want to be located during the chaotic years that are ahead, that is the first thing that you need to do.

Once you have settled on a location, then you need to store up enough food and supplies for yourself and for everyone that will be depending upon you for as long as you plan to stay alive.

Of course you will also need to determine how you will protect all of your food and supplies as well.

This is not a game.

The collapse of society really is coming, and most of the population will find themselves completely and utterly unprepared when it finally happens.

Doomed by decoupling

The West falls further behind

Godfree Roberts Jan 29 2024  

We are decoupling from China and, a fortiori, from its technology, and from the 130 countries in its currency, trade and defense alliances. Highlights from 2023 suggest that we are far behind – and the gap is widening.

2024 01 29 11 41
2024 01 29 11 41
     

Economy

In 2023, China’s economy grew by $1.6 trillion, more than the rest of the world’s combined – while the USA borrowed $3 trillion to fund $300 billion GDP growth. Real wages grew 4.7% and demographics will remain healthy through 2043. 21 million tourists flew during Golden Week and spent $3 billion in Xinjiang alone. Hangzhou hosted more athletes at the Asian Games than the Olympics and domestic brands Anta and Li-Ning outsold Nike and Adidas.

Research

Young Science became the world’s #3 journal and is rapidly overtaking incumbent leaders Nature and Science. With a $228 billion corporate R&D budget, 3 million Chinese scientists applied for almost as many patents as the rest of the world combined, and utterly dominated the top 1% of most influential papers. Huawei’s R&D budget alone is larger than the US CHIPS and Science Act.

Health

Researchers there cured thalassemia, reversed autism and aging, provided Covid immunization with a dry powder aerosol, curednasopharyngeal cancer, constipation, atherosclerosis and improved Alzheimer’s memory and functionality. They grew human kidneys in pig embryos and oversaw the first live birth of chimeric monkeys

Hard Tech

Scientists created the first graphene semiconductor, while Betavolt began shipping an atomic energy battery that powers consumer devices for 99 years.

     

Huawei mastered 7nm chip production (Intel still has not), replaced WiFi with 6x faster NearLink, took Apple’s #1 spot in the world’s largest market with a phone using 90% domestic components. Chinese chip foundries bought 62% of machinery equipment domestically this year, vs. 47% last year, and produced the first integrated neuro-memristor and the first 232 layer flash memory. Researchers set a record for high-rate quantum key distribution, showed off the first ambient superionic hydride ion conductor, the first primate brain-computer interface and an integrated neuro-memristor chip that will make circuit boards obsolete.

Macro inventions included the first waterless nuclear reactor, the most powerful solid-fuel rocket, the first liquid oxygen/methane rocket (it lifted 6 tonnes into sun-synchronous orbit), the world’s only Mach 30 wind tunnel, lasers generating high-energy beams indefinitely, and the first high-orbit Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite for 24×7 weather observation.

The country installed 80 million kW of PV and PV generated 300 billion kWh nationwide, 30% above 2022. CATL’s EV batteries get 400 km on 15 min. charge and 700 km. on a regular charge at all temperatures. In addition to installing 290,000 industrial robots – more than the rest of the world combined – it put AESA radars on $8,000 farm drones (only four countries can make them – for fighter jets). Its 800 million 5G subscribers are served by 3.2 million base stations and integrated 5G industry applications into 67 economic categories with 100,000 application cases. Tibet’s 5G service surpassed California’s.

Environment

In the wilderness that covers 42% of China’s landmass, conservationists counted 70,000 Tibetan antelopes, 3,400 Przewalski’s gazelles, 5,000 golden snub-nosed monkeys and 1200 Snow Leopards.

Wind powered 15% of China’s energy and PV generated 300 billion kWh, up 30% on 2022, and factories produce 30,000 tons of green hydrogen annually. Gasoline demand peaked in 2023, and diesel will peak this year.

Geopolitics

mBridge, the Hong Kong-based digital currency platform that allows countries to trade in their own currencies, completed its millionth international transaction. 152 countries signed BRICS agreements and boosted mutual trade by 19% and lifted 40 million people out of poverty. The BRI News Network began broadcasting to 107 countries.

Defense

A hypersonic missile flew around the planet, launching and retrieving a mystery vehicle. The world’s most powerful radar chip makes planes and ships visible off Australia coast and the first terahertz submarine detector tracks submarines’ bubbles

US users rush in as China opens its top quantum computer Origin Wukong to the world, state media reports

  • US tops list of users from 61 countries to have accessed Origin Wukong remotely in 10 days, Science and Technology Daily reports
  • Co-founder of firm that built machine cites notion of ‘scientific exploration without borders’, though ‘US quantum computers are not open to China’

China’s independently developed state-of-the-art quantum computer, Origin Wukong, was opened up to global users 10 days ago.

Since then, remote visitors from 61 countries have been able to access the superfast computer, with the United States topping the list, Chinese state media reported on Tuesday.

The Science and Technology Daily, published by the ministry of the same name, said the number of remote accesses to Origin Wukong had surpassed 350,000 as of 10am on Monday.

Users from Bulgaria, Singapore, Japan, Russia and Canada were among those who logged in, but the US led the tally, it said, without providing specific numbers.

The machine had completed 33,871 quantum computing tasks for global users since it became operational on January 6, the report added.

Named after the Monkey King of Chinese mythology, Origin Wukong is China’s first home-grown third-generation superconducting quantum computer.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3237538/chinese-scientists-claim-record-smashing-quantum-computing-breakthrough?module=hard_link&pgtype=article

Origin Quantum, the company behind the feat, was founded in 2017 by Guo Guoping and Guo Guangcan – leading quantum physicists at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in southeastern Anhui province.

“US quantum computers are not open to China,” Guo Guoping told the Post. “But, adhering to the notion of scientific exploration without borders, we are willing to open our services to users around the world, including the US, to jointly promote the concept of quantum computing for the benefit of mankind.”

Quantum computing is seen as a disruptive technology. It uses elementary particles called qubits, short for quantum bits, as its basic unit of information – equivalent to the digital bits used in traditional computing.

China and the United States are among major world powers racing to be No 1 in utilising the key technology, which has the potential to transform many fields, including healthcare, finance and data security.

Origin delivered its first superconducting quantum computer to the domestic market in 2020. The country’s first practical quantum computer was also from Origin – the 24-qubit Wuyuan second generation machine that was delivered to an undisclosed user in 2021.

The feat made China the third country – after Canada and the US – to gain the capability to deliver a complete quantum computing system.

The Wukong is powered by a 72-qubit home-made superconducting quantum chip, also called the Wukong chip.

Jia Zhilong, a director in charge of quantum chip research and development at Origin, said the launch of this locally made chip and computer was akin to an “entry ticket” to the field of superconducting quantum computer manufacturing.

He said it showed that China was capable of independently producing scalable quantum computer chips and systems of a certain size, local newspaper Anhui Daily reported earlier this month.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3243268/china-sells-quantum-chips-middle-east-and-western-countries-show-growing-influence-secotr?module=hard_link&pgtype=article

Kong Weicheng, another researcher at Origin, told the paper that the company’s latest powerful machine could send out and execute up to 200 quantum circuits at one time, giving it a greater speed advantage.

Despite these advances, the quantum gap between Chinese players and their Western counterparts remains wide.

In November 2022, America’s IBM launched its 433-qubit “Osprey” processor, the world’s fastest quantum computer at the time. In October last year, Californian start-up Atom Computing left the Osprey behind with the debut of its first quantum computer with more than 1,000 qubits. Two months later, IBM unveiled the Condor with 1,121 superconducting qubits.

Although having more qubits does not necessarily mean better performance, large numbers will be needed to build error-free quantum computers that would be more useful than today’s “noisy” research machines, involving a certain probability of errors during the calculation process.

image 208
image 208

Quantum computers offer a faster, more efficient method of calculation than traditional computers. Photo: Shutterstock

Chinese scientists acknowledge the gap with the West.

In late 2022, Zhang Hui, general manager of Origin Quantum, said China was at the forefront of global quantum science research but “relatively behind” in quantum computing.

The development of quantum computers involves many advanced engineering issues, Zhang told Chinese news outlet 观察者网. This includes the production of superconducting chips and traditional semiconductors – both crucial hi-tech areas where China lags behind the US and the West.

He added that there was a huge gap between China and the US in the industrial applications of quantum computing.

“Leading players such as IBM and Google started exploring industrial applications as early as the 1990s. But it’s only since the establishment of Origin Quantum in 2017 that we started exploring industrial applications,” Zhang said.

However, whether featuring 72 or more than 1,000 qubits – quantum computers are not about to replace conventional ones soon. At this stage, they can only perform very specific tasks for short periods of time in a protected environment.

Numerous technical challenges, such as the ability to correct errors, have led some scientists to forecast that a practical quantum computer is still years, if not decades, away.

 

9 People Reveal Their Frustrations Of Being Raised By Overbearing Asian Parents

By Nick Lee | January 22, 2024

1. I visited a family friend with my parents, and while we were on our way back, my dad said he was discussing with the other parents about how me and their child, and most Asian children in this generation aren’t decisive/willing to take risks at all. I literally exploded.

Like why the fuck do you think we are this way?

Don’t you think maybe if you guys weren’t so fucking stingy with compliments and over critical with every single little mistake we made growing up then we would be a bit more confident and not deathly afraid of making mistakes???

Kid grow up to reflect how they are raised, it’s not like all of the Asian kids had a secret meeting and we just all decided to be constantly insecure and anxious as fuck and afraid of making decisions/mistakes in our life.

No, our parents literally raised us to be fucked up and then complain about it like we decided to be fucked up. Asian parents literally have no fucking clue how raising a child works.

They raise their child toxically and then expect them to magically turn out like they were actually raised by mentally healthy and loving parents. Fuck you.

I turned out to be insecure and anxious and pessimistic and afraid of mistakes/decisions because you raised me this way.

I’m not even holding grudges, but stop acting like I chose to be like this, no one would choose to be like this.

2. Asian parent logic: I must berate and emotionally abuse my children. I will never apologize to my children for any mistakes, even if they are my fault. I will not respect their boundaries.

At the same time, I demand fearful obedience, financial support in old age, and unconditional devotion.

Asian parents expect children to adhere to a social code that they don’t even reciprocate. It is insane to abuse a child, rip away any sense of self worth from them and expect them to love you. How is a child suppose to even reciprocate or learn something that was never taught or shown??????????

God forbid I ever bring this up to the pea sized brains of my parents. I don’t want kids because I don’t want to perpetuate this toxicity. It can rot with my childless body when I die.

3. It amazes me that parents think doing the bare minimum as parents is deserving of lifelong gratitude.

“We fed you and housed you and bought you clothes and let you go to school”

You are literally supposed to do that for your children. Don’t have children if you don’t expect to do this as a parent, you idiots.

Like you feeding and clothing your kids make you an exceptional parent. I mean what was the alternative?

Child services being contacted was the only other option. You don’t get praised in school for getting 50%.

4. My mum is always comparing me to someone. This includes but is not limited to: my sibling, my cousins, distant relatives, my OWN friends, random news stories about 8 year old prodigies… Even Obama.

It’s gotten to the point where I’ve literally heard it all until today I was gushing about BTS and how proud I am of them for coming so far especially with their Grammy nomination, when my mum said this:

“Look at BTS working so hard. Why don’t you work as hard as them? They are so hard working. You’re not even worth BTS.”

5. Asian Parents sometimes like to say that we are “ungrateful” and “entitled”. I think the opposite. I think THEY are the ones who are ungrateful and entitled.

They assume we should be automatically happy after being provided a “roof on your head, food to eat, clothes to wear”. They assume that just because of these things, we should be willing to do anything and everything they want, exactly the way they want it, whenever they want it.

That’s called being entitled.

They don’t like the fact that we have our own emotions, our own plans. It means, in their eyes, that we are “ungrateful”. However, being called ungrateful is nothing more than an insult. It holds no weight, parents are just mad that their directions are not being followed. Instead of appreciating that you have a child who does even decently at school, or piano, or anything, you hold them up to these ridiculous standards, always expecting more than what they have.

That in my view, is called being ungrateful.

6. The problem with Asian parents is that they refuse to look at us as separate human beings with our own thoughts, emotions, etc.

They also want control over every aspect of their life, I guess this extends to control of their kids.

And THEN they act surprised when all this backfires. “Oh, WHY IS HE LYING TO US”. Maybe because you restrict fucking everything? Come on.

7. Expecting kids to behave according to cultural practices of a place 1000s of miles away goes against our nature as human beings

As a student of science and psychology specifically, it kills me to see asian parents expecting their children who came here young or were born here to follow norms of a country in some other continent. It literally goes against our nature to adapt to places that are NOT in our immediate environment. It is completely abnormal and dysfunctional to raise kids with the expectation. If you are westnerized and live in the west then that means you are showing signs of healthy human behavior. We are not meant to stay in one time and place or adapt to environments that are not ours. We’d not make it as a species if this were the case.

I’ve seen parents who have been here for decades (my own especially) who literally show immense pride for not changing and still being very cultured. That’s insane to me. If you’re in a country for 30 years and you still live like you were back home then there is something incredibly dysfunctional about you. That’s not normal and horrible for your kids and this is because there is all this pressure to adhere to a place that they’ve never lived in while telling them to actively reject the place that you do.

Don’t get me wrong, I think celebrating your culture is great and incorporating culture in your life if thats your thing is fine. However, celebrating your culture and imposing culture on kids are very different and often the culture being imposed is not even the current culture back home anyways. What really happens (and I’m basing this on my mom) is that people back home have changed and grown and she has stuck in some 1970s time capsule that she keeps telling me to believe is what our culture back home looks like now.

8. I am every tiger parent’s dream daughter, and I am miserable

Thin, youthful, physically attractive, athletic, near-perfect health. Attended a top U.S. engineering school. Software engineer at Google. On track to be top 1% income and top 6% wealth for my age group within a year.

Yet they treat me like shit. Constantly screaming. Criticizing my every purchase. Asking how much I paid for certain items (coffee, food, bicycle) and complaining that I spend too much money. Not to mention back when I was a child I was screamed at and beaten every day, despite being a pretty good daughter. I have accomplished everything a tiger parent could ask for, yet I am miserable and so are my parents.

9. Turning 30 next month. My entire teens and 20s up to 27 was wasted. The best years of my life, under the vice grip of my overbearing, manipulative parents.

I was forced to commute to university. Never had the uni experience. Just classes and back home. By the time I entered the work world I was extremely under developed socially.

I got a great first job at a famous brand but compared to all the other grads there I was so far behind in every sense of being a professional. They were all great at shmoozing and articulating themselves. Being fun without being creepy. Being assertive in meetings and presentations. Organizing after-work grad socials etc. Meanwhile, I was the complete opposite of all that.

Even just everyday conversations they were all so well versed in different topics. Meanwhile I was sooo sheltered I had nothing to add to a conversation or tell a story. Mate, even my vocabulary, and literally how I string sentences together was underdeveloped.

And when I tried to fit in it came across very contrived and probably very creepy. I quit the job a year in because it was easier to run than get “found out”.

I didn’t start dating til 22. Even this was half-hearted because of the mental programming by APs and forced to stay at home, curfew and general overbearingness by them.

They didn’t know I was dating. But whenever I would go out my mum would literally harass me with calls and shouting when I got back home it was just easier to be an incel than deal with her bullshit.

Had no hobbies, because these were all labelled a waste of time.

Normally I used the gym to block and drown these regrets and feelings of self-pity. But since lockdown and no gym I’ve been abusing drink and food to avoid these thoughts. I just cant get over it. And I know these feelings will get worse the older I get and more time distance from my 20s.

I feel like at 29 I am at the development level of where most normal 20 year olds are.

I absolutely resent my parents and myself. I have immense self hate because of this shit.

 

Gonzalo Lira Died for Pneumonia without Therapy in Prison for Months! How, Why Zelensky’s SBU Tortured US Journalist

The imprisoned blogger suggested that this was because Victoria Nuland hated him personally

By Fabio G. C. Carisio January 27, 2024

Ukrainian Jailers ignored Gonzalo Illness for Months

UPDATE ON JANUARY, 27

Chilean-American war commentator Gonzalo Lira died shortly before noon on January 11, 2024 at a hospital in Kharkiv, where he had been imprisoned for eight months since he was accused of justifying Russian war efforts in Ukraine.

«A note written by Lira and provided by his father to The Grayzone indicates his death came after a nearly three-month battle with pneumonia, a condition which was apparently ignored by his Ukrainian jailers until just weeks before his death. Lira’s death was revealed by his father, Gonzalo Lira, Sr., who had spent weeks pleading with the American embassy to intervene in his son’s medical emergency» reported The Grayzone.

Emails reviewed by The Grayzone show that after learning of his son’s illness, the senior Lira urged the embassy to intervene on January 3. In a message to US officials, he noted that Ukrainian authorities appeared to make an effort to conceal information about Lira Jr.’s health from his family and legal representatives. “The medical warden in the pre-trial jail in Kharkiv is not giving information as to the state of his health,” he wrote, concluding: “It has been 12 days since I knew his state.”


In Memory of Gonzalo, Victim of Dictatorship

POSTED ON JANUARY, 12

by Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio

VERSIONE IN ITALIANO

In every totalitarian regime, be it Nazi, Communist, Jihadist or Zionist extremism, the first enemy is those who try to reveal its hypocrisy, lies, corruption, ferocity and tyranny.

Because every government close to dictatorship, as those of Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine, Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel but also Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey are today, can only sustain itself on the illusion of hiding its true essence.

This is why the most feared adversaries are freedom of opinion and expression and therefore journalists, bloggers and whistleblowers.

Gaza, Donbass, Syria: GENOCIDES of the Zionist, Nazi, Jihadist Regimes is US-NATO’s “New” Geopolitical WEAPON

https://www.gospanews.net/en/2024/01/11/gaza-donbass-syria-genocides-of-the-zionist-nazi-jihadist-regimes-is-us-natos-new-geopolitical-weapon/embed/#?secret=ibXooA98Gl#?secret=FUCBgKt0fR

This is how it is explained that an honest, intelligent and courageous journalist like the American of Chilean origins Gonzalo Lira was tortured to death by the tormentors of the Ukrainian Security Service, the ruthless intelligence managed directly by President Zelensky which has become famous for crimes surgical operations as brutal as they were shameless, comparable only to the brutal actions of the neo-Nazi and Satanist paramilitaries of the Azov Battalion.

An American Neo-Nazi who Fought within Azov Battalion Avowes the Crimes of his Ukrainian ‘colleagues’

https://www.gospanews.net/en/2022/11/21/an-american-neo-nazi-who-fought-within-azov-battalion-avowes-the-crimes-of-his-ukrainian-colleagues/embed/#?secret=jq5TqO4MJj#?secret=kGXcc9WGKG

Gonzalo is dead.

This is what the father says and two of the most important counter-information sites in the USA and the world support: The GrayZone of Max Blumenthal, arrested in October 2019 in Washington a few days after making public the SETA dossier on Operation MOM of the American counter-espionage of CIA for the supply of TOW anti-tank rocket launchers to Syrian jihadist groups, and Tucker Carson, removed from Fox News after the capital increase of BlackRock, financier of Big Pharma of Covid vaccines as well as of the Arms Lobby that profits from the war in Ukraine.

2024 01 28 14 42
2024 01 28 14 42

Russian news agency TASS confirmed the blogger’s death on Saturday, citing a response it received from the US Department of State. 

“We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Ukraine. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss,” a representative of the Department of State told a TASS correspondent in response to a request to comment on the information that Lira died in jail.

BLACKROCK “KILLED” CARLSON FOR VACCINES & WEAPONS BUSINESS. The Fund of WEF’s Zionist King owns Big Part of Fox News

https://www.gospanews.net/en/2023/04/28/blackrock-killed-carlson-for-vaccines-weapons-business-the-fund-of-wef-zionist-kings-owns-big-part-of-fox-news/embed/#?secret=dQRVxu1Hk2#?secret=KP5KQcSRjT

On Saturday, US entrepreneur Elon Musk addressed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, asking him to explain Lira’s arrest and incarceration. Musk voiced his opinion on the issue following Carlson’s post on the X platform asserting that Lira was being “tortured in a Ukrainian prison since July, for the crime of criticizing Zelensky.”

The Murdering Actions of Security Service of Ukraine (SBU)

It was precisely the masked men of Zelensky’s SBU who became the protagonists of the persecution of the priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, an act recently condemned by the UN, and of various assassinations.

The best known of which is certainly that of the Ukrainian banker and secret agent Denys Kyreyev who he was killed in March 2022 because as a member of the delegation for the peace negotiations between Kiev and Moscow he was trying to achieve the goal.

SBU kills member of Ukrainian Delegation at talks with Russia Kyreyev on Suspicion of Treason

https://www.gospanews.net/en/2022/03/05/sbu-kills-member-of-ukrainian-delegation-at-talks-with-russia-kyreyev-on-suspicion-of-treason/embed/#?secret=9IKod87nnG#?secret=Cn8o2O9tH2

While the Ukrainian president, servant of NATO, had the strict order to reject every peace agreement at the cost of having his soldiers and his people massacred as promptly happened, in a way limited only by the precise desire of the Russian president Vladimir Putin to avoid collateral damage to civilians as much as possible, contrary to what is happening in the planned genocide in Gaza.

UN condemns Ukraine’s Crackdown on its largest Christian church

https://www.gospanews.net/en/2023/12/24/un-condemns-ukraines-crackdown-on-its-largest-christian-church/embed/#?secret=xe6yW7NXpc#?secret=qVNkYu3O47

Kyreyev was murdered in cold blood on the street – without trial, as he was accused of treason without evidence – with a mafia, Nazi, jihadist or Zionist execution, just think of the many Arab but also Western journalists killed in Palestine by the snipers of the Israel Defense Forces commanded by Netanyahu.

“Israel targets journalists intentionally”. Gaza reporters share their stories with RT

https://www.gospanews.net/en/2023/11/09/israel-targets-journalists-intentionally-gaza-reporters-share-their-stories-with-rt/embed/#?secret=EuDKyx7vkv#?secret=ROK2vpgYmM

Real explosive terrorist attacks planned by Ukrainian intelligence instead caused the death of Russian blogger Vladlen Tatarsky and journalist Darya Dugina.

Then attempted to kill the Chief Editor of RT International News TV Channel Margarita Simonyan and journalist Ksenia Sobchak.

https://www.gospanews.net/en/2023/07/15/terrorism-the-villainous-western-weapon-in-the-zelenskys-hands-vs-russia-fsb-foils-kievs-plot-to-murder-rt-chief-editor/embed/#?secret=g25vS2n62x#?secret=NNBKJy0aWU

Not to forget “the mortar target practice” with which Italian reporter Andrea Rocchelli and his Russian colleague and interpreter Andrej Nikolaevič Mironov were killed in Donbass on May 24, 2014 by the paramilitaries of the Ukrainian National Guard of which the infamous Azov Battalion is part. .

Thanks to the influence of NATO and Italian politicians financed by George Soros, the only defendant Vitaliy Markiv was convicted at first instance but then acquitted by the Supreme Court due to a procedural flaw in the collection of the overwhelming evidence against him.

https://www.gospanews.net/en/2021/12/13/italian-and-russian-reporters-murdered-in-donbass-no-one-guilty-acquitted-ngus-warrior-who-fought-alongside-neo-nazis-isis-ftfs/embed/#?secret=YMCYNXamY4#?secret=FrJEWEEyXV

This is why Gonzalo’s case is not an arrest that ended badly by chance. But it is an act of repression of freedom perpetrated with lethal cruelty as a warning to those seeking truth and freedom of thought in Ukraine.

The fact that all this was allowed to the Zelensky regime financed by the complicity of the White House, of the NATO countries with the money of the American, British and European Peoples is a small example of the US and Western Democracy completely adrift in the same totalitarian regime that allowed the virologist Antony Fauci to censor the truth – now partially admitted before Congress – about the SARS-Cov-2 built in the laboratory and about all the obligations of the pandemic emergency.

Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio
© COPYRIGHT GOSPA NEWS
prohibition of reproduction without authorization
follow Fabio Carisio Gospa News director on Twitter
follow Gospa News on Telegram

UPDATES AND MORE DETAILS HERE


The imprisoned blogger suggested that this was because Victoria Nuland hated him personally

by Russia Today

Chilean-American blogger Gonzalo Lira has died in a Ukrainian prison, his family said on Friday.

Lira, 55 at the time of his death, lived in Kharkov and blogged as ‘CoachRedPill,’ but switched to YouTube commentary after the conflict with Russia escalated in February 2022. He was arrested by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) last May and accused of “discrediting” the Ukrainian leadership and the military.

How the West Was Defeated

Pepe Escobar • January 18, 2024

• 1,800 Words

Emmanuel Todd, historian, demographer, anthropologist, sociologist and political analyst, is part of a dying breed: one of the very few remaining exponents of old school French intelligentzia – a heir to those like Braudel, Sartre, Deleuze and Foucault who dazzled successive young Cold War generations from the West down to the East.

The first nugget concerning his latest book, La Défaite de L’Occident (“The Defeat of the West”) is the minor miracle of actually being published last week in France, right within the NATO sphere: a hand grenade of a book, by an independent thinker, based on facts and verified data, blowing up the whole Russophobia edifice erected around the “aggression” by “Tsar” Putin.

At least some sectors of strictly oligarch-controlled corporate media in France simply could not ignore Todd this time around for several reasons. Most of all because he was the first Western intellectual, already in 1976, to have predicted the fall of the USSR in his book La Chute Finale, with his research based on Soviet infant mortality rates.

Another key reason was his 2002 book Apres L’Empire, a sort of preview of the Empire’s Decline and Fall published a few months before Shock & Awe in Iraq.

Now Todd, in what he has defined as his last book (“I closed the circle”) allows himself to go for broke and meticulously depict the defeat not only of the US but of the West as a whole – with his research focusing in and around the war in Ukraine.

Considering the toxic NATOstan environment where Russophobia and cancel culture reign supreme, and every deviation is punishable, Todd has been very careful not to frame the current process as a Russian victory in Ukraine (although that’s implied in everything he describes, ranging from several indicators of social peace to the overall stability of the “Putin system”, which is “a product of the history of Russia, and not the work of one man”).

Rather, he focuses on the key reasons that have led to the West’s downfall. Among them: the end of the nation-state; de-industrialization (which explains NATO’s deficit in producing weapons for Ukraine); the “degree zero” of the West’s religious matrix, Protestantism; the sharp increase of mortality rates in the US (much higher than in Russia), along with suicides and homicides; and the supremacy of an imperial nihilism expressed by the obsession with Forever Wars.

The Collapse of Protestantism

Todd methodically analyses, in sequence, Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Germany, Britain, Scandinavia and finally The Empire. Let’s focus on what would be the 12 Greatest Hits of his remarkable exercise.

1. At the start of the Special Military Operation (SMO) in February 2022, the combined GDP of Russia and Belarus was only 3.3% of the combined West (in this case the NATO sphere plus Japan and South Korea). Todd is amazed how these 3.3% capable of producing more weapons than the whole Western colossus not only are winning the war but reducing dominant notions of the “neoliberal political economy” (GDP rates) to shambles.

2. The “ideological solitude” and “ideological narcissism” of the West – incapable of understanding, for instance, how “the whole Muslim world seems to consider Russia as a partner rather than an adversary”.

3. Todd eschews the notion of “Weberian states” – evoking a delicious compatibility of vision between Putin and US realpolitik practitioner John Mearsheimer. Because they are forced to survive in an environment where only power relations matters, states are now acting as “Hobbesian agents.” And that brings us to the Russian notion of a nation-state, focused on “sovereignty”: the capacity of a state to independently define its internal and external policies, with no foreign interference whatsoever.

4. The implosion, step by step, of WASP culture, which led, “since the 1960s”, to “an empire deprived of a center and a project, an essentially military organism managed by a group without culture (in the anthropological sense)”. This is Todd defining the US neocons.

5. The US as a “post-imperial” entity: just a shell of military machinery deprived of an intelligence-driven culture, leading to “accentuated military expansion in a phase of massive contraction of its industrial base”. As Todd stresses, “modern war without industry is an oxymoron”.

6. The demographic trap: Todd shows how Washington strategists “forgot that a state whose population enjoys a high educational and technological level, even if it is decreasing, does not lose its military power”. That’s exactly the case of Russia during the Putin years.

7. Here we reach the crux of Todd’s argument: his post-Max Weber reinterpretation of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, published a little over a century ago, in 1904/1905: “If Protestantism was the matrix for the ascension of the West, its death, today, is the cause of the disintegration and defeat.”

Todd clearly defines how the 1688 English “Glorious Revolution”, the 1776 American Declaration of Independence and the 1789 French Revolution were the true pillars of the liberal West. Consequently, an expanded “West” is not historically “liberal”, because it also engineered “Italian fascism, German Nazism and Japanese militarism”.

In a nutshell, Todd shows how Protestantism imposed universal literacy on the populations it controlled, “because all faithful must directly access the Holy Scriptures. A literate population is capable of economic and technological development. The Protestant religion modeled, by accident, a superior, efficient workforce.” And it is in this sense that Germany was “at the heart of Western development”, even if the Industrial Revolution took place in England.

Todd’s key formulation is undisputable: “The crucial factor of the ascension of the West was Protestantism’s attachment to alphabetization.”

Moreover Protestantism, Todd stresses, is twice at the heart of the history of the West: via the educational and economic drive – with fear of damnation and the need to feel chosen by God engendering a work ethic and a strong, collective morality – and via the idea that Men are unequal (remember the White Man’s Burden).

The collapse of Protestantism could not but destroy the work ethic to the benefit of mass greed: that is, neoliberalism.

Transgenderism and the Cult of the Fake

8. Todd’s sharp critique of the spirit of 1968 would merit a whole new book. He refers to “one of the great illusions of the 1960s – between Anglo-American sexual revolution and May 68 in France”; “to believe that the individual would be greater if freed from the collective”. That led to an inevitable debacle: “Now that we are free, en masse, from metaphysical beliefs, foundational and derived, communist, socialist or nationalist, we live the experience of the void.” And that’s how we became “a multitude of mimetic midgets who do not dare to think by themselves – but reveal themselves as capable of intolerance as the believers of ancient times.”

9. Todd’s brief analysis of the deeper meaning of transgenderism completely shatters the Church of Woke – from New York to the EU sphere, and will provoke serial fits of rage. He shows how transgenderism is “one of the flags of this nihilism that now defines the West, this drive to destroy, not just things and humans but reality.”

And there’s an added analytical bonus: “The transgender ideology says that a man may become a woman, and a woman may become a man. This is a false affirmation, and in this sense, close to the theoretical heart of Western nihilism.” It gets worse, when it comes to the geopolitical ramifications. Todd establishes a playful mental and social connection between this cult of the fake and the Hegemon’s wobbly behavior in international relations. Example: the Iranian nuclear dear clinched under Obama becoming a hardcore sanctions regime under Trump. Todd: “American foreign policy is, in its own way, gender fluid.”

10. Europe’s “assisted suicide”. Todd reminds us how Europe at the start was the Franco-German couple. Then after the 2007/2008 financial crisis, that turned into “a patriarchic marriage, with Germany as a dominant spouse not listening to his companion anymore”. The EU abandoned any pretention of defending Europe’s interests – cutting itself off from energy and trade with its partner Russia and sanctioning itself. Todd identifies, correctly, the Paris-Berlin axis replaced by the London-Warsaw-Kiev axis: that was “the end of Europe as an autonomous geopolitical actor”. And that happened only 20 years after the joint opposition by France-Germany to the neocon war on Iraq.

11. Todd correctly defines NATO by plunging into “their unconscious”: “We note that that its military, ideological and psychological mechanism does not exist to protect Western Europe, but to control it.”

12. In tandem with several analysts in Russia, China, Iran and among independents in Europe, Todd is sure that the US obsession – since the 1990s – to cut off Germany from Russia will lead to failure: “Sooner or later, they will collaborate, as “their economic specializations define them as complementary”. The defeat in Ukraine will open the path, as a “gravitational force” reciprocally seduces Germany and Russia.

Before that, and unlike virtually any Western “analyst” across the mainstream NATOstan sphere, Todd understands that Moscow is set to win against the whole of NATO, not merely Ukraine, profiting from a window of opportunity identified by Putin in early 2022. Todd bets on a window of 5 years, that is, an endgame by 2027. It’s enlightening to compare with Defense Minister Shoigu, on the record, last year: the SMO will end by 2025.

Whatever the deadline, inbuilt in all this is a total Russia victory – with the winner dictating all terms. No negotiations, no ceasefire, no frozen conflict – as the Hegemon is now desperate spinning.

Davos enacts The Triumph of the West

Todd’s ample merit, so evident in the book, is to use history and anthropology to take Western society’s false consciousness to the divan. And that’s how, focusing for instance in the study of very specific family structures in Europe, he manages to explain reality in a way that totally escapes the brainwashed collective West masses lingering under turbo-neoliberalism.

It goes without saying that Todd’s reality-based book will not be a hit among the Davos elites. What’s happening this week in Davos has been immensely enlightening. Everything is out in the open.

From all the usual suspects – the toxic EU Medusa von der Leyen; NATO’s warmongering Stoltenberg; BlackRock, JP Morgan and assorted honchos shaking hands with their sweaty sweatshirt toy in Kiev – the “Triumph of the West” message is monolithic.

War is Peace. Ukraine is not (italics mine) losing and Russia is not winning. If you disagree with us – on anything – you will be censored for “hate speech”. We want the New World Order – whatever you lowly peasants think – and we want it now.

And if all fails, a pre-fabricated Disease X is comin’ to get you.

Inside the weird, shady world of click farms

Jack Latham’s new photobook, Beggar’s Honey, is an unflinching look behind the curtain of the endless stream of content that dominates our lives.

Early in 2023, photographer Jack Latham was in Hong Kong, when he received instructions to visit a nondescript hotel among the city’s densely packed skyscrapers. Over the past four years, he had been searching for access to a click farm – shadowy operations that use large numbers of electronic devices to boost engagement online and manipulate algorithms – and after connecting with some people on hacker forums, he was now visiting one for the first time. Taking the elevator to the top floor, he was shown into a small room where hundreds of smartphones lined the walls, all connected to computers via a dense web of cables.

Eight people worked on the phones, sending thousands of likes and follows to content that they had been paid to promote. “It was quite strange, it almost felt like an office – I felt like I was at a young tech startup, I don’t think anybody there was older than 25, and they broke down the software and how it all works and what you can do,” Latham recalls. “These phones are connected to a main computer and when a client pops up, whether it’s Instagram, Facebook or TikTok, they then enter someone’s profile, which appears on every single phone simultaneously, and you press follow or like.”

image 210
image 210
image 209
image 209

The fast engagement artificially inflates the popularity of their posts, as well as tricking algorithms into boosting content more, giving clients the opportunity to go viral quickly. “Each phone is a different account, and each can change its IP address 20 times [a day],” he continues. “Each phone is technically 20 different phones, so you can see how it scales up.”

2024 01 29 10 23
2024 01 29 10 23

After that first visit, Latham sought out other click farms across Vietnam and Hong Kong, photographing what he found inside and even purchasing his own farm, which he keeps stowed in the living room of his London apartment. Those shots he took during his travels, showing the endless telephones laid out neatly in rows, are presented in his new photobook Beggar’s Honey, alongside obscured, surreal pictures he manipulated from people who reached out to him asking for boosts to their content.

2024 01 29 10 2r3
2024 01 29 10 2r3

“The way [the book works] is that you flick through foldouts that look like phones, and you have nothing but content that people have asked me to like on social media as a click farmer,” he explains, before detailing examples of the media he was asked to boost. “There was something about immigrants, other things like how to spot a fake Rolex, there’s lots of nudity, military propaganda and videos of armies, conspiracy videos about the Twin Towers and a conspiracy video about the vaccine.”

Within a landscape of misinformation and disinformation, it’s easy to see how click farms could be used dangerously. “It’s also been used for nefarious reasons, [a member of] the BJP Party in India was found to have been buying fake comments on social media,” he alleges. “I don’t think a lot of people share things on a big scale intentionally to fool people, but people just get fooled by it, and I think content is thrown at you so quickly these days that it’s almost impossible to take notes of what you’re seeing.”

Latham even manipulated the announcement of his book, which proved to be an effective way to engage his followers. “When we initially launched the book, the only time I used it is to promote my initial [Instagram] post,” he says. “So, within 30 minutes, I had 8,000 likes on the post – I could see in real time that this thing was growing and growing.

2024 01 29 10 2rr4
2024 01 29 10 2rr4

When I did a lecture one of the people in the audience said, ‘I saw you post it and I bought the book straight away because I thought this book looks incredibly popular, so I should probably buy it.’”

image 211
image 211

The pictures form a surreal, discomforting look behind the curtain of the endless stream of content that now dominates our consumption of media. Latham’s work helps unravel and interrogate the authenticity of what we view through our screens, while also raising questions about what success means in today’s hyper-online, personal branding driven world.

2024 01 29 10 24
2024 01 29 10 24

“I can certainly understand the proclivity for one thing to look popular – say you’re a local bookshop or bike repair shop and you make an Instagram account and it has zero followers and all of a sudden it doesn’t have the same kind of authority as something that maybe has 5,000,” he says. “So I think [using click farms] is incredibly common.

2024 01 29 d10 24
2024 01 29 d10 24

“There’s this need to appear more popular than you are as a form of validation and there’s certainly people in my industry I know who have purchased followers,” he continues. “I think we’re allowing the metrics of social media to infiltrate our self worth in a way that I think is quite fascinating.”

Beggar’s Honey by Jack Latham is published byHere Press.

The Death Of Pop

Posted on

Note: A British man named Sam Melia has been convicted of speaking freely and faces prison time for it. He is a married man with a young family. If you feel inclined to kick in a few bucks to help him out, do so here. You can also buy something from his family’s online shop. Their tea is exceptional.

Heard a good new song lately? Given the demographics of this site the answer is most likely negative but there are some young people here. If their answer is yes, it is going to be something from the hip-hop genre. Of course, given the demographics of this site they would probably not admit to it. This was the number one hip-hop song last year, in case you are curious. This one was number two, suggesting that the worst form of music has managed to get worse.

When it comes to what most people reading this would call popular music, the results are not much better. This was the most played “rock” song of 2023. One cannot help but wonder if it was created by AI due to its generic power-pop sound. This is the second most played “rock” song, which is not terrible, but it sounds more like a country tune than a rock song. In fact, it was number three on the country charts. This song was the most played song on the country stations.

You can go through the music charts and listen to the top-10 in each category each year and find songs that are pleasant and songs that are hilariously terrible. Miley Cyrus should cut back on that five pack a day habit and spend the savings on some people who can write music that make some sense. The fun part about scanning these music lists is there are many comically stupid entries that got pushed into the top-40 by the mega corporations that control the music business.

When it comes to what most people reading this consider rock-and-roll, the landscape has been barren for a long time. Who is the best guitar player in a rock band that is under the age of forty? No one knows. He probably does not exist because rock music does not exist as a genre anymore. If you want to hear that sort of music you are going to be buying or streaming stuff from thirty, forty or fifty years ago. Even young people who want that style reach back to the oldies.

The question is why has the popular music landscape become a barren desert of corporate product? There are still plenty of young whites who would listen to knew guitar music. Blacks still like things like soul and rhythm and blues. Even blues music could have an audience if anyone bothered. This post by Brian Niemeier goes into the reasons why popular music, especially rock music, has collapsed. He did an earlier post on the same topic discussing different reasons.

Not discussed is the culture of the managerial class. The people running the music business are no different from the people running the other centers of cultural production in that they have had the antiwhite bug for a long time. The music industry went all in on hip-hop in the 1990’s. Part of it was the belief that it was a fresh market and part of it was cultural. For managerial types, hip-hop was cool because it was not white, while rock-and-roll was pale, male and stale.

One result of the money drying up for all forms of music that appeals to white people is white people stopped making that music. They stopped learning to play instruments, stopped forming garage bands and stopped cutting their teeth at clubs. Elementary school bands are full of Asian girls playing violin. There has been a steady decline in the sale of musical instruments over the last few decades, even though technology has made it easier to record at home and make it sound good.

For rock music, this has killed the feeder system for generating new sounds and new acts that made the genre possible. Even if young people were still dreaming of being a rock star, the clubs where they would learn how to perform have dried up. The culture around going to club to find new sounds and new acts has also dried up. When the music industry shifted to hip-hop and corporate pop, they also shut down the development system for creating various genres of rock music.

We are starting to see this in other areas. The military is worried that white guys from the South are no longer signing up as in the past. This decline in white participation is due to the same factors as the decline in white music. If you make your institution openly hostile to white people, they will politely avoid your institution. Before long, you will lose the ability to win them back. A good rule of life for institutions is that once you go black the whites are never coming back.

Race is not the only reason for the decline of rock music. As those Niemeier posts explain, the industry is suffering from systemic failure. There lies another useful example that applies elsewhere. The federal government failed in its duty to maintain a marketplace for music. They allowed corporate players to monopolize radio stations, which coincided with the consolidation of the music business. The result is a narrow system that operates as skimming operation.

We see this in tech. Microsoft has a monopoly on operating systems and office productivity products. Innovation is non-existent in this area. Apple and Google own the mobile telecommunications industry. Despite the hype, there has been nothing interesting in mobile computing for a decade or more. The whole tech space is consolidating to the point where every business will be forced onto one of a few clouds of the cloud computing leviathan.

Of course, all of this can be chalked up to the end of empire. Empires are the result of failed societies, not successful ones. The Roman Empire grew out of the rubble of the failed Roman Republic. For half of its existence the Roman Empire operated like a mafia bust-out operation. The same is happening with the American empire, which grew out of the republic that died at Gettysburg. The main difference with the American empire and prior empires is speed due to the state of technology.

The shame of it is that like the remaining passengers on the Titanic, most Americans would enjoy some good tunes as the empire sinks under the water. That is not looking like it is going to happen, given the state of music. Who knows? Maybe Miley Cyrus will get lucky and made a good song for end-stage America. Or more likely, maybe a cage full of monkeys with some instruments will be the new Oliver Anthony and create an authentic anthem for this age.

 

Is it weird with KFC the only thing special about what you are basically getting is the flavoured coating and the rest is just chicken which seems to taste the same as any old cooked chicken?

It’s the same with everything. I went to my favorite steak house and found out how they made steaks to die for. There were tricks to getting everything just right, but the defining flavor was from the dry rub, and grilling not frying the steak.

You can get a nice tender blah steak, or a great tender steak and the difference is all in the flavor on the outside of the steak.

Eating plain french fries is OK, but french fries with a salt flavoring are so much better, and depending on your tastes, ketchup, gravy, salt and vinegar, and poutine, are just flavorings on the outside of the French fries, that make a french fry great.

Baked potatoes. Cook up a great baked potato, and try and get anyone to eat it without a topping. Trust me, I have tried, people don’t actually like baked potatoes. They like, salt, pepper, butter sour cream, bacon bits and chives.

Well its the same with the chicken. KFC had a great recipe, they made their name, then bit by bit changed the recipe, so its no longer great. No more deep frying in lard, for example. But its still an awesome coating.

Respect the Accomplishments, Don’t Envy the Person

Posted January 23, 2024 by Ben Carlson

Thomas Edison was once called, “the world’s greatest inventor and the world’s worst businessman.”

A magazine editor dubbed Edison “the most difficult husband in America.”

No one has it all, I guess.

Edison helped push forward the light bulb, phonograph and motion picture camera. By most accounts, he was also a complex person who put his work above everything else in his life.

One story came from a friend who happened to be walking by Edison’s lab late one night. He found Edison dozing off at his desk in the lab.

“What time is it?” asked Edison.

“Midnight,” replied the friend.

“Is that so?” replied Edison who was still waking up from his nap. “By George. I must go home, then. I was married today.”

The guy was in the lab on his wedding night.

Here’s another story from The Wizard of Menlo Park that explains how difficult it was for his wife to get him to leave the laboratory:

A man who did odd jobs around the Menlo Park lab, for example, tells a story of how Mrs. Edison managed to get Mr. Edison home, where she “dolled him up in a fifty-dollar suit.” Edison stayed put for a short while “looking pretty,” then fled for the lab. In the tale, Edison was found at the lab two weeks later, still wearing the same suit, having not been home the whole week.

Edison probably didn’t need to work as hard as he did to achieve his goals. But his personality was such that cutting back on his work simply wasn’t an option. The traits that helped him excel as an inventor also made him a terrible husband.

When I was younger these kinds of stories about people who worked around the clock to create something magical were inspirational. Now that I’m older and my priorities have changed I find these stories sad.

I respect the accomplishments and innovations, but I don’t envy the person anymore.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy working. Striving to get better and work on interesting or challenging projects is important to me. But spending your entire life focused on work seems like a waste.

Maybe it’s a personality thing (I am not a type A at all) or just the stage of life I’m at with young children. I can’t imagine making work my sole priority in life.

Patrick O’Shaughnessy had Michael Ovitz on Invest Like the Best recently. Ovitz is the founder of CAA, the most dominant talent agency ever created in the entertainment business. Ovitz talked about what it takes to be a good founder:

I don’t know a founder that I’ve worked with anywhere that isn’t driven like the snow. And if you can’t keep that pace up for 20 years, and I mean that, there’s no business I’ve ever seen that can get up and running in under seven to 10 years. I don’t know why it’s that number. But if you look around and start seeing when did businesses hit critical mass, it’s seven to 10 years.

And if you don’t have the energy and the desire and that burning sensation in your gut and the fear of failing and a desire to make it for the right reasons, and it can’t just be financial, by the way. You got to want to do something with your gains that’s socially important. That’s a very important item for me, don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it. I’ve been blessed with meeting really great founders and working with some of the brightest young people in our country.

I think that if you don’t want to put the time and effort in and you don’t have a belief — if you don’t believe in your idea, don’t start a business. And if you can’t do momentum, I did 250 calls a day.

Ortiz talked about working 7 days a week, day and night, for 20 years straight to build his business.

This was a theme in Ovitz’s biography Who is Michael Ovitz? as well. I went back to my Kindle notes1 from the book and this passage stood out to me on review:

In 1979, when I was thirty-three, Ted Ashley at Warner Bros. took me aside and said, “I’m going to give you some great advice.” He grinned ruefully. “And, knowing you, you’re not going to take it. But here it is: I could have worked ten percent less, and it wouldn’t have made a difference in my professional success. But I would have been a lot happier.”

Ted was absolutely right on both counts–it was great advice, and I didn’t take it. I see now that I could have worked as much as 20 percent less, and it wouldn’t have cost me. If I’d worked even 10 percent less, across thirty years, that’s three whole extra years of life I’d have enjoyed.

The problem for type-A personality people is they probably can’t dial it back because their hard-charging nature is what got them where they are in the first place.

In his book, Ovitz shared a passage from his friend and former client, the late Michael Crichton:

If you want to be happy, forget yourself. Forget all of it–how you look, how you feel, how your career is going. Just drop the whole subject of you…People dedicated to something other than themselves–helping family and friends, or a political cause, or others less fortunate than they–are the happiest people in the world.

That’s great advice.

Unfortunately, Ovitz told Patrick that Crichton had trouble taking his own advice:

It’s a very, very difficult thing to address, and I’ll tell you why. Michael said that as advice to other people. The one thing about Michael is he was often in his own head and didn’t take his own advice.

It’s easy to be envious of uber-successful people but it’s important to remember no one has it all figured out.

Like most things in life, success is often in the eye of the beholder.

Luckily, there are many different definitions when it comes to finding success. You just have to find the one that suits your personality and circumstances.

What is the weirdest experience you’ve had at work?

I used to work at a construction company that had a building along the main street of town.

One day, a guy came in and explained that he had a meeting with the owner, and could I please get him.

I found the owner and told him a guy was there for a meeting, to which my boss responded, “I don’t have a meeting, but ok.”

Then shit got WEIRD.


My boss greeted the man and the following conversation ensued:

Boss: Hi there, are you—

Dude: Hey man! Sorry I’m such a mess, I just got off work. I had to clean up a crime scene. Lots of blood! Hahaha. Dude blew his brains out… it was a real shit show!

Boss: Uhhmm… who are you?

Dude: I’m the guy who’s going to buy this building!

Boss: The building isn’t for sale, I think you have the wrong place.

Dude: Haha! Good one! No, I talked to Larry earlier today.

Boss: We don’t have a Larry…

Dude: I mean, Josh.

Boss: We don’t have a Josh.

Dude: I mean, Kevin.

Boss: Nope.

Dude: Patricia?

Boss: Uh-uh.

Dude: Guess I better come clean. Truth is, I need a job. I’ve just been eating cans to get by.

Boss: Cans of what?

Dude: Just the the empty cans. It’s real hard on my teeth, you know.

Boss: Uhm. I don’t think—

Dude: Just give me a fucking job, man!! I need it! I’ll do anything! I’ll mop your floors! I’ll clean your windows! ANYTHING! I will literally do anything… if you catch my drift.

Boss: What the…

Dude: I need a job! And a couple of cats… I really need cats… but mainly the job thing. Wait- how many cats do you have for sale? Never mind, I need a job more.

Boss: We aren’t hiring. Sorry.

Dude: Let me talk to Larry, he’ll straighten this mess out.

Boss: *sighing* Dude. We don’t have a Larry and I think you need to leave.

Dude: I can mop blood, if you need me to. Got any blood laying around that needs a good moppin’?

At this point, my boss made the mistake of looking past the guy and making eye contact with me. I had to turn around because I was (silently) laughing so hard there were tears running down my cheeks.

This, of course, made my boss laugh and the crazy dude got upset and finally walked off.


I’m still completely baffled by the whole thing.

I hope he stopped eating cans.
It’s bad for your teeth, you know.

Why the U.S. Media Industry Is in Meltdown

Between the layoffs at Sports Illustrated, Pitchfork’s absorption into GQ, and many other hits to major news organizations, the U.S. news industry is in a dire situation

By Derek Thompson and Bryan Curtis Jan 23, 2024, 8:13am EST


Sports Illustrated layoffs. The demise of independent Pitchfork. Hundreds of millions of dollars in losses at major newspapers like The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. The state of the U.S. news industry is dire. How did we get here? Who knows the way out? The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis joins the show, with contributions from an interview with NPR’s David Folkenflik.

If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com.


In the following excerpt, Derek and Bryan Curtis walk through what led to Sports Illustrated’s latest death and the general demise of the news media.

Derek Thompson: Great to see you. I want to do a few things in our time together. I want to talk about the news of the moment, this sad and strange cavalcade of bad news for the media business. And then second, I want to broaden the lens and get some context for why the 21st century has been such an unrelenting mess for media economics. And then finally, we’ll talk about bright spots and the lessons that we can glean from the bright spots. But I really want to start with Sports Illustrated because this is, again, a sad death, a strange death. It’s a very strange story. I think it’s weirdly emblematic of this awful moment in news economics.

Sports Illustrated holds a very special place in my heart. It might have been the first magazine I subscribed to. It’s definitely the first magazine I truly loved when I decided I wanted to become a journalist. You have an article up on TheRinger.com that points out that Sports Illustrated’s demise was really death by a thousand cuts. Can you explain who owns SI and how that strange ownership model contributed to its demise?

Bryan Curtis: I can certainly try, but you just have to walk me through this because I’m still making sure that I have my mind around it. They’re owned by Authentic Brands Group. Authentic Brands Group is a company that manages brands. Now, what brands, you might say, Derek? Well, that includes Muhammad Ali, that includes Dr. J’s brand, that includes Elvis, that includes Billabong and other companies that you might have been familiar with at a different age of your fashion. Authentic Brands Group then licenses Sports Illustrated to a second company, which is called the Arena Group. The Arena Group’s website says that they are an innovative technology platform and media company with a proven cutting-edge playbook that transforms media brands.

OK. So we got the brand-owning company that is licensing Sports Illustrated to the brand-transforming company. And the second of those companies failed to pay their licensing agreement, and so the agreement is dissolved. That’s where we are with Sports Illustrated.

Thompson: And I guess a slightly bigger story would be that Sports Illustrated used to be owned by Time Inc. Time Inc. sold Sports Illustrated, or at least the rights to publish Sports Illustrated and all of its archives, to the owners of the Muhammad Ali and Dr. J brand. And then they licensed out the rights to publish new articles under the SI brand to this other group that then failed to make its quarterly payments.

I mean, you don’t get into a mess like this if the economics work in the first place. And what’s so sad to me is that the very fact that Sports Illustrated had become something licensed, to be licensed, to be published, is emblematic of how far a storied brand like this, a storied magazine like this, has fallen in the last few decades. And clearly it’s not just SI; it’s not just Pitchfork. As I recounted in the open, it’s Vice, it’s GawkerGawker 1 and Gawker 2—it’s Jezebel, Condé Nast is laying off [5] percent, WNYC. Two of the biggest newspapers in the country, The Washington Post and the L.A. Times, reportedly lost a combined $150 million last year. Why do you think this moment, especially when the economy is growing, why do you think this moment has been so particularly gnarly for the news media?

Curtis: We almost need a list. It’s like an old-school Vulture ranking of problems, but I’ll throw a few out for you and you can put them in any order you want. Management missteps, no. 1. No. 2, probably the end of the Trump bump and, if you believe the Semafor article that came out yesterday, a new Trump bump that is not quite as big as the old one. I would also put on that list rich proprietors that are tired of losing money or at least tired of losing money on the scale that they’re losing it, especially in the case of The Washington Post and the L.A. Times. And then the fourth one I would say was, especially in the case of newspapers, the fact that The New York Times is gobbling up people that in another time line would be subscribing to their local newspaper. How’s that for a list?

Thompson: It’s a good list. There’s one biggie that I definitely want to talk to you about, and that’s technology, because there’s two stories that I think I could tell about the last 20 years. If someone said, “What’s the grand narrative here? Why is it not just one or two magazines or one or two newspapers that are struggling? It’s dozens of newspapers closing every year. It’s dozens of magazines failing every decade.” To me, you can tell this as a pure technology story, or you can tell it as a people story.

The technology story is that the internet comes along and really starts to pick up steam with Craigslist and Google in 2000, 2004, 2005. Facebook obviously takes over around the late 2000s, 2010s. And the internet does a few things. It increases supply. Suddenly anybody can become a blogger, can compete with old-fashioned newspapers for people’s attention. And when it comes to analyzing the news, writing about the news, no. 1, it increases supply. No. 2, it destroys local advertising monopolies, like The Washington Post. I grew up in Washington, D.C. The Washington Post had a local advertising monopoly for car ads, for apartment listings. Those monopolies are absolutely destroyed when the internet comes along and you can just go to Edmunds or cars.com to figure out what car to buy. You don’t have to buy a bundle that has news about Fallujah and also car advertisements in the back.

So it destroys local monopolies and the cross subsidies that they created. It also nationalized the news. I think there’s something about the internet that allowed people to—you’re living in St. Petersburg, Florida, you’re living in Peoria, and it’s easier to follow national news. And maybe as a result, more attention and more dollars flow to national publications, and that starves local media. So I’d say the internet does all these things—increases supply, destroys local monopolies. You could say it’s a tech-determinist story, or, and this is where your point comes back in, you could say, “No, Derek, tech is just a tool. It’s a story about people who use this tool badly. Newspapers were badly managed in America in a lot of different places: at the local level, at the national level on both coasts.” So when you think about the tech story and the people story, how do you fold those together?

Curtis: I think the answer is almost certainly both, but let’s go to the people story for starters. The thing people always point to as the great error of newspapers is that when they went online first in the late ’90s, early 2000s, that they were all free and they did not say, “Hey, guess what, folks? You got to pay for news. This is important. Put your credit card in here.” And we could argue that at that period of the internet, that would have been a weird thing to do to try to pay for news. We weren’t used to that. The New York Times was free at that point. So we might still have picked the glittering, big, fat, national newspaper over the skimpier local paper, but there was certainly some truth to that.

I think also, just the one thing I’d add to your technological story that’s so fascinating to me is I grew up in Dallas–Fort Worth. Not only did they have a local advertising monopoly, they also, the Dallas-Fort Worth newspapers, had a national news monopoly in Dallas. If I wanted to know about politics, I wasn’t reading The New York Times. I was reading them. If I wanted to read about international news, I was reading my local paper. So as soon as you stripped that away for all the reasons you elegantly laid out there, what was left? It’s that school board meeting that everybody cites. “Who’s going to cover the school board meeting? Who’s going to cover the mayor’s office?” Totally worthy beats, but a very, very tough sell when you’re trying to get people to pay for news.

This excerpt was edited for clarity. Listen to the rest of the episode here and follow the Plain English feed on Spotify.

Jupiter

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4z-v7RF–XQ?feature=share

Moussaka

Moussaka is the Grecian equivalent of lasagna.

moussaka
moussaka

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

Eggplant

  • 1 large eggplant
  • 1 pound ground beef or lamb
  • Vegetable oil
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1 1/4 cups canned tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs, divided
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  1. Eggplant: Pare eggplant and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle with salt and set aside for 30 minutes.
  2. Rinse and dry thoroughly.
  3. Brown meat in vegetable oil with onions and garlic. Drain off the fat.
  4. Add salt, seasonings, parsley, tomatoes and wine. Cover and cook slowly for 30 minutes. Cool.
  5. Mix in unbeaten egg whites and half of the bread crumbs.
  6. Brown the eggplant slices in vegetable oil.
  7. Sprinkle bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with remaining bread crumbs. Cover with the eggplant. Spoon meat mixture over the eggplant. Pour Sauce over this mixture.
  8. Top with cheese and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
  9. Sauce: Melt butter. Add flour slowly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Slowly stir in the milk. Return to heat and stir until the sauce thickens. Beat egg yolks well. Gradually stir yolks, salt and pepper into the sauce. Blend well.

I didn’t raise her this way…

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MQtgnysEdx0?feature=share

How Can Anyone Possibly Claim That The U.S. Economy Is Doing Well With All Of This Going On?

by Michael

How in the world can anybody possibly claim that the U.S. economy is in good shape?  Honestly, I don’t see how anyone can make a rational argument that this is the case.  Actually, the only people that seem to be trying to claim that the U.S. economy is heading in the right direction are those in the upper tiers of the economic food chain.  At this stage, those in the lower tiers of the economic food chain are very well aware of how much they are suffering.  Poverty, homelessness and hunger are rapidly growing all over America right now.  But if you still have plenty of money and those around you still have plenty of money, you may be wondering what all of the fuss is about.  If you are one of those people, hopefully this article will be a wake up call for you.

Let’s start with the housing market.  On Friday, we learned that sales of previously owned homes in December 2023 were 6.2 percent lower than they were in December 2022…

Sales of previously owned homes fell 1% in December compared with November to 3.78 million units on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales were 6.2% lower than in December 2022, marking the lowest level since August 2010.

For 2023 as a whole, sales of previously owned homes were the lowest that we have seen in 28 years

Home sales fell to their lowest level in 28 years in 2023 as soaring mortgage rates and red-hot prices dampened buyer demand.

Figures from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) show sales of existing properties slid 19 percent last year to 4.09 million – their lowest level since 1995.

Can anyone out there come up with a way to put a positive spin on those numbers?

I certainly can’t.

Meanwhile, 2023 was a year when Americans got further behind on their credit card bills “in 49 of the 50 states”

The number of people falling behind on their credit card bills increased in 49 of the 50 states last year, a sobering new report reveals.

As inflation took its toll on household budgets, Americans in their millions became delinquent on credit card debt – with some states much more badly affected than others.

According to analysis by WalletHub, the number of borrowers struggling to keep on track of their credit card bills has risen the fastest in Oregon. Between September 2022 and September 2023, delinquencies in the state soared by 51 percent.

Delinquency rates on all forms of credit have been steadily rising from coast to coast.

This will be an important trend to watch in 2024.

Meanwhile, large layoff announcements continue to pile up at a very frightening pace.

For example, Macy’s just announced that it will be laying off a total of 2,350 workers

Department store chain Macy’s is planning to lay off about 13% of its corporate staff and close five stores in an effort to trim costs and redirect spending to improve the customer experience.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the news on Thursday, adding that the job cuts will total about 2,350 positions, or about 3.5% of Macy’s overall workforce excluding seasonal hires.

And Wayfair is telling us that somewhere around 1,650 of their workers will soon be hitting the bricks

Wayfair is cutting 13% of its global workforce as the digital home goods retailer continues its efforts to trim down its structure, cut out layers of management and reduce costs after going “overboard” with corporate hiring during the Covid pandemic, it announced Friday.

The company plans to lay off around 1,650 employees, including 19% of its corporate team, with a focus on people in management and leadership positions, Wayfair said.

I apologize in advance if there are some major layoff announcements that I miss in the days ahead.

We are witnessing such a large tsunami of layoffs now that it is virtually impossible to keep up with them all.

On the west coast, employees of the Los Angeles Times are extremely upset about the “massive” layoffs that are reportedly coming…

With “massive” and “significant” layoffs coming soon, “the L.A. Times Guild announced a one-day walkout from both its L.A. and Washington D.C. offices this Friday,” reports TheWrap.

Staffers are “abstaining from work for the entire day while also staging a rally. It’s the first union work stoppage in the newsroom’s history, according to the union, dating back to when it started printing in 1881.”

This act of suicide is called the “Rally to Save Local Journalism” and will take place Friday at noon.

And earlier today I was stunned to learn that the entire staff of Sports Illustrated is being terminated

Following through on a warning earlier this month, Authentic Brands Group has revoked Sports Illustrated‘s license to publish due to a missed payment.

As a result of the move, the entire staff of the 70-year-old print and online publication was notified on Friday that their jobs were being eliminated.

“We appreciate the work and efforts of everyone who has contributed to the SI brand and business,” SI operator The Arena Group wrote in a memo to employees that set off outrage on social media.

Once upon a time, Sports Illustrated was a truly great magazine.

Sadly, those days are long gone.

There is so much bad news these days.

At this point the economic outlook is so troubling that even Google is getting ready to conduct yet another round of layoffs

Google has laid off over a thousand employees across various departments since January 10th. CEO Sundar Pichai’s message is to brace for more cuts.

“We have ambitious goals and will be investing in our big priorities this year,” Pichai told all Google employees on Wednesday in an internal memo that was shared with me. “The reality is that to create the capacity for this investment, we have to make tough choices.”

So far, those “tough choices” have included layoffs and reorganizations in Google’s hardware, ad sales, search, shopping, maps, policy, core engineering, and YouTube teams.

Of course what I have shared with you above is just a small sampling of what is really going on out there.  For many more recent layoff announcements, please see my previous article entitled “Alert! Here Is A List Of 20 Large Companies That Have Just Decided To Conduct Mass Layoffs”.

Before I end this article, I wanted to update all of you on the horrifying stock market crash in China.

Zero Hedge is reporting that Chinese stocks just experienced their “worst weekly loss since March 2023″…

Amid ‘snowball derivative liquidations‘, China’s stock market is falling faster than its population.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index crashed 6.5% this week – its worst weekly loss since March 2023 with Wednesday seeing the biggest daily loss since Oct 2022 as the index plummeted to key support levels around the Oct 2022 lows…

The phrase “snowball derivative liquidations” really got my attention, and a lot of you know why.

I have been warning about the derivatives bubble in my books for over a decade.

Derivatives are going to become a very hot topic the closer we get to a full-blown implosion of the global financial system.

We are in far more trouble than most people realize.

2024 is going to be such a tumultuous year, but many of the “experts” will continue to insist that everything is “just fine” for as long as they can.

Reminder

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BWUOe0_1SfM?feature=share

The Very Real Appeal Of Slow Parenting

Fewer obligations and more space for unstructured play and family time? This parenting style forces your hand — and deserves your attention.

by Christian Dashiell

For many parents, life’s pace is far too frantic. Family calendars are packed with playdates, music lessons, and sports practices. Even downtime at home can feel fast-paced as parents struggle to reign in the constant flow of information and entertainment options made possible in the digital age. But being run ragged isn’t the only option. A solution? Consider the more deliberate slow parenting style.

Slow parenting is a direct response to the more more more trap of modern parenting. It eliminates the idea that kids should be afforded every good opportunity. Instead, it abides by the the notion that they should be given meaningful experiences they have time and energy to process. Importantly, it stresses that parents shouldn’t give kids so much to do that they lack sufficient free time to explore their interests and the world around them. This allows kids to discover themselves, recuperate between organized activities, and have downtime to bond with family members.

Although it may not be for everyone, slow parenting is worth considering if parenting has become a race and you’d like to explore a more manageable pace of life, says marriage and family therapist Nadia Teymoorian, Psy.D., clinical director of the Moment of Clarity mental health facility in Orange County, California. In her work with families, Teymoorian has found that slow parenting principles are often valuable in helping parents increase the meaningful interactions they have with their children.

“When parents embrace a slower parenting style where they’re not feeling pressured to constantly entertain their children, kids learn to generate more ideas, explore their own interests, and find enjoyment in simple, non-stimulating activities,” Teymoorian says. “Slowing down can help cultivate patience and a sense of presence. This allows kids to see the world around them and develop a richer internal life.”

When parents embrace a slower parenting style, kids learn to generate more ideas, explore their own interests, and find enjoyment in simple, non-stimulating activities.

Slow parenting is an extension of the slow movement, started by Canadian journalist Carl Honoré nearly two decades ago when he pushed back on fast-paced life with his book In Praise of Slow: Challenging the Cult of Speed. The slow parenting movement blossomed with his second book Under Pressure: Rescuing Our Children from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting, wherein he honed in on the pitfalls of helicopter parents who micromanage and overbook their kids’ lives to the detriment of their mental health, resiliency, and independence.

So, how exactly does the slow movement play out in parenting? Well, as one might imagine, slow starts with the family schedule, but also bleeds into other aspects of life as parents look to create enough space to get some breathing room for themselves and their kids.

Here are four ways to embrace slow parenting and help the whole family take a deep breath and slow down.

1. Resist The Urge To Overschedule

Overscheduling comes at a cost — not just in terms of depriving kids of the opportunity to rest, but also in squeezing out valuable relational time that allows parents and kids to have closer relationships.

“When we resist the urge to overschedule our children, we force ourselves and our kids to prioritize what is most important,” Teymoorian says. “And when we cut activities, we aren’t just saying ‘no’ to things, but we’re prioritizing opportunities to connect to each other by spending more quality time together.”

Different types of downtime, including playtime and family time, play an important role in helping kids recover from the stresses of daily life. The rub is that when their friends are involved in multiple activities or there’s pressure to not fall behind in the great race to build resumes that colleges will find appealing someday, the pressure not to fall behind is intense.

Researcher and Stanford professor Denise Pope, Ph.D., recently shared with Fatherly what the process of building schedule boundaries looked like with her kids as her family took a hard line against overscheduling.

“Our kids wanted to be involved in a lot of activities,” Pope said. “So we actually sat down and looked at the schedule and said, ‘Okay, if you think you can do these activities and get your homework done and still get your 8 to 10 hours of sleep, we’ll allow you to try this schedule.’ But we also built in some escape clauses together in case that agreement couldn’t be met or if they started to get stressed to the point where it affected their ability to handle their schedule.”

In other words, you don’t have to rule with an iron fist when your kids are interested in a club or activity. But putting up boundaries that discourage overscheduling can help everyone from becoming overwhelmed.

2. Preserve Time For Free Play

Faced with the prospect of being home all day as a family, without any obligations to get to, lining up activities for the kids can keep everyone from driving each other bonkers. But there’s value in setting aside unstructured time for kids to play in ways that are voluntary, intrinsically motivated, and, most importantly, fun.

“Free play and imaginative activity without rigid rules foster creativity, problem-solving, and social skills in children,” Teymoorian says. “Kids grow in self-confidence as they are allowed to explore their interests, make decisions, and navigate play decisions.”

So, even if you have the perfect craft project lined up for the afternoon, it’s sometimes best to let the kids continue making a pretend meal or building a blanket fort with their siblings if they’re caught up in the moment. After all, it’s not like the work you’ve done to plan the craft has to go to waste. It’ll still be there for the kids to enjoy later in the day or the next time they have a day off from school.

3. Embrace Boredom

Despite the importance of unstructured play time, there will be days when kids counter opportunities for play with the dreaded “b” word. When they feel like they’re about to die of boredom, a slow parenting tactic is to hold the line and not bail them out with a list of curated activities. Because no child has actually ever died from boredom.

Although you may have to withstand some whining, bored kids will eventually learn to stretch their creative muscles and come up with something to do. But you don’t have to totally abandon them in their time of need. “There has to be a fun book on the shelf” or “see if you can invent an interesting game outside” are gentle suggestions that leave enough openendedness for kids to tap into their creativity and resourcefulness.

When left to their own accord, kids may come up with slightly risky ideas for play. Rest assured that such activities are a healthy antidote to boredom. Climbing a tree or trying to break rocks with a hammer might result in a minor scrape or bruise, but research indicates there are a number of ways such activities benefit kids’ development, such as developing executive functioning capabilities, risk-management skills, self-confidence, and independence.

4. Practice Digital Wellness

Even in the early days of the slow parenting movement, media consumption was flagged as a potential trap because of how advertising could drive kids toward the high of constantly buying the latest and greatest toy. Flashy ads also invited tension into the parent-child relationship through kids making incessant requests for the latest and greatest thing they saw on TV.

The media landscape has changed drastically since then, but the impact of screens is still powerful, going so far as to literally change young kids’ brains by increasing deficits in impulse control, attention span, executive functioning, and overall cognitive functioning.

Although parents can subscribe to are ad-free options for gaming and streaming at a premium price point to undercut some of the initial concerns of the slow parenting movement, incessant requests from kids for more screen time can still introduce a frantic and sometimes adversarial component to the parent-child dynamic, not so dissimilar to when kids beg for new stuff.

Thus, screen time remains a difficult problem for slow parents. Media abstinence just isn’t an option most families are willing to embrace. This is why Teymoorian advocates for a conscious consumption of media with a focus on digital wellness. She doesn’t recommend cutting out screens altogether, but instead focusing on empowering kids to use technology positively, with consideration for their overall well-being.

“Digital wellness for kids involves mindful and balanced use of digital media, focusing on learning and creativity rather than constant entertainment,” she says. For example, instead of mindlessly scrolling through YouTube Shorts, they can use an app that allows them to create digital art.

Additionally, parents should turn their attention inward. “Parents can foster healthier relationships with digital devices,” Teymoorian says, “by modeling responsible online behavior that helps children understand the importance of balancing screen time with other activities.”

As with most aspects of slow parenting, “mindful and balanced” is the key. Because just as frenzied parenting isn’t working for a lot of families, screeching-to-a-halt parenting isn’t a healthy option in the long term either as kids benefit from enriching activities like clubs, teams, community groups, and creative arts activities.

Taking steps to remain present in the moment is a key focus of the slow movement in general and slow parenting in particular. But be aware that it takes quite a bit of brake-tapping to get family life slowed down to a reasonable pace — and keep it there.

Contemporary Women Have Made Their Beds and Now Must Lie In it

I cry for women.

What the Fuck has America been doing? Everything in the USA is falling apart.

https://youtu.be/AR4OAkjZpT0

A rush for the booze

Arkansas is in the “Bible Belt” of the United States. And because of this, everything is heavily influenced by religion. Mostly “Southern baptist”. Which tends to be rather strict and fundamental.

One of the aspects of this influence is something known as “dry counties”.

These are regions in the state where the purchase of alcohol is against the law. So that people living in those areas must dive elsewhere to buy their booze, cart it home. Store it and then drink it in such a way that it does not run out. It’s a core characteristics of “the Southern way of life” that you hear so much about in American Country and Western music.

Anyways, where I lived in Arkansas, was a “dry county”.

And sure as shit, we would have to make an “alcohol run” before the stores closed on the weekends. And Lordy! Was it always a madhouse. Car jams. Packing lines. Carts full of booze. People jostling and pushing. Everyone in a rush.

Yup.

The American Way of Life.

I’ll tell you what!

Some things about the United States are so ridiculous that it’s not even worth commenting on. Except to say, that I am glad that I live in China where booze is cheap, plentiful and accessible by anyone, at any time.

Praise the Lord!

Today…

Why doesn’t the USA remove its troops from South Korea and Japan?

While there is no threat to Japan from any quarter, the US keeps troops in Japan to:

  1. Maintain Japan as a pliant vassal state.
  2. Control the region around Japan with its vast military complexes. The US has more bases in Japan than any country outside the US itself.
  3. Japan subsidies US forces and makes it easier for the US to maintain an overall large military since Japan pays large sums to the US for the privilege of hosting massive US troops and equipment. If those troops went home the US would have to pay 100% of the costs of maintaining them.

South Korea faces a real threat from North Korea. The 35,000 US combat troops in RSK are meant to provide a deterence to DPRK. In a real war the US would likely lose these 35,000 troops, which would drag the US into its next quagmire.

Secondary objectives to the US maintaining troops in SK are the same as in Japan, however US bases in Japan are not under any threat and are far more extensive than in RSK, which makes Japan much more important to the US than RSK.

I believe one of the primary reasons the US has become addicted to operating more than 800 bases around the world is that in many of the large ones, the host country pays for some if not the majority of the costs of that base. This defrays direct costs of maintaining its own military for the US while keeping the US military at an overly large scale relative to its growing inability to afford such size and scale.

If you can park your car in downtown Manhattan in someone else’s garage for free (with a promise that if someone in his family gets injured you’ll drive them in the car to the hospital), and that guy is going to pay for all the maintenance of that vehicle, while you still get to drive it anytime you want and he isn’t allowed to use it, you’re going to park your cars there for a very, very long time.

What is the purpose of the bread that restaurants give you before they take your order?

Jonas‘ answer is spot on on a cultural level, but IME, there are also often some more mundane/practical considerations involved.

  • It buys us time. I used to work solo for years. In one joint, we used to have baskets of bread and little bowls of homemade dips available for the waiters to just grab and hand out. If someone ordered food and I was swamped with orders, that would simply keep the guests happy until I got around / was able to free up a burner on the stove to make their starters or entrees…
  • It is one more element a really skilled waiter can employ to time orders etc. I’ve seen good waiters ‘stall’ for half an hour and more from the point the guests were seated with menus, drink orders, drinks, food orders, cutlery, bread and butter etc. without the guests even noticing they were being strung along while the kitchen and / or back office recovered from some minor catastrophe or just cleared a backlog of orders…
  • In places that are not dedicated restaurants, it sets ‘the mood’ for ordering something to eat. You might have come in just for a glass of wine or two, but when that cute little basket of fresh bread with a little bit of good butter or some nice dip, a napkin and a set of silverware arrives unasked along with the menu, you might just realize you could do with a nice bite to eat… This may sound far-fetched, but I’ve seen it work (on myself as a guest and on guests in places I worked at) often enough to not dismiss it.

 

Would the Chinese military be competent against the American and British in defence of Taiwan?

I don’t know why, but the Chinese captured POWs in Korea from 15 countries, and only the American GI’s knelt and surrendered to the Chinese, just like they knelt when they were captured in Iranian territorial waters. Is it because the Yanks have particularly soft knees? Can anyone tell me why?

image 166
image 166

American and British are not defending Taiwan, but they want to invade China, and the Chinese are certainly capable of defeating the invaders and letting them die in the sea and become food for sea fish. The Pacific Ocean’s marine fish will feast, and then we’ll sell our catch to the Yanks and bring their souls back to the U.S. so they don’t pollute the environment in China’s territorial waters. 😁

2300 heavily armed US soldiers have been killed fighting Afghan shepherds. 2300 Yank kids become corpses in coffins. There are no corpses in naval battles, they can only be fed to the sea fish.

image 165
image 165

With the exception of the Americans and the British, everyone in the world has been educated to know that the Taiwan question is a legacy of the Chinese civil war, an internal affair of China and a domestic affair of the Chinese.

Biden did not tell the US citizens that he wanted to invade China, only “to defend Taiwan”.

So, I ask, how does the US plan on doing that? with some sort of video game competition?

I mean, in order to “defend Taiwan”, you have to have military troops pertorming military actions, aka combat inside of China – And that’s because Taiwan is in China.

So currently America has soldiers in Taiwan, which is either illegal, or at the very least gray area because that’s part of China. And the government of China doesn’t approve of that and hasn’t allowed it. So that’s the current status.

If US start performing miltary action, that’s an effort to militarily conquer at least China or push them back inside of China. That‘s called an invasion.’

Sorry, everybody, if you don’t agree with this definition, but that’s what it is.

So US is yet again contirming that it will invade China if China attempts to continue its reunification by using military action.

I’d like to advise the US to listen to a well-known Chinese song with these lyrics: “For our friends, we have fine wine. For jackals or wolves, we welcome with shotguns.”

image 164
image 164

 

What’s the shadiest tactic you’ve witnessed HR use at your job?

OOOOHHHH!!!! This one is legend! It didn’t happen at my employer, but one nearby. (I worked for a bit just a city block, or two, up the street.) Here’s the basics:

Control Data Corporation (CDC) was on the rocks in the early ‘80s. They started laying folks off. But they didn’t do it publicly. Instead they “Disappeared” them. Here’s how it worked:

  1. An employee was instructed to keep quiet about the fact that he’d been transferred to the Roseville, Mn. Plant across town.
  2. He (it was mostly a he in those days) was to pack up his gear & personal stuff late Friday afternoon & the box(es) would be picked up & transferred over the weekend to his new job site.
  3. He was then given an address at the new plant where he was to report first thing Monday Morning.
  4. The next Monday he showed up, was escorted into a room with a table, a chair, a guard, and an HR person.
  5. The HR person gave him his walking papers & allowed him to sort out & collect his private stuff from the box(es).
  6. He was then escorted out the door to the parking lot.

Chopped Meat Pies (Pitta Me Kima)

Pitta Me Kima
Pitta Me Kima

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds chopped lamb
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 1 1/4 pounds tomatoes, peeled or 1 tablespoon tomato paste with 1 cup water
  • 1 piece stick cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 slices toast
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 5 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3/4 pound phyllo

Instructions

  1. Brown meat, half the butter, and onions in large pot, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up meat. Add tomatoes (or diluted tomato paste) cinnamon, parsley, salt and pepper. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed (about 30 minutes).
  2. Meanwhile, soak toast in milk, then mash with fork. Remove cinnamon stick and add milk-toast mixture to the meat, remove from the heat. Add cheese and eggs, and mix well.
  3. Melt remaining butter. Butter a pan about. 2 inches smaller than the phyllo. Put 7 to 8 phyllo sheets, buttering each before adding it, into the pan, letting phyllo extend on all sides. Pour in meat mixture and spread it evenly. Fold overlapping phyllo back onto meat. Butter these well. Carefully cut remaining sheets of phyllo to fit the top of the pan. Brush each with butter and lay on the filling to make the top of the pita. Pour on any remaining butter and sprinkle the top very lightly with a little water (to keep phyllo from rising too high).
  4. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
  5. Cool for about 30 minutes, and cut into squares to serve.

It is easier to cut this if you score it lightly before baking.

First Impressions

That’s right. Drop out completely.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cLJvb-s-P5o?feature=share

20 Lessons that can change your perspective of life

1.. Words are like keys; if you choose them right, they can open any heart and shut any mouth.

2.. One day, the people that don’t even believe in you will tell everyone how they met you.

Don’t get burned twice by the same flame.

3.. When you build in silence, people can’t figure out what to attack.

4.. Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.

5.. If you tell the truth, you don’t have to worry about or remember what you said.

6.. Be selfish with your time; a lot of people don’t deserve it.

7.. Silence is the best answer to someone who doesn’t value your words.

8.. Turn your wounds into wisdom, and wisdom into wealth.

9.. If you only walk on sunny days, you’ll never reach your destination.

10.. People inspire you or they drain you; pick them wisely.

11.. Fear is temporary; regret is forever.

12.. Your future needs you; your past doesn’t.

13.. Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.

14.. Allow yourself to be a beginner; no one starts off being excellent.

15.. The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

16.. Do it alone, do it broke, do it tired, do it scared; just do it.

17.. Excuses make today easier but tomorrow harder.

18.. Discipline makes today hard but tomorrow easier.

Sanctioning China? US is as stupid as the Qing Dynasty Emperor

https://youtu.be/_0W1fpg5Yy4

Have you ever been treated differently in a store because of what you were wearing?

This isn’t my story, but that of a very good friend who I had as a roommate a long time ago.

Geoff was a car salesman for many years. One night he came home and told me the story of his big sale that day. A man had driven into the parking lot in a beat-up pickup truck, one bumper tied in place with baling wire, rust all over it and a cracked windshield. He and his wife emerged from the vehicle and started walking around the show lot looking at cars and drifting towards the trucks. The man was very large, Geoff estimated 6′5″ and 280 lbs and wearing bib overalls, a plaid flannel shirt, well worn boots, and a John Deere baseball cap. All of his clothing was showing age, dirt, and stains. His wife was very plain and wearing similarly worn clothing, but neat and she almost never stopped smiling.

They walked around for about 15 minutes as the salesmen watched them from the showroom. All of these guys were triple-A personalities who were like sharks as salesmen and normally would have been fighting or drawing straws as to who got the next customer. Nobody wanted to go talk to these people, the very definition of hayseed goobers with big eyes but no money and they clearly had nothing to offer as a trade in. Geoff had just finished up showing a customer a few cars and writing up prices and a trade-in offer and was irritated that the others had all left these people out there without even a “hello”. He went straight out and started taking to them.

The man wanted to buy a truck to replace the one he had driven in on. He also wanted to buy his wife a car because their son had just run their old one into a telephone pole and totaled it. Geoff spent about two hours chatting with them, getting and giving information. He learned that they owned and ran a large farm with 40 horses, 80 head of cattle, other livestock, crops and side businesses running farmland that others had leased from him, and had about 20 employees working for him. When he got done and was writing up the sale of two brand new, fully loaded, vehicles, he asked how they would like to pay. The man reached into his bib overalls and pulled out a roll as big as his country-ham fist and said “sorry, I don’t have cash for both of them, but I’ll pay for one with cash and give you a check for the other; the bank’s open and you can verify the funds are there right now”.

So, because these people looked like dirt-kicker rednecks to the auto sales staff, Geoff sold two top-line vehicles for cash, earned a very substantial commission, and made two acquaintances who invited him out to their farm to visit, and then became good friends for the next 30 years. I got to go with Geoff to their beautiful farm once; among the nicest folks I’ve ever met.

What’s that old saying about not judging a book by its cover….?

Insane

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ISqPmN_Nu24?feature=share

What do I do if a whole SWAT team is at my door?

This kind of happened to me.

One day, my doorbell rang and I opened the door assuming there was a package or a salesman outside.

Instead, there were maybe six large men in body armor and pads. They were each holding a rifle on a sling. Their plate carriers were festooned with pistols, extra magazines, flashlights, and handcuffs.

I stared at these men through my iron security door for a beat- probably with my jaw dropped. Then I said, “Uh, Hey! What’s going on guys?”

Turns out it was a fugitive recovery team from the US Marshals.

They were looking for my neighbor’s scummy boyfriend who had lived with her for a short time. Apparently, he was even scummier than I had thought.

I stepped out on the porch and spoke with the Marshals for a few minutes. I knew my neighbor, but not her boyfriend. I had nothing helpful to tell them. They piled back into a few big, black SUVs and left.

Weird, but at least it wasn’t a solicitor at the door.

No One

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jw8_gjWsQgA?feature=share

What is important in life?

When we die, our money remains in the bank. Yet, when we are alive, we don’t have enough money to spend.

In reality, when we are gone, there is still a lot of money not spent.

One business tycoon in China passed away. His widow wife, was left with $2.5 billion in the bank, and married her husband’s chauffeur (Car driver).

His chauffeur said,

All the while, I thought I was working for my boss it is only now, that I realise that my boss was all the time, working for me !!!

The cruel reality is,

It is more important to live longer than to have more wealth. So, we must strive to have a strong and healthy body.

  • In a high end hand phone, 75% of the functions are useless!
  • For an expensive car, 75% of the speed and gadgets are not needed.
  • We never contact 75% of people in our contact list.
  • If you own a luxurious villa or mansion, 75% of the space is usually not used or occupied.
  • How about your wardrobes of clothes?75% of them are not worn!
  • A whole life of work and earning. Still, we spend 75% of our earning on other people.

So, we must protect and make full use of our 25%.

  • Go for medical check-ups even if not sick.
  • Drink more water, even if not thirsty.
  • Learn to let go, even if faced with grave problems.
  • Endeavour to give in, even if you are in the right.
  • Learn to forgive people.
  • Remain humble, even if you are very rich and powerful.
  • Learn to be contented, even if you are not rich.
  • Exercise your mind and body, even if you are very busy.
  • Be calm and patient in every situation.
  • Make time for people you care about.

Why is London Disappearing?

https://youtu.be/GPJti1ASGcc

What’s the craziest reason a kid got suspended at your school?

My sister got suspended for skipping class. She wasn’t feeling well during PE, and got a note to go to the nurse’s office. The nurse wasn’t in (supposedly she was on a coffee break). My sister passed out (as in unconscious) in front of the nurse’s office, laying on the floor in the hall. No one noticed she was there until after the nurse came back at the end of the *next* period.


They suspended her for cutting that class. She was told the next day, and served the in-school suspension that day. The next day my dad came in and raised heck… and the suspension was removed from her record, and the nurse was written up for taking a too long coffee break (over an hour).


I’m not sure what was said to the teachers who were supposed to be watching the hall during class change, and never noticed her on the floor. None of the kids said anything that we know of either. I guess it’s a good thing it wasn’t a critical thing that caused her to pass out.

Shadow People and The Hat Man | Who are they? What do they want?

https://youtu.be/tsKqJay4ZRE

What was a loophole that you found and exploited the hell out of?

Back in the 1980s, I worked as an independent Contract Software Engineer working through a technical service firm. As such there were many ‘business deductions’ that I could take off and I also only had to pay taxes 4 times a year, so all the interest I earned on the taxes was an added boost. But, then the tax laws changed. As a Software Engineer working through a technical service firm, I was now considered an employee of that firm. This meant no more ‘business deductions’ and no interest on my tax savings account.

So I looked for another loophole. I discovered that as long as I worked more than 50 miles away from home, all my travel expenses were tax deductible. Now I was a single man with few attachments so I started to travel. My home became a mailbox in New Jersey. Now you might think that keeping track of all your travel expenses would be annoying. The federal government though made that easy. The standard travel deduction for most metropolitan areas was $100 per day and if it was cheaper to stay than it was to travel home, you could take that deduction for 7 days each week. Now my expenses did not run $3000 a month. I would rent an apartment for $800/month, do my own cooking so food was maybe $300/month. Electricity, water, heat, cable whatever, might cost me another $300/month. All told, my expenses were rarely half of the $3000/month I was deducting off my tax return.

There was one gotcha to this tax rule. The federal government rules that if a person stayed at the same job for 27 months, then that person was not traveling. They had moved…. 27 months ago. This meant that if I stuck around that long, I would owe the taxes on that $81000. To add insult to injury, even if I just took another position that was within 50 miles of that position, it was still considered the same location. So every 2 years I would quit whatever position I had (most of my contracts didn’t actually last that long) and move to another part of the country.

Still, this $36500/year tax deduction was a nice boon. But they kept on nibbling away on this. Originally it was on the Schedule A and the deduction occurred before you calculated your AGI. They later moved it to a post after the AGI was calculated so the lower AGI no longer affected when other deductions kicked in. Later they decided that 20% of that $100/day was for food. If you were home, you still had to eat, so they considered that 25% of that 20% is no longer deductible. this changed the $100/day to $95/day. And each year, the deduction was lessened.

After a few years, I married and my wife didn’t want to travel around the country with me. I stopped contracting and I have no idea whatever happened to that deduction.

Gonzalo Lira’s DEATH update. US State Dept. confirms his death. They did NOTHING to support him.

They tortured him to death.

https://youtu.be/Iq8ZwE3-h2g

What’s the most unprofessional thing a doctor has said to you?

Two Years ago:

My daughter had turned two a couple months before. She was really fussy that day but I had to go to work. Three hours later I got a phone call from her daycare telling me that she was crying a lot and couldn’t move her leg. There was no swelling or bruising or anything. I was stuck at work and had a minimum 45 minute commute back. So they offered to take her to the ER for me. I got off as soon as I could and rushed to meet them.

By the time I got there, they had already done blood/urine tests and x-rays. When the doctor came in he went through everything they tested for and said he couldn’t find anything. I was confused and asked him why she couldn’t move her leg and was in so much pain. He gave me this stupid smile and said “Well it could just be growing pains. But I think she just wants attention. If you could bother spending time with your child instead of working she would be happier. If you are still worried go ahead and take her to her regular doctor on Monday”. I demanded to have a second opinion and the doctor refused. I was told if I didn’t leave the hospital he would call security and force me to leave.

I was pissed! It isn’t as if I wake up and think “Gee I don’t feel like dealing with my kid I am just dropping her off at daycare”. I am a single mom, I don’t receive any kind of child support, don’t go out or have a social life, and have to work to pay the bills (including medical insurance for both of us). I was handed a piece of paper that said to just give her Tylenol every few hours, spend “quality time” with her, and see her regular doctor on Monday if the pain continues. I took my crying baby home (it was 3 AM on Saturday morning) and stayed up trying to figure out what to do next.

(BTW)

I called in to work that morning; my gas tank was almost on empty, I had $11 to last until my next pay check (a week away), and our regular doctor was the next town over (about 20 miles away). By 8 AM I called my sister and borrowed some cash, filled up my tank, called our doctor on his cellphone, and took her to the ER next to his office. Our doctor tried to get the test results from the other ER, but they said they couldn’t find the paper work. Instead of waiting, the doctor ran his own tests. Thank god he did!

We were there less than 30 minutes when the doctor came in and said he was rushing her to Wichita (3+ hour drive away). It was complicated because he wanted to fly her there but our tiny ER didn’t have an area for the plane and she needed to be there immediately. They hooked her up with an IV, we got in the ambulance, had a police escort, and lights/sirens the entire way (it took about two hours to get there). I was freaking out. There was no time for the doctor to explain what was going on and the paramedics said that they weren’t sure exactly what was happening but was told she wasn’t allowed to move at all. My poor baby was strapped down head to toe and terrified.

When we got to the hospital there was a team of doctors and nurses waiting in the bay. They rushed her away; I wasn’t allowed to follow, and I had to speak with the police and DCF. They asked me a bunch of questions about our visit to the other ER, where I was when she was at daycare, what my daughter’s symptoms were before going to the ER, what the doctor told me, what paperwork I was given, and if they had permission to look at her medical records.

I kept asking to see my daughter and what the hell was going on. Finally an hour later a nurse came out and explained that my daughter was going septic, flat-lined once, and they had to figure out where the infection was and what was happening to her. She was rushed into emergency surgery shortly after that.

Turns out my daughter had a pouch in her hip joint that was filled with MRSA. It had begun to leak into her tiny body. Any slight movement could have ruptured the pouch and within minutes killed her. The doctors in Wichita said if I had waited even one hour longer to bring her in she would have died. She was in the hospital for two weeks. After she was discharged she had to stay on very heavy duty antibiotics for seven weeks, physical therapy for four months, and bi-weekly blood tests for a year. She still has pain sometimes when she walks or runs; the infection ate away some of the lining around her hip joint, and she will most likely have arthritis when she is older.

We still don’t know for sure how she ended up with this infection. The only thing we can figure is she got it from me since I work at a hospital. She did have bronchitis a few weeks before this experience but it is normal since she has asthma.

Here’s what I found out later:

The ER my daughter originally had gone to refused to give up her medical files and our doctor knew something was very wrong. He had been our family doctor since my daughter was two months old and well as a friend/doctor to the rest of our family over 10 years. I was that annoying first-time worry-wart mom but never neglectful and never brought my daughter to an ER without something really being wrong. Our doctor called the sheriff and explained an investigation had to be checked out. The sheriff got a hold of DCF and they began an investigation. That is when they figured out quickly what had happened.

The dickhead ER doctor had never looked at her test results (which showed a very high white blood cell count)! When our doctor had requested the files the other doctor actually tried to destroy the evidence that we were ever there (thank god for computers). The doctor was arrested and pled guilty to a bunch of different charges. He lost his license and was sentenced to 5 years in prison.

What Is Going On In America Right Now

What the fuck is going on?

https://youtu.be/iKYWzhR0o58

What are some shocking implications in movies nobody talks about?

Basically the entire concept of Minions, honestly.

The plot of this 2015 animated children’s movie can aptly be described in one sentence

A race of genetic yellow freaks become hellbent on villainy, and vow to serve the most evil villain they can find

Throughout the movie’s opening montage, the minions meet several well-known historical and mythological figures, including Count Dracula, Genghis Khan and Napoleon Bonaparte.

This seems innocent at first, especially given the cartoonish depictions of said historical figures in the movie. But an internet user took to Tumblr to analyse exactly what these scenes implied for the minions in the greater historical landscape

According to the official Minions Movie, the Minions:

  • Assisted Napoleon in invading most of Europe, racking up a total death count of around 3 Million
  • Assisted Genghis Khan in invading just about all of China and racking up a total death count of roughly 40 Million people
  • Plus that of the T Rex, Caveman, Pharaoh, King, Captain, and Dracula

So we know for a fact they took part in 43 Million deaths. Not to mention they also killed all of their former masters, so add them to the total.

But this also implies there is a strong chance the Minions are going to kill Gru

Conclusion:

Minions are bloodthirsty monsters that should not be glorified in any way.

[1] I’m no historian, but this all sounds about right to me. It’s horrifying to think that in this universe, minions are responsible for pretty much every war crime and atrocity in human history.

And to make matters even worse, the Minions retire to Antarctica after the fall of Napoleon, where they remain until 1968, when the main plot takes place. The Minions were conveniently exiled during WW2 in order to avoid the implications that the minions were Nazis, but by writing around it, the movie still implies that the minions would have worked for Hitler if they were around.

Wow.

Footnotes

[1] TRAPPED IN A PRISON OF EMOTIONS

Alien by Wes Anderson

WTF? I’ve just got to watch this!

https://youtu.be/12qFeL6Thj4

Was there a time when drill sergeants and drill instructors hit recruits? If so, when and why did it stop?

I have been out of the Army well over 50 years when things were somewhat tougher than I expect hey are today. I never saw anyone hit. I had an E-6 Platoon Sergeant, named Walter Streets. He was about 6′4″ and towered over me. He was black and I am white.

He knew I was a good recruit and would become a good soldier. I developed Pneumonia while I was in Basic at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina and went on antibiotics just before the PT test. I was doing the last phase of the test, which was running track. I was having trouble making the last lap and he ran out onto the track and put his arm around me and ran with me. Another Drill Sargeant who stood about only 5′4″ came out and complained to Sargeant Streets who bent down and told him to “F” off. I passed the test.

When I got on the bus to AIT at Ft. McClellan, Alabama, Sargeant Streets gave me a small bottle of whiskey and told me to drink it all on the trip. He told my buddies to throw their overcoats over me on the back of the bus and by the time I got to AIT the pneumonia was gone. It’s actually 58 years ago and I learned how great some Drill Sargeants can be. I wish I could thank him again today!

Would you abort a baby if it had Down syndrome?

I have lived this. When I was 23, I found out we were expecting. At 23 you don’t think anything will be wrong with your baby. That happens to older women, not young people like me. Well the truth is it happens more often with younger women because they are typically having more children than the older women.

At my 16 week ultrasound we really went into it just hoping we would find out the sex of the baby. Instead we left with fear and uncertainty and they weren’t able to tell us the gender. Basically they told us they were able to get a good look at the back of the babies neck but they had a feeling there was some type of abnormality.

So I was referred to a specialist for a level 2 ultrasound and further testing.

A few days later I went to the specialist along with my Mom and one of my sisters who had a medical background. After the ultrasound we were told that there was definitely something wrong with the baby and they thought it was either Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida or Cerebral Palsy.

I was offered the option to terminate and/or do an amnio to find out exactly what was wrong. They also still couldn’t see the baby’s gender. I decided to do the amniocentesis but I made it very clear to the doctor that I was not terminating the pregnancy no matter what the results. Approx 10 days later I called my OBGYNs office and was told they would call me back.

They called me back in just a few minutes to tell me that the doctor was on vacation but he was coming in to talk to me, how quickly can you get here? I knew that didn’t mean good news. My husband couldn’t get off work again so my mom and sister met me there.

My doctor took us into his office and said. “You are having a boy! But he does have Down Syndrome”. I was totally broken with this news.

I sobbed in his office with my family. I mourned the child I thought I would have. I mourned for months. Probably even after my son was born. My husband gave me an ultimatum, either have an abortion or we get a divorce.

I took the divorce and never looked back. I was always pro-life. I am still pro-life. My ex was mad. He was mad at the world. He was mad with God. He knew plenty of people that smoked or did drugs in their pregnancy and their babies were fine.

I wouldn’t even drink caffeine and our baby was going to be “retarded”. (His word, not mine). I could never choose to have an abortion. It wasn’t my body or life. I was just the vessel. I couldn’t get him to understand that what if we had a “normal” child and down the road the child was diagnosed with cancer or had a life changing accident that left them disabled? He couldn’t answer me. He could only say “if you have this baby, then I will never be able to have a boat”. (He was a winner).

But when my son was 5, I met a wonderful man who loved us both. We were married and he adopted my son and we have two other kids now.

Has it been easy? No but who said parenthood was easy?

Even with typical children. Jacob is 23, he has graduated high school, he has a job that he loves and so much more. He will never be able to drive or live on his own but so what?

He is high functioning, smart, talks ALOT, no heart issues, no major health issues and a wonderful personality. He loves Jesus, Disney and his family. And we wouldn’t trade him for the world.

How AFRICAN Are African Americans?

https://youtu.be/IYuuybBt6lg

What did your parent do that made you say “I will never be like my mother/father?

Mama left in the middle of the night with my daddy’s best friend. She didn’t show up for the divorce hearing and that gave my daddy full custody. They had been married for 18 years. Suddenly she was gone. I was 5 years old.

I told myself I could never leave my children like that. I remember the feeling of abandonment. I was her only daughter, she left my brothers as well. One was 10, the other was 4.

My family that I was left with didn’t care much for me. I was a girl, strike one. I looked exactly like my mama, strike two. I finally revealed the sexual abuse I was being tortured with at the hands of my uncle, huge strike three. So, rejection has been a big problem for me in my lifetime. I never wanted to make my own children feel unloved and unwanted. But… I did.

I didn’t leave them physically. I had a problem with alcohol at a very early age. By the time I was 40 I was a full-blown alcoholic. For the next 10 years I was in a drunken stupor, in mental hospitals because of suicide attempts and in jail. It ruled my life and took ME away from my son and daughter during their teenage years. Thank God I married a solid gold man who is always present for our children.

I turned 50 in County jail serving my 90 days for my 4th DUI. That was the very last time I was in custody. We sold our home soon after that and moved to an apartment for the first time in our married life. Our children were both married and living on their own. When we drove away from that home I took that monkey off my back and flung her out the window. I’ve not had a drop of alcohol since. The craving is gone and has not returned for 12 years now. YAY!!!

We can try not to repeat the sins or mistakes of our parents, but be mindful of those mistakes because you could be hurting your family the same just by acting in a different way.

What’s something you should never reveal about yourself to your coworkers no matter how close you are?

What I’m going to speak on is something that you should never, ever share with anyone but your most trusted friends and siblings (and you should never share it with your parents or any of your friends that you don’t trust to act accordingly), in addition to your coworkers.

You should never, ever share your marital or relationship issues with any of those people. If you get in a huge fight with your spouse or partner, you should never share the details of it with anyone but the people you trust the most.

You see, when you share the details of a fight with a close friend who doesn’t have the ability to internalize all of the details, the next time that friend sees your spouse, they very well might treat your partner differently, based on what you told them.

A fight between a husband and wife especially should never be shared with anyone but your very closest friend, and you absolutely NEED to have one person that you can share it with, otherwise, you’ll never get an objective truth about who was really right in the fight.

When my wife and I get into a fight (we’ve had exactly three over the last five years), I call one person; my best friend Casey. Would you care to know why I call him specifically, even though I have two other friends that I’m just as close with or closer with?

Casey will tell me the truth, no matter what. If I’m wrong, and I was acting like an asshole, he will absolutely tell me so. That’s extremely valuable information, and I can think on what he tells me and take it back to my wife.

If he tells me that I’m right, and that she’s completely wrong in her argument, I’ll keep it to myself, because throwing that in her face won’t do anything but escalate the situation and cause her to have animosity toward Casey, who is our daughter’s favorite person in the world outside of her blood family.

My wife always calls her best friend Rae, which makes me happy, because Rae is very similar to Casey, in the way that she’ll tell my wife the truth of the matter, even if the truth is that my wife was wrong. Also, both Casey and Rae have the ability to completely internalize all of their knowledge about the fight when next we all see one another, and don’t treat either of us differently. If that wasn’t the case, Casey wouldn’t be able to talk to my wife without being disrespectful, and Rae might slap me every time she sees me.

I’ve known quite a few people who have spoken freely about fights with their spouse, and who have even badmouthed their spouse in front of everyone present. In my opinion, there isn’t much that can be more disrespectful to your spouse and your marriage. You’re giving everyone present a horrible picture of your spouse, and making everyone think that your marriage is some kind of argument-ridden catastrophe.

Everyone that I work with believes my wife to be an absolute angel. From what I’ve told them, she is by far the perfect woman. I never tell them when we argue, or when she does something stupid (like switching the bags for my lunch and the dirty cat litter), or anything negative about our marriage.

Nobody should be airing their dirty laundry at work. Period.

Why did China wait until recently to start her own airliner program? Why didn’t China start the C919 as far back as the mid 90s? China wouldn’t have to buy Boeings if they long started this project.

That easy huh?

If you needed a few billion bucks to establish a commercial aircraft industry, you would think at least 30 nations would have had their own fully operational commercial aircraft right?

Let’s see

Threshold Engineers & Researchers

To commercially manufacture Aircraft you need a minimum threshold workforce of engineers & researchers

Aerospace, Aeronautical and a whole bunch of engineers with significant experience working for commercial aircraft or who have studied commercial aircraft production and assembly

The Magic number for China was 25,000 to be able to draw from

This happened only by 2014–2015

Prior to that every Aerospace Engineer or Designer worked for Defence Manufacturing or for the Space Agency

Boeing alone has a workforce of 61,000 Engineers and 4300 Researchers

The West combined has close to 160,000 Engineers and Researchers in their workforce for Commercial Aircraft Manufacture

By comparison COMAC has 11,280 Engineers and around 900 Researchers

Chinas largest workforce is for

  • Production Engineering (1998–2004)
  • Civil Engineering (1982–1998)
  • Chemical Engineering & Metallurgy (2004–2012) & Electrical Engineering (2004–2012)
  • Automobile Engineering (2012–2019)
  • Tooling & Precision Engineering (2019-)

Even today China has around 34,000 Engineers and Researchers as total workforce for Commercial Aircraft Production


Competition

You aren’t competing with just Boeing or Airbus

Your competition is with Boeing, Rolls Royce, GE, Safran, Michelin, Dunlop and another 700–1200 companies that make from the largest airframe to the smallest on board electronic assembly

  • The Airframe alone to carry such a huge aircraft is a massive challenge
  • The Wind Tunnel System
  • The Electronics
  • The Wheels

Every part especially the Engine is a result of decades of continuous development by the West from the First World War

China this needed to get the Airframe Right

This alone took a decade

They then used a Canadian entity called Bombardier to get the electronics and the supply chain

They then got the electronics right. That took four years.

Then they got the Composite Wing Design and that was seven years.

That finished by 2021

They still have the largest nut to crack – THE ENGINE!!!!

Plus remember Mitsubishi has been unable to break into this market after 45 years


Economic Fiscal Problem

Like our Bullet Train, this Airliner was deemed a project that could never hope to break even by Chinas best economists

It’s why they proposed the HSR or Highways where China is the boss, the master of the fantastic quality supply Chain

It’s why China is investing so heavily into HSR

That’s their core area

Sadly the Comac is more of a prestige issue by China

To have their own fully made aircraft is acceptable even if the aircraft costs some money to the State as subsidies to keep at even keel

Its why China sidestepped IC Engines which they could never ever perfect and are masters of EV Batteries and E Platforms on earth

The Aircraft has to be made fully indigenously on a huge scale to break even because today the selling price is lower than what it costs on an accountants scale

In 1990 – China could certainly not afford to subsidize the Aircraft by any degree of money that they can easily do in their sleep today


So establishing an Industry and producing commercially is not a joke

It takes decades of solid hard work

You are competing against a technology evolution of over 60 years or 70 years from the West

You have specialized suppliers and makers of mother machines – all who need replication

Exactly why Chinas EVs and Renewable Energy models are next to impossible to recapture by any other nation

They have the whole package


China is likely to do far better in developing commercial self flying taxis on a drone concept which can travel as far as 600 Kms on indigenous technology and dominate the world

 

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

I worked at this large busy engineering factory. There was a store keeper who also worked there. He had a different role to all of the other store keepers.

He had his own desk. He had big tubs of machine cutters on his desk. His own computer. At the back of his desk, he had shelves filled with box files.

He was always busy. He never had to work shifts like the rest of us. He worked regular days.

Redundency came and he successfully applied for it. He left.

The other store keepers were told that they had to include his job into their own job. They kicked off about and went to the union. The union told them to “ just do what you can”

The store keepers decided to find out what it was that he did. The cutters were old stock, and they were chucked away. The files were full of old unimportant paper work, they were chucked away too.

If you had a lathe tool that needed to be sharpened, he would have to book it in. Those lathe tools had been made obsolete years before.

He basically never had a job. He never did anything. Nobody ever questioned him. He looked so busy and important. And he’d been doing this for years.

She needs to be happy

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fdG7CmoMvdA?feature=share

 

Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives
(Kotopoulo me Tomatoes kai Elies)

Kotopoulo me Tomatoes kai Elies
Kotopoulo me Tomatoes kai Elies

Ingredients

  • Flour (for dredging)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 (3 pound) frying chicken, cut into 6 to 8 serving pieces
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 large red onions, peeled, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped plum tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, rinsed and drained
  • 1 teaspoon oregano

Instructions

  1. Combine flour, salt and pepper on a plate and lightly dredge the chicken.
  2. Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a large, deep skillet and brown the chicken on all sides, over high heat. Remove with a slotted spoon.
  3. Add remaining olive oil to skillet, and sauté onions until wilted and lightly browned. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
  4. Place chicken back in the pan. Pour in the tomatoes and wine, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
  5. Ten minutes before removing from heat, add the crumbled feta and stir until melted. Five minutes before removing from heat, add olives and oregano.
  6. Serve warm.

Yields 6 servings.

The US says she is in an economic war with China. China never declared economic war on the US. So who started the fight? China didnt ban US products from China first. The US did ban Chinese stuff in America and openly speaks about limiting China.

There is no question who started the trade war.

Of course it is the despicable and obnoxious USA! Everyone knows it and everyone knows it is the U.S. that is hurting the work.

But if Americans are smart enough, which suspect the are not, a much more salient question would be “will it work?”

I absolutely won’t and it will harm the US economy much more than it ever hurt the Chinese economy.

Why? Very simple.

The U.S. market is simply a lot smaller than China and threatening not to sell to them is threatening to lose a market bigger than the world’s next 10 biggest market combine!

China can and will buy from someone else or it will simply make it themselves just like how Huawei Mate 60 surprised the U.S. who naively thinks that China will need at least 30 years to make it own high end chips China took less than 3 short year! And now the U.S. is well and truly fxxked!

China stops buying not only for their own consumers that is 30% of the world, it also stop using the U.S. chips in the product they make for the rest of the world or at least another 40% more. So the U.S. gets cuts away from 70% of the world’s market!

Next threatening not to buy from China who can simply make things better, faster and cheaper than everyone else is like threatening to bring inflation to its shores. Let alone depriving your own people from productivity and profit. Hence your crippling inflation. Increasing interest levels to fight inflation caused your bank failures and hurt investment! All are very bad for the US!

Now let’s evaluate the result of the trade war initiated by the U.S. The U.S. inflation were double digit at one point but now 3–4%. China’s inflation rate is 0.3%!

In the 5 years since the trade war China grew 5 times faster than the U.S.! Your trade with China grew from less than 200 billion before the trade war to more than 700 billion last year!

So who is winning the trade war? China is laughing all the way to the bank!

[中文版本】周深新歌《浮光》跨晩首唱!宿命感拉满 REACTION

https://youtu.be/r4XmlTrhx30

A handful of coins

John Wally was a fellow that I worked with back in my early working career. This was before I worked in the coal mines. Back then, I worked in a a local grocery store / supermarket. And John Wally was the assistant manager there.

east brady 1
The “narrows” of East Brady.

This was in the 1970’s, and in Western Pennsylvania in East Brady. Oh, that plaza sat on the river and was once the rail line passenger station for the town. I recon that around the 1960’s it was converted into a mini strip mall, and then expanded upon to make the supermarket.

Ah today… who knows what it is. Maybe a “Blockbuster” VHS store… nah. Those came and went. Probably a vape store, and a bar. Knowing PA as I do. From these pictures it seems that a “Family Dollar” emerged into the fray.

421 kellys way east brady pa primary photo
The supermarket is the lower left building in the picture with the red roof. Incidentally, the white church in the center of the picture is the catholic church that I attended as a boy. Saint Eusebius.

Anyways, John Wally had this real knack. This skill.

At the end of the day he would count the money in the registers as he always did. But right before he would count the money, he would put his hand in the till and pull out a pile of coins. Pennies. Dimes. Nickels and Quarters. He would then weigh them in his hand…

…and guess how much their total worth was.

Each time he did it, he got better and better at it.

Eventually reaching a 70% rate of knowing the exact amount of change that he held.

The remaining 30% of the time, he was off by one or two cents.

Brochure Pics 008 scaled 1
Brochure Pics 008 scaled 1

The human being is capable of great things. Many things require patience, and practice. But eventually you can master the most obscure, and difficult tasks and perform them effortlessly.

Have a great day!

Today…

Exciting

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iBu6RcYEa0c?feature=share

Have you ever taken the law into your own hands?

Yes. I was about 17 and my 12-year-old brother came home crying that his brand new neon green bike with white tires was stolen from the local strip mall.

Now, the bad neighborhood in my town was maybe only 20 x 10 blocks, so I grabbed a wooden Louisville Slugger bat, tossed it and my little brother into the back seat of my Chevy Impala and drove to the bad neighborhood. It was summer, so we had the windows open. I went to high school in that neighborhood, so knew it well. I also played on the inner-city football team, so knew how to be a VIP there.

Within 10 minutes, I spotted three 15–16 year olds doing wheelies with and laughing about a neon green bike with white tires in some overgrown dirt lot. I pulled right up and got out; being 17 or so, I was used to seeming intimidating to 15–16 year olds. When my tiny brother got out of the car, they saw the bat, though I didn’t need it. They were very apologetic and gave up the bike with no problem. One noted seeing the bat.

A couple of years later, I was home from college, and the story came up and my brother said, “You know, that may not have been my bike…”

I didn’t want to hear it. And assured him it was his bike. No one appreciates anything these days.

A verbal trick

https://youtu.be/_0-mRye6njQ

What are some examples of human cruelty?

Happened recently in Helsinki, Finland. Police: Teenage murder suspects filmed “defenceless” victim. This case is straight fom “Lord of the Flies”.

Three young men, all age 16, brutally tortured and murdered their classmate after having tortured, humiliated and beaten him for several hours.

Okay, things like that happen.

But the victim had been continuously harassed and bullied ever since the first class in the comprehensive school – for nine years.

Nine years.

Both teachers, parents and police had been powerless because the perpetrators had been underage. The trope Adults Are Useless was fulfilled completely.

There is no question about the guilt of those prosecuted. They had videoed everything, with intent to publish it in the social media.

The Finnish law knows three degrees of homicide: murder, kill and intentional manslaughter.

Murder is the gravest, and can be prosecuted only if the homicide had been particularly depraved and premeditated. The sentence is always life imprisonment. And it is life unless the President pardons you.

It is tough to go for the life in prison when you are 16, but these human weeds deserve it.


EDIT: For those suggesting something about immigrants and their high crime statistics, my intuition tells me it is now native Finns who are behind this crime. The crime manifested such brutality, such viciousness, such cruelty, such depravity and such determination on which only native Finns are capable of. I wrote some time ago about the Great Northern War and its effect on Finnish genetics (Finland lost 70% of whole population) and this crime well demonstrates the effects of natural selection. It is the ugly flip side of sisu.

Immigrants can rob, they can rape and they can kill, but their violence is usually very spontaneous, irregular and unpremeditated, and they do it more to boast and demonstrate their position in the pecking order rather than to really profess dolus determinatus.

When native Finns commit such crime, it invariably demonstrates a deep down hatred and viciousness in the modus operandi itself. In this particular case the three human weeds prosecuted – Veeti Neramo, Alexis Koskivaara and Heikki Juutinen – had acted as if they had planned and intended their victim to die as agonally as possibly. There was no single intact rib in his body nor one single intact organ.

There are nowhere as many natural born killers, “super soldiers” as Dave Grossman calls them in On Killing, as there are in Finland. While in the WWII some 2% of US soldiers aimed and shot to kill, the number was up to 30% in Finland.

Dangerous trends

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mnz3AkEZF38?feature=share

What was it like to be alive in the 70s? I always wish I was around then. Was it as good as I’m making it out to be?

I was a child in the 1970s, and I do not remember that decade fondly.

The World War Two was still omnipresent. The veterans were still very much alive, they were still in the work life, and they were either our grandparents or even parents. It was a recent memory. There were still ruins around from the war, and we were warned not to touch anything suspicious as it could be unexploded ammunition.

Seventies were an incredibly violent decade on the vantage point of a child. It was perfectly acceptable to raise the kids with a whip and beat them with a belt if they were naughty. Fights at school were commonplace – they happened at almost every break. Each weekend saw a gang fight or similar, and boys liked to play war with air rifles. Bullying and teasing was a non-issue. One of my schoolmates was bullied into suicide.

Finland back in the seventies was a country of one single truth. President Urho Kekkonen ruled with an iron hand, it was an era of the Finlandization, and our teachers reflected that. The Baby Boomers hated their parents and everything they represented, and leaned very heavily to left. The radio and TV were full of pro-Soviet propaganda.

My hometown was divided into Communists, Social Democrats and Bourgeoisie. Everyone knew where they belonged and who was who.

Smoking was ubiquitous. The majority of adults smoked. Alcohol was used on binge drinking. Cars were noisy, stinky and unsafe.

Life was dull, monotonous and boring. Food was bland and monotonous. Life was far slower pacing than today, and kids liked to play spontaneously, go doing sports spontaneously, go hiking to the woods or go swimming to a nearby swimming hole. Our parents would have been prosecuted from neglecting us nowadays.

Only in the 1980s things started to change – to better. The 1980s were a good decade. Unfortunately they ended in the Great Recession.

Wife PETRIFIED After I Presented Spicy Pics/Videos Of Her Cheating…In Our At Fault Divorce State

https://youtu.be/f7nOHOFA8HU

What are some gifts for older parents that they’ll actually use?

My Chinese parents are almost impossible to buy for. They would scold me if the things I buy are of no use to them. Since I am an adult and I’ve decided that I will no longer endure the horrors of flying sandals thrown at me (I had more than my fair share of it as a kid), I have also gotten smarter. Over the years, I’ve learned to buy what they actually need and appreciate. Here goes:

  1. Vitamins and supplements. As they are getting older, they need these to maintain health. Calcium, Omega 3, glucosamine, you name it. Rather than buying nice things or branded stuff, they appreciate it more if I take my time to ask them which vitamins are running out, buy them, and when they want to pay me back, I simply tell them to keep their money.
  2. Money. This can never go wrong. The best gift is money itself, because they might not be needing/wanting anything now, but if you give them some money, it can really come in handy when they actually want to indulge themselves in something. Asians give hong bao/红包 (red envelopes) filled with money in joyful occasions (e.g. Chinese New Year). I usually do this on my parents’ birthdays.
  3. Assets. Fine gold, stock, and mutual funds. Eyes on the prize, fellas.
  4. Plane tickets. When they want to go on a vacation or visit other kids who live in different cities/countries, it’d be very helpful if we pay for their plane tickets. This is what they really need (and want).
  5. Handbags for moms, perfumes for dads. If there are some indulgent and lavish things my parents won’t scold me for buying, they would be these. You just need to know their preferences when it comes to these things.

I know most of these things are not ‘romantic’ things to give, but as you get older, you become too practical, I guess (again, Asians).

While emptying a house, have you ever seen something in it that blew your mind?

Didn’t blow my mind, but it definitely freaked out my wife!

We moved into our new home taking the keys from the previous owner with whom we were friends.

The house had been cleaned, but not wife clean. So she scoured the kitchen, and AHA! She found something left behind in the very top shelf in the kitchen pushed far against the wall.

It was a set of steak knives with deer antler handles. She’s never been a fan of hunting, so she said “Eww! Get rid of them.”

And like a dutiful husband I put them aside to get rid of them later. Some days later I see them on the kitchen counter where they were left. We had been busy unpacking boxes the movers had left, so I just threw the knife set back on the top shelf and promptly forgot about them.

A few years later I was transferred, so the house was sold and the movers returned to pack us up. Once the moving van had left we went around the house with personal boxes packing up everything we’d need until the movers arrived at the new place.

The kitchen cupboards were bare… except! Yep, there on the top shelf was the knife set. I thought maybe I could sell them in a garage sale, so I grabbed them and stuck them in the top of my box.

And off we went to our newest new home.

Everyone grabbed their personal box and brought it to their bedroom. I unpacked mine in the living room, and right on top was the knife set. I chuckled to myself and brought it into the kitchen and tossed it in a top cabinet figuring it would be out of the way.

The next day I was putting together bed frames when I hear a blood curdling scream coming from the kitchen and something tumbling to the countertop!

I rush in there to see my wife coming down from the step ladder white as a ghost and shrieking “Tom, Tom, Tom, look!”

She was bring the kitchen up to wife clean when she found the knives that I stowed. When she picked up the box and saw what they were is when she cried out and dropped them.

“They’re just like the other house! What is going on?” She was in a panic.

Believe it or not my laughter did not lighten the situation one bit, and my explanation only got me in hotter water.

She screamed “I told you to get rid of them!” Then she threw them into the garbage can.

That was almost 30 years. They’re around here somewhere.

How has Covid affected China compared to other countries?

It made China a better nation. China always knew the west has ill intent but crisis like Tiananmen “democracy movement”, Hong Kong “constitutional protest” and Covid-19 pandemic, al man made and all western funded and orchestrated merely confirms the worst fear as real. China took every form of cure and prevention to ensure that the western designs to harm China won’t work but instead rebounded back harshly on themselves.

Whether it is the 5 U.S. marines who participated in the world military games who brought the mysterious vaping flu to Wuhan is the cause for the outbreak in China remains to be seen. It is certainly suspicious. But evidence clearly showed in the Red Cross blood samples of influenza viruses through the mainland U.S. that everywhere in the U.S. is seen 6 months before China’s first case but still it did not only owned up but shift the blame to China indeed. And dogs like Scott Morrison even push for China’s blame!

But not with standing that, China moves mountain to prevent a catastrophe making one right moves after another. China had the most severe and unknown at that time impact but 3 years on with the dust settled China lost a mere 6 thousand people while the U.S. lost 1.1 million people through Covid! 733 times more than China. All due to neglect, poor handling, over confidence and simply weak leadership. They were having a very “democratic” brainstorming i the middle of a huge fire deciding for months on what to do!

China grew its GDP from 2020–2022 close to 4 times that of the U.S. GDP during this pandemic years and came out of the pandemic stronger than ever! While the west shut down the Chinese took the lull years revamping and re-engineering their economy and it paid off. Ready for more western hypocrisy and further disruptions on China. It’s economy becomes more resilient than ever!

China knew that it had to allow nature to take its course and by late 2022 China confirms that the latest strains of the Covid-19 pandemic have dwindled down to a normal flu so China allowed it to burnt through its population.

To China and the rest of the world we see the worst in the west during these pandemic years. The western vaccines were meant for profiteering and reserved for the rich west while Chinese vaccines which ultimately turned out to be safer and more effective option were supplied to the entire world! It showed China’s willingness to share and care for humanity.

China came out of the Pandemic crisis as a more respected nation and a more generous one. It came out stronger and more resilient. The west went into a tailspin of war, double digit inflation and shortages. We call this karma!

Thank you for asking!

Greek Stew

OIP C
OIP C

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless lamb, cubed
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 cup white wine
  • Pinch of dill
  • 2 boxes frozen artichoke hearts

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in stew pan or Dutch oven; add meat, onion, garlic, parsely, salt and pepper; brown over medium fire, stirring constantly. The gentle braising of the meat is the secret to success with this recipe.
  2. When all of the ingredients are delicately browned, add tomato paste diluted in 2 cups water; add wine; dill and artichokes, stir; lower fire and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.

Every Store in Downtown Miami is CLOSED

https://youtu.be/YGdjDeLRftc

What was your biggest mistake by trusting any person?

My husband was diagnosed with cancer about 8 years ago. He fought hard through chemo, radiation and a failed surgery. He died in my arms 6 months after the diagnosis. I was devastated. One of my adult children with whom I was especially close, moved to my state, left her job in a different state. We had a business that could be run remotely from home. It was lucrative and provided a nice income. I asked my daughter to run the business for me. She was great in business having worked in mortgage banking. I was taking meds to calm my nerves and extreme shock and grief. He was only 62, and we thought we had many years left together. Bad things started happening: bills weren’t being paid, credit cards were maxed out, liability insurance lapsed, etc. When confronted, my daughter made up excuses which at first I believed. She was my much-loved daughter and I often referred to her as my best friend. She moved out saying she needed a break. I hired someone else to help me with the business. Soon we discovered the extent of the misapropriation (theft). Legally, there was nothing I could do because I had given her access to all the accounts. I almost lost the business, but managed to slog through it and rebuild the business and my trashed credit. I’ve tried contacting her – via letters and emails. She never responds. I worked with a therapist who encouraged me to forgive. I have forgiven her – I don’t understand her actions but I still love and miss her terribly. I lost my husband of 40 years, and my daughter within 16 months. Just writing this after all these years brings tears.

Who was the last German soldier to surrender after WWII whereas the last Japanese soldier surrendered in 1974?

I’d have to give ‘last German holdouts’ prize to the 11 men in the weather forecast unit under the command of lieutenant Wilhelm Dege stranded at a weather station on the Norwegian island of Nordausandet (near Spitsbergen), in the arctic. They had been deposited by U-Boat at the remote site in August of 1944 with a two year food supply and rifles to defend them from marauding polar bears.

They broadcast weather reports until 7 May, 1945, when they got news of the German surrender (along with orders to “destroy everything”). Not wishing to spend another winter in the arctic, they sent distress signals with no response. After several months they began broadcasting on allied channels as well and received a reply from the Norwegians, who dispatched a seal hunting boat to pick them up.

On Sept. 4, 1945, the rescuers arrived, whereupon Dege and his men hosted a large dinner for them (presumably with the best of the remaining supplies). Afterward, Dege handed his Luger to the boat’s captain and formally surrendered, becoming the last German military unit to surrender in WW2.

What corruption have you experienced in your life?

Can you imagine paying a Cop – Rs. 2000/- to ensure that a 19 year old kid was not handcuffed??? Can you imagine the cop saying -” I can take you in a Bus with handcuffs in your underwear or I can take you in the Jeep. You Decide”.

A 19 year old kid – who got angry along with some friends got into a fight with some other kids and nobody got hurt seriously – yet four days later he is charged with 307 – Attempt to Murder. Second Year College, His future is at stake and he is being accused of murder.

All because one of the Kids in the fight was a Policemans Kid (Not even Local Jurisdiction).

5 Kids were accused – 4 Cleverly absconded and this Innocent Boy who reads John Grisham novels and believes that Indian law is the same actually believed “I did not start the fight, how can the cops charge me”

His family paid –

  • Rs. 20,000/- to ensure that the Kid was not harmed while in Police custody and would go directly to JC without request for Police custody.
  • Rs. 2,000/- to ensure that the Kid could get Home Cooked or Hotel Food for the 1 day he was in Police custody
  • Rs. 2000/- to ensure that the Kid was not handcuffed while being taken for Medical Testing before going to the JC and taken to JC by Jeep.
  • Rs. 4 Lakhs to ensure that the Cop would change his testimony and a B report would be generated (Cop would say it was a different Kid).
  • Rs. 10,000/- to ensure that the Kid got a decent cell on Day 2 after being moved from the General Cell.
  • Rs. 1,500/- to the Prison Guards to allow the Kid to make 2 Phone Calls (Rs. 750/- per call)

It was a normal fight that boys indulge themselves in. No weapons or cats paws or longs or any usual weapons. What takes a normal First Aid Kit required almost Rs. 5 Lakhs

That is Corruption at its worst.

Imagine a 19 year old kid without the money. Imagine having to be beaten, humiliated, forced to eat horrible tasteless food – all for some young stuff that every body of that age experiences.

Imagine becoming an accused and visiting court in between college. Imagine if convicted? Future destroyed, No Passport.

The Kid will easily become a career criminal or hate the law and system more than anyone else.


And his friends got away without paying a penny. After this kids B report was filed, they had their lawyer file a 482 in High Court and HC ruled in their favor saying “You cannot just close the case against 1 accused”

What is the saddest thing that happened to you that you never shared with others before?

I was raped in my own classroom.

This happened years ago, I was 15 at that time. I went a high school that was very close to my neighborhood. It was one of the co-ed schools with high disciplinary problems among the students.

I was often bullied for my looks. I wear a large brimmed glass and was a slightly plump kid. I don’t do well in sports and often the main target for pranks.
I clearly remember, it was a Wednesday, and I was in laboratory finishing my works. I prefer finishing my school works in school because my house isn’t exactly very quiet and peaceful. I have 2 sisters and they were aged a year and 6 months respectively.

After spending almost 2 hours in the lab, I went back to my classroom to pick my bags. I did saw two guys sitting and behaving weirdly at the back of my classroom.

They were sniffing glue. It was my mistake to walk to them to see what were they doing. I told them that I would report their acts to our homeroom teacher if they continued doing this.
One boy shoved me down and forced his handkerchief into my mouth while the other was grabbing my legs. The one of top of me used a small pocket knife to tear down my shirt buttons. He then proceed to rape me while his friend was watching along the corridor.

I felt violated and extremely vulnerable. I couldn’t even scream at that time because of the pocket knife he was holding. I just wished that all of that would end quickly. After he’s done, and he threatened me not to tell anyone or else he would do this everyday.

I didn’t know why I never reported this to anyone. I was a fragile kid, with no strong family and always had financial difficulties. I thought my voice will never reach out to the authorities. I am 36 now, but those accidents still remain fresh in my memory. I would never forget the face of the boy who raped me.

Thankfully, my husband is a very understanding man. He calmed me down during the times I was attacked with nightmares of someone plunging themselves into me. It was the worst after I got married.

No one actually knows this, apart from my husband and myself.

Cold hard truth

https://youtu.be/PzAKNr0z4o4

How does the strength of the Chinese military compare to that of the US? Is there a significant difference or does the US always have a clear advantage over China in terms of military power?

Because of the U.S. boastful character and it’s constant exposure you know what the U.S. has. But the world knows very very little of China’s capacity and capabilities. China intentionally chose to hide its strength. And latest military hardware and software so China has a thousand surprises ready to spring on the U.S. if it ever misjudge and attack China!

What is clear is that they are years ahead in sonar and laser technology, in drones, in ship building, in fighter jet production capacity. What is very clear is that China sees the aircraft carrier as sitting ducks as China is able to rain down its hypersonic missiles at 20 times the speed of sound. So China clearly has many advantages.

But China wants peace as long as the U.S. behaves itself, China prefers to let the U.S. collapse on its own mountain of debts and deficits. The only clear advantage is projecting power beyond its shores but to China that is a non factor as it has no plans to attack any nation or do U.S. military style foreign incursions. China has a sound sustainable approach to world peace. The U.S. doesn’t.

What is the rudest thing another shopper has told you while waiting in line?

I was inline at the express checkout, 12 items or less, I had 7 items, while in the line, I saw a retro brand of chocolate bar, limited time only, from my childhood. I bought 5 to take me to my limit. While I was checking out, the cashier looked at the chocolate bars, and says these are on sale, buy two, and get the third for free. So far I had 4 at the regular price, and 1 free one. The cashier told me that I could take one more and it would be free. So I asked the person right behind me, if they could grab me a chocolate bar. They exploded, and said i I was over my limit, and she was in a hurry. So I reached by the person crowding up behind me, to get the free chocolate bar. The cashier scanned them all, gave me my receipt for paying for 11 items, and I turned around and gave the free chocolate bar to the person behind me. I said “Sorry, this is to compensate you, for your inconvenience”

I turned and walked out, the lady behind me sputtered, the cashier said, hey you have 13 items, to the lady behind me, she said , “But its his free chocolate bar”

The cashier said “That didn’t seem to matter a minute ago”

The dark side

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mjbuO01JGc0?feature=share

What is the nastiest thing you’ve done for revenge?

My area has a problem with rampant porch pirates. So, I regularly save my prime shipping boxes to recycle as rubbish bins when it’s time to empty my cat box. I then seal them back up and leave them out on the porch and watch the “free garbage pickup” on our camera. I also post the pictures on social media so my friends and neighbors can also experience the joy of watching people get EXACTLY what they deserve. It never gets old watching some asshat sneak off all smugly with a box full of turds! 🤣🤣🤣

Edit:

It is hilarious to me how many people assume I can get into some sort of legal trouble for this. Our local police are fully aware of my actions! 🤣

Also, to address a couple of points I am repeatedly asked about this on quora and social media sites:

Yes, the majority of these decoy packages are located and properly disposed of after they are taken. (Not that they create any more rubbish than the packaging off someone’s stolen holiday gifts)

And no, I don’t feel the need to obscure my address from the packaging. There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, my prank hinges on the packages looking new. Secondly, if one is stealing a package with the address label in tact, it would be hard to argue that “mail theft” was not the intended crime. And thirdly, I’m simply not worried about retribution from any of these idiots. To return for revenge would risk further exposure on film, more likelihood of arrest, and the possibility of meeting a deadly object if said intruder seems violent. Most people, even thieving lowlifes, have at least a basic sense of self preservation.

This is serious

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7igSZ4G-y5Q?feature=share

This guy should be sacked:

A bloke starts his new job at the zoo and is given three tasks.

First is to clear the exotic fish pool of weeds.

As he does this a huge fish jumps out and bites him. To show who is boss, he beats it to death with a spade.

Realizing his employer won’t be best pleased he disposes of the fish by feeding it to the lions, as lions will eat anything.

Moving on to the second job of clearing out the Chimp house, he is attacked by the chimps that pelt him with coconuts. He swipes at two chimps with a spade killing them both. What can he do? Feed them to the lions, he says to himself, because lions eat anything… He hurls the corpses into the lion enclosure.

He moves on to the last job which is to collect honey from the South American Bees.

As soon as he starts he is attacked by the bees. He grabs the spade and smashes the bees to a pulp. By now he knows what to do and shovels them into the lions cage because lions eat anything.

Later that day a new lion arrives at the zoo.. He wanders up to another lion and says “What’s the food like here?”

The lions say: “Absolutely brilliant, today we had ….

Fish and Chimps with Mushy Bees

Gonzalo Lira. Lagarde, Trump threat to EU. Sunak, as long as it takes. Medvedev warns UK

https://youtu.be/NFeWQViqo7Q

What are the implications of Taiwan’s presidential election for China, the US, and the world?

Zero.

The Taiwan presidential election was a 3-way farce that made no difference who came out as the
“winner”. This island remains a geopolitical pawn in the rivalry between the U.S. and China for regional dominance in Asia. The DPP has emerged with a lesser mandate and even less likely now to dare even consider to declare Taiwan’s independence from China.

With the DPP back in place and under better control, U.S. politicians are now “assured” they can continue its saber rattling provocations with Johnson getting ready to send in a house delegation to Taiwan to amp up anti-China rhetoric for the start of the 2024 electioneering to hold on to its house control.

Biden is working on the assumption that the U.S. side can maintain and manage this U.S-China high tension act now that communication linkage is re-established between the generals of the two militaries and any mishap or miscommunication is not likely to happen. But then after finding out that the White House was left clueless when its top cabinet member running the Pentagon went AWOLf? What kind of people is running the show? These are the issues we should be worried about snd not who the jokers are now in charge of Taiwan.

U.S. Journalist Gonzalo Lira DIES In Ukrainian Prison!

https://youtu.be/schn6z26hkY

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

In about 1973, I was hitchhiking around the US and Canada for the summer. I tramped from my university home in Florida 2,500 kilometers northwards to the state of Maine, up near Canada. I was out in the country near the town of Bangor, and I wanted to go to Acadia National Park on the coast. But the spot where my previous ride let me out was out in the woods and had hardly any traffic, so I decided to go into a little convenience store sitting in its lonely location across the road to get a Coke. I figured that I was going to be stuck in that spot for a long time.

Just then a Volkswagen Beetle drove by and stopped and then backed up to me. The window rolled down and the passenger yelled out my name. Inside the car were two students who lived across the hallway from me in my university dormitory in Florida. They were going, by chance, to the town of Southwest Harbor, right in the national park. So I got into the car and rode with them, where they took me to a friendly bar where their friend worked as a bartender. We had a great evening eating and drinking in the pub (they bought my beers), then the bartender let me sleep on the couch at his place.

So, in one amazing coincidental moment, I went from being stuck in the middle of nowhere to being taken to my destination, and treated to food, drink and lodging by my generous Florida neighbors and their friends.

What is the smartest thing you have ever done in an interview?

This is gonna sound dumb as heck…

I picked up a crumpled up piece of paper as I walked through the door to the store.

My first ‘real’ job… Chatham, Ontario (Canada)…. went into a camera shop to apply as a salesclerk…

As I walked through I saw some paper on the floor, so I picked it up and gave it to the guy and asked him to toss it in the garbage.

Turns out the ‘guy’ was the owner who would be doing the interviews… I knew a fair bit about cameras, definitely not enough to put behind a counter by myself the first day, but as I told him, I am a quick learner.

Interview went as expected… usual questions, usual answers… “What is your biggest failing?” “I can’t tolerate stupidity or idiots.”

Got a call a few days later offering me the job….

A few weeks into the job, having a coffee with the boss, just the 2 of us there, and I asked why he hired me when I was sure there were people who applied who were better qualified.

He told me that I was the one that picked up the piece of paper…. all the other applicants walked by it. He had placed it by the door just to see who would do something about it. He explained that his thought process was that if someone picked it up to have it put in the trash, they’d keep the store clean and pay attention to detail

Well, fry me for an oyster – I got my first job because my parents told me to clean up a mess when you see it regardless of who made the mess in the first place.

Gonzalo Lira’s Death Reveals SHOCKING TRUTH About Ukraine and NATO

https://youtu.be/D47ezlyjrRI

Do you know anyone where the husband/father did the old “I’m going out for a pack of cigarettes”, and just took off and disappeared?

I know this exact story. I had a friend, he was pretty wild and crazy. Just to give you a feel for his character, I’ll tell a second story.

I had two wild friends partying together in one city, when they left the party, crazy friend two, uncharacteristically said he was too drunk to drive, and asked crazy friend one, if he would drive. On the way home, crazy friend two fell asleep. He woke up in scorching heat, still sleeping in the passenger seat. Fortunately this was when power windows weren’t common. He rolled down the windows, and noted he was parked on a street he didn’t recognize. The keys were in the ignition, but it wasn’t running.

He crawled over to the drivers seat, and drove off. It took him 15 minutes to figure out he was in another city, about 7 hours from where he lived. There was a big festival going on. He never found friend one. He spent a day at the festival, hoping to spot friend one, and then drove home.

A couple of years later friend one found someone, and we were all surprised at how he settled down. He kept a steady job, they bought a house together. Then one day he said he was going out for a pack of smokes. It took him about 9 months to find just the right cigarettes and return. He just walked back through the door as if he had been gone for 15 minutes.They hadn’t been fighting. He would never talk about it, but they were divorced shortly after. I have no idea if it was planned, or spontaneous like the trip to a festival in another city.

He died young, I hadn’t seen him in ten years, and he wanted no visitors to the hospital and no funeral.

Volunteers 1985

Full FUCKING movie! A really worthwhile watch. Please enjoy.

https://youtu.be/yrE0MR8cHJM

What is one remarkable thing you’ve witnessed at a funeral?

When I was a child, my father had a cousin who was a rollickingly jolly man who told terrible jokes. Cousin Bernie’s favorite joke was “What do you say to a hippie with arthritis?” then he’d hold up his hands in a peace sign with the fingers bent over, and he’d laugh and laugh. (No, it doesn’t make sense, but this was the 1970s.) You’ve heard the term infectious laughter, that’s what he had. I’d laugh even though the jokes were never funny. Eventually I grew up, moved away and lost touch. Decades passed. My father died. A few years after that, Cousin Bernie died. I knew my father would want me to pay my respects on his behalf, so I traveled back to my home town for the funeral.

First off, you need to know that Cousin Bernie worked as a drycleaner in the same neighborhood his whole life, or at least since he got married. He and his wife raised their daughter, who became a teacher and school principal, and when he was widowed, he stayed in the same house for a few months until he died of what a romantic would call a broken heart. While he lived, his happiness was the happiness of his family, he didn’t need anything beyond that. He was a very happy man indeed.

So imagine my surprise when I arrived early at the funeral home to find their biggest room already overflowing with mourners. I expected Cousin Bernie to be beloved because he was a lovely man, but I was daunted by the staggering number of lives he’d touched. The service started formally, but as each speaker spoke, it became more and more personal. Everyone I could see was crying by the time Bernie’s daughter got to the podium. I always found her to be a stern and formidable woman, but she hunched over, sobbing too much to speak.

That’s when the remarkable thing happened.

Cousin Bernie’s daughter straightened up, tears streaming down her face, and silently raised her hand in a bent over peace sign. His favorite joke when I was little.

The entire room — hundreds of people — all raised our hands in the same gesture, at the same time.

That was more than ten years ago. Maybe even twenty, I don’t remember exactly. I was the only person from my family who went (long unpleasant story) so I didn’t know anyone. I keep thinking that someday I’ll meet someone else who was there but as far as I know, I never have.

OMG

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/q6RbFecRKvM?feature=share

What is something someone who has never been poor wouldn’t understand?

How expensive being poor is.

This is the paradoxical part of being poor, that a lot of folks don’t understand. When you are poor, everything costs more.

  • You can’t buy food in bulk. You often make the smaller, less efficient purchases.
  • You can’t afford to buy high quality goods that will last longer. Instead of buying more expensive shoes that will last 2–3 years, you buy cheaper ones that will last a couple months. You buy a cheaper car that will require more maintenance, and lose value more quickly.
  • You can’t afford to make large payments on a leased vehicle, so you opt for more payments over a longer period of time, paying more money overall.
  • Owning a home is a pipe dream. You almost certainly rent a place, never gaining any investment or value out of your money.
  • It’s nearly impossible to save any money at all, so unexpected costs hit harder. You also don’t have any savings accruing interest.
  • You’re more likely to miss payments, and pay additional fees and charges, leading to paying even more money.
  • You rely more heavily on credit, paying a premium on many purchases.
  • Similarly, you’re more likely to take a payday loan. We know how fucking garbage that shit is.

This is why it can often be so difficult to get out of poverty. You’re continually paying a premium in nearly every area of your life, because you are poor.

What are some dark secrets about today society?

  • Nobody wants to be associated with a failure.
  • There’s no unconditional love anywhere, you can get one from your mother if you’re lucky.
  • Making money online these days is not about how skilled you are, it’s how often you show up.
  • Most people smile but only a few are happy.
  • Elites don’t care about race, tribe or religion. Instead, they are friends to one another for beneficial purposes while the masses fight and make enemies among themselves.
  • Many are masters, only few are skilled.
  • Everyone is replaceable in the society. If you die today, the world will keep moving on smoothly & your family and friends will miss you for a long time.
  • If you’re famous, most people would automatically assume you’re rich.
  • If you’re too generous, people will take you for granted. Help the needy but don’t go broke while at it.
  • Neither you nor your religion owns the monopoly of truth. There are numerous beliefs in the world and yours is just one of them. So learn to respect people’s beliefs as long as it doesn’t cause harm to others.

What is the most tasteless thing you have seen people on a cruise do?

Stop bathing.

Our most recent cruise was a two week one from Tahiti to Sydney, Australia that we chose just so we didn’t have to make the long flight from San Francisco to Sydney. On the second week of our cruise a woman stepped into our packed elevator and immediately people began quietly to gag to the point that one couple quickly pushed the button for the next deck and got out as fast as they could. It was an overpowering combination of body odor and dirty clothes—she was evidently one of the many passengers who had embarked weeks before in Sydney for a roundtrip cruise.

Another time we were on a Caribbean cruise with my brother and his wife, enjoying lunch together when a male passenger sat down behind us. Suddenly my husband leaped up and motioned for us to follow him to a table much further away. As we walked with him, we realized that the man reeked of body odor and general dirtiness.

One other time, on a cruise with friends, I stood in line at guest services behind a very well dressed man who evidently had also given up bathing midway through the trip. It was a shock to the senses; the eyes saw a man in expensive clothing while the nose smelled someone who might have been living rough on the streets for some time.

Every cruise cabin I’ve ever been in has had a shower, and thankfully most cruise passengers use theirs regularly. But there seems to be at least one person per cruise who chooses to stop bathing for the duration and to me, that’s the most tasteless thing a person on a cruise can do.

On Gonzalo Lira’s Story. I admit…

https://youtu.be/beibtv1bn3k

How does China’s property downturn compare to the US housing bubble of the late 2000s?

If you understand truth and facts and not blindly follow western propaganda and rhetoric what China U.S. doing is highly responsible and admirable and what happened in 2009 is very hurtful to the poor.

Let us understand what China did. First China took the “opportunity” of the Covid Pandemic window of opportunity to cleanse the flaws of its economy such as excessive screen time especially their kids, they look into the ill effects of capitalism such as profiteering, such as social ills of consumerism and widening disparity between the rich and the Xi Xinping emphasised that homes are for living not for speculation or profiteering.

China set rules for 2nd and third home buying. So that prices is within reach of the poor and middle income. So prices or what I will call bubble deflate. Ain’t it good for the common men? Sure as hell it is. China don’t want what happened in the U.S. to happen in China. Up to a million are homeless! Deflating a run away asset and home prices is what Japan ought to do in 1980’s or the US ought to do in the 2000’s but instead it let the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer.

China is probably the most responsible nation on earth!

How have you been treated by the police in America?

This is how one person was treated by a police officer, in America.

Picture a beaten small framed girl, in nothing but a t-shirt and underwear, being dragged away from her screaming child and pushed off a stilted porch by an equally beaten man.

Now let’s add all of this happening on a bitterly cold and frozen December night.

Imagine this girl shaken, distressed, and in full my-baby-is-in-danger mode.

She goes to her car that doesn’t run because it’s been wrecked by her ex husband. …the same car she had taped the spare key to on the undercarriage.

(Thank you Mom for telling that girl to do that.)

She finds her old broken cell in the glove box. Thankfully, it had 15% charge. Thankfully, the Cat Lady neighbor had shared her WiFi password.

After a series of emails to her mother, she heard a radio. Standing outside the car was an angel silhouetted behind the brightest light. The shadow asked the girl to get out of the car after making sure she wasn’t armed.

This angel immediately gave her his coat and ushered her to back seat of his heated patrol car. He poured her a cup of very hot and bitter coffee from his thermos.

He assessed her injuries while asking gentle but probing questions.

What happened?

Start from the beginning.

Tell me as much as you remember.

Why are you unclothed?

Keep drinking the coffee.

This angel left to go talk to his partner, who had been talking to her child and ex husband.

This angel went inside the house and brought the girl’s child to her under the guise of she wants to see her before we make an arrest.

He very carefully checked the child over and made notes of the marks on the child. He gave her a teddy bear from the trunk of his car.

He asked the child what happened in the most gentlest way.

Out of the mouth of a child came the loss of innocence.

Daddy hit mommy.

Daddy hit me.

Daddy pushed mommy outside.

Daddy got me dressed.

Daddy said we were going to Grandpas.

That angel stood up and shut the door. He walked up the stairs and right into the front door, where his partner was waiting.

That angel placed the ex husband under arrest and held him prone on the floor until another officer could take him.

That angel went over every protection offered at the time to the girl and her child after both were checked by the paramedics.

He kept reinforcing they could only hold the ex husband for 24 hours before bond could be posted and this paper. ….this thin paper would be the only thing protecting them.

He let her use his personal cell to call her mother (She was already on her way with a family friend).

This angel came back later to make sure everyone had arrived. There was bad snow storm moving in, he said. We had to move quickly to get ahead of it.

This angel pulled the girl aside. He spoke the hard truths of reality that she NEEDED to hear.

She left that conversation with the knowledge she was a Woman and not a girl. She was a survivor, not a victim.

This angel is a husband, father, brother, son, and human.

This angel stands every day on a very thin blue line against those who would do harm and he does so willingly.

This angel is a Police Officer.

What did a flight attendant do that made you go “you gotta be kidding me”?

I was on a British Airways flight seated in a row that was an Emergency Exit which was on the wing and slightly behind the port engine. After about ten minutes of cruising altitude, I looked out the exit window and noticed that there was a slight white trail coming from the engine. In order not to frighten other passengers, I went to the rear galley and said that there was a suspicious leak coming from the port engine and that I think she should have a look at it. FA said “Oh, its just clouds we are passing through” which I knew to be a lie as there wasn’t any above or below us. I repeated the fact and she said that if I didn’t go back to my seat and was quiet, I would be restrained by the onboard crew and arrested.

Fed up, I walked through the curtained off area at the front to Business Class and spoke to the purser, explained the situation and what had happened with the rear FA and she went white, then red with anger, went into the cockpit to speak to the Captain who came with me to my seat to look at it, groaned, thanked me and went back to get a priority landing at Heathrow. As I was leaving, I was asked my name and number by the purser and a few weeks later a letter arrived stating the FA had been sent for retraining and that I was to be awarded 2000 Avios points and a free upgrade for my next flight.

What do the nonpoor not realize about being poor?

I have an uncle who is a social worker, and he says helping the marginalized poor is the saddest and most frustrating job in the world.

The worst thing is ringing the doorbell. And Mary Grace opens it.

Mary Grace, who has mothered seven children, all of whom except the last two were placed in Foster care because she and her hubby Austin cannot take care of children, due to mental challenges and their basic lack of understanding of the many responsibilities which come with raising children.

Mary Grace and Austin, who can’t handle money and are deep in debt, and became parents when Mary Grace was 16 years old, just like her mom when she was born. Mary Grace, who didn’t finish high school, just like her mom and dad.

And when she opens the door, my uncle sees her pregnant belly, and he can hardly stop himself from crying. Because it happend again.

Just like her remaining children, this unborn kid will end up in Foster care as well, and the story will be reset for all these displaced children, and then repeat itself. And it will never stop.

And thats what the non-poor do not realize about being poor —

The poor are caught in a trap.

And they can’t walk out.

So, Gonzalo Lira is NOT dead? This is Ukraine’s VERSION of what happened to him. Narrative composing?

https://youtu.be/uc_H1LPNtbk

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

I faced this type of situation in my last job in state government. I worked in IT at a state medical school/hospital and we’d have a department meeting. After all of the department heads had reported on what was happening with their teams, the IT Director would recap what was happening in IT and the hospital before reminding us that we were required to follow hospital policies and that failure to do so would result in termination. He’d close each meeting by saying, “It’s my way or the highway, people. Follow the policies or find another job.”

I heard this every Wednesday morning for 16 months before I decided I’d had enough so I found a job in the private sector that was less work, paid more, and was closer to my home. The new job was also strictly a Monday through Friday position, which meant not having to work a weekend every couple of months while being on-call.

I accepted the job offer and then waited for that Wednesday morning meeting. When the director went into his spiel I let him get “It’s my way or the highway” out before standing up and heading for the door. The director stopped mid-sentence and asked where I was going and I replied, “I choose the highway”.

It was a terrific feeling to walk out of that meeting.

The West looks really fucking stupid

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

What would happen if China’s economy collapsed? What is a realistic timeline of collapse without intervention?

An Economy collapses only under one or all of five conditions :-

  • No money to buy Imports (Foreign Reserve Crisis) and no external help
  • Inflation rises by at least 25% a year and the Nation is a net importer with at least 25% Deficit
  • Nations Manufacturing Index falls by at least 50% meaning Industries are decimated
  • Economy loses at least a third of its value in domestic currency without being propped up
  • At least 2/3 the population prefer holding gold or assets than domestic currency

Now let’s see China :-

  • $ 3.3 Trillion in Reserves. Sufficient for 20 months of Imports
  • 0.4% Inflation. Lowest in the world
  • Manufacturing Index 49.6. Biggest fall being 4.3% a quarter in 2020
  • Economys real value as much as $ 13.3 Trillion or around 70%. Much higher than Japans (58%) or USA (68%)
  • Gross Savings of 45%

So the only two conditions under which China could collapse include :-

  • War – Nuclear War or Invasive War into China like Nazi Germany from 1943–1945
  • Major Civil War

What was a Christmas bonus you got from your company that made you speechless?

Not a Christmas bonus, but similar. And completely jaw-dropping.

Worked for twenty years for a family-owned business. In 1996 they had their 50th anniversary, and the owners (the three children of the founder) spent a day going around personally handing envelopes of cash to all the employees. I had been there over 12 years at the time, and my envelope held $500. Very nice and much appreciated.

After a few more years, they had to choose between vastly growing the company, letting it remain as it was, or selling it to someone who would grow it appropriately. Being older and nearing retirement age anyway, they decided to sell it. They wanted to show their appreciation to their employees for their part in the company’s success, so once again, they handed out bonuses. They had wanted to do it in cash again, but the accountants said no, so we all got checks with taxes, FICA, etc…

I stuck the envelope in my pocket and went on with the lunch, etc, that was part of the festivities. Toward the end, a friend asked if I had looked at my check, and I said that I hadn’t, that I would get to it, it was probably similar to what I had gotten before, yadda, yadda.

He said, “Dave. Look at your check. Look. At. Your. Check.”

$12,000. I was just one out of a couple hundred employees. Blew me right away…

Glorifying addictions

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RQ5TiACRwfk?feature=share

I am in my late 20s. Will I regret not having children once I am older?

Ah, this reminds me of a conversation I had with a dear friend of mine, who faced a similar dilemma in her late 20s. She was torn between the societal expectations of starting a family and her personal aspirations that didn’t necessarily include children.

Years later, now in her 50s, she shared some insights that might resonate with you. She mentioned that whether or not you’ll regret not having children when you’re older is a deeply personal matter. For her, she found immense fulfillment in her career, travel, and the freedom to pursue her passions. She nurtured rich relationships with friends, nieces, nephews, and became a mentor to many.

She did say there were moments of wonder about what life with children might have been like, but those thoughts didn’t equate to regret. Her life was full, meaningful, and happy in ways unique to her journey.

The takeaway? The decision to have or not have children is profoundly personal and varies for everyone. It’s about understanding what brings you joy, fulfillment, and a sense of purpose. Some find it in parenting, while others find it in different aspects of life. It’s essential to make a choice that aligns with your values, hopes, and dreams. And remember, a fulfilled life can take many forms!

Be like this father

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

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

Yes!

Few years ago, I worked for major IT firm from India with a very good salary. Now, in interview I was told I was being hired to work on a very niche upcoming technology which is very new.

When I reached the office on first day, I was informed by HR to report in training lab instead of any ODC which got me confused but I dismissed it thinking nothing of it. There I was told that before starting the work i will have undergo a 2 week training program and since my manager is still looking to arrange a trainer, I can brush up my coding knowledge in lab meanwhile. Great, i thought.

1 week passed and there was no news on when training will start. This was August. I dropped a mail to my reporting manager who said it is difficult to find a trainer for my location so it might take a week more

2 more weeks passed, even after dropping multiple mails to both trainer and my reporting manager I got a same reply: please wait it might take a little more time

After 2 months i was done with all basic coding assignments given to me and still there was no sign of my training to start. Everytime i mailed i got the same reply, project is in pipeline, it could start anytime soon

After 3 months this got really boring. No one asked what I did whole day, no one even cared if I even went to training lab or not. Sometimes I would do a swipe in at main gate and go grocery shopping or go for a movie. On other days I would come office for 5 hours which was minimum requirement for my attendance to count as a full day and those days were spent playing table tennis, carrom, darts etc. In meanwhile i would send mails asking when will I get actual work and most of those mails went without replies. In December end I got mail that my training would start from January 14th. I was finally relieved but 14th passed and so did 15th and there were no signs of any training. On raising questions about the training i got the reply that the training was available only on weekends but it was not possible logistically so it had to be cancelled. I stopped asking. Since both manager and HR sat in different office altogether there was no way of face to face communication and no one to really bother me.

This continued for 1.5 years. It was the most relaxed time of my life but the worry was always present in back of my mind But I was afraid of quitting since my salary was already way higher than market standards (almost double!) and justifying what I did in previous job would be a task. Eventually I did find an equally paying job although with a lot of struggle but with relevant work since it did affect my profile negatively.

Indian service based IT companies can be fickle. Till today i never got to know what happened to my project or training. I wish I would’ve been informed properly at all stages instead of being given false hopes month after month. But I have no regrets whatsoever because I have made some great memories and friends that time which otherwise i wouldn’t have had!

Transactions…

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ENugzccI4Jo?feature=share

What are the things we’ll only understand when we get old/older?

What a child brings to school for lunch indicates a lot about their life at home.

When I was younger I was always jealous of other kids whose lunches were comprised entirely of chips, candy, and soft drinks. At the time I was little and I wanted sweets as often as possible. However, my lunches were always filled with fruit, vegetables, and healthy sandwiches. If I was lucky, my parents would pack me fruit snacks.

It wasn’t until much later when I worked as a camp counselor at a day camp that I began to notice yet again what children brought for lunch. Most campers had lunches similar to what I grew up with, however, I observed that one camper had a lunch consisting solely of Cheetos and fruit snacks, nothing healthy. He brought these same foods almost every day. I found it odd that his parents never packed him anything with more nutritional value.

During pick-up, I would walk my campers to their parent’s cars. Most parents would exclaim, “how was your day,” when picking up their children. Unfortunately, this camper’s parents would ignore him, not even looking over when he got into the car. Later in the summer, I learned that his family was going through a lot of problems at home.

At this point, I realized how lucky I was that my parents packed me healthy lunches when I was young. It wasn’t because they wanted to deprive me of sweets, rather, my parents wanted to make sure I was staying healthy because they loved and cared about me. I learned that something as small as what a child brings for lunch each day indicates a lot about their parents socioeconomic status or, in some unfortunate cases, whether there are problems in the child’s home life.

Guys have standards

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NwyuEj-PiHw?feature=share

What is the most degrading job you ever had?

Working at the university alumni call centre.

I fucking hated that job. I hated it with the passion of Christ himself.

My job description effectively read that working in the call centre meant that:

  • we are the connection point between university alumni, and the university
  • we help keep and maintain records on our alumni
  • we notify alumni of important events and projects happening within the university
  • we help to maintain the pride of the school and our alumni keeping in contact with them years afterwards

What we actually did:

  • call and beg for money

I hated it. We would phone dozens of alumni every day, and our calls would consist of 3 phases:

  1. Introduction, and maintenance of information – introduce ourselves, and make sure that our current information on the alumnus / alumna in question was all still correct
  2. Notify them of big events and projects going on at the school – hey, did you know that the university is doing this huge heart transplant study? And that our new science wing is nearing completion? Isn’t that cool?
  3. (The real purpose of the call) give us money please! – Given the importance of that science wing I just mentioned, and how it’s going to really revitalize the university science program and provide amazing facilities for our students, would you be interested in donating $100? No, that’s too much? How about $50? You’ve just been laid off work you say? Well can you manage $20?

I fucking hated this bullshit. Hated it. We were required to get our “three asks” in, and had a big list of ‘comebacks’ for various responses people might give to not donate. I hated that basically our entire purpose was simply to get money, at all costs. They just graduated two years ago and still haven’t found a job? Ask them for a lesser amount. They aren’t interested in funding XYZ project? Offer different things for them to donate to.

The biggest thing that really sealed the deal for me happened during one afternoon, where I got on the phone with an older alumnus. He had graduated from the university back in the 70s. At some point during our conversation, he mentioned how he had just come back from Europe. I mentioned how I had visited Europe only a couple years before, on a trip with my dad, and this man and I shot the shit about visiting Germany and France. Halfway through the call, the manager comes by, and tells me to get onto the next call, we don’t have time to chat with alumni if we’re not bringing in donations.

I basically ignored the manager, and kept on chatting with the guy. He and I talked for about 10–15 minutes, during which time I got angry looks from the manager on several occasions. At the end of the call, I brought up the current thing we were looking for donations for. Our usual ask was $100, but he ended up offering over $1200.

Oh, look at that. All of a sudden I’m doing an excellent job. Way to go, Jeremy! The manager’s disposition does a complete 180 when I brought in the biggest donation of the month by actually treating our alumnus like a human being, and not an ATM. I quit at the end of that day.

0/10, would never do again.

What a fucked up USA

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/njoBwhFz0hg?feature=share

What are the biggest myths about living in America?

Things that surprised me when I first moved to the USA, good and bad (as they occur to me) were:

  • Everybody I met is so nice. People are generally friendly and polite. From the TV shows I saw, I expected everyone to either be scowling at each other in a threatening manner, if not actually shooting.
  • The areas I first encountered were and still are covered in trees. There is much more green space in housing areas and a lot of this is covered by trees.
  • It’s not really the land of opportunity at all. If you come in as I did with a good job already, you can do quite well, but moving from being working class to middle class is actually more difficult than in the UK where I come from.
  • The US is a great place if you have enough money but can be a terrible place if you are short of money. There is far less of a safety net for people who have problems, and there is certainly a less sympathetic attitude.
  • It’s much easier to get things done in the US than in the UK. People have a much more forward-looking attitude in businesses.
  • Much of the growth in the US is actually driven by foreigners. So many of the IT departments in the US are staffed by foreigners like me, and in particular, Indians, that if you removed them all, I’m sure the US IT sector would collapse. This was the biggest surprise to me when I first started working here. I did consulting work in IT for Life Sciences companies and every one of the IT departments was at least 50% Indian.
  • People don’t carry guns on the street and there aren’t shootings every day, in most places. In some places, there are shootings every day, but they tend to be concentrated. Petty crime is less common in the US in most areas. I know few places in the UK where you would leave your gardening stuff in an unlocked shed or a bicycle in the drive. It’s common here.
  • In many areas, I didn’t notice any racism at all. It did take me some time to spot it in some places, to be frank, and some of my black friends had to point it out to me, but I’ve been in far more racist places in Europe.
  • There are more different kinds of churches than you could possibly imagine, particularly in the South, not just the main denominations that you see in most of the UK and Europe. Dozens of them.
  • So many people dress in exactly the same way. My American wife pointed out the converse of this in the UK, that people look quite different from one another. I was at a hardware store recently, there was a delay at the checkout. I noticed that of the eleven men waiting in line I was the only one without a plaid shirt, goatee beard and baseball cap.
  • Service in restaurants is probably ever so slightly better than the UK, but is far less personal. No one has ever called me “love” or whatever the local equivalent was there.
  • Everyone has to fill in a tax return. This nearly caught me out. Filling in a tax return is such a usual part of life for Americans that nobody thought to tell me about it. I’d never done one in my life and it is a lot of work. In the UK my employer did all of that.
  • Healthcare – I think most people are aware that the cost is a lot higher than the UK, but I couldn’t believe how bureaucratic it is, form after form after form. Insurance coverage is an absolute minefield, the plans are mind-bendingly complex and of course, insurance companies, being profit-making, will twist and create obstacles and do anything they can, to avoid paying out. The trouble with health insurance is that if they don’t pay, you can die. If there’s anything that I do miss about the UK it’s the NHS.

Do countries like the US import electric vehicles from China?

Not yet. At least not enough.

The U.S. put an arbitrary high tax on China make cars. What it does is the it allowed Tesla and their too big to fail automakers such as Ford, GM and Chrysler to profiteer on its own citizens. Hence the inflation and not to mention depriving its own American of convenience and better environment.

What are things about corporate life no one tells you about?

I am in software industry for 5+yr now , so I can share my experience.

  1. No matter how much you are earning , you will feel monotonous and boring life after sometime. Then most of people try for competition exam just to get rid of monotonous life.
  2. If you are working in your field , life would be easy for you after few years. But if you are not core person then there are lot of struggle, humiliation you will face.
  3. Corporate has colleague only, I haven’t seen a bond of friendship in service based company specially. In product based, I had a great friend circle but being in service based everything is all about getting work done.
  4. Person is mostly known as resource instead of human being. Better resource has better opportunity. So keep update yourself with new technical enhancements in order to stay here.
  5. If your project manager is good , and you know how to communicate with them easily then life would be so easy. But if you have conflict with your manager , you will be replace by some other resource.
  6. Good thing about corporate is they care about their employee so much, time to time free health check-ups, office /team parties, new year/diwali /Holi /Christmas etc gifts🎁, sick leave, casual leave and other leaves, work from home allowances , broadband reimbursement, travel allowances, providing table, chair,lamps if you are doing wfh. Providing flexibility to work from anywhere. You got onsite opportunity to Europe, USA based on your skillsets.
  7. If you are really a skilled employee, you got max 10% hike per year with bonuses. But if you are average 3–5% hike which I feel is low. Because the same employee switch the company got 50-100% hike very easily. So , if company start doing good hike for deserving employee with time to time promotions, then why they will think of switching every quarters.
  8. AI has entered the market, but it can never replace techies. As a software developer I can feel that ChatGPT help to find solutions easily but with ambiguity in solution. So , ambiguity solution can’t make a great products. So, it’s illusion that chatgpt or any other platform would cut the jobs.
  9. If you are fresher, better to join small organization where you can learn and got individual work to became a skilled person. Because in big organization, freshers has to suffer lot to get individual work.
  10. Degree is secondary , skill is primary in IT world. But yeah degree taught us much about handling pressure, balancing temper .

US keeps hyping military tension around Taiwan Straits

Washington, secessionists the real troublemakers to undermine peace: experts

By Yang Sheng and Liu Xuanzun Published: Jan 23, 2024 08:07 PM Updated: Jan 23, 2024 10:00 PM

A US think tank released a report on Tuesday claiming that the “majority of experts” from the US and the island of Taiwan said they believe “a crisis in the Taiwan Straits is likely in 2024,” with a “blockade” or “quarantine” of the island by the Chinese mainland seen as the most likely scenario, while analysts from the mainland said this is an old trick of the US to hype regional tensions to spread fear in the region to serve its hegemonic interests.

A new survey from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) covering “87 experts from the US and the island of Taiwan on cross-Strait relations” said that most of these experts said China has the “capabilities to execute a law enforcement led-quarantine [or] a People’s Liberation Army (PLA)-led blockade of Taiwan,” but fewer believed a “forceful invasion” was possible.  

Aside from the CSIS survey, the US is taking concrete actions to add tensions to the region.

After the Taiwan regional election which concluded on January 13, there have not been military tensions around the region so far, but the US is planning to send a bipartisan congress delegation to encourage secessionists on the island, and US aircraft carriers are also approaching the region, according to the US Naval Institute. 

These expose a hard fact that, when accusing China of “creating tensions” in the region, Washington and secessionists on the island are the real troublemakers that are taking concrete actions to undermine regional peace and stability, said analysts, stressing that the US and its puppets on the island should not underestimate the determination and strength of the Chinese military forces.

Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that “The US needs tensions and fears among the region to force its allies in the region to stand closer with it and push other countries to take sides and rely on the US. This kind of trick has already ruined peace in Europe due to the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, and Washington wants to copy this in Asia. The Taiwan Straits is its target.”

According to the CSIS survey, 68 percent of US experts said a Taiwan Straits crisis was “likely” or “very likely” in 2024, compared to 58 percent of experts from Taiwan island.

Li said the US is trying to hype an intensifying atmosphere around China, to make regional countries believe that China is going to take a massive action that will heavily impact everyone. However, China has not done anything yet, and even if China takes action, it will have been provoked by US military activities and Washington’s politicians’ encouragement of the Taiwan secessionist authorities. “This is the truth that we need to let the world understand clearly,” Li said. 

The root cause of tension around the Taiwan Straits is US interference in China’s domestic affairs, and without meddling from the US, the Taiwan question, the powder keg the US set in front of China, would have been long defused in past decades whether militarily or peacefully, Li noted. “China will shake off this time-bomb sooner or later.”

On Monday, USNI News, the news website of the US Naval Institute, reported that the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier is now in the 7th Fleet area of operations as of last weekend. 

It means that there are three US aircraft carriers operating in the Asia-Pacific region, with the other two being the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Ronald Reagan, according to a graphic released by USNI News on Monday which is tracking the US Navy’s deployed aircraft carrier strike groups. 

US aircraft carrier deployments show that the US’ strategic focus remains on the Asia-Pacific region, prioritizing major power competition and the “Indo-Pacific strategy” over conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The PLA Navy recently organized some of its most powerful amphibious warships in a combat exercise.

Type 071 amphibious landing ships Wuzhishan
Type 071 amphibious landing ships Wuzhishan

According to a China Central Television (CCTV) report on Monday, the Type 071 amphibious landing ships Wuzhishan and Changbaishan joined up with a Type 075 amphibious assault ship in a multi-course drill.

73ffab17 c79c 4064 b2aa 26d760e80bcc
73ffab17 c79c 4064 b2aa 26d760e80bcc

The drill practiced live-fire anti-air and anti-sea shooting, which analysts said is important in self-defense in an amphibious landing mission.

Experts said that the Type 071 focuses more on horizontal landing by carrying air cushioned hovercraft and amphibious armored vehicles, while the Type 075 focuses more on vertical landing by carrying more helicopters.

The combination of the Type 075 amphibious assault ship and the Type 071 amphibious landing ship have strong island-seizing capability, and they can join forces with aircraft carrier groups as well as other warships and warplanes to form tremendous joint combat capabilities in an island-seizing mission, Song said.

Such a combination can play important roles on the island of Taiwan, the Dongsha Islands and the Penghu Islands if the need arises in the future, Song said.

Since August 2022, the PLA has organized three major island blockade exercises around the island of Taiwan as countermeasures to US-Taiwan collusion, and displayed its capability in conducting precision strikes to paralyze key military installations on the island of Taiwan, seizing air superiority and control of the sea, as well as stopping “Taiwan independence” secessionists from escaping and external military forces from interfering. All foundations have been established for the following landing missions, analysts said.

The best scenario for both the Chinese mainland and the island of Taiwan is peaceful reunification, but if “Taiwan independence” secessionists and external interference forces deny that prospect, the PLA is always prepared to fulfill its sacred duty of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and achieve the eventual national reunification, experts said.

HMMMM. U.S. Army Mess Hall in Marshall Islands, Hit By Giant Wave

Nation Hal Turner 22 January 2024

China sends a message. -MM

Video has emerged of a mess hall for the United States Army being absolutely swamped (inside) by a massive ocean wave that came well ashore in the Marshall Islands on Saturday, and took the doors off the mess hall.

It was sudden, dramatic, and unstoppable.

US Army mess hall in Marshall Islands hit by massive wave (1.20.24). No reported injuries. pic.twitter.com/jErWckRuky— Molly Ploofkins™ (@Mollyploofkins) January 22, 2024

2024 01 24 10 25
2024 01 24 10 25

To Hope That China Will Help With Yemen Is Delusional Bullshit

The lunatic Biden policy with regards to Yemen will obviously fail to reach any positive results. The White House and Biden know this and he has even publicly admitted so much.

Last night the U.S.and UK again bombed Yemen:

Monday night’s moves marked the eighth round of allied attacks on the Houthis since the first on Jan. 12. American and British forces said they hit eight targets, including an underground storage site and locations for launching missiles and carrying out air-surveillance.

I doubt that the U.S. or UK knows anything about Yemeni ‘underground storage sites’ or other missile locations.

It simply does not have such information:

A third senior official said on Monday that figure may have crept up to 30 to 40 percent after at least 25 to 30 precision-guided munitions successfully hit their targets on Monday. But other U.S. intelligence officials who have been briefed on the size and scope of the Houthis’ arsenal say analysts are not sure how much weaponry the group started with.

American and other Western intelligence agencies have not spent significant time or resources in recent years collecting data on the location of Houthi air defenses, command hubs, munitions depots and storage and production facilities for drones and missiles, the officials said.

The delusion in the White House is that ‘doing something’, like bombing random targets In Yemen, will change things continues. This question is still unanswered:

How to stop the HouthisPolitico, Jan 22, 2024

A senior administration official laid it out as follows. The U.S. attacks on Houthi targets will degrade the militants’ abilities to keep shooting at ships, as will the interdiction of vessels carrying weapons to Yemen. Last week’s redesignation of the Houthis as terrorists will increase the sanctions pressure on them, starving fighters of the resources that bankroll operations.

Eventually, the official continued, regional countries and other nations with an interest in open sea lanes — China, for example — will demand an end to the shipping crisis that has inflated prices and imperiled lives. Meanwhile, Israel’s plan for more targeted operations in Gaza could mean fewer civilian casualties, which would weaken the Houthis’ case for rising to the Palestinians’ defense. An end to the war would remove that rallying cry.

The White House is obviously not even reading the news by the media it directly controls:

Houthis Won’t Target Chinese, Russian Ships in Red SeaVoice of America, Jan 19, 2024

A senior official of the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist group says Chinese and Russian vessels will have safe passage through the Red Sea.

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political leadership, said in an interview with the Russian outlet Izvestia that the shipping lanes around Yemen are safe to ships from China and Russia as long as vessels are not connected with Israel, Agence France-Presse reported Friday, citing Izvestia.

The Houthis have said they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s war against Hamas militants in Gaza and have carried out more than 30 attacks in the Red Sea.

All western container carriers who have serviced the Asia-Europe lines will now lose container booking from Chinese exporters to Europe. The big Chinese container lines, which have openly announced to not service Israel, will now receive those transport orders. They can offer a shorter and much cheaper trip through the Red Sea while western carriers must go all around Africa to be able to reach their destination.

China and to an extend Russia will again profit from such basic U.S. policy mistakes. To hope that they will somehow intervene to end that situation is simply absurd.

Politico concluded the part quoted above with this paragraph:

But even if all those various elements lined up, it’s still not clear the strategic picture the Houthis care about will shift radically enough for a course correction.

That is written to sound nice but it essentially means that the policy is utter bullshit.

As Caitlin Johnstone summarizes:

We live in a dystopian world where it’s completely normalized to subvert human interests to commercial interests, to toss tens of thousands of lives into the incinerator for wealth and convenience. Where war profiteers rake in vast fortunes for selling instruments of mass murder to genocidal governments, and where the most powerful empire in history declares a war to defend shipping containers at the cost of human life.

Don’t ever let these sick freaks convince you that this is normal.

Posted by b on January 23, 2024 at 10:31 UTC | Permalink

What are some great life lessons you have learned after lots of troubles?

  1. Seek advice from people who have achieved what you want in life.
  2. Be your own hero instead of waiting for someone else to save you.
  3. Accept people for who they are, not who you want them to be, to avoid disappointment.
  4. Don’t make others choose you; learn to enjoy your own company.
  5. Control your emotions and stay calm in any situation.
  6. Give people time to reveal their true selves.
  7. Focus on yourself and mind your own business to find inner peace.
  8. Take care of yourself because the world will keep moving, even if something happens to you.
  9. Work hard to improve yourself, even if it feels like nobody cares.
  10. Build your own dreams instead of relying on others to give you purpose.
  11. Ignore society’s advice if it doesn’t align with your goals.
  12. Life doesn’t wait for you to be okay, so keep pushing forward every day.
  13. Enjoy the freedom of not sharing everything about yourself.
  14. Disconnect from the news and avoid discussing politics to feel smarter.
  15. Create your own opportunities instead of waiting for them to come to you.

Greek Turnovers (Skaltsounia)

R C
R C

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup butter

Filling

  • 1/2 pound feta
  • 3 ounces mascarpone
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and crushed
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, crushed
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Whip the butter until it is light. Whip in the sugar and egg yolks and blend well. Gradually add in the flour until it is smooth and soft. Add more flour if needed.
  2. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
  3. In a bowl cream together the feta, mascarpone, and eggs. Add the walnuts, orange zest, mint and butter and blend well. Set aside.
  4. Roll out dough on a floured board and cut dough into 3-inch rounds. Take 1 tablespoon of the mixture and place it in the center of the circle. Moisten the edges and fold over into a half moon. Seal well. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  5. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
  6. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

The hard slap of reality

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QRmak6IUDoY?feature=share

Eileen

“Come on Eileen”.

Yeah. I was just minding my own business and this classic comes on.

Come On Eileen” is a song by the English group Dexys Midnight Runners (credited to Dexys Midnight Runners and the Emerald Express), released in the United Kingdom in June 1982 as a single from their second studio album Too-Rye-Ay.

It reached number one in the United States and was their second number one hit in the UK, following 1980’s “Geno“.

The song was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley and was initially claimed to be written by Kevin Rowland, Jim Paterson and Billy Adams, although Rowland later stated that the essence of the tune should be attributed to Kevin Archer.

“Come On Eileen” won Best British Single at the 1983 Brit Awards, and in 2015 the song was voted by the British public as the nation’s sixth favourite 1980s number one single in a poll for ITV. It was ranked number eighteen on VH1‘s “100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s” and was Britain’s best-selling single of 1982.

“Come on Eileen”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BODDyZRF6A&list=RD6BODDyZRF6A&start_radio=1

There’s nothing particularly special about this song except that it represents a specific time in my life. And when I heard the song, I was transported to that time, and in that place.

Todays…

What is the most intelligent one liner you have come across?

I had over a hundred toxic exposure personal injury cases pending against a major chemical company. To save money and gain a strategic advantage, the defense attorney filed motions in every case across the US to compel participation in a single deposition of their product development expert. Known as a de bene esse deposition, the transcript would be read at all trials instead of the witness’ live testimony. It would prevent live cross examination in front of juries, and updating questions based on new developments or ongoing testimony in the various cases. it was scheduled to occur within a few days at the company’s HQ in another state.

I had sent this company detailed interrogatories and records requests delving into their knowledge of the dangers of their product/similar products and pertinent scientific literature. This information was critical to adequately prepare to cross examine the witness. Despite my demanding this for months, they had never responded. Thus, part of my answer to their motion to compel the deposition was a counter motion to compel responses to my discovery requests.

On the day of their motion, moments before we appeared before the judge, the defense lawyer handed me the company’s responses. Despite the fact that I had asked at least 60 questions [including sub heading follow-ups], and requested numerous user safety documents required by public health laws, the “answers” [mostly consisting of “irrelevant,” “unavailable,” “objection – confidential proprietary information,” etc] were contained on two typed sheets. There were no documents. The company lawyer smirked at me, thinking he had deflated my best argument, and further, condescended to a female attorney 20 years younger than he.

His motion was called, we both stood, and he argued confidently that his client should not be burdened by multiple depositions all over the US, and that we plaintiff lawyers would all be asking the same questions in any event. He argued that judges all over the US had already granted this motion to “streamline” the litigation.

Then it was my turn. I asked the judge if I could approach the bench. He raised his eyebrows, but he consented. I handed him the “answers” to the interrogatories, explaining that I had just received them moments ago. I asked him to please read them. He looked annoyed but did so—- it took about two minutes. He looked up at me a little impatiently and said “Well?”

I replied: “Your honor is now as prepared as I will be to take the deposition of this absolutely critical witness on behalf of all my clients. I respectfully ask you: do YOU feel adequately prepared?”

He sat back in his chair and smiled, cocked his head, looked at the defense lawyer and ruled: “Your motion for de bene esse deposition is denied. Plaintiff’s motion compelling discovery is granted. Call the next case.”

Modern Wife Instantly Regrets Divorcing Good Husband

It is so difficult being a single parent. It makes me want to cry.

https://youtu.be/Qj9FzntQKwY

When have you cheaply or inexpensively fixed an item someone thought unrepairable?

Invited to dinner by a friend of mine, we were listening to music afterwards and I mentioned that there were annoying vibrations coming from the right channel of his sound system.

“Yes, I think the speaker’s blown. I’m going to buy a new set.”

I listened some more.

“I don’t think so. Let me have a look.”

I took off the front of the speaker and almost immediately discovered a screw was lose and this was the source of the vibration.

Have you got a Phillips screwdriver?”

He gave me one, I tightened the screw, fix completed.

A couple of weeks later I was in my local bar chatting to a friend and she suddenly asked me if I could look at her sound system.

I was puzzled.

“Why? I don’t want to buy one.”

“No, it’s not that. Greg told me you fixed his and mine isn’t working properly. Could you see if you could fix it, please?”

I explained that all I had done was tightened a screw and I was by no means a sound system repair man, thus destroying my chances of developing a side gig as a sound engineer.

Some people are easily impressed and, it would appear, rumours of non-existent competence can spread rather easily.

Taiwan Election Fallout

https://youtu.be/j2_L3cYxYQ4

What’s something you regard as true but have no evidence for?

I say this as someone who has been teaching middle school (students aged 11–14) for over 15 years now, and who worked in special ed before that:

A nontrivial percentage of behaviors which fall under various special education diagnoses are, in fact, learned behaviors.

Learned helplessness, for example. That seventh grader who needs someone else to write down their assignments for them, because they “can’t focus enough” in class to write it down themselves? It’s no coincidence that that’s the same seventh grader whose parents have coddled them and treated them like a toddler well too far into adolescence.

Sure, now your kid can’t do that for themselves. Now your kid is far behind their peers in terms of independence. Because you taught your child helplessness by doing everything for them. What came first, your teenager needing to be treated like a toddler, or you treating your teenager like a toddler, even when they probably didn’t need it anymore?

And so you take your kid to a doctor, and the doctor diagnoses them with ADHD. Sure, they have ADHD. Anyone can see that. But what caused it? Or, rather, who caused it? Not all of you, but some of you parents need to look in the mirror for that answer.

Oppositional Defiance Disorder is another one. Yes, your kid has a problem with authority. Was your kid born with this problem? Not likely. They picked it up somewhere along the way. And who, more than anyone else in their life, is responsible for making sure they respect authority, to keep themselves out of trouble?

Maybe the kid who always gets in trouble at school has some sort of chemical imbalance or some major trauma in their past. It happens. It’s also equally possible, I believe, that that kid’s parents just did a shitty job of preparing their child for a world where they have to listen to authority figures to stay out of trouble.

But they can take their kid to a doctor and get a diagnosis of “O.D.D.,” so they sleep a little better at night, thinking that it’s not their fault that their kid can’t stay out of trouble. It’s a medical condition.

“Executive functioning problems” are another one. Is your kid so disorganized because they were born with some special need which made it difficult for them to be organized? Or did you just never take the time to teach your child how to stay organized, until it was too late? Perhaps it’s not your fault. Or perhaps you really dropped the ball when your kid was younger, and now that ball is too heavy to pick back up. Both possibilities have about the same chance of being true.

To be clear, I’m not saying all of these issues are caused by parenting. I’m not even saying most of them are. I’m just saying that some of them are. Enough of them that it’s statistically relevant.

Of course, I can’t prove any of that. I’m just calling it like I’ve seen it, year after year, for the last two decades.

This Video Will Leave Every Man SPEECHLESS…

https://youtu.be/0PGc6CDYmIw

What are some things that people who live in places with brutally low temperatures know, that the rest of us don’t?

Back in December 1983, Chicago spent 100 hours below -20F. Wind chill made it -86F. I worked downtown back then. No elevated train until a decade later, so the buses went down I-55 into the Loop. (Small edit: the buses were for shit, wind would come in through the doors and the window slats. The Orange Line could get you downtown in 20 minutes, the Green Limousine (our nickname) took about 90 minutes on a good day.)

If you wore wire frame glasses, they would freeze to your nose momentarily. You layer up and you don’t bother to color coordinate. Look like a clown astronaut, no one will care. You’ll even blend in. Your nose might run waiting on the bus, it will freeze. Wiggle your nose and the ice will fall away.

Don’t walk anywhere without the intention of stopping. Back in the 70s, I was walking only about a half mile to get a bus, and part of my brain kept saying to stop. Sit down on that bench. Rest. You’re halfway there. This was at midnight. Somebody would have found my body, no doubt frozen to the bench, in the morning.

A few have asked, or questioned why *I* never said something, as if *I* don’t exist, and that really frosts my cone. again, sun was out. If a piece of ice can snap away without breaking, it is warming up. Holding the icicle for ten seconds, my hand would be colder walking to the end of the driveway to the mailbox and back.

Plus: why would I give my dog something that might hurt his tongue? Chicago beats all logic.

Ray Dalio Explains Why America is Entering A Horrific Financial Crisis

https://youtu.be/f6u1-2Emyic

What scary gut feeling did you have that turned out to be true?

Ive been blessed with cracks between the worlds now and then.

I woke up one morning and told my late wife that we must cancel our trip to town as l had seen a “dream”, that a tree would fall on our vehicle. We had not been together long enough for her to know me all that well yet, and she got very upset because her heart was set on town, we were homesteading and needed some things she considered desperate ( like coffee🤣).

So after lots of persuasion I agreed to go. It was a two hour trip one way and I was keenly keeping an eye to where my vision had warned of the tree coming from, and sure enough, I caught a glimpse of the exact same tree coming at us. Because I had the warning and was looking for it , and my quick reactions of youth, I Swerved and slammed into it as it hit the road just in front of us, instead of ON us. We totaled our vehicle, but survived.

After that ,she always listened to my “hunches”(as she called em).

Greek-Style Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Greek Stuffed Chicken 1024x768 1
Greek Stuffed Chicken 1024×768 1

Ingredients

  • 6 boneless chicken breasts
  • 1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach
  • 1/4 pound feta cheese
  • 3 tablespoons Romano cheese, grated
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 tablespoon oregano

Instructions

  1. Thaw the spinach and drain as much of the moisture as possible. Mix with the crumbled feta cheese, grated Romano, salt and pepper.
  2. Make a slit in the side of each chicken breast. Fill the slit with the spinach mixture and close with wooden picks.
  3. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet. Brown the chicken breasts on both sides and remove to a warm platter.
  4. Sprinkle the flour into the same pan and integrate with the remaining oil. Cook for about 1 minute. Slowly, add the wine and chicken stock and stir until a smooth sauce has formed. Add the lemon juice and the oregano, salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Bring to a boil and return the chicken to the pan. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes until the chicken is very tender.

Zhou Shen’s new song “Floating Light” is sung for the first time tonight! REACTION – BEAUTIFUL!

https://youtu.be/Kc4z1SsBLyM

Have you ever had a problem with a coworker while working as a waiter/waitress? How did you handle it?

Back in my 20’s while working at a popular coffee shop, I had about an hour to go completing the graveyard shift, I was on the floor with an older gal about 45, 7 construction workers came in for breakfast and sat in her station. She went over to the table, and after about 5 minutes she stormed over to me and said “no way am I waiting on those jerks!, they are telling dirty jokes and everything”, so I told her I would wait on them, and I gave her 2 of my 4 top tables in exchange. I went over to their table, and they immediately began telling me the jokes, I looked at them and smiled saying “hmm, I’m not sure what that means but I can laugh”. The man who apparently was the foreman immediately told all the men to shut up and stop with the jokes, I suddenly became someone like a “daughter” he needed to protect (innocent). The service went great and they were all respectful of me, that foreman made each person leave me a 5.00 tip! That was a 35.00 tip on a 7 person breakfast that only came to about 45.00! OMG, now the trouble started, the other waitress saw what I got and ran to the manager demanding that I split that tip with her because after all, it WAS originally her table! The manager told her “hey, you told Linda to pick them up AND she gave you 2 of her tables to make if fair, so if you don’t agree with that, you can go”. The next week, the guys returned and she RAN to get them in her section, they began their dirty jokes, and this time she went along with them, and when they left, she got ZERO tip! Why? Because they saw right through her, I stopped by their table a few times to say hi, and was respected. Was she mad? oh HELL yes!

What is the one purely accidental thing you did that saved you or someone else from a major disaster?

Last Summer, I was sitting on the dock at my town’s marina watching boats being launched. A new-looking 25 foot boat was being launched from a trailer. There was some water coming out from a fitting near the stern. It seemed unusual but the launch angle might have caused some bilge water to move towards the stern where the bilge pump is normally located.

After launch, I couldn’t see much while the boat was tied to the launch dock. Its captain drove the trailer to a parking area and returned twenty minutes later to board with his family of young children. As the boat left, I could see that water was still coming out from the fitting.

I suspected that the owner had neglected to install his bilge plug. I called to the captain to point out his problem. His bilge pump could barely have kept up with the leak as long as his engine was charging his batteries but he would be in real trouble if he anchored somewhere. By the time he noticed, the boat would be settling in the water with dead batteries and the starting motors immersed in seawater.

At first, he gave me the look of someone who did not want to be bothered. He proceeded past my position before thinking better of ignoring my warning. He stopped to inspect his bilge and quickly headed back to the launch ramp. It took him about an hour to haul his boat, install the bilge plug and re-launch. Had he continued without installing his bilge plug, his new boat would surely have gone down.

China ANGERS The West, “We Won’t Destroy Our Economy For You”

https://youtu.be/ZpL1bL4Qu7M

What is the most shameless scam you’ve seen?

Years ago, there was a couple who sat in the parking lot with signs that read “Unemployed, four hungry children, please help. God bless you.” They had been doing this for over a year when our local newspaper interviewed them an published their story. This couple stated that they lost their good jobs due to the recession and just wanted jobs so they could feed their kids and, maybe buy a house some day – to be back on their feed again. After the story came out, they were flooded with job offers from all over the county.

Yeah, they turned them all down because panhandling was much more lucrative.

I worked in the city and there were quite a few off ramp and street corner panhandlers – the same ones every day. One day, I saw a young woman who left her corner, walked to the convenience store parking lot and got in to her brand new Honda Accord and drove home. Shift was over, I guess.

Now for a good story: There were two men who stood at the end of exit ramp I took on my way to work for about seven years. One was older, missing teeth and looked like he had led a hard life. The other was young, maybe early-mid 20s and he wore a funky top hat and played guitar and sang – he was really talented and all songs were his own originals. No sign, he just played his music. I am a go-with-my-gut person and never once did they ever made me feel uneasy.

After having enough experiences in horrendous traffic jams and snow stoms, I always keep protein or granola bars and a few bottles of water in my car. I would give them these when the light was red and, very occasionally, enough cash to buy a meal and they were always so kind.

I hadn’t seen the young man for a couple of months until, one night, I stopped at the mini mart on my way home from work for a diet soda and there he was. Working behind the counter. He looked healthy and happy and was so glad to be working. We spoke for a few minutes then he came around and gave me a big hug – man, did I get a lot of dust in my eyes.

Greek Orange Cake in Orange Syrup (Pontica)

Greek Orange Cake in Orange Syrup Pontica
Greek Orange Cake in Orange Syrup Pontica

Ingredients

Syrup

  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar

Cake

  • 1/2 stick butter, melted
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. First make the syrup by combining the orange juice, water and sugar in saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the syrup from the stove and allow to go cold.
  3. Butter an 8 x 12-inch baking pan with all the melted butter. Mix the flour and baking powder together in a small bowl. Beat the egg whites until stiff and they can form a peak.
  4. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks until light yellow; add the sugar, orange rind and vanilla and blend well.
  5. To the egg yolk mixture add the egg whites a little at a time, alternating with 2 tablespoons of flour mixture until all used. Pour the batter into the pre-buttered baking pan.
  6. Bake for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  7. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Remove the cake from the baking pan and cut into diamond shapes. Place the cake pieces on a large plate that will trap the syrup when poured over.
  8. Pour the cooled syrup over the still warm cake. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.

Yield: about 15 pieces

A crying mother cat brough her dying kitten to a man. Just unbelievable!

https://youtu.be/M5CTlPFTpPI

Have you ever returned home from a vacation and found an unwelcome surprise?

Yup. Came home to find our cable wires cut.

Of course we didn’t know they were cut until the Cable Guy asked us if we had any enemies. Which shocked us, until we realized what had happened prior to us leaving for vacation…

We have Wi-Fi through Comcast. We pay for that service. We realized that the neighbors across the street were stealing our Wi-Fi. So we put a password on it. For security reasons. Nothing wrong with that, right? WRONG!

They (four men) would sit on their porch with their laptops. We thought it odd since it wasn’t a comfortable porch and they were all crammed together. More of a doorway and just some stairs. We didn’t have a relationship with them, just the occasional neighborly wave. My brother is the one who enlightened us to the fact that they were outside because they were hooking up to and stealing our Wi-Fi. He told us to put a password and watch what happens. So, they were outside, we put a password, their connection died, they stared at our house, and closed their laptops and went inside. We giggled like little schoolgirls and went on with our lives.

About two weeks later, we went on vacation. And when we came home, none of our electronics worked. Called the cable company. They couldn’t get any signal so they sent the technician. He looked outside, and that is when he asked if we had any enemies. All wires had been cut. Could you believe it? They got mad at us for taking away something they were stealing! And of course, without cameras, we had no proof.

Some people just suck.

China called Taiwan’s 2024 election a choice between peace and war. Now that Taiwan has chosen war, what will China do?

Taiwanese did not choose war. Taiwanese did not gave a single seat out for an outright pro independence party! That party lost every SINGLE seat in the election.

DPP Tsai Ing Wen party and now Lai Cheng Te took over is pro independence favouring party that recognise the one China policy. It assures its voters they won’t harm cross straits harmony. Yet it could garner a mere 29% votes and lost the parliament to KMT by one seat and now need a coalition to even has a say!

What will China do? China will let the U.S. implode further, will let the Taiwanese people realise it does not want a Ukraine. And they don’t! China is sitting pretty. The U.S. is totally fxxked up!

Taiwanese are Chinese stock just like me of Hokkien origin. We know that by sucking up to the U.S., Ukraine lost 500 thousand men, 9 million seek asylum, 4 regions to Russia and 1/3 of their land and almost the entire Black Sea coast! Taiwanese voted for kinda an economic union with China and some special status of being independent somewhat! They voted against outright independence and they are very wary of the U.S. and its influence.

The real question if you are smart enough to ask is, does the billions of CIA, NED and other government agencies money spent on Taiwan worth anything? Does it pay off?

The answer us zero and nil. Once again the US is taken as a sucker!

Wife IN SHOCK After Husband Uploads Her Cheating Videos To Website And Sends The Link To EVERYONE

https://youtu.be/0jvAEjHKa1U

What have you seen that made you think, “If you wanted to be fired you could just ask”?

There was a pretty epic incident from a few years back.

There was a dead man in the Denver hospital (Denver Health), in their morgue or some holding area. He had recently passed.

One of the nurses was apparently impressed by his manhood, enough so that she went and told the other nurses something to the effect of, “You have to see this man’s D!”

She and 4 other nurses went on to go look at the deceased’s manhood.

Unfortunately for them, someone overheard the conversation and reported them. An investigation was then launched by risk management which resulted in 4 of them being suspended. (Source: Nurses who opened body bag to view size of dead patient’s penis suspended. Smith, Lydia. The Independent)

One of them also resigned from her position following the incident.

The man must have had quite a member there. And they do say that your body gets stiff after you die…

So far behind

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gbbebN7kjaI?feature=share

What was the moment you cancelled the friendship with your best friend?

I had a best friend from 14 till 29. For her 30th she threw herself a party, it was set to be wonderful, great food, drinks, friends a bonfire, just a wonderful evening. She and I hadn’t spent a ton of time together for several months before due to work and such so I was elated to hang with her and actually get to know this guy she’d been seeing for 6 months or so.

My friend was always a bit of an entitled princess but I usually ignored her when she did that. This party every 5 min she’d scream at the new guy: “go get me a drink” “are you stupid? My drink has been empty!” ”why haven’t you been paying enough attention to me it’s my biiiiiiirthdaaaay” it was annoying but hey she’s a bit drunk, oh well. Then as her bf is talking to HIS SISTER and I she walks up behind him and smacks him in the face full force. Her reason? “I knew what he was going to do, pay attention to other women and say things I don’t like so he deserved it.”

After that smack I quickly got ready and left. A week or so later I met her for lunch and confronted her, thinking perhaps she didn’t recall due to alcohol and I could encourage her to get help. Nope, she remembered just fine and felt she was justified to get her way. That was the last day of our friendship.

Do you think Japan will continue to export successful “soft power” fare in the future?

Japan is in a dire need to go back to the drawing board. It needs to rethink blind allegiance to the U.S., it needs to rethink Japanese only mindset, it needs to rethink helping the U.S. doing shit on China. It needs to grasp how humongous China is, and that how influential it is in the world today.

It needs a fresh perspective, soft power is good when you are winning competition, Japan is not! Soft power is good as an icing on the cake. Today Japan has lost its cake all together.

Steel is gone, Ship building is gone, electronics is all but gone, infrastructure building is gone, high speed train is all but gone and so is automotive industry, tourism is useful but cannot sustain high cost of Japan as a subservient and submissive country to the U.S.

Japan’s economy is fine if the west and the U.S. represents 60% of the world’s demand. Today it is less than 30% of world’s demand. Sucking up to the 30% and offending the balance 70% is a suicidal strategy. It’s population dwindled a million a year! It domestic demand is fast evaporating. It’s export machine has all but stopped except perhaps for some super high end products that has a minute market!

Japan’s biggest dilemma is between sucking up to the U.S. or facing reality. It has chosen being a slave vassal state of Uncle Sam! Can it survive? I very much doubt so!

At best it gets to play a house slave role but at a cost of an imploding an economy. It’s debts us already the largest versus its GDP on planet earth.

Were Roman gladiators allowed to sleep with slave women on occasion?

Roman gladiators had a very strange place in Roman society.

First off, we need to remember than gladiatorial combat was staged and hammed up for dramatic effect, and was rarely to the death. It wasn’t any more “real” than pro wrestling is today. It was a show, and sex appeal was a big part of the show.

On one hand, Gladiators were slaves, the lowest of the low. Furthermore, entertainers of all sorts (actors, dancers, etc) were infamia — outcastes, basically. A Roman citizen lost many of their rights if they were infamia. An infame had nothing to lose, socially or legally, by prostituting themselves.

On the other hand, gladiators were famous and glamorous slaves who were often invited to mingle with and entertain the highest social classes.

And gladiators were expensive slaves. A good gladiator might sell for 500,000 sesterces or more. A unskilled laborer in good health was worth maybe 1,500-2,000 sesterces. (Translating ancient currency into modern currency is basically impossible and misleading, but as a rough guide a skilled tradesman might make 8000 sesterces a year)

All slaves and entertainers were expected to have sex whenever and with whomever their owner or employer commanded. Even for free entertainers, prostitution was part of the job description. It’s likely that most slaves were at least occasionally rented out by their owners as prostitutes. That undoubtedly included gladiators. It is not a stretch of the imagination that a slave owner might have hired a gladiator to stand at stud with a slave girl he wanted to breed. The Romans regarded slaves the same way we regard livestock.

Roman culture was bi-normative; they didn’t have words for “gay” or “straight.” There was nothing shameful or unusual about a man having sex with another man. What was shameful was to be the bottom to someone of lower social status, or allowing yourself to be used for someone else’s pleasure. Roman values were centered around power and control; being the receptive partner in sex was seen as giving up power and control. A rich Roman citizen would likely have viewed fucking a gladiator as a demonstration of their natural superiority.

Roman women had much less sexual autonomy than men, but it was recurring gossip that Roman women (up to and including the Empress) bedded gladiators for sport. Gladiator sweat was also sold as an aphrodisiac (seriously).

Victoria Nuland

He was killed because of this video.

https://youtu.be/TzR—YDDIQ

Did you ever beat up the high school bully in front of everyone?

My little sister was two years younger and two grades behind me in school. She found me and my sports teammates one day and complained to me that a certain boy in her class has been bugging her, pulling her hair, trying to pull her bra strap and other such nuisances. So I told her, lead the way, little sister.

My teammates knew who this bully was and followed a bit behind me without me knowing it. I’m not that big of a guy but a couple of my teammates were. I figured I could just scare this bully and it would all be over. I rounded a corner with my little sister and she pointed out the bully. He was half a head taller than me and 30 or 40 pounds heavier. I gulped and I think everyone in the hallway heard it.

I walked up to the bully with my little sister and she menacingly said to him, “I told you I would get my brother to come and take care of you!”. Unbeknownst to me, that was my friends’ cue to come around the corner and stand a bit behind my sister and me. I took one more step up to the bully and told him he better leave my little sister alone or else…. I thought he was looking at me, but he was looking over my shoulder at my friends, and just nodded his head, then walked away.

When I turned around and saw my big friends, they were laughing at me and jeering, “OR ELSE!”. I started to laugh too. My little sister was happy – she would let us know now and then that the bully never bothered her again, and in fact had almost stopped bullying everyone.

And that became my friends’ catch phrase. Anytime I would make a statement, one of them, right on cue would add “OR ELSE!” Yah, that only lasted 2 years.

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

When I was 22 I dropped out of college to have and raise my daughter. People were astounded I’d do that, as I also had to give up a full ride Air Force ROTC scholarship (I’d been introduced to the Governor of Oregon when I received it, made the newspapers).

Anyway, she was 6–9 months old and one of my soon-to-be-ex-college buddies called. I answered the phone as I was scooping some sweet potatoes into her, the airplane was coming into the hangar! She was in her high chair with her mouth open like a baby bird, hands up in excited fists giggling in anticipation of the plane vrooming some more sweet potatoes into her mouth.

He made the comment “I don’t know why you left school, you could have just had her get an abortion. You really messed up your career path. Think of all the money you’re missing out on.”

My daughter was looking me in the eyes smiling as he said that. I immediately hated his goddamn guts. So, excused myself from the phone call. I maintained contact over the years just to see how things panned out between us.

She grew up to be an EMT. She drives around saving other people’s lives, and has 4 kids herself. When she turned 19 and got her EMT certification, I went back to school and got my engineering degree.

Now I make more money than he does, have a superhero daughter, and 4 grandkids, and pictures of one million trips to the zoo, amusement park, daddy-daughter dances, holidays, etc. He has no children, grandchildren. He has a cat.

Fuck that guy.

What is the biggest waste of electricity you’ve seen in a home you visited, were a guest in, or even in your own home?

When my wife and I were first dating her electric bill in an apartment complex seemed high. The final straw was when she was gone for a two week trip and her electric bill was even higher than the previous month. I looked at the electrical panel and did a check on each circuit breaker, tripping it and seeing which lights or appliances were without electricity. I then marked them with a file sticky tab indicating what they went to. Two of the breakers didn’t seem to shut anything off. I told her to leave them off until we figured out what they went to.

Two days later an apartment maintenance worker was working on the apartment below hers. She noticed the worker, but it didn’t register to her why the worker might be there working on the apartment below hers.

The next day there was an electrician there and the “light bulb” in my girlfriend’s mind came on. She asked the electrician what kind of problem they were having, the electrician indicated that several appliances in the apartment suddenly went dead and had no power being supplied to them.

Turns out the two electrical breakers that I had tripped went to the water heater and the A/C unit for the apartment below hers. The apartment maintenance worker spent the whole day working on the problem for the apartment below hers before calling the electrician to perform the proper checks and determine the problem.

She told the electrician what I had done. He checked the breakers and told her that she had been being billed for the electricity to run the water heater and the A/C unit in the apartment below hers.

She asked if the electrician could fix the problem and take out those two extra breakers in her electrical panel. The electrician worked for several hours and then came back and said that the problem was fixed. The electrician had done one better, the people below that had been jerks while working to fix the problem. They now supplied electricity to run her water heater.

She never mentioned it for the two years that she lived there thinking it was probably going to even out over time for the electricity that she had previously supplied to the apartment below her.

The people below her complained several times about the increase in their electrical bill over what it had been prior to me tripping the breakers and discovering the electrical syphoning that had occurred.

No one ever came to check the electrical circuits for the rest of the time she lived there.

What are some of the best examples of “American ignorance”?

So I’m sitting on the hotel terrace in Düsseldorf, Germany sipping a wheat beer on a warm summer night last June.

Three American late-middle-age men sharing the table next to me with a similarly-aged German are debating the pros and cons of their company health care plans.

One guy prefers low premiums, with higher out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses. Another travels a lot and doesn’t want to be tied to one network. The third guy is in great shape and argues for a high-deductible health plan with a tax-advantaged health savings account.

They try to outdo each other with lower copays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximums. Then they start in on horror stories from friends and family about outrageous billing, uncovered services, out-of-network charges, and medical bankruptcies.

The German listens politely until one of the men asks him if medical bankruptcies are a problem in Germany.

He answers, “oh no, all our costs are covered by the medical insurance.”

One of the Americans immediately cuts in and says, “oh, that’s right, Germans have really expensive universal coverage. I’m so glad we have freedom of choice in America.”

The Americans then continue their internal debate without asking the German another question.

“American ignorance” is not the problem, most people, from all countries, myself included, are pretty ignorant about a lot of things in life.

The problem with these Americans was not ignorance, it was an utter lack of curiosity and interest in anything outside their scope of experience.

Ignorance has a cure. Indifference is usually terminal.

Death of Gonzalo Lira, Crumbling Ukrainian Air Defenses, Growing Russian Military Capabilities

https://youtu.be/gwQCA7HK8xA

How do old people with low net worths live life? What are their lives like?

My mother in law has no net worth. She was a single mother working multiple minimum wage jobs, to get her daughters raised. My wife told her mother, that she did a great job, and that my wife had everything she needed as a child. Then my sil had a baby while still going to school, my mother in laws days, of supporting her grand daughter just started. She only had a month or two worth of expense money when she retired.

When she was 65 she moved into a seniors centre.

In Canada we have CPP, which pays out according to how much you pay in. She didn’t pay in that much, we also have OAS that anyone who has lived in Canada for 40 years, before turning 65 is entitled to. It pays $742 a month, finally we have a Guaranteed income supplement, to top up your retirement. If you have little income, like my mil, it pays out $1065 a month. So my mother in law earns $1800 a month, $21,600 a year. There are a lot of people like this.

But being in progressive Saskatchewan, my MILs senior centre charges her a percentage of her income, if she had more income, they would charge her more.

Until covid hit, she took a taxi to the nearest cheap grocery once a week, now she has it delivered, at 93 she can’t handle shopping for groceries.

She spends time either visiting or being visited by kids, grandkids, great grand kids, and great great grand kids. Or having coffee with her few remaining friends. Until recently she prepared meals and vacuumed at her granddaughters place, while they were harvesting.

She watches TV, plays board games at the senior center, does puzzles and crosswords, or plays Yahtzee with relatives. Up until recently she would go for walks to the farmers market near her. She is constantly giving out small amounts of money, to her relatives, for treats.

She is afraid of flying.

So this is her life, she was very happy until covid, then she got isolated and lonely, and hasn’t quite sprung back.

Not everyone would be happy with this life, but its heaven to her. When she grew up on the farm, they didn’t have running water. Being able to use an indoor toilet and get water from a tap, in her old age, is a step up from her childhood.

Are police officers ever afraid of a suspect trying to get revenge on them?

Working a long-term undercover assignment, you become close to your target. They learn to trust you and let you into their very closed little world. This happens over an extended period of time. When it’s time to conclude an assignment, it’s natural for the target to feel played, betrayed, and downright pissed.

I recall one gang leader in particular who argued with the detectives, refusing to believe I was an undercover cop. I watched this from behind a one-way mirror. Several minutes later, I entered the room, still sporting long hair and a grungy beard but with a gold badge hanging from a chain around my neck. The man jumped to his feet and screamed, “You’re dead!”

His face turned beet red, and he had to be restrained even though he was already cuffed. This was one pissed-off bad guy. It’s important to note, we knew he had killed before and was about the last person on earth I wanted to seek revenge.

I tried to sit and talk to the man, but he wasn’t ready to listen. A few weeks later, I was allowed to meet with him in jail with his lawyer present. He now seemed willing to hear that working undercover was part of my job and was never personal. I told him that I understood his feeling betrayed and didn’t take his death threat seriously. He didn’t reply, which concerned me greatly.

I had kingpin drug charges on him, which should have meant twenty-five years in prison. However, he cut a deal by pleading guilty and was given just nine years. I would meet him again less than five years later, as he was already out. He sought me out while I was on duty as a uniform sergeant on a call at a bar. He told me we were cool and didn’t blame me for doing my job. He also told me he was going straight and had started a job as a welder.

I didn’t know what to believe, but in the end, it didn’t matter. About a month later, he was shot dead by a member of a rival gang. Problem solved.

What are some of the best examples of “American ignorance”?

I don’t know if it is ignorance, stupidity or just entitlement, but this just happened a couple of days ago at Barajas Airport, Madrid:

So anyone who has travelled to Europe and entered the Schengen Area knows that there are two queues, one for EU citizens and one for all other passports. You also might have noticed that airport and immigration personnel is usually right before the queues telling people where to go.

Anyway, along comes this sharply dressed “gentleman”:

Upon being told to go to the ALL PASSPORTS queue you can probably guess what he said to the lady directing people: “I’m American, I’m not standing on that line, it’s too long”. The lady just told him, quite tersely “European Union passports over here, all other passports over here” and then turned her back on him. He then proceeded to stand on the EU queue anyway.

I loved the look on his face when he got to the booth and the immigration officer told him that he could not go through and had to go to the back of the All passports queue!

Columbia and the Passport Bros

The MESSAGE is at the end.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4EzlU9AMEaU?feature=share

Written by a 90 year old!!

🤙42 lessons life taught me 💖

It is something we should all read at least once a week! Make sure you read to the end!

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.

“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 42 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short – enjoy it..

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.

9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

10. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

11. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

12. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it…

14 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

15. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

16. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

17. It’s never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

21. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.💖

22. The most important sex organ is the brain.

23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’

25. Always choose life.

26. Forgive but don’t forget.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does..

31. Believe in miracles.

32. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

33. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

34. Your children get only one childhood.

35. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

36. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. (I love this one)

37. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

38. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need.

39. The best is yet to come…

40. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

41. Yield.

42. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Men and women

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VnRidQv1DvM?feature=share

What is the craziest thing you have ever said or done at an interview and still gotten the job?

Well, I just retired at age 68 from being a Silicon Valley software development engineer for about 30 years. I probably literally have hundreds of interviews behind me. Some of them were quite funny and/or strange. But, the wildest one happened somewhere around 2014. (I may be off by a year or two either way.) Anyway, I was working for a small startup in Mountain View, California and it wasn’t going well. I had concerns about their future viability. And, so, I sent out my resume to my usual crowd of recruiters.

One of those recruiters got me a phone screen interview with Apple for an undisclosed position. (Meaning I had no idea what the job consisted of.) I had worked for Apple three different times in the past for a total of about 12 years — and, that included my very first job in 1990 as an entry-level engineer. I took the call on my personal cell phone while walking around in the parking lot because I didn’t want to be heard by my current employer. I just pretended that it was an important personal call (which I guess it actually was?) The phone screen interview was with the lead engineer of the team. I was under the impression that this was merely an initial screening and an in person interview would follow if I did well.

As best as I can remember the conversation went something like this after our initial greeting and exchange of names and background:

Interviewer: “Mr. Ussery, this job is an hourly contract position in support of Apple’s factory automation/robotics software as used in China and Ireland. And, it requires travel. Are you interested?”

Me: “Yes, I guess so, but I would like to know more about it.”

Interviewer: “Do you have any experience in this area?”

Me: “Absolutely none whatsoever.”

Interviewer: “Are you willing to travel and stay overseas for about six weeks, and do so for up to four times a year?”

Me: “Yes.”

Interviewer: “Do you have a current passport with a China work visa?”

Me: “I have a passport but it is expired, and I’ve never been to China.”

Interviewer: “I see. But, you have been overseas before?”

Me: “Yes. I have worked in Apple’s facility in Cork Ireland for six months in 1995.”

Interviewer: “That’s great! That is where I live and where I am currently calling you from. This position is home-based in Apple’s main campus in Cupertino, California. I spend about half my time there when I am not in China. Did you like Ireland?”

Me: “Yes, very much so.”

Interviewer: “How do you feel about working in China.”

Me: “I don’t know anything about it. I have never been there?”

Interviewer: “But, you would be willing to do so?”

Me: “Yes., I think so. Again, I would like to know more about it.”

Interviewer: “How many years of experience do you have with programming in C++?”

Me: “Over 20 years.”

Interviewer: “How many years of experience do you have with programming in Objective-C?”

Me: “About 15 years.”

Interviewer: “Have you programmed in non-MacOSX operating systems.”

Me: “Yes. I have programed on Linux and the Windows operating systems.”

Interviewer: “Do you know anything about factory operations, processes, and how final assembly of product are done?”

Me: “Not a thing. I don’t have any experience with that.”

Interviewer: “Do you know anything about factory quality control?”

Me: “No.”

Interviewer: “I see. Mr. Ussery, we would like to offer you a position working on our team. How soon can you start?”

They met me in person on my first day of work two weeks later.

And, that was how I got the best job I ever had — and up until very recently, the best paying job of my career. They even paid me while I had my butt parked on airplane flying to China or Ireland, and they paid me while I was in a shuttle bus going to and from a factory. (About two hours a day when I was in China.) Plus, they paid all my travel expenses and meals, and even put me up in four star luxury hotels when I was overseas. It was a great job, and it lasted about four years before I was replaced by a cheaper employee. I loved that job!

I think you’ll have to agree that the interview was pretty crazy. By the way, I made many really close friends while doing it, and that includes the original interviewer. My 60th birthday was a real blast too. I celebrated it eight years ago with six very drunk Irish engineers in Shanghai, China. I had a big hangover the next day — but it was worth it.

C’est la vie.

I Miss Living in CHINA! | America is SO Far Behind China

https://youtu.be/e93xiMitu7o

Why do so many people hate the self checkouts?

I will speak for myself:

Spite.

I like the idea of a self checkout for people who are in a hurry or don’t mind ringing themselves out. And that’s how the self checkouts were around here for the first decade or so that they existed. But, predictably, many of the businesses that I go to eventually replaced almost all of their employee checkouts with self checkouts.

I like having it as one of two options. I don’t like when it’s the only option. Or, as it is often around here, the only expedient option.

What a lot of places around here have done is to keep just one employee checkout open, and convert everything else to self checkout. The employee checkout always has a huge line (more spiteful customers, like me), which makes the self checkout seem like a better option. And that’s one of the points of only having one employee checkout open—to encourage customers to just use the self checkouts instead.

I remember, about 12 years ago, flying somewhere with my wife. When we got to the airport, an employee from our airline directed us to a self check-in kiosk. I said “no thanks,” and started to go to the counter to talk to a human about checking in. The employee literally stood in front of me and started going over the benefits of using the kiosk. I wasn’t interested. I know he was just doing his job, but the more he spoke, the more I was determined to not use that self check-in kiosk. According to my wife, I literally pushed the guy out of my way, so I could talk to a human. I don’t remember that, but I do remember being very mad that the guy wouldn’t shut up about the damn kiosk and just let me walk up to the counter.

Since then, I’ve quit patronizing two local fast food places which only have self-serve kiosks now, and no humans to give your orders to. Why? Spite. That’s why.

Also, in one of those places, I walked in with my prescription sunglasses on, and I literally could not see the screen on the self serve kiosk. It’s like it was polarized the same as my glasses. But I also couldn’t see it well without my glasses, because I’m very nearsighted. I had to walk back to my car to get my regular glasses. I just walked back to my car and went elsewhere instead.

I recently read a thread on social media. The topic was “I’m with the Boomers on this one.” It was basically all younger people saying that the Baby Boomers were right about not liking the creep of technology into every aspect of our lives. There were a lot of people who claimed to be “with the Boomers” when it comes to not wanting to use self checkouts. I am one of them.

Others that I agreed with were:

  • Not wanting to scan a QR code for a menu at a restaurant. Or anything, really. I’ve made it all the way to 2024 having never scanned a QR code.
  • Not being forced to use an app for something you used to be able to do without an app, like pay a bill or make a reservation. Apps should be for convenience if you want to use them, not for necessity because they are the only choice.
  • Not being prompted to tip all of the time.
  • Wanting the option to purchase a new vehicle without a giant iPad-like screen in the dashboard.
  • Wanting actual physical, metal keys for cars and doors, which you have to actually insert into a keyhole in order to open a door or turn on a car.
  • Preferring RPG video games that have a top-down, 2D view, and not a 3D “open world” concept.

Technology is great, but it doesn’t have to be in everything. Just because something can be done with technology, doesn’t mean that is should be done with technology. For self checkout, I know that the primary motivation is to save money for the store. That’s understandable. I just wish stores would understand that there are guys like me out there would would gladly pay a little extra for an employee checkout instead.

I think it’s difficult for people under the age of 35 or so to understand just how quickly technology has changed the basics of functioning in modern society, and how annoying that can be for those of us who remember a world before high-speed internet and smart phones.

Thanks to a broken washing machine, I recently had to spend some time in a laundromat. My two hours there felt like what someone 40 years ago would have described as “dystopian.” All of the machines were set up to use an app. Fortunately, they kept some of the machines quarter-based, for people like me. It cost $5 to wash one load, and $1 to dry it. Everyone there, from the employee to the customers to the customers’ kids, had on headphones. No one said a word the entire time I was there. I was the oddball for bringing a book to read, rather than a screen to look at while I waited. Everyone other customer—literally about 20 other people, and their children, some just toddlers—all of them, when they weren’t moving their laundry into a machine, or folding their laundry, were staring at their own individual screen. The place had TVs, too, but they seemed pointless, as no one was watching them, because everyone had their own screen.

It’s not like I was going there to make a friend, but still. For someone who remembers when the Walkman came out, seeing everyone of every age in the same place at the same time, but each in their own little technological world… there was something really sad about it.

Anyway, to answer your actual question: I, for one, hate the self checkouts because of what they represent. More technological creep into my life. I hate them out of spite.

Gentlemen, act accordingly

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pOEaMykF4tY?feature=share

What was a loophole that you found and exploited the hell out of?

When I was 10, my parents signed me and my younger siblings up for the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Kids Birthday Club. Basically, I gave Krispy Kreme my address and birth month and they would send me a coupon for a free dozen doughnuts every year on my birth month until I aged out of their Kids Club at age 12— ‘cause this is just for kids, OK?

Sweet deal.

But Krispy Kreme forgot to ask for the year in my birthday. They have no clue how old I am.

So I’m now almost 25, and I’ve been a member of the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Kids Birthday Club for 15 years. That’s a 180 free doughnuts for me, plus another 180 for my sister and 180 for my brother.

540 free doughnuts.

They’ve since closed the loophole to new signups— first you had to list your full birthday down to the year to join the Krispy Kreme Kids club (which they temporarily and unfortunately called “KKK”, no joke), and now they don’t even offer it. Adults can sign up to get one single donut on their birthday and some special days (tax day, Halloween, National Doughnut Day), but that’s it.

Will anyone at Krispy Kreme ever notice that I’ve been “under age 12” for 15 years? Tune in next year to find out.

Edit 2018: Nope, didn’t notice yet.

Edit 2019: More donuts.

Edit 2020: Happy donut day!

Edit 2021: Still more donuts.

Edit 2022: Congratulations to me, I’ve been “under 12” for 19 years! Can we get to an even 20?

Edit 2023: Happy 30th birthday to me! Either my donuts are late, or someone at Krispy Kreme is among the 1 million people who read this answer. It’s been great!

We pimp them hoes

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

What is the most surprising secret someone has revealed to you?

I am 21 years old. When I was in 10th grade there was a girl A in school. Just like typical teenagers she had many rumours surrounding her. I ignored those and went ahead and made friends with her.

In some months we started dating. We were head over heels for each other. We had everything going great so shown in movies. One day when we were on a date, after coming out from washroom she gave me her phone. There she had written something which changed all my views on her. She wrote that she was raped at the age of 14 by a guy who forced her to be his girlfriend so that other people won’t suspect a thing.

Fearing society and her parents, she didn’t tell it to anyone. But had to undergo therapy. Her parents were totally unaware to real reason behind her behaviour. She lost a ton of weight and was living on medicines. This was really shocking for me. Then I had flashback of all the times when she had certain insecurities and why she required so much time to trust a person. She also had intimacy issues because of this. And that person had told her to shut her mouth or he’ll leak the tape which he had recorded. This rumour was spread in our school by her friends isolating her.

But now she’s a healthy person pursuing her career in engineering and I am a proud boyfriend.

American society is changing

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/d6EtV9bdN8U?feature=share

What causes a person to live like a recluse and not want to deal with the outside world?

I’ve been an RN for over 45 years. With each passing year I’ve grown progressively more tired of humanity. It’s true I’ve met some lovely people. However, the proportion of rude, abusive individuals seems to be rising with every month.

I’m tired of toxic individuals. To me they are everywhere I look, and not just within hospitals. They are on the roads and in the supermarkets. They are politicians and CEOs. They are all over the media. I barely recognise the world I live in any more. People have changed so much. To the point that I no longer feel compatible with anyone. We are deep in a pit of moral decay that’s every bit as malignant as Covid. I believe there are good people, but nowhere near enough to counter the trend in self absorption.

I want a little piece of land away from the world. A dog, a couple of chickens, and a garden. I want a simple and as self sufficient life as I can make it.

I prefer to make friends with animals, plants and the stars To attempt to treat the planet with more respect than the majority of my counterparts.

It’s something I intend to make happen within the next few years.

Sounds like they read MM stuff

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vQtPU6r76h0?feature=share

Do Westerners hate China?

Yes they do, they use the thin veneer of I just hate the communist party.

You know the group that gave increased levels of prosperity to Chinese people?

We can literally see this with attacks on Asians in western countries. How are those CCP members?

We can also see it with the WIDESPREAD dehumanisation that has somehow been normalised. Look how normalised it is and accepted it is to dehumanise Chinese people, the prevailing thought by most Americans is we’re literally insects. This can be seen by their politicians who are VOTED IN BY THEIR PEOPLE.

Westerners ‘are accepting of’ Asians/Chinese when we’re seen as servants, those who deliver things, cook your food, do your laundry but once they as some of them say get uppity (you know aspire to be more) out comes the white supremacy.

Greek Hot Potato Salad

2024 01 23 16 18
2024 01 23 16 18

Ingredients

  • 4 to 5 large potatoes
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1/2 cup celery, diced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • Parsley, chopped

Instructions

  1. Boil potatoes until tender and keep hot. Slice onion into a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and cold water, and allow to stand about 5 minutes; drain.
  2. Slice hot potatoes and add to onions. Add olive oil, lemon juice and celery. Mix well to absorb dressing. Season to taste, and garnish with chopped parsley.
  3. Serve warm.

 

Have you or are you treated like a baby by anyone? Have you ever been mistreated?

I have traveled to the Philippines many times, but my first trip was the most memorable.

My flight was on PAL, Inc. (referred to by all proper Filipinos as Plane Always Late If Not Cancelled), from San Francisco direct to Manila, back in the 1990s when they still flew that route.

I wore jeans and a T-shirt for the twelve-hour flight, and the tag on the T-shirt was sticking up. One of the flight attendants tucked it in for me. I am a bit of a jokester and told her “Thank you. My wife dressed me this morning.”

So for twelve hours the flight attendants talked to me like I was an imbecile: “Can you read the menu?” and “Do you need help going to the toilet?”

It seems that Filipinos (at least the ones who work for PAL) take things rather literally, and I got a good opportunity to practice humility.

The flight back was memorable, too. As we taxied down the San Francisco International airport at the end of our flight from Manila, emergency vehicles surrounded our 747 and sprayed foam and water all over it. I looked at the cabin crew and they did not look worried at all, although some of my fellow passengers looked like they were ready to activate the emergency doors and jump.

It turned out that this was the senior captain’s last flight; he was retiring that same day, and this was a traditional means of celebrating.

You’d think they would notify us passengers first …

Yup. The USA is toast

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1Ev1PLNRSWA?feature=share

Greek Fried Cheese (Saganaki)

A visit to a Greek restaurant anywhere in the world is likely to feature waiters setting this dish ablaze and parading it through the room, accompanied by an appreciative “OPA!” from the guests.

Greek Fried Cheese Saganaki
Greek Fried Cheese Saganaki

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 egg, well beaten
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 pound kasseri cheese*, sliced 1/2 inch thick
  • 2 tablespoons brandy
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon

Instructions

  1. Heat the butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat.
  2. Beat the egg and flour together, and dip the cheese slices into the mixture. Fry until well browned on both sides.
  3. Remove from the heat and add the brandy. Carefully ignite the brandy with a match, and shake the skillet until the flame is extinguished.
  4. Squeeze the lemon juice over the cheese, and serve from the skillet along with crusty bread.

Notes

* Available in finer supermarkets and Middle Eastern specialty shops. Parmesan or Romano cheese may be substituted.

What’s something you’ve had stolen from you that you literally couldn’t replace?

The thing that was stolen from me was my childhood. I was born the oldest of two sons to a violent and entirely unpredictable man. He abused his wife and sons until we three left (vanished really) one morning while he was at work.

He first abused my mother and I when she was 8 months pregnant with me (an unplanned pregnancy) by beating her and then punching her in the stomach. He then kicked her out of the house into a terrible Maine winter with no shoes or coat. A chance passing of people from the church choir she sang in got her into a warm car and a safe haven for the night.

With no means to get anywhere or escape, she returned to him.

I was born a month later hemorrhaging and required emergency medical treatment. A month later he began crib slamming me (to stop my crying)—and so began a 17 ½ year hell from which there was no escape and no hope of rescue. When I was 7 my little brother was born, a planned pregnancy this time. From the time of his birth our abuser tried desperately to drive a wedge between us—BUT HE FAILED.

More than brothers we turned to each other to lend strength and support to each other; we became like soldiers in combat that never ended.

The dynamics would take more space to explain than I have here. But I was assigned the role of Black Sheep and to blame for ALL the rage and violence in the household. This conditioning was something that my mother and little brother still clung to LONG after we had left, and our abuser was dead. But the bond between my little brother and I was still made of the hardest steel, forged in the very fires of hell.

I lost him in 2015 at the age of 47 to a massive heart attack. Our mother would survive 5 more agonizing years without him before passing away in 2020. It was only recently that I realized that our abusive father had caused my little brother’s death…his compulsive eating had led to his overweightness and blocked artery condition.

When our mom passed away in 2020, I became the last member alive of our nuclear (and dysfunctional) family. I have been left to try and clean up all the mess left behind by their passing, alone. Mom died with never having had another relationship in 40 years. My brother destroyed himself without ever realizing it was our abuser reaching out from the grave to destroy him. I have been left with the guilt that I never realized it myself until after my brother was gone.

Every year he told me he would kill me. He also said he would never be charged either, he would get away with it because of his masonic ties. Twice (age 15 and 16) when he was beating my little brother in the living room, I tried to take a kitchen knife and go after him—my mother stopped me both times telling me it was just what he wanted, he was waiting for me. Frankly, I did not care then, I just wanted to save my little brother and make the screaming stop…I would have rather died for him. I see now that this was how he planned to kill me without consequence.

He stole 17 ½ years of my childhood making me live in fear and doing nothing to prepare me for life, ruined my mother’s adult life and leaving her unable to find love in a relationship, and killed my little brother from the grave with the patterns he instilled when my brother was young.

THIS theft was worse than anything material I have ever had taken since. THINGS you can buy, but those years of my childhood, the years of trying to rebuild my life (and still trying in my 60s), and the loss of my little brother so young are a violation of my very soul. HE HAD NO RIGHT, and in fact had a RESPONSIBILITY to protect me from those kinds of things and to nurture me as the bright and imaginative child I was. Instead, he threatened to kill me and seemed to try every week.

30+ Rare Finds From Star Trek Previews All in 1 Video!

https://youtu.be/m2ZpjK6Z5fw

Burn the bra

It was 1972 and my mother burned her bra.

All the mothers in the town was doing it. It was supposed to be liberating. At the time it made no sense to me. I couldn’t understand what was going on. I just didn’t know.

Dad didn’t like it.

That was for sure. And he explained it to me that “Your mother is going through a phase”.

Three Years Later…

In 1975, my parents split up.

On the surface, it was because of work reasons, and my mother and dad went separate ways. Ah, many contributors were involved certainly. But looking back in hindsight…

…I cannot help but think that the destruction of our family, while I was a early teenager, was set in motion by the woman’s feminist movement that set “the ball rolling”.

Listen up!

We have to pay attention to what is going on around us. If we do not, the potential for catastrophic events becomes exponential.

Today…

What kind of problems would Chinese tanks face while invading Taiwan? Would they be similar to Russian tank losses in Ukraine?

Finding a use for them. No really, why would we use tanks? You westerners and your WW2 mentality.

In 2021 there were 600,000 privately registered drones, there’s many more, I have several unregistered drones, I don’t fly them so they don’t need registration. Chinese companies pioneered drone displays of thousands of drones…

There’s airborne drone food delivery in Shenzhen now.

There are fire drones used to clean powerlines

In statista 5 million drones of various types were exported in 2020 and this increased to 7 million in 2021. That doesn’t even consider domestic use and purchases.

The darker side of girls

What should you do if a stranger knocks on your front door at 2AM?

A fella knocked on my door at midnight in mid-town Houston on a Saturday. Middle-aged well-dressed white guy. His impeccable $75,000 black Ford top-of-the-line diesel pickup was idling in my driveway.

I was not concerned at all about opening the door, because I stopped to put a .38 Smith with a 2″ barrel in the back pocket of my jeans and my well-trained 80-pound black Labrador was sitting next to me looking at this guy with great curiosity.

Me: “Hey there! What’s up?” Walter the Lab wags his tail and watches.

Guy: “Hi neighbor! I live right over there (spins his arm 360 degrees) and I have a big problem! My car broke down and my wife isn’t home. I had a tow truck bring me to the house, but I can’t get in because I forgot my keys, and can’t get to my money to pay him! Can I borrow $80 until tomorrow?

“Otherwise he’s going to tow my truck to impound and it’s going to cost me $300. Can you help a neighbor out? I’m for real! Look! I have a Rolex on my wrist and a $1200 laptop in my truck!”

Those of you who own Labradors know that they are the most human of dogs, and can communicate with just a glance.

Walter’s eyes are saying: “Pop! This creepy bastard has no pupils! I think he’s a drug-money seeking asshole!”

I sigh, because this dog is great, but he has an irritating habit of eye-stating the obvious. Jeez!

I’m not going to say, as my dog would: “There is no wrecker. Your truck is running. You have your keys.”

Instead, I say: “Glad to help! I have a $100 bill. Give me the laptop. Leave the truck keys, pay the wrecker, and just come back tomorrow and bring me back the C-note and pick up your truck and computer!”

The guy looks at me. Moments pass. He says: “The wrecker guy ain’t got no change. I’ll try another neighbor.”

And he was gone.

Damn dog treats me like an idiot.

Greek Chicken and Rice (Kotta Pilafi)

Chicken Biryani with chicken legs on the top.
Chicken Biryani with chicken legs on the top.

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken breasts (about 3 pounds)
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 medium onion chopped fine
  • 1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup uncooked rice
  • Dairy sour cream for garnish

Instructions

  1. Sauté chicken breasts in butter until golden brown. Add onion, tomato, water, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
  2. Add rice and stir to mix evenly. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes longer or until the rice is tender. Add more water if necessary.
  3. Serve with a bowl of sour cream to be spooned over the rice.

Serves 6.

Additions called in from Bessie: Use one whole broiler (3 pounds) cut up into pieces. Sauté in 1/4 cup olive oil (not butter). Use 3 cups boiling water with the rice instead of 2 cups (you won’t have to add water later this way).

Second passports

Have you ever come back to your vehicle only to find something quite unexpected?

Many years ago I parked my car in an underground car park when I went to see my girlfriend.

After a few hours I went to leave and as I was walking towards my car and as I got to about 30 to 40 yards from it I heard my car door shut (my car moved so I knew it was mine) and this person jumped up and started running carrying a large bag.

I yelled at him to stop, give back anything he stole and I will not call the police but he ignored me.
As he had the jump on me, I hoped into my car and took off after him.

He managed to get to the stair well before me, but only just.

So I jumped out of the car and with the help of what I can only call an angry adrenaline release, he only managed to get about 20 yards past the exit and I gave him my best attempt at a body slam tackle and flattened him.

He was unlucky enough to have me land on top of him which left him badly winded.
As I sat on him, I opened the bag he was carrying and it contained my stereo and a pile of other things out of my car, plus some other stereos and stuff.

This was before the time of cell phones, fortunately 4 passerby’s had come over to find out what was going on and as soon as I told them he was stealing stuff from the cars, one went to the nearest appartments and managed to ring the police while the others stayed with me.

The police were there within minutes and they happily took the person away including all the stolen items.

Then I went down to the police station, made out a statement with the police and retrieved my stolen items after the police had recorded them.

I went back to my girlfriends to make out some signs to put into the carpark to let others know what had happened and where to retrieve their stolen stuff.

Turned out there had been car breakins going on for several months in the area and he was charged with them (fingerprints confirmed it was him).

Didn’t need to go to court as he pled guilty, but he was forced to pay me for the damage to my dash and door lock and refitting the stereo.

That was one of those really great memories for it is not often you can actually catch the person doing this sort of thing.

Political DANGERS of Chat GBT

Must watch.

Will China go to war over Taiwan, or just say a few strong words?

Yes.

Taiwan is a region of China. China owns it.

  • The Chinese say so.
  • The Taiwanese say so.
  • The United States says so also.

So…

If the United States goes full-on stupid and tries to conduct a war “over” Taiwan for one excuse or the other… then KISS YOUR ASS GOODBYE. The world will experience full on thermonuclear war. We are all gonna die.

China will go “light-switch”.

One day there is New York city, the next day, it is flat radioactive glass.

And you just cannot blame them. I mean if the PLA is marching inside Philadelphia… bombing and blowing up the bridges of San Francisco… or Chicago reduced to cinders…

…wouldn’t the United States start lobbing nuclear missiles also?

Let’s keep things real. The United States says one thing, but does something else. It’s like a petulant child that keeps on pushing the boundaries, and then one day gets hit by a Mac Truck barrelling down the highway.

The United States is a slow motion train wreck… and soon it will die.

But will it die over Taiwan?

Death by cop.

Perhaps.

Commentary on a Few Lavrov Points Being Argued at MoA

Karl Sanchez

I composed the following to address several objections raised to Lavrov’s End of Year Presser provided in the previous article by those at the Moon of Alabama blog that can be found on this thread. Those wanting to read about China’s Initiative mentioned below can find in several pages back in the Gym’s archives, same with Wang Yi’s 9 January speech. Other points presented I’ve written about many times over the years, the outlaw nature of the USA was formulated in the mid-1980s, although I don’t claim originality. Of course, knowing the entire context behind the complaints and my writing is crucial. Those few readers who’ve read everything at the Gym will have the greatest understanding. I should also use this opportunity to suggest readers to sometime soon read/watch Dr. Hudson’s latest interview on the Big Picture as well as his almost as recent interview with an Indian organization on Neoliberalism/”Perfecting Imperialism”.

When a law is passed, it’s either obeyed or violated. The UN Charter is a corpus of laws that was signed and ratified by all nations wanting to become UN members–one must be done for the other to occur. Once a nation agrees to obey a law it becomes an outlaw if it disobeys. As documented many times here and elsewhere, at the moment the UN Charter attained its legal status, the USA and many other Western signatories were already violating the law and thus became outlaws. An Outlaw remains an Outlaw until it’s brought to justice and as part of its penalty says it will refrain from breaking the law again. Since all those outlaw nations have yet to face justice for their actions, they remain outlaws. It’s really that simple. When the history of the making of the UN Charter is studied, it becomes very clear that the Four Freedoms are at the base of it and are within both the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Part of my Big Picture argument is that WW2 never really ended as the fixtures that were to provide for a lasting peace were never attained: Denazification of Europe was prevented by the USA, UK and France, meaning they immediately broke the covenant by which they were rewarded with permanent UNSC seats and vetoes. Thus, the three main Plundering nations immediately gained outlaw status by November 1945, and have retained that status ever since.

The Global Majority Movement aims to right the wrongs that emerged in November 1945, the primary document being China’s Global Security Initiative (GSI), which is essentially a restatement of the UN Charter specifying no hegemonic nations will be allowed to join. If such nations are to exist, they will exist outside the primary global organization and will remain outlaws since they choose to be outside the laws of nations. Such a reorganization of the UN will eliminate the “privatization” of its global agencies by the hegemonic outlaws that’s impeding their ability to do good and exacerbating the potential for them to do ill, like the subversion happening at the World Health Organization. Of course, the reorganization won’t be perfect–there’ll always be problems with governance no matter what, which is Putin’s mantra, the point being to accept that fact and continue to strive for excellence. Wang Yi in his New Year’s speech on 9 January said it’s China’s goal to make the GSI a reality this year as a supermajority of the world’s nations have already said they will join.

The League of Nations failed for a number of reasons. The UN is failing because it’s held hostage by outlaws. Humanity needs an organization global in breadth that helps Humanity organize to advance its wellbeing while solving problems affecting the global community, a fact differing little from the visions expressed by many in 1944. The reformed UN will immediately be improved since it’s no longer held hostage, and the Security Council will be reformulated to exist without the veto since there’re no hegemonic members requiring it to protect themselves from justice.

Humanity is on the cusp of evolving beyond armed conflict to solve problems. Universal moral values have advanced for that goal to be possible, but to-date the hegemonic outlaw nations impede that progress. It appears the best way to change their behavior is to relegate them to the Out Group until they prove their behavior’s changed and they’ve atoned for their outlaw past. Yes, the outlaw nations will yell and squeal, stomp their feet, pull their hair, and propose all sorts of threats that prove exactly what they are and why they need to sit in the corner and think about their actions like the small children they show themselves to be. Yes, it will probably take a generation or so (20 years) for them to figure it out–they’ve been serial outlaws for almost 80 years and even longer before that, so their ways are habitual.

The job is to formulate the future so Humanity cannot just survive but thrive. The past can and will be argued about endlessly, which is a given. But enough about the past is agreed upon so the future can be formulated and constructed. It’s time to take a big step outside the box to do what must be done. As was once said: Lead, follow or get out of the way.

A reflection on our economy

The View From China

Roger Boyd

A major requirement of conducting effective foreign policy is to understand the viewpoint of your main competitors, something that the Western elites have shown increasingly less able to do. There are exceptions, such as Stephen Cohen, but these are rapidly sidelined. More recently, John Mearsheimer has shown some ability to understand the Russian point of view with respect ton the Ukrainian conflict. In this essay, I try to place myself in the shoes of the Chinese leadership. I will do the same for Russia and Iran in future pieces.

China Gains More Strength Every Year

China is the manufacturing power house of the world and is focused on dominating the leading technology sectors the way that the US dominated them previously; this technology leadership is one of the remaining tenets of US power. In early 2023, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute placed China in the lead in 37 of the 44 critical technology areas that it tracks. The US was the leader in the remaining 7, with a large gap between China and the US and any other nations; Europe is nowhere.

In late 2023 the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) confirmed this, seeing China leading in 7 out of 10 of the industries within its Hamilton Index; computers and electronics; chemicals; machinery and equipment; motor vehicles; basic metals; fabricated metals; and electrical equipment. The US lead in only IT and information services, other transportation and pharmaceuticals. The share of Chinese production in these 10 industries nearly doubled from 2008 to 2020, from 12.9% to 23.9%, while the US improved a bit from 19.3% to 21.5%; with US gains predominantly due to the IT and information services area. Chinese industry is 70% more focused than the US in advanced industries. The ITIF report notes that:

For the United States, losing this race, either because policymakers are indifferent to the country’s industrial structure or because they choose to focus on other economic or societal goals, would be catastrophic, as it would turn the United States into a deindustrialized, United Kingdom-like economy. Time is short. The 2020s are likely to be the decisive decade in which to turn around U.S. advanced industry fortunes, because once China gains sufficient global market share, allied and U.S. production risks being permanently weakened.

The Chinese leadership very much understands this, and this is the core area of the real economic war between the West and China. From 1995 to 2020, Japan’s production share of advanced industries collapsed and is now only about 7.5% and falling, Germany’s share fell from a lower start level to about 7% and continues to fall. In the same period, the UK, France and Italy have all fallen to shares well under 5%. Japan and Europe are an advanced technology backwater, and becoming more so. With the huge investment mistakes of the Japanese car industry with respect to electric vehicles, Japan’s fall may even accelerate in the next decade.

Chinese GDP, and GDP per capita, growth continues to far outpace the West with continued growth of 5% or more per year. This creates strong Party-state legitimacy as the Chinese people see their lives improve year over year, at a pace that still doubles incomes every 14 years. Chinese GDP at PPP in 2023 was 32.9 US$ trillion, compared to 26.95 for the US, 6.49 for Japan, 5.54 for Germany, 3.87 for the UK and the same for France, 3.05 for Italy, and 2.8 for South Korea. At current relative growth rates, Chinese GDP will be pretty much equal to all of those other Western nations within a decade, while its GDP per capita at PPP will have grown from US$23,309 to US$37,968; about the same level that the Greeks currently enjoy.

With rising incomes, and industries rapidly moving up the technology curve, China will be able to offshore more and more of the simpler production steps while keeping the higher technology ones to itself; greatly increasing the level of integration of the ASEAN nations, and quite possibly North Korea. China’s neighbourhood will become more and more integrated with it, while Japan may shrink in both relative and absolute terms. China will also be capable of transacting more and more of its trade in Yuan rather than US dollars.

China has a massive population of 1.4 billion, which started to decline in 2022; with a median age of 39. Between 2020 and 2040 however, the Chinese labour force will only fall by 8%, a decrease which pales when compared to the probable increase in per capita GDP. China also has a strange income structure where the much better educated younger workers 25-34 have the highest incomes, and income falls rapidly in older age groups. This will facilitate large increases in older age groups over time, as the much higher levels of education move their way up the age curve. Chinese GDP per capita can also increase very substantially before it starts to reach Western levels. Demographics may pose an issue after 2050, but not before then.

The rapid move to electric vehicles will also start to cut into oil demand, reducing a Chinese dependence upon imported oil that currently stands at over 10 million barrels per day. As those imports fall, the share of Russian and Central Asian imports will rise, as will the share of domestic production (4 Mbpd). The amount of time that China’s large strategic oil reserve will last during a crisis will also steadily increase.

China has kept military spending at 2% of GDP, but as the economy keeps growing so does military expenditures. China’s expenditures are significantly more efficient and effective as those of the US as they are only focused on the defence of China and its environs, rather than on global hegemony. There also seems to be much less graft and profiteering in China’s MIC (Military Industrial Complex) than that of the privatized US one. In addition, China’s great advantages in manufacturing give its MIC a significant advantage over that of the US. China is in the position of the US in the 1980s, with a rapidly growing economy facilitating ongoing increases in military spending. The US is in the position of the Soviet Union, with a slow growing economy that will require the MIC to take up an increasing share of GDP to keep pace with China. A dynamic that can only reduce further the dynamism of the US economy with respect to China’s.

The US Loses Strength Every Year

The US main allies, the EU, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are not well placed when it comes to leading technology sectors, drivers of growth and even demographics. Its hemisphere is also one full of lower growth economies with few technology leaders, in fact South America has significantly de-industrialized over the past few decades.

In the leading technology sectors the US may have gained a little against the rest of the world, and may pick up some of the energy-intensive European manufacturing operations, but has been overtaken by China and is falling further behind each year. The contrasting performance of the Chinese and US car industries in moving to electric vehicles is just one example of this dynamic, with Chinese car exports surging while US manufacturers (excluding Tesla) become more and more dependant on the US market.

Over the past three decades the US has expanded colossal amounts of money on foreign military adventures, at a cost of over US$6 trillion, with little to show in return. At the same time the US economy has become increasingly dominated by monopolies, oligopolies and the financial sector; the rentier sector of the economy has expanded greatly while manufacturing has been diminished. The US, including its bloated, profiteering, and dysfunctional MIC, is very dependent upon imported parts, including those from China and from other nations that utilize Chinese components. At the same time, the US maintains a massively expensive global network of bases and naval battle fleets.

In great contrast to the average Chinese person, the average American has seen their incomes at best wallow at the same level for decades as all economic gains are concentrated at the very peak of the income distribution. This has been exacerbated by the inflation spurt of the past few years, and now also rising interest rates. With a couple of decades of cheap money creating a mountain of debt, much incurred by working people in an attempt to maintain consumption patterns. Trust in societal institutions is at an all time low, and the “Trump vs the Rest” elite civil war has increasingly exposed the inner working of the elites to the population; tanking trust and legitimacy levels even more. A further wedge has been driven into the political scene with the issue of US support for the Zionist genocide. The year 2024 promises to be one of increasing political chaos and upheaval, with 2025 probably no better. It may well be into 2026 before any domestic stability and foreign policy focus can be regained. There is also still the possibility of a deep recession.

The US population is 335 million, which is slowly growing due to significant immigration offsetting a record low birth rate and an increasing death rate. Average life expectancy has been declining since 2014 due to increases in drug overdoses, liver disease and suicides. Trends reminiscent of the Russian experience in the 1990s; deaths of despair due to working class immiseration made worse by a rapacious profiteering health care sector. The mishandling of the COVID pandemic has added to this declining trend. The younger US population is increasingly overweight, unfit and poorly educated as shown by the falling percentage that would meet the military recruitment requirements. Only 23% of Americans aged 17 to 24 are eligible to join without being granted a waiver, down from 29% in recent years. Increasing disillusionment with US institutions, and low pay, has also lead to less and less younger people wanting to serve. The US position on the Gaza genocide is opposed by a majority of younger US citizens, which may serve to increase the disaffection with military careers even more. The physical quality of those that do leaves much to be desired:

They have to teach them how to run, and they’ve had issues with bone density to the point that, when they do run them, they’ve ended up breaking a leg or worse, a hip,” the former official said. “I’ve even heard in some cases they’re putting them on diets of Ensure — you know, the stuff for old [people] like me — in order to build that bone density.

The US role in the seizing of Russia’s central bank foreign assets, and the cutting off of Russia from SWIFT, has accelerated the move to trading in local currency pairs instead of via the US$. Its inability to corral more than its Western vassals into a coalition of the willing against Russia has seriously damaged its soft power position. The more recent embroilment in the Zionist genocide has done significantly further damage to that soft power, in contrast to a China that has maintained a carefully balanced approach. If the US drags itself further into the Middle Eastern quagmire, in addition to the Ukrainian one, the “pivot to Asia” will be put off for yet more years.

Europe Is Losing Its Relevance

With the cessation of cheap fossil fuel imports from Russia, Europe is no longer competitive in energy-intensive manufacturing and plants will tend to move to other nations with lower energy costs. Interesting that the CEO of Solvay, a Belgian chemical company never mentions the loss of cheap Russian natural gas as a challenge; instead she blames too much government red tape and not enough subsidies, staying on message at the World Economic Forum:

DW manages to cover every possible determinant for German deindustrialization, except for the self-harming Russia sanctions. The higher energy prices are mentioned, but not that they could be reversed simply by cancelling the sanctions. That option cannot be discussed within acceptable German political discourse; i.e. outside the AfD. Neither of course, the true purveyors of the terrorist attack upon Nordstream 2.

In addition, Europe’s inability to gain a strong position in the leading technology sectors places it at risk of being out-competed by other nations moving up the technology curve. The tendency toward fiscal austerity, together with the ongoing costs of supporting Ukraine and increased military expenditures, hamstring any attempts to fund a fulsome industrial upgrading strategy. The centrally important car industry, which supports so many other sectors of the economy, is deeply challenged. It faces the annihilation of its sales in China, which provide up to 50% of the profitability of the major producers, and faces increasing Chinese (and Tesla) competition at home.

With the tendency toward fiscal austerity, the large indebtedness of a number of nations (e.g. Italy, Greece), and the lack of drivers of economic growth, the probability is for a continuation of the low to no growth of the 2010s with the possibility of a significant financial crisis. The US-driven decoupling from China, e.g. the Italian exit from the Belt and Road Initiative, will only add to the low growth path. Any moves to confiscate Russian foreign exchange reserves that are predominantly held in European banks may also have negative growth impacts.

The European Union as a whole has a population of 450 million people. The major nations are Germany (84 million), UK (67 million), France (64 million), Italy (59 million), Spain (47 million) and Poland (38 million), and they comprise the majority of the population (359 million). The population is in a small accelerating decline in Germany and Poland (started in 2018), and to a greater extent in Italy (started in 2016), while stable in France and Spain and growing quite rapidly in in the UK. The median age ranges from 41 (UK) to 46 (Italy) and is on the rise.

These populations are becoming increasingly disaffected with their government’s policies toward Ukraine in a time of austerity, and a recession that has already started may feed into this disaffection. Europe may be becoming increasingly irrelevant to China, with any FDI in Europe focused on nations that are considered to be more friendly such as Hungary and Slovakia.

Japan Is A Declining Power

Japan’s share of the Hamilton Index industries has collapsed since the mid 1990s and is continuing to decline. The woeful position of its massive car industry with respect to the move to electric vehicles may lead to the loss of much of its Chinese and Asian sales, as well as reductions in the US market. The new CEO of Toyota, hand-picked by the Toyoda family member who lead Toyota into the hydrogen blind ally, is staying with the generally anti-EV strategy; even investing in ammonia-based engines. That’s like doubling down on Betamax after VHS had overwhelmingly won in the market place.

And abject failure with respect to hydrogen cars does not seem to faze Toyota!

The Japanese population peaked in 2010 at 128 million, and is on an accelerating decline path with a natural fall in population of nearly 800,000 in 2022 with minimal net immigration. The median age is 49 and the 0-14 year old share of the population is only 12%, which will create a very serious problem for any attempt to significantly increase the armed forces in future years. The outlook for Japan is at best stagnation while it manages its massive government debts and a rapidly declining population that threatens to significantly reduce both the working population and property prices.

A Win-Win Approach Can Deconstruct US Hegemony Peacefully

China does not need to win in any military sense, it simply needs to continue to develop good relations with other countries across the world; nations that it will increasingly trade with and invest in. It has shown great flexibility in responding to shifts in the international system, and we can see a focus more toward the Middle East and Africa as Europe is bullied into keeping its distance and South American governments change (e.g. Milei in Argentina).

Notwithstanding Filipino grandstanding, the “trade with and respect the sovereignty of” approach to foreign relations has paid dividends with respect to the ASEAN nations that represent the fastest growing economic region in the world. Countries that are neutral between China and the US. The same for Central Asia, and of course an Iran that China is increasingly integrating with. India with its 1.4 billion population is no real threat to China given its independent leanings and its utter inability to develop a real industrial policy that will lead to technological upgrading while providing meaningful work to its increasing legions of unemployed. India will certainly continue to not be the new China. The rise of Hindutva also risks increasing domestic polarization between Hindus and Moslems. China’s diplomatic successes in the Middle East, and the moving away of many African nations from Western domination also plays well into China’s strategy.

The neutrality of the ASEAN and Central Asian nations, together with the increasing integration with Russia and Iran (and possibly with North Korea facilitated by Russia), provides a safe EurAsian neighbourhood for China’s further development. This is then fruitfully extended across the Middle East and Africa. Europe, apart from Hungary and Slovakia, may be on the back burner until it established some level of strategic autonomy; that may have to wait for the inevitable Ukrainian collapse. Brazil and Mexico also offer continued opportunities.

We should expect China to be patient and flexible, given that it is winning, especially as long as the US is militarily tied up in Ukraine and the Middle East. China’s diplomacy with respect to the Palestinian issue shows this patience and careful balance, being seen as supportive of the Palestinian cause; with the Palestinian envoy to the UN calling China “a true friend ready to do everything they can to help the Palestinian people”. A position that plays well outside the Golden Billion of the West, and especially across the Muslim and African nations.

Political chaos in 2024 and 2025 may further disable any attempts by the US to reorient to face off with China. In reality, the US has few real options in facing off against China given its economy’s significant dependences upon Chinese imports and the lack of willing sacrificial lambs; even the Taiwanese are not ready to trip over the Chinese red line of declaring formal independence. As each day passes, the military and economic outcomes of a face off with China get worse for the US and better for China. That horse may have bolted sometime in the 2010s and it is far too late now to try to bolt the door. The onus is on the US to make the play, with the only true additional red lines being perhaps a full-scale NATO attack on Russia or Iran; both of which would be disastrous for the West. Other than that China’s approach is one of “steady as she goes” with small course corrections as required by changing circumstances, while maintaining professional and respectful relations with other nations.

Fun

Peter is right about Rupert Murdoch interest in China.

This book:

Rupert’s Adventures in China –

(See attached book cover photo)

With detail description of how Murdoch invested 10 years in China trying to setup his Media empire there. His efforts includes the following 2 most interesting strategies but failed miserably :

1) trying to gain Deng Xiaoping favour by offering Deng’s daughter US$1 million book royalty to publish her book about her father.

2) joint venture with a former PLA official to set up phoenix Satellite current affair TV. The PLA partner insisted that Murdoch incharged of investment, he incharged of content. 10 years later, Murdoch sold the share with good profit and leave China for good with hatred because he still failed to influence the content.

This is a classic case that the CCP cannot be bribe into given up their sovereignty in the media industry.

The evil Murdoch have being very successful in controlling the Australia, UK, US, and Canada governments. Read this two books.

Cheers

Chua

Learn from Asia

What happened that made you walk out of the courtroom and think, “That did not just happen”?

Was in divorce court on a bogus complaint from the ex. The charge, I wasn’t paying child support and wasn’t looking for work. The judge, a classmate of the ex’s asked me to prove my defense. I started to bring out paperwork, etc. from my briefcase while noting that a deputy had come up behind me. I thought that was odd since he didn’t do that with anyone else and I had been in court for other bogus charges by the ex every three to four months. As I pulled out the papers and asked if I could approach the bench and present my evidence, the judge said, “I’m not interested in what you have!” Right away I’m thinking then why the heck did you ask me for proof? I asked him a second time to present my evidence and that’s when he threatened to hold me in contempt and jail me for thirty days if I spoke again. He then gave me a date in the future to get things straightened out or he’d throw me in jail. As I walked out of the courtroom, I turned to the deputy who was “escorting” me out and started to say something and he told me, “Not here”. We took a few steps down the hallway and then he grabbed my arm and as I turned toward him, and he me, he said you just got screwed but were wise to not speak again!” He advised me to get an attorney so the judge couldn’t screw me over again. I related my problem to my Chiropractor, and she referred me to an attorney she knew. I explained what happened with the divorce proceedings up until that point and he offered to take my case for $400. He actually stuck to that amount in spite of having to do a number of hours and headaches from her attorney. Even the head of the county child support division testified on my behalf that I was current on the child support the whole time and even gave me a letter stating so. That finally got her and her attorney to stop harassing me and my employer and the divorce was finalized a year after it should’ve been.

First Time Hearing Zhou Shen – Floating Light

Where is the right place to bring someone down in a fight?

I’ve taught unarmed combat and a jiu-jitsu based self defence system for many years. I think one of best targets to drop an aggressor at a close range is the knee and shin. Groin strikes are a bit hit and miss especially with a mistimed kick. I’ve always installed into students the three basics of handling an attacker, firstly if an attacker can’t stand he can’t hurt you, if he can’t breathe he can’t hurt you and if he can’t see he can’t hurt you. So striking the knee or shin, throat and eyes are the basics. That way it gives you a chance to get out of there pronto. Depending on the severity involved in the confrontation, be wary about throat strikes, it could be fatal. You don’t need to eye gouge as that means you have to be in close. Finger or thumb pokes to the eyes is sufficient to make a getaway. As for the knee/shin a swift hard kick will suffice. Don’t try anything fancy, that’s for the movies. All the people I’ve trained with over the years, especially at shodan level and above had there own favourite basic techniques to handle an attacker. The upshot is try and avoid these situations in the first place. On the other hand, if the attacker is tooled up especially with a bladed weapon and there’s no way out for you, you’ve got to go into psycho mode and fight like a wild animal as if your life depends on it. Expect to get cut. If you do, try not to get cut on the inner arm/forearm where vital veins and arteries are. If the outcome ends with the attacker being seriously hurt, so be it. It’s self defence and you have right to defend yourself any way you can. I’ve always had it in my mind an old saying “better to be judged by twelve than carried by six.” Take care.

Stay safe out there.

If a police officer pulls you over and asks if you know what you did wrong, should you admit guilt immediately or say you are not sure?

No.
Some police departments train their officers to begin all traffic stops by asking “Do you know why I stopped you?” There is exactly ONE correct answer to this question. Even if the pedestrian you just ran down is still sprawled across your windshield, the answer is “No.”

Clearly, they are soliciting a confession to anything that you know you did wrong in the recent past. If the officer saw you roll through a stop sign, and you suggest that you changed lanes without signalling, he just got a two-fer.

Now, although I do not know how often it happens, but my time as the prosecutor in traffic court in a small Oklahoma town for a year made me believe that sometimes, the officer is pulling over some attractive looking young ladies just to flirt. It so happened that the worst thing my judge could do to a person in traffic court was a $30 fine plus $5 court costs and, theoretically, up to a week in jail. But since the town had to pay the county jail $20 per night, that wasn’t happening.

Well, the only people who took a half day off work to come contest a traffic stop were pretty darned sure they were innocent. Sometimes, it was because they believed some urban legend about the law — like the stop had to be on city property- so that if they could get to the Safeway parking lot before an officer caught them, they were innocent (they were NOT, just because of that).

But about once a month, I had to deal with some very attractive (and very angry) young lady who was stopped while driving alone on Friday night. The officer had asked if she knew why he stopped her, and if she said that she had done nothing at all wrong and then when he offered a reason, she was positive that she hadn’t done THAT. And when Thursday morning traffic court rolled around, she was still not going to pay $30 plus court costs. Instead, she would come give me a piece of her mind.

When they fell into that pattern, I frequently dismissed the charges.
But that doesn’t work so well if she’d actually guessed what legitimate reason he had for stopping her.

Greek Meatballs (Keftethes)

These meatballs are deliciously light and delicately flavoured and you can serve them hot, warm or cold or freeze for future use.

I have made Keftethes on many occasions – (the recipe is from a Greek cookbook I’ve had for years) – and they are quite famous amongst my friends. Hope you enjoy them. Regards ~ Geoff Clifford – UK

6007364876 a26fe0436e z
6007364876 a26fe0436e z

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1kg (2 1/4 pound) lean minced beef or lamb
  • 2 cups unseasoned breadcrumbs, moistened in about 3/4 cup warm water
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped mint (if not available, use chopped, dried mint)
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons Ouzo (optional)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  • All-purpose flour
  • 1 cup olive oil and corn oil mixed (you may need slightly more)

Instructions

  1. Fry onions with vegetable oil over low heat until golden. Remove to a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add meat and all other ingredients except flour and olive/corn oil mix. Knead for about 10 minutes or until mixture is a smooth paste.
  3. Heat the oil mix in a large frying pan to the point of fragrance.
  4. Meanwhile, start to shape mixture into balls about the size of a large marble by rolling lightly between palms of hands, I suggest that you do them in batches of say 12 to 16, each batch being enough to space evenly but separately in the frying pan.
  5. As each meatball is formed place them on a large plate which has been liberally covered with plain flour. When the batch is finished lightly roll the meatball in the flour. At this point the oil in the frying pan should be just ready.
  6. Put the batch of meatball into the pan (Use kitchen tongs as the oil is very hot).
  7. Start on your second batch of meatballs, make them and place them on the floured plate. At this point it is time to turn the meatballs over and when you have completed this roll the second batch in the flour.
  8. Now it is time to remove the first batch from the frying pan using a slotted spoon or kitchen tongs and place on paper towels to drain.
  9. Put the second batch of meatballs into the pan to cook and carry on with the process until you have finished the mixture.

How should I take it when my boss removes my promotion but let me keep the salary? Should I quit?

Here’s what I did. I was manager over a small group of engineers for about a decade. I had been with the company for 20 years. We had a good salesman that kept us busy and though we were a small subsidiary of a larger company, we brought in good money. They messed with the salesman’s commission because he started making more than the president of the company. Along with that, they cut our groups profit sharing, which had been amounting to quite a bit for us, too. The salesman quit, and our business tanked as a result. In an effort to shake things up, they brought in a new top level manager for our group, a new salesman, and I was removed from my managerial position and replaced by one of my subordinates. My salary remained the same, I did the same work on actual projects as always, except then I was no longer required to manage projects, track all the expenses and time on projects, go on sales calls with the new salesman, or be held responsible for the group. I liked the work and most of the people around me, so I was fine with staying there. I was about 55 when this happened, and honestly, I was happy to shed all the administrative bullshit and still make the same money. A year later the new manager quit, they brought in a new guy (after they asked if I would resume the position) and within a year they scuttled our whole group. The company ($40 million company) had been making about 2.5 million a year clear from our group, but because they couldn’t handle the fact the salesman was making so much money compared to them, they ended up putting the entire subsidiary out of business. I was happy collecting my money for those 2 years without near the stress, and moved on to a better position in a new company after that. Things just seem to work out, sometimes. So my advice…if you like the work, are satisfied with the pay, there’s no reason not to continue on there. If you don’t like the place, stay until you find a good replacement job. You can be a lot pickier about choosing a new job when you have a good income source.

【中文版本】周深新歌《浮光》跨晩首唱!宿命感拉满 | Reaction

My earwax story

I have an earwax story for today.

Back in the day, I would periodically use hydrogen peroxide to clean my ears out. This was done by my family doctor and he recommended it along with soaking my head in a bathtub of warm water.

You see, I had a problem with excessive earwax fabrication. Oh, not a common problem for certain, but I had to maintain this particular issue with my body.

So one day, my ear got stuffed up, and when I tried my hydrogen peroxide solution, it only seemed to make things worse. Instead it got more and more clogged up. Indeed, for an entire month, my ear was caked full of earwax and I was at a loss as to what to do… not so serious to go to the doctor, it’s earwax after all, but serious enough to be a real problem personally…

…enter a business trip. I went and interviewed at a hot water heater company in Tennessee. And after the interview and meal, I went to the hotel. I drew a tub full of hot water and lay down to soak in it.

I soaked for a good hour, and then I held my breath and tried to blow the water out. And then it happened!

An explosion of earwax released, and many it was a sight to behold. Where the heck was all this earwax from? I don’t know, but I must have had globs and globs of the stuff. It was amazing!

Of course it ended up falling apart in the hot water, but you could tell, it was like thick honey that turned to slimy powder. Quite the experience, I’ll tell you what.

And that is my earwax story.

Stuff you won’t hear anywhere else.

Moving on for today…

What are the cleverest scams you have come across?

Here’s a LEGO Millennium Falcon, retail price $100:

image 163
image 163

Here’s another LEGO Millennium Falcon, retail price $7:

image 163
image 163

Back in 2004, scammer Bill Swanberg realized that Target, Walmart, and other stores sold both of these sets. Here’s what he’d do:

First, he went into a store, and bought both sets. Totally legitimately. He took the smaller one, and scanned in the barcode. Next, he re-sized it so that it would be the same size as the barcode of the larger set— and printed out gobs of them on glossy sticker paper.

Next, he’d bring a few with him into an unsuspecting store. He’d find the LARGE version of the LEGO Millennium Falcon, and cover up the barcode with one of his stickers of the SMALL set’s barcode.

Then, he’d trot up to the register, and the associate would ring them up. “Woah, this big set only costs $7.00?” “Yeah, it must be on sale, that’s why I grabbed it, LOL!” “Wow, nice find!”

Then he’d leave, remove the stickers carefully, and sell them online at a “discounted price” of, say, $50. Everyone online was amazed at the great deal, and lined up to buy them. They expected he got a great deal on them, but 50% off didn’t seem like it was all that suspicious.

He did this for quite a while— but gradually the various stores became aware that their inventory wasn’t lining up. Target noticed the pattern in 5 different states, and eventually had a security guard stop him in a store in Portland, Oregon, after he bought 10 copies of the same Millennium Falcon set. In his car, he had over $6000 of LEGO, as well as a laptop denoting other stores in the area that he planned to visit (or had already visited).

Upon review, Target alone estimated that he had resold over $200,000 worth of their merchandise— and that he had sold over $600,000 online for the past couple of years (much of it likely being from similar scams).

Why is China so afraid of asking for help when there is a virulent virus outbreak?

Why is China so afraid of asking for help when there is a virulent virus outbreak?

In 2008, a Richter Scale 8.0 earthquake shook the mountainous Sichuan province in China. When the dust settled, ~ 70,000 people were dead. ~ 20,000 people were missing, presumably dead. ~ 375,000 people were injured. ~ 5 million people were left homeless. It’s one of the greatest natural disasters in the twenty first century. The disaster was so great, that China immediately asked for help from the rest of the world.

2008 Sichuan earthquake – Wikipedia

The US government gave ~ $4.5 million in aid, plus a guy to the Beijing Earthquake Center to look at their data. So that’s what, 80 cents for each affected person?

The rest of the world pooled together ~ $450 million, plus some emergency supplies. Most of it came from China’s immediate neighbors.

The Chinese people donated $1.5 billion within the first 2 days.

The Chinese government gave the earthquake-stricken area $130 billion. 98% was spent in the first 3 years. 100,000 PLA troops rushed into the earthquake area within 2 days to help.

This was back in 2008, when China’s GDP per capita was only about ~ $3,500 a year. Now it’s over $10,000.

So I don’t think China is “afraid” of asking for help. They are realistic. They simply don’t expect to get much help. Something symbolic, maybe, which will be much appreciated, but they must do the heavy lifting themselves. Big countries must stand on their own two feet, because you really can’t expect a bunny to lift up a fallen elephant! The elephant needs to get up on its own. Reactions to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake – Wikipedia

No normal country should count on foreign aid to solve their problems.

In the current Coronavirus outbreak, China is mostly helping other countries: It isolated and published the sequence of this new virus, developed diagnostic kits and diagnostic protocols, and shared all these with the WHO and the world. It has put in border controls aimed at keeping infected people from going abroad. It publishes treatment protocols and regular updates as doctors discover and develop their knowledge of this disease. It has put 50+million people under quarantine. It is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the global management of this novel disease.


PS: The US gave Haiti $12 billion in aid after Haiti earthquake. 2010 Haiti earthquake

Haiti is right at America’s doorstep, and the American people are very generous towards Haiti. Today Haiti looks like this:

image 155
image 155

Source: A ‘Lost Decade’: Haiti Still Struggles To Recover 10 Years After Massive Earthquake

While Sichuan, China, looks like this:

image 154
image 154

Turned out that a big chunk of that $12 billion was the US State Department writing checks to the US Department of Defense for sending 200 guys to Haiti to “provide security”. The rest mostly went to NGOs’ hotels, jeeps, salary, and “hardship pay”. It’s a legitimate question to ask if International Aid is really worth it, not only for the Chinese People, but also for the American People as well.

5 Years After Haiti’s Earthquake, Where Did The $13.5 Billion Go?

“USAID has spent about $1.5 billion since the earthquake,” Johnston told Goats & Soda. “Less than a penny of every dollar goes directly to a Haitian organization.”

What’s the cheapest thing you’ve ever seen a person do?

Full disclosure – I already disliked this woman.

She was wearing fake eyelashes, spray tan and high heels with her two-piece bikini to our pool party.

All she was missing was a Sash. It was way too much.

This was supposed to be a low key pool party at a bar that had a pool. Not a beauty pageant.

And this lady loved talking about her job and how great it was and how it paid well, which becomes relevant here in a second.

She ordered a Rum & Coke. After drinking part of it, she turns to our other friend, Liz, and says,

“Hey – do you want the rest of this? I don’t like it.”

Liz says, “I guess are you sure?”

“Yes – have it!”

And with hesitation, Liz has a few sips of it after but doesn’t finish.

So about 20 minutes later, as I’m there on the stool next to her, she waves down to the bartender, asks for her check, and says,

“Put my rum & coke on Liz’s tab, I didn’t like it so she drank it instead.”

Cmon man.

Your job pays so well but you are juking your friend to pay for your backwash?

Bikini contest for the Miss Cheap USA pageant.

From 1959

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/icHlMUuE5lM?feature=share

 

If you put sharp objects in your yard to deter cars from driving through it, would the driver be responsible for any damages?

Where I live anything that the courts could say was a trap was illegal. I had people cutting across my property to get to the river, the previous owner had just laid razor wire coils in the bush. If anyone had got hurt on it. I would have gone to jail. So I carefully pulled it all out and placed monster boulders everywhere. No one can say a boulder is a trap.

There was a guy who had a private road leading to his place. People kept tearing it up after it rained in their 4×4 , side x side, and atvs. He had no trespassing signs, and private road signs, and people ignored them. So he stretched a steel cable between two trees, with a padlock, so he could open it. He could only put up the cable where he had two big trees close enough to the road, to string it, and enough trees to stop them from driving around the make shift gate, so it was about 50 m up his road .

A teenage girl on an ATV drove by his private road and no trespassing signs, and got knocked off her quad by the rope. They sued the land owner and won. This is in Canada, rules might be different elsewhere.

That was your job!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GeHj4_-Brg8?feature=share

 

Kapusta Pork

Kapusta Pork
Kapusta Pork

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds pork loin roast, boneless
  • 3 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise
  • 1 tablespoon caraway seed
  • 3/4 pound bacon, chopped
  • 4 cups cabbage, shredded
  • 1 1/2 cans sauerkraut (approximately 14.5 ounce can)
  • 28 ounces diced tomatoes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 ounce German beer

Instructions

  1. Insert 6 small slits into pork loin. Insert garlic slices in the slits. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Place pork loin in slow cooker. Layer bacon, cabbage, sauerkraut, tomatoes, caraway seeds and bay leaf on top of pork loin. Top with beer.
  3. Cover and cook on HIGH for 8 hours.
  4. Before serving, shred pork and stir all slow cooker ingredients.

What is one piece of simple advice that actually changed your life?

A few years ago, when I was agonizing over my future career path, my dad told me to make a list of the things in life that make me happy.

Then, split the list into two categories.

The first category includes any type of happiness that you can feel instantaneously. Sipping hot chocolate on a chilly day. Hitting the snooze button to steal another five minutes of sleep. Binge-watching the new season of your favorite show.

The second category includes any type of happiness that takes a long time to appear and a long time to fade. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Mastering difficult skills. Building closer relationships with the people you love.

Some of the items in the first category, my dad explained, might clash with the items in the second. The more hot chocolate you consume, for example, the less nutritious your diet becomes.

But a few items in on your list, just a few, might actually fit into both categories. The best painters in the world obtain joy both from the instantaneous act of painting and from the ultimate goal of becoming a world-class artist. The best soccer players love being out on the field just as much as they love becoming better athletes.

Circle these items, these things that bring you both short-term happiness and long-term happiness.

These are the things that you can spend your life doing, and never feel like you’ve worked a day.

You need to remove yourself

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

 

What’s the weirdest way your fast food order got messed up?

You ever been to a Mcdonalds where the manager is an ass and the employees have had enough of it?

I once went to a Mcdonalds that had a mass quit a few hours later. I went up to the counter and ordered a Mcchicken, a regular coke, a small fry and an ice cream cone.

They take my money and a few minutes later come back with my order, which is… heavier than normal. And my ice cream cone is a foot tall. And my coke is a large.

image 115
image 115

(It looked like this)

“Woops.” says the cashier. “Looks like we accidentally supersized your order.” she says with a wink. I could tell from the sarcastic tone that there was no accident about it.

I returned to my table and sat down, and noticed that my McChicken wasn’t alone, there was also a chicken select sandwich in there. I was a really, really poor kid at the time. The Mcydee’s dollar menu was a rare treat for me, and getting one of the main menu items was just amazing!

image 114
image 114

Definitely still my favorite Mcdubbers sandwich.

My ‘small fry’ took up an entire large fry box, and then there was about a large fry’s worth of loose fries in there. Like the entire bag was drowning in fried potato goodness.

So intentionally giving me a lot of extra food to spite your boss? That’s the strangest way my order’s ever been messed up. Part of me wished I had ordered more.

Edit: So Quora apparently thinks I need a credential to prove that I sometimes eat fast food and sometimes get my order messed up. This is what happens when you let an AI make decisions.

5% of women

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

 

When did you realize your parent was a total badass?

I knew my dad was a Bad Ass early in my youth. I didn’t realize how much of a Bad Ass he was until last spring. You see my father served in WWll with the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team in France and Italy. A segregated US Army regiment made up of Americans of Japanese ancestry from the US mainland and Hawaii. A large portion of these warriors came from “internment” (prison) camps from which their fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and family were incarcerated. These guys had something to prove. We are AMERICANS! And prove it they did. For their valor the 100th Battalion/ 442nd Regimental Combat Team has been recognized as the most decorated unit in American history. The 100th Bn/ 442nd RCT earned more than 18,000 awards, including 9,500 Purple Hearts, 5,200 Bronze Star Medals, 588 Silver Stars, 52 Distinguished Service Crosses, 7 Distinguished Unit Citations, 21 Congressional Medal of Honor awards and the Congressional Gold Medal. Now that’s BAD ASS! My dad was gravely wounded in Italy and left to die on the battlefield as he was not believed to survive his wounds. When the burial detail came upon my father he was still alive and eventually recovered after a long convalescence. We know this story as it was told to my cousin by the soldier who found my father still alive. Unfortunately I never had the pleasure to meet his as he passed a few years ago. My father was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and other awards for his efforts. He was never better than 70% disabled and eventually upgraded to 100%. So I had the opportunity to travel to France and Italy last year on a tour that follows in the footsteps of these American heroes. I walked where they walked, saw the trenches whey they lay and climbed the slope’s and mountains that they climbed. But I did it in the daylight. They did it at night in the cover of darkness. These were the mountains near Carrara Italy. Impressive just to do this in daylight. Crazy to think it could be done at night! That’s when I knew how much of a BAD ASS my father and the Nisei warriors of the 100th Bn/ 442nd RCT were. I could not be more proud. R.I.P. dad. PFC Roy T. Tsutsui Co. F 442nd RCT

The dumbest idea

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9YS987T92js?feature=share

 

What has your child’s school done that got you so mad, you went in and read the riot act to the teacher or principal?

Not a parent, but the child.

Whenever I was in public school, I had fairly good grades, I didn’t study much so it was crazy how good I was doing. This all lasted until 4th grade, whenever I got put in this horrible woman’s class. I was the kind of child to speak my mind and get SUPER excited about things. This woman (not calling her a teacher because she doesn’t DESERVE the title) did not LIKE that. She decided to target me specifically for her relentless bullying of literal infants. Anytime I would get excited about anything, she would tell me to flip my card (yknow, the stupid elementary punishment bullshit). Anytime I would do something that would be considered out of place in a classroom, she’d make me flip my card. She would rally my classmates to bully me too.

As the school year went on and the bullying from the woman and my classmates got worse, I started falling into a deeper pit of my own depression stemmed from the abandonment of my dad, over-protective (yet still somehow neglectful) mom, and the bullying I had to suffer at school. This made my grades drop HARD. Specifically in my math and science class, as I was not being properly taught by this woman.

Every time we would get to a new part of our science workbook, we would get given a science study guide that we had to fill out ourselves that she would then grade and fix whatever mistakes we had made. A month prior to the specific incident I’m about to tell you, my mom had noticed how bad my grades had dropped and made sure I studied (which did NOT help). She always made sure I had my study guides and stuff I got from school.

It was a regular school day for me, we had just gotten a new study guide that we were going to fill out. The woman decided to put us in pairs to do them so we could discuss the answers and stuff. She put me in a pair with the nicest girl in the class (picture the human incarnate of an excited golden retriever) and we began working on it. We finished around the same time the others did and submitted our papers. After we all finished, the woman started grading our papers. Whenever she had finished, she handed most of them out, but she held on to two of them, my friend and I’s. She waved them around in the air and said “THESE two don’t have any names… Oh well… Who wants to play 20 pickup?” and then ripped them to shreds and threw the remains on the floor. My friend and I were crushed (and fucking humiliated) as we both really needed those papers and here we were, watching our classmates pick up and fight over who could get the most pieces like it was some sort of game played at a birthday party.

A few minutes later, she picked up her copy of the study guide and said to us, “I’ve got one more left. I’m thinking of a number and whichever one of you can get closest to it wins the paper.”

I ended up winning and she gave it to me, which I instantly started working on. I figured she would want me to redo it as soon as she gave it to me. About a minute passed and she walked to my desk, swiped it from me and gave it to my friend saying that I “Wasn’t paying attention”. I felt like absolute shit the whole day.

My mom had asked me where my study guide was, and I told her what happened. She went on an absolute RAMPAGE.

Luckily the next parent-teacher conference was pretty soon after and she didn’t want to embarrass me by showing up to the school while my classmates were there. I don’t know exactly what happened during the meeting between her and my mom as I was sat outside the classroom. All that I know is that whenever the door opened, the woman looked pale and terrified and my mom had her classic murder look that she would get after laying heavily into someone.

She never told me what she had said or done, but that woman never dared to bother me again. She didn’t even like LOOKING at me. Anytime I did something she didn’t like, she would glare at me like I just killed her entire family and set her house on fire and reply something passive aggressive.

My mom ended up finding out that she had done this to other kids too at other schools. Pretty sure the bitch was on tenure though, so there wasn’t anything we could’ve really done.

I still see her around town though and she acts overly excited to see me. The first time I had seen her after I finished 4th grade, I was about 13 and was super socially anxious and had panic attacks whenever I was reminded of that experience, I was at the dollar store with my grandma and the woman came up to me and started talking, I of course was trying to keep my shit together and not start having a full blown panic attack so I was very quiet. She said “Aw, what’s wrong? Are you shy now?”, all of my fear was replaced with rage and I had to stop myself from giving her the sickest right hook of her life. I regret not doing it while I was still a kid and wouldn’t have had very many repercussions for it.

SO, I’m not going to name-drop her, as I’m pretty sure that’s illegal, but I will say that if you live in or are planning on moving to Sabine parish, LISTEN to your kids if they tell you about bullying from their classmates or any of the school staff. Hell, do that even if you DON’T live in this area.

Burkina Faso’s President Has Good News for Africa but Very Bad News for the West

https://youtu.be/BCkXSFfjw2g

 

What’s it like to be rich as in 1% rich?

My parents started middle class and worked their way to the 1%.

It isn’t this huge party. But there are some basic things you don’t worry about as much.

It is weird because I didn’t grow up wealthy at all. And had a strict-as-hell dad.

At some point after I left home, things really ramped up. My dad left the military and became a high ranking exec with SAP.

My mom started a vineyard at their farm. And sold off a lot of great real estate investments she’d made over the years.

But you would never know it if you bumped into them at the store or something. They have very humble personalities. If you went to their home however..

image 113
image 113
image 112
image 112

When I wake up in the morning in their guest room I get to enjoy a view like this:

image 111
image 111

When I visit they spend most of their time working around the house and on the farm. We don’t really sit still much. And even when we are it is because we are working on something. We are worker-bees.

Also, I think everyone has a misconception as to how wealthy the top 1% is. 10 years ago, even I had the impression that 1%ers don’t work hard and take 9 vacations a year. I think it is just different if you started small and got there in your middle age and have kids.

At that point, you are more concerned with managing everything and making sure your kids are doing OK.

(Maybe that it is .01 percenters that do all that laying around by the pool…)

Either way I love visiting my parents, but every time I get home here in Florida my house feels really really small! 🙂

Karma

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/S8Ry0Zhb8vM?feature=share

 

What’s the strangest thing delivered to your house (that you did not order)?

My last name is Warehouse, just like the building. This has led to lots of interesting things, like getting calls at my work about finding things at our district warehouse or getting my account banned on Quora back when they cared if you used a fake name. It also means I get weird deliveries.

One day a big cardboard box showed up addressed to my wife, so I left it on the table without really looking at it. A few days later it was still untouched, so I asked her why she hadn’t opened it yet.

“That’s not mine, it’s got sports stuff all over it.”

And it did! Now that I looked, the box clearly had a Nike logo on it. And on closer inspection, its address tag was a mess. There was a weird poorly printed label that said “redirect” that had my wife’s name and our address in California on it, slapped over a very official looking original label that said the box was bound for a warehouse in New Jersey.

And that’s how I ended up with a bow of 24 pairs of XXL Nike football gloves meant for the New York giants.

45% of men

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/S3Zmbf8DwTw?feature=share

 

What is the best comeback you used on someone?

Not mine, but I witnessed it.

In 1981 I worked as a computer operator for a company, then owned by Tex Schramm (owner of the Dallas Cowboys). There was a young woman, from a well to do family and graduate of Radford, working there. She was really into women’s lib.

There was also an older gentleman, long past the possible retirement age. One day I was in the lobby as the young woman, who I had recently begun dating, was ready to leave. The older gentleman was leaving, and held the door for her.

She lit into him. “Just because I’m a lady, you don’t have to hold the door for me.”

The response: “My dear Joanne, I do not hold the door for you because you are a lady. That would be presumptuous of me. I hold the door for you because I am a gentleman.”

I made the mistake of laughing.

You gotta keep this in mind

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uSDbM06ONQY?feature=share

 

What’s something on an employee’s first day that sets off red flags?

In my second year at my current job, a lady was hired to replace my senior who had resigned.

The job was in a public office and for the most part was quite easy going. Somebody off the streets could learn the essentials in just a few hours.

The lady who came had seniority and several years more experience than me working at a different branch. I therefore expected her to have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with me.

How does this work again?’

‘Did I do this right?’

‘How about you be the one to do that? You’re so good at it.’

‘Can you show me how to do (such-and-such) again?’

The lady transferred from a location that had the exact same type of system and technology as mine yet she had not a clue how to do anything!

How was this woman in a senior position? She didn’t know anything about the job. Was she dumb?

A week of ‘training’ had passed and she didn’t really learn anything and had to be supervised at all times. Before I could find out how it was that she was so slow she suddenly vanished.

She stopped turning up at work and calls to her phone went unanswered. I sent an email to HR explaining that she had gone AWOL. They gave some half-assed reply. A few months later, after she had long been forgotten, I get a frantic letter from HR saying that they have been paying her salary and they’ve just become aware that she has not been turning up to work.

‘No shit,’ I say in my mind.

HR investigates and finds out that she had accepted another job elsewhere the entire time and was gladly accepting two salaries. HR demanded that she return the unearned salary. She said she would but she was going through financial distress at the moment.

She never returned a cent. HR washed their hands of the matter and kept it hush hush.

Turns out she wasn’t dumb at all.

So my answer to the question ‘what sets off red flags on an employee’s first day?’

Playing dumb.

We are living in just such a moment now

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/STFeyu-Q_oE?feature=share

 

Have you ever met an adult who literally can’t read? What was your reaction?

When I was small, my parents sent me to my grandparents (who lived in a rural area) every summer so they could look after me when school was out.

My grandpa was born late 191x or early 192x – even he didn’t remember exactly.

When I was 6 years old, I started going to elementary school which started to have summer assignments. So, when my parents sent me to my grandparents for the “vacation”, I brought my textbooks and books with me to study. One day, I remember, I brought a book to my grandpa and asked him for some help with my summer homework. He smiled, “Oh, sweetie, I can’t help you with that!”. “Why?!?!”, I was surprised, he’d never said “No” to me. A second of hesitation, then he said, “I don’t know how to read”

It didn’t make sense to my 6-year-old me; but later, when I grew up, I knew, it was the result of war and poverty, my grandpa never went to school.

Anyway, “But you know EVERYTHING!”, the little me was shocked and questioned him. He stroked my hair, “Ah, I just don’t know how to read texts in the book. I can read other things. I can read leaves to know their trees. I can read the soil to know what I need to do to get more produces. I can read the river to know if it’s safe to go down and play. I can read the night sky to know if tomorrow it will be rain or shine”, he explained to me.

A light bulb went off in my head; he taught me to ‘read’ some of those things, why didn’t I teach him to read texts? So, I offered him, “Do you want to study with me, grandpa?”.

So, I started to be his ‘teacher’. I taught him a, b, c. He studied, then forgot everything in the next summer because he didn’t use it frequently enough; so I had to teach him again.

I taught him to read, every summer, until he passed away.

Evil Utah Wife

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nSXyNytPT1A?feature=share

 

Why don’t people want to work the trades? Things like plumbers electricians are well off.

I have had a number of jobs in my time. I’ve been a framing carpenter, finish carpenter, furniture maker, the army, and being in the office in the construction industry as a project manager for the last 16 years.

Working in the trades can indeed be very lucrative, and I know a number of plumbers and welders that do significantly better than me financially, but from someone that has worked in the trades and in the corporate office, there are a lot of benefits of the office world that help pull people away from going into the trades.

The first is simply being warm when it’s cold, dry when it’s raining and cool when it is hot. It’s pretty tough going to work everyday to be freezing cold all day or burning up hot. Secondly, you can do stuff after work without needing to take a shower or change clothes first. Third, you don’t beat up your body so much working in an office. I’m 47 so still well short of retirement age and I really can’t imagine doing the type of work I did in my 20’s all day, every day. That was tough work and I got injured a lot and had to just suck it up and work through it. Injuries these days take a lot longer to heal too.

Occasionally I get all nostalgic about walking floor joists 30 feet up with a 16ft 2×8 on my shoulder, then I’ll have a flashback to what that actually feels like doing it every day and appreciate very much my AC and roof and clean clothes. My nostalgia forgets doing that same joist walk with feet numb from the cold, or sweat in my eyes or a lingering injury.

The trades are good, solid, well paying professions, but if you have any other alternatives they are definitely a young person’s game. The people I see my age still working in the trades (doing the work, not management like me) are physically beaten down for the most part with bad backs, bad knees, and a collection of scars that make anyone take notice.

The Duran: Neocons want WAR in Middle East and Israel, the US will LOSE Big

https://youtu.be/k8AHFfv-pA4

 

Serbian Skillet Pork
(Muckalica — Yugoslavia)

Muckalica
Muckalica

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3 medium onions, sliced
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 2 ounces feta cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • Hot cooked rice

Instructions

  1. Trim fat from pork. Cut pork into 1/2-inch slices; cut slices into 1/2-inch strips. Heat oil in skillet until hot. Cook and stir pork in oil over medium heat until brown, about 15 minutes; drain. Add water, onions, tomato, salt, paprika, pepper and red pepper. Cover and simmer until pork is tender, about 30 minutes, adding water if necessary.
  2. Add green pepper. Cover and simmer until green pepper is crisp-tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Top with cheese.
  3. Serve with rice.

Yield: 4 servings

What’s the best revenge you’ve gotten after being fired or let go from a job?

When I was about 21 or 22, I worked for this remodeling contractor. My dad does remodels and has rental properties, and I’ve always been a DIY type of guy, so I learned young and had about 10 years of experience at the time. Anyway, one day I was at work, and the boss nor the crew lead could figure out how to solve a problem with some vinyl flooring and the customer was there watching them for a good half hour or so. I repeatedly tried to make suggestions but just kept getting ignored. Finally I just stepped up and tried something and it worked. The next day the owner told me that work was slow and he didn’t need me to come in. That same afternoon he called me and let me go due to “not having the quality of work that his company is known for”. I’m sure he was just upset that I made him look like an ass in front of a customer. Anyway, fast forward to a week later, this customer had a family member that was also gonna get some work done by the same company. The previous customer gave the family member my Facebook info and she contacted me and asked if I could do a job for her. About 3 days in, my old boss came and the look on his face when he saw me doing the job he came to bid for was priceless.

American major bias against men

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Pv0wGg25mmI?feature=share

10 Unknown social rules

1. Don’t call someone more than twice continuously. If they don’t pick up your call that mean they have something more important to attend to.

2. When someone drops something on the floor by mistake or drops food from the plate or doesn’t know how to use a knife/fork don’t stare at them. The same goes to people sneezing, coughing or even an uncontrollable fart. It’s an involuntary reaction.

3. Always skip using the washroom beside the occupied one. It makes it uneasy for the person in the occupied washroom as well as yourself if you occupy the one right next to theirs.

4. If you’re talking to someone and notice any of the following, they’re trying to end the conversation:

  • Their eyes keep darting away.
  • They angle their body away from you.
  • They give you rapid one-word answers.

5. When someone you know has an obvious change in appearance, e.g., weight gain/loss, bald spot, acne. never comment on it until they talk about it to you, they already know what is happened to them.

6. If a colleague tells you they have a doctors appointment, don’t ask what it’s for, just say hope you’re ok. If they want to talk about it they will and you don’t put them in the uncomfortable position of having to tell you their personal illness.

7. Treat the cleaner with the same respect as the CEO. Nobody is impressed at how rudely you can treat someone below you but people will notice if you treat them with respect.

8. Do not make plans in front of those you are not involving.

9. When meeting someone after a long time, unless they want to talk about it, don’t ask them their age and salary.

10. When a friend/colleague offers you some food, you can politely say No. But, don’t do this after tasting or smelling it. It’s an insult to the one who has offered it to you.

 

Is taking revenge by yourself a good idea?

This is John Eisenman. He lost his daughter to s-exual trafficking. She was sold for $1,000 in Seattle Washington. He did what a father should do and researched, investigated and found out about her abduction. He RESCUED her HIMSELF. He found out the person who sold her into trafficking was her 19 year old boyfriend. He met up with him, abducted him, bludgeoned and stabbed him to death in Nov, 2020. The authorities found him [dead AF boyfriend] in Oct 2021 in the trunk of the car he abandoned. John Eisenman sits in jail knowing his daughter is safe and growing up after he has already lived 60 years of his life. I bet you, he rests easy. Live your life to the fullest. He did his absolute best to make sure his child have the opportunity to do the same no matter what the sacrifice.

image 157
image 157

My POV:- I think justice can’t be black or white, it’s a greyish territory. I’m not a supporter of taking revenge but rather law doing the job. Although, we all know how deeply fukced up is our law and order.

When Women Finally Realize It’s THEIR Fault

https://youtu.be/ww3Lu57L_18

Sometimes we idealize the United States from the 1950s. What was common in the 1950s that would horrify us now?

The decade of the 1950s was the time of my well-remembered childhood. Some of the memorable un-nice features follow:

Coal shuttles in basement windows to fill the coal bins for the furnace that kept you alive in subzero weather. The loud roaring rattle of the coal can never be forgotten. My wife grew up in destroyed Berlin where the kids snuck onto the train tracks to steal coal for cooking and winter heat, especially before 1950.

Ice trucks for the “ice box,” which was the refrigerator of the day. Great fun to persuade the iceman to chip you a sliver (possibly unsanitary) in the steaming summer.

Raking and burning leaves either in the curb or in our own home trash bin (a large ugly concrete “bathtub” for burning all wastes) beside the separated garage.

Kids everywhere, dirty, yelling, playing, fighting … the postwar baby boom.

After we graduated from paying marbles on the sidewalks, the never-forgotten aroma of the lightly powdered flat bubble gum accompanying Topps baseball cards used for flip-card contests. Still remember the rules.

Friends and relatives died a lot. Lost a cousin to polio despite her father being chief of staff of the largest hospital in St. Louis. Lost two more to a house fire and others to asthma. I narrowly avoided rheumatic fever and a close call with total vision loss from measles. Number 1 brother developed Type 1 diabetes, but that was hereditary (skips a generation); lasted a LONG time.

Turning on the lights to visit the bathroom in the middle of the night and watching hundreds of roaches scurry across the floor into the corners and cracks.

Sticky asphalt from the tarred streets that would permanently ruin any carpet in a snooty home.

Kids (and adults) hitch-hiked. I hitch-hiked regularly many miles to high school and college and back rather than take buses with long cold/hot waits and transfers. Just after the 50s, noticed how remarkably easier it was to hitch a ride when in my ROTC uniform.

Teenagers still in school who had never worked had no vote in national elections.

No air conditioning. Vornado floor fans, window fans blowing over block of ice, or car rides with windows open down to “Cool Valley” (yes, a real town) a low-altitude area with much lower temperatures were our only options when temperatures soared far over 100 degrees and humidity was ~80%.

Construction sites were wonderful if dangerous playgrounds for kids. Unsafe, with nails sticking out, deep ditches and holes to avoid. Taught caution and the value of tetanus shots. Learned aromas like the smell of wet concrete, rebar, freshly cut wood; mountains of dirt for King of the Hill games, playing “war” with wooden toy 1904 Springfield rifles in literal miles of dug-up ground for the interstate highways.

Homes and office buildings were insulated with asbestos, long before attorneys and asbestos-removal firms became millionaires from it.

Local stenches were many and varied. Worst were from the fish processing plants and cattle/pig stockyards, with the “nicest” smells being chemical fumes from riverside plants.

Working on the USS Admiral, was required to check for “floaters” under the port paddlewheel every morning by opening the trash slot over the water.

Learned to water-ski on the turd-filled muddy Mississippi.

US Army chemical warfare testers sprayed my hometown with zinc cadmium sulfide, a fluorescent additive of some kind and a possibly radioactive agent to secretly study possible bio/chem weapon vectors … later explained “to protect us from potential Soviet attack”.

Nearby communities (Weldon Spring, West Lake and Berkeley … but not CA) were being contaminated by toxic waste buried by one of my future employers after they processed the uranium for the first nuclear weapons. Not done on my watch; however, as an adult I did work at a number of the other tainted sites: their original chemical plant and their radiological branch.

Cap guns: actual gunpowder explosives were loaded in a tight roll to be fired by your Lone Ranger or Cisco Kid cap gun. Bangs and sparks with gunpowder’s sulpuric stench …

Bows and arrows (with real points).

Jungle gyms were tall blocks of hard unadorned steel pipes over bare dirt dusty in summer and frozen in winter.

Complete and utter obedience to our family’s Commanding Officer who actually posted duty rosters for my 4 siblings (girl was exempted) which I was required to enforce as senior NCO.

Amused myself by playing war battle games with bottlecaps. Falstaff, Budweiser and a few Stag … strewn from the six-pack dad chugged every night. Didn’t realize he was a drunk until years later.

Black and white TV with the Indian-head test pattern after midnight when all stations went “off the air.”

TV showed stereotypical characters in every show like: the Howdy Doody Show; Kukla, Fran & Ollie; Texas Bruce’s Wranglers’ Club; Lone Ranger, Cisco Kid, Zorro, etc.

Friday night fights: boxing matches every weekend.

Racism was acknowledged but not celebrated. Had black school/playmates (parochial school) and babysitters who all lived in a nearby section of the city.

Racial mockery was the basis of much TV/radio humor. Amos & Andy on the radio, Milton Berle’s burlesque schticks, Pat & Mike Irish insults, Sid Caesar’s fake Japanese babble, Jose Jimenez jibes at Mexicans on the Steve Allen Show … don’t remember German accents being considered “funny” until Hogan’s Heroes.

Classmate who later became a Japanese citizen used to play records advocating anti-Communism from John Birch (didn’t know of his Society then). Nothing mean or nasty that I remember from those lectures but quite un-PC now, I guess.

BB guns: never permitted in our home, with 4 boy, 1 girl; but vet dad built us an actual shooting range for my 13th birthday present, a .22 bolt-action Winchester … a literal deep sandbox at one end of the basement under a steel sheet canted at a 45 degree angle. Access controlled by dad, of course.

Joined my school’s rifle club in 1959 when they (not me) won the national championship with open sight .22s mounted on Garand 30–30 war surplus stocks. Kids shot rifles as a matter of indifference. Safely too, because safety was taught, responsibility was demanded … and disobedience was both unthinkable and unacceptable.

Getting adopted by a kitty

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/k2Y8E4kU05c?feature=share

Go Granny

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/n6dQu1y8oHg?feature=share

What is your opinion on the treatment of China by Western countries, such as Australia, compared to how other Asian countries, like Japan, treat China? Do you believe their actions are too harsh or not harsh enough?

History will one day see how the U.S., its dog nations, the EU, its fellow colonialists and native slaughtering nations and its slave nations, treatment of China. Is a modern version of African slavery, Nazi Crimes, barbaric colonialism by the Europeans and the Savage rape and murder of Nanking!

How do they treat China and the Chinese race. Terrible, obnoxious and despicable. What more to say! Slurring at every turn, blindly accusing China without facts, evidence and proof calling them copy cats, stealing intellectual property, cheating, for being aggressive and threatening nations, genocide that never happen, causing Covid! All are no different from the Nazi blaming of the Jews!

Just backed by a pack of lies. And using coercion and bribery to get a dissident or two to cast doubt on China! If you are one of the group I single out please stop being a pawn or a parrot in these fake news. China won’t yield to these ludicrousness and shameful act of throwing shit!

To me you can accuse China of not bordering about its cosmetic cover up of its desire to ensure that the century of humiliation can never happen again and that it will do everything in its power to get back it’s rightful place in history. Remember how thousands of black people are wrongly accused by the white people for all sorts of thing and them lynch them!

History will show the truth that the U.S. and the west are doing the same to the Chinese. Sure without the lynching!

I love this

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/n0Kz0klknaY?feature=share

When have you fired someone on the spot?

I did once, but it wasn’t my initial intention.

I owned a flying school and had a receptionist who was good with the customers.

One day I got a phone call at about 4PM from a student asking why we had shut early. I assured him we hadn’t as we had people flying till 7 that night. He told me he was standing outside and the doors were locked.

When I came in next day I checked CCTV and sure enough she had locked up at 3:30 whilst people were still flying. She returned at just before 5:30. I checked the day before and the same thing had happened. She locked up at 3:30 and returned at 5:30. It was near the end of the month so I waited till the end of the month to see what hours she had claimed for.

I also called a government employer hotline that is set up in the UK to give free help and advice. After explaining the situation they told me she was in breach of her contract, and it was gross misconduct which is a sackable offence. They said she was “stealing time” from me. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt so I decided to listen to her before I took action. The helpline advised that if her answers weren’t agreeable then I should suspend her on full pay whilst I investigated.

Sure enough she had claimed for her full allowance on her payslip so I called her into my office to explain herself. She claimed to have “forgotten” to take it off her hours worked. I was more concerned about leaving the building unattended whilst we had students still flying. What happened if we had an emergency? She refused to answer me so I was left with no option but to suspend her.

I studied the CCTV for previous 30 days and she had done it for almost 50% of her shifts! Despite this I didn’t want to lose her, the students loved her.

So I invited her back for a formal interview and offered to allow her to bring a witness. She declined the representation. I explained that the interview was being recorded and I had my solicitor on speaker phone to listen and ensure we both were acting within the law. It was to protect both of us.

I asked her for her reasons and she said that she had been visiting her boyfriend and having lunch together. He was an instructor pilot for me but had never left mid-shift. I then explained about why it was wrong to leave the premises whilst we still had aircraft in the air. She just shrugged her shoulders. I asked her to wait outside whilst I spoke to my legal adviser.

Truth be told I couldn’t afford to lose her. I had previously told the helpline that and they recommended “based on my explanation” that I give her a final written warning. This should be enough to make her realise it was wrong. I decided to go down this route.

After 5 minutes I invited her back into the room to give her the final written warning and a good explanation why this was happening. As I said to her “Thank you for your patience,” she replied, “Are you really doing this?”

“I am.”

Then she erupted! Quite a verbal assault against me! Then she pulled out an envelope and handed it to me saying, “I can’t believe you have blown this out of proportion, here is my 30 days notice, and as you owe me some holidays I will be taking them so I don’t have to work with you any more.”

I just calmly said, “Don’t worry about the 30 days notice, you won’t need it because I’m letting you go for gross misconduct!”

*screaming at me*“YOU CANT DO THAT!”

*a tiny voice on the telephone*”Yes he can, you stole from him and he is within his rights to terminate your contract with immediate effect and without compensation. Now if I was you I would leave quietly or Mr Savage could have the police involved for theft.”

A week later I received a letter asking for a reference as she had found a new job!

Metropolis, directed by David Lynch

Holy shit! I really love this.

Short but awesome!

https://youtu.be/eUoxNt5a-ME

Is it legally justifiable for a cop to shoot an advancing person with a knife who refuses to stop or drop it? How about morally?

Let me show you a kitchen knife.

image 156
image 156

While writing this answer, I called my wife (I’m at work) and asked her to send me the photo of this knife from our kitchen. I hate using it, especially while cutting soft veggies. It is dull, useless and cheap-ass piece of cutlery. I bought it for $0.50.

I was stabbed once.

With a kitchen knife exactly like this one shown in the picture.

I was going to work, when I came across a domestic street brawl. Men and women screaming, abusing and beating each other. I remember a wooden ladle in action too.

It was too awkward for me not to do something. I had no cellphone back then as it was too expensive and uncommon.

I tried calming them down with help of a few neighbors.

And during that peaceful effort… a young man out of nowhere attacked me with this kitchen knife. The swing was so swift and forceful that it scared me if this connects at all. I tried to grab his hand but the knife pierced my palm and popped out from back of my wrist.

Now I wish to stress couple of issues here.

A knife is a knife and it does not matter if it is big, small, sharp, dull, scary or funny looking. When used with intentions to inflict damage… it will damage the body inflicting stab and slash wounds, and might very well cause fatality.

And even more importantly…

This was quite a harmless bout, typical domestic quarrel between two neighboring families that usually just ends up with them receiving a bruise here and there, a noisy chest thumping exercise for the most part that goes around here over stupid disagreements.

Still…the moment I saw that guy approaching me with knife, his glowered and gloomy expressions alarmed me of imminent danger, I understood this is not just a warning… this guy wants to hurt me. To anyone else, he might not seem to be posing a palpable peril towards the cop but I as a cop perceived the incoming.

I was unarmed; I could not protect myself intelligently.

What if I was armed that day? To whom do I look up for the use of deadly force authorization?

That’s no one else’s but my decision to make.

It is my judgment call even if it is objective or weak in other’s opinion. If I have reasons to believe the person is a threat and warnings don’t serve the purpose, I have to neutralize the threat. I don’t want to hurt anyone; that’s the last and the most distasteful option for any cop in all sincerity. But at the same time, I want to protect myself and others with my best effort and ability.

I assure you, it could have been a fatal blow.

The department would have lost one of theirs, my mother would have gone crazy upon hearing of this news. All of this because of someone’s absurd, idiotic and senseless aggression.

I don’t deserve that.

No cop deserves that.

So in my opinion, if a knife-wielding person advances towards the cop and chooses to ignore the warnings – and sends an apprehension that he actually might attack the cop –

I’d consider that a legitimate threat.

And using deadly force to neutralize that threat is justifiable legally and morally.

Nice idea

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CIV87NVmK2Y?feature=share

What’s something your husband did to you that you will never forget?

We were married in Las Vegas over a weekend, never had a honeymoon, and it appears there wouldn’t be much romance or emotion, which appeared to suit both of us fine.

My life goals had always been to earn as many degrees as possible and to have a significant career. When my husband said he wanted to apply to law school, I stuck around to find out what would be happening.

On our fifth wedding anniversary, I was working on my masters’ degree and pregnant – not in my life goals, but I was accepting of the situation. We were both graduate students, living off student loans with no money for anything.

When I woke on our anniversary day, my husband presented me with a six page long poem he had been writing for days. He called it “FANGS for the memories.” The poem was written in the cadence of the song “Thanks for the memories” which would have been way too sentimental for either of us.

It’s been 45 years later and I still have not only that poem but also the poem he wrote on our 10th anniversary.

This past year we celebrated our 50th anniversary and not one celebration. But I do have two amazing sentimental and romantic poems to read and reread over and over – I will never forget those!

This Is Why Everyone is Quitting YouTube

https://youtu.be/FGVb_v7YA6U

Rainy night and a beer soaked shoe

My camping experiences have uniformly been terrible. No matter what year it is, who I am with, or what my age is… it doesn’t matter what season, time of the year or whatever… it always rained.

Rain
Rain

And that meant, yeah you guessed it, sleeping in the rain, wet, cold, freezing with no real sleep and eventually waking up to a cold gloomy grey morning before everyone else does.

Sigh.

Never the less, I have romanticized the idea of camping. I imagine how great it would be to merge my “keg parties” and late-night bonfires with the idea of sleeping comfortably nearby.

kegger
kegger

My bother has become adept at it and loves to hike in the Colorado mountains with his wife and huskies. Which, by the way, they love all the snow.

camping in colorado
camping in colorado

It’s could out, I know (if you are in the Northern climes), but if you are in Australia, it just might be perfect camping weather. I just cannot imagine it gets snowy, just temperate at night. But, honestly, I’d be afraid to sleep there in the brush. The snakes (I hear) are quite deadly, as are the spiders… the toads… the beatles… the ants… and you are apt to run into a wild herd of wallabies. Yikes!

ne7t6qb67fw31
ne7t6qb67fw31

I’ve seen the you-tube videos… frightening!

Snakes, critters with strange names, and frogs that re inside out and just don’t die. Burrrrr!

But if you are the brave sort, as most Aussies are, going out into the brush is just as normal as downing a pint. A natural part of the ebb and flow of life.

Ah. One day. One day.

camping in the outback
camping in the outback

Sounds great… if you have a local to keep you out of trouble, but I have to tell you all what…

You won’t be able to get me to drink beer out of a stinky old shoe. No way!

Todays….

Volume 4 is out.

Link is HERE.

2024 01 11 16 37
2024 01 11 16 37

Delusional chicks

Her feelings look silly.

Are the Chinese crippling Apple’s sales by a whopping 30% in the opening week of 2024 to actively contribute to the US de-Sinicization efforts?

Let me help you guys unpacked how Trump fxxked up Apple. Yes he fxxked up Apple one of the world’s most admirable company.

Step one. Trump and later Biden thought that they can fxxked up Huawei and China. They both didn’t. Expect China and Huawei to survive! Let alone excel. Well they don’t know mathematics for a start. A billion and a half Chinese including me a Chinese origin turn around and patriotically chose Huawei over Apple! And poor Apple got fxxked up! For no reason but just bad politics by their racist government!

One they and their contract manufacturer Foxconn switch just 5% of their manufacturing to India and they both got fxxked up badly. The failure if Apple Phone 15 made in India is so high it lost all trust on their customers. Now Foxconn wants our right away! But India says not so fast. And Apple brand name is already thoroughly fxxked! In Asia the Apple users insist it has to be MADE IN CHINA!

But that is a smaller problem. Now let me introduce you guys a great lesson that doing shit don’t pay! China and Huawei took a mere 3 short years to do what the U.S. thought China has to take at least 30 years! And it actually made a phone better, faster, cheaper than iPhone! Plus a billion people on earth wanting to show displeasure at US and Trump and Biden shit! In January 2024 they decide to teach the west a lesson! Try imagining a perfect storm!

That is what the US is facing. It’s own products are fxxked up, its shit is not working yet it spends billions if not trillions to coerce and bribing nations and companies to do shit! That is the real USA today!

And let me help you. You ain’t seen nothing yet! Decoupling or de-risking from China is the last thing you ought to do!

Athenian Stuffed Peppers

3032dee0bddf684f2da39c100413b4b1
3032dee0bddf684f2da39c100413b4b1

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 cup Minute rice or 1 cup cooked regular rice
  • 2 onions, ground
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste, divided
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 egg, well beaten
  • 8 green bell peppers
  • 6 cups water
  • 5 medium potatoes, sliced

Instructions

  1. Combine meat, rice, onions, garlic, oil, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, oregano and egg.
  2. Wash green peppers; cut and remove seeds. Fill peppers with meat mixture; place open side down in circle in roasting pan.
  3. Combine remaining ingredients except potatoes; pour over peppers. Place potatoes in center of pan.
  4. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.

What is the best random conversation you overheard?

Five years ago, I drove for Uber. I retired and did it just to stay busy.

I picked up a passenger who must have been a financial advisor.

He immediately got on his phone and started calling his friends and associates.

He started telling them about accounts that he was working on what their plans were.

When we would stop for a light, I would type the stock symbols into my personal phone.

The passenger was too busy on his calls to notice.

I received five or six stock recommendations that he blurted out.

When I dropped him out at the airport, he jumped out to catch his plane.

Did he leave a tip…..hell no.

That night I put the symbols in my StockCharts account and bought options on three of them for the next day.

Within three weeks I had made a couple thousand dollars on those options before I sold them.

Apparently, the passenger thought a dumb Uber driver would not be active in the stock market.

So, I guess that cheapskate doesn’t know he really tipped me big time.

FUCK!

NASA’s Chandra, Webb Combine for Arresting Views (M74)

1 6
1 6

There are reports that after a turbulent year in US-China relations, China and the United States are gradually getting closer in 2023. Is it true?

Nope, the underlying problem reminds the same. US strategists feel they must retain US hegemony and its rules based world order in order to thrive. And Russia/China refuses to accept those rules not supported by the UN Charter.

2023 was a year, US officials feels they must moderate their confrontation with China due to negative headwinds from a losing fight in Ukraine war, a uniting global South dedollarising fast and near record inflation from years of Tbill printing. They fear Chinese aggressive selling of Tbills will worsen the US inflation and Tbill printing situation only. Nothing has changed.

China on the other hand has fears that an over intense US China confrontation can worsen global demand and that can complicate the delicate balance they have in sustaining the Chinese economy without HUGE STIMULUS. China is still preparing to retake Taiwan, and there are still key steps needed including doubling nuke deterrence, training PLA personnel with so many new toys, supplies and economy in case of sanctions. Plenty to do in next few years. So, China is also receptive to moderating tension while work continues.

So, this is a tactical pause only, the strategic picture has not changed at all. USA is hoping to unite West to win, and Russia/China is hoping to unite the global South to push a new world order. And to dedollarise under BRICS+ (BRICS Pay) to burst the US Tbill bubble. THAT IS STILL THE GLOBAL BIG PICTURE, THIS IS A FIGHT FOR A NEW WORLD ORDER.

On my journey

What was the rudest thing a guest has ever said or did while visiting your home?

I invited a very close friend with her sons to come for Christmas dinner. I was a single mom, and so was she. I invited a few other single parents too. Christmas can be a challenge for singles.

I was cooking up a storm all day. I made a lot — she had 2 sons who were big kids and big eaters. She had promised to come this time. The year before she had canceled the day before. My “friend” called an hour before dinner to tell me that she had gotten “a better offer” and wasn’t coming to dinner. (In case you’re wondering, I’m an excellent cook.) I couldn’t believe she was so rude. Plus, she waited so late — I ended up with way too much food left over.

You won’t believe this, but when the next holiday came, she hinted that she wanted to be invited. This happened for years after, but I never, ever invited her for a holiday meal again.

Force them to back down

What is the most clever defense you’ve seen someone use in the courtroom?

Don’t know how clever it was, but a client of mine had been picked up because he was in a minor accident and had an open container of beer with him. When the cops were taking him to the station, they asked him whether he wanted a breath test or a blood test (Colorado law gave the accused the choice, after which no change was allowed). He opted for a blood test, but explained that he was Russian and had ‘fat skin’ (his term); they’d need a doctor to draw the blood. He was told ‘Paramedics are what we have and paramedics are what you get.’

He sat there patiently while the paramedics stuck him about seven times, never able to draw blood. Finally losing patience, the cop with him told him he was getting a breath test, and my client refused to participate.

Under implied consent, they charged him with DUI and called him an ambulance (he’d suffered minor injuries in the crash. Nothing to make the delay over the testing any issue). The paramedic in the ambulance set an IV with no problems (of course, nobody tried to get blood then) and took him to the hospital.

When we got into court, I got the cop on the stand to agree to the main points, i.e. that the accused had opted for a blood test, he’d been patient while repeated attempts were made to draw blood and that the police then demanded the breath test, which he refused. No problem; the cop admitted each point. I then turned to the judge and said (approximately; it’s been twenty-five years or more), “Your honor, the law prevents the accused from changing his mind after he’s made his choice. If he can’t change his mind, the police can’t do it for him.” Then I shut up.

The judge thought about that for all of about a minute before dismissing the case.

FACT FACT FACT

What are some lessons every men should know?

  1. Boys turn into men when they understand that nobody cares about them if they can’t provide any value.
  2. If you find somebody smarter than you. Work with them. Don’t compete with them.
  3. Just because someone is “family” doesn’t mean you have to tolerate lies, chaos, drama, manipulation, and disrespect.
  4. Act like you can’t afford the bread until they find out you own the bakery. Stay humble.
  5. Becoming the best version of yourself comes with a lot of goodbyes.
  6. The quickest way to succeed is to start now and figure it out as you go. You can’t learn to drive in a parked car.
  7. Call me crazy but I believe I can have everything in this life that I want.
  8. Mention someone that is very hard working and you wish them nothing but success.

Marriage is set up for girls. Not guys.

What was the best April Fool’s prank played on you/you played on someone else?

My eldest daughter went into IT in my footsteps. I was so very proud of her when she got a chance to join a start-up that ended up being wildly successful. One of the founders was a bit of an arrogant little prick. One Sunday my daughter was over for dinner and we were talking shop. I asked how it was going, and she said fine except for little prick. She volunteered that the crew had found out he had two panic points. He was deathly afraid of both little people (dwarves/midgets) and scared shitless of clowns. I duly noted both. April 1 was coming fast so good old dad got busy and found…drumroll please….a midget clown stripper. Sent her into the business during lunch on April 1. Daughter said little prick screamed like a girl and ran out of the building. Didn’t return for two days. Everyone said it was the best practical joke they’d ever seen.

The day before…

$ 2.3T

What is the farthest you’ve seen somebody reach to be offended by something?

Originally Answered: What is the furthest you’ve seen somebody reach to be offended at something?

A few months ago I was in my local Home Hardware picking up tools – a pack of blades, some feeler gauges, etc. Sometimes I forget to put my tools back into the toolbox and they tend to…go for a walk.

While I was there, I noticed a woman and a girl in her late teens staring bemusedly at the long racks of tools. The woman had a list in her hands, and was dubiously looking at the endless choices.

Not at all hard to see what was happening; I’ve seen it dozens of times. Once, a long time ago, the woman was the friend that had taken me in after I had left my mother.

When a young person joins a technical Trade, he/she is expected to arrive at training with the required tools for the job. Parents will often gift the tools to their kids – since a basic entry-level tool collection costs easily $200* it’s a good way for parents to support their kids.

(*That swells – fast. My current toolbox is worth – at an estimate – about six to seven thousand dollars. I have two or three instruments that are worth twice that each; though in those cases the Company reimbursed me for those purchases.)

Quality tools cost – but cheap tools cost far more in the long run.)

I knew what was going on, so I drifted close as the women were looking at the hammers. “This one looks nice?” the woman was saying.

I introduced myself, and offered my help. I learned that I was right – the lady’s daughter had been hired by a factory and was following the millwright trade.

Excellent! Millwright is a superb trade; solid machinery and repair skills. The ability to understand and repair anything mechanical is a valuable ability. I cannot recommend the Millwright trade highly enough.

Every trade needs bright new apprentices and every apprentice should have generous parents willing to help.

I looked at the cheap rubber-handled claw-hammer the woman was looking at and shook my head. It looked like this:

image 480
image 480

These are fine for home use. But not what the lass needed. I pointed out the problems with the rubber grip: with regular use it raises blisters. It’s not well balanced; it’s not heavy enough to be truly efficient.

While I’m no millwright I AM a Journeyman Pressman and I repair, maintain and adjust my printing presses to a high degree of competence and know what the list meant when it said “hammer”. I show the lady this instead:

image 479
image 479

Simple, solid, reliable. It will never slip, it will never bind, it will never raise blisters. When holding it at the balance point this hammer will do an excellent job and be an extension of the young woman’s hand. (Using a hammer takes skill.) When covered in oil, in grease and filthy, this hammer will ALWAYS do exactly what you want. THIS is the hammer the lass needs – and the one that the lady hadn’t been looking at because the coloured rubber handles of the others looked better.

EDIT: A Journeyman carpenter commented that I was wrong in this particular point: using a rubber-handled does not raise blisters if it’s used correctly. Thanks for the correction; I’m glad to learn something new.

Down the list: Allen keys.

The lady looked at a set of chromed Allen keys. They looked great – and were expensive as Hell. I guided her away from them, and pointed to cheaper, solid ball-end keys instead.

image 478
image 478

(These look great.)

image 477
image 477

(THESE work!)

By this time, one of the red-shirted salespeople had joined us. She was in her late 40’s, blonde, and had the easy confidence of someone who really knew their trade. It doesn’t take much for one Journeyman to recognize another. (As a side note, Home Hardware hires a LOT of Journeyman-status salespeople. The red-shirted people selling tools and lumber often REALLY know what the hell they’re talking about.)

I smiled and bowed out – this was the Journeyman’s job.

The next item on the list was a wrench set. Wrenches are the stock in trade of any machine operator and it’s best to get a good set.

The red-shirted Millwright (I learned her status later when chatting) offered a pack I was uncertain of. I shrugged, offered my opinion and pointed out the one I would suggest.

At that point the daughter – who the tools were for – turned around and angrily told me to butt out. The woman would help them, thanks.

The mother agreed, and told me to shut up. She was DONE with ‘mansplaining’ and told me that I was just helping them to bolster my fragile male Ego. They would do VERY well without me.

The look that went across my face could best be described as a ‘very thin smile’.

At which point the red-shirted woman rounded on the lass and asked her if she wanted a career in the Trades. The teenager shrugged.

At which point the Millwright pointed out if the girl ever hoped to earn her Red Seals, she would have to learn that when a Journeyman speaks, apprentices shut the hell up and listen.

The girl was shocked into silence and I compared notes with my fellow Journeyman. I pointed out the value of the other set of wrenches. The woman agreed, but pointed out a few issues I hadn’t realized – I quickly agreed the set she suggested were the best. (I’ve since bought a set of those wrenches. They’re AMAZING and if it wasn’t for that Millwright, I’d never have realized it.)

I tried to help – and because I was a ‘guy’ I was ‘mansplaining’ – when the female Journeyman showed up.

It didn’t bother me at all – I’ve seen so many Apprentices fall by the wayside that one more failure doesn’t affect me in the slightest. I just thought it was neat that this girl just entering the Trade got a wake-up call:

The Trades don’t give one CRAP about your gender. They only care about your skill, and you are only EVER as good as your last work.

Men vs. Women

Why is the Philippines provoking conflicts with China in the South China Sea?

They are completing a mission, executing the “Project Myoushu”

[1] of the US.

This project is led by retired US Air Force Colonel Raymond Powell, in collaboration with counterparts from the Philippine Coast Guard and some officials from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. They plan, strategize, and execute this project, engaging in confrontations, provocations, and standoffs with the China Coast Guard.

According to Project Myoushu’s claim, it “seeks to develop more effective tools to shine a light into the gray zone of China’s maritime coercion strategy.” Powell occasionally releases satellite images and trajectory maps of Chinese fishing vessels and government ships. All of this is done intentionally to create a tense situation in the South China Sea region, particularly in disputed areas between the Philippines and China, such as Huangyan Island or Ren’ai Reef.

image 45
image 45

It is a good thing that China uses large ships and vessels. The numerical and scale advantage of the Chinese Coast Guard actually helps to avoid more serious confrontations, as fleet conflicts would be more imminent if both sides were evenly matched in size.

image 476
image 476

However, regardless of the circumstances, Western media always portray China as a bully. This is the true purpose of this project and the goal set by the US – they use the so-called “confidence in transparency of reporting” to create propaganda against China. They claim it is transparent because Western media bring cameras, media personnel, etc., to document the process and report it to Filipino audiences and the world. It is understandable that this signifies something – the US wants to undermine China’s reputation.

The Philippines had a highly productive and friendly relationship with China, such as collaborative projects in the BRI, which greatly enhanced the economic advantage of the Philippines. However, President Marcos clearly has his own ideas about the arrangements from the US. He has never explained to the Filipino people why he has shifted back towards the US. In the South China Sea issue, Marcos’ policies are filled with hostility and aggression.

In fact, the Filipino people are not concerned about the South China Sea dispute. A survey report released by Pulse Asia

[2] in September 2023 showed that only 7% of Filipinos are concerned about the South China Sea dispute, while 93% of the population is primarily concerned about controlling inflation, employment, reducing poverty, and fighting corruption.

image 475
image 475

The US has exerted mass pressure, demanding that the Philippines continue to “contain” China. If this continues, Marcos’ policies will only become further detached from the demands of the people. It appears that Marcos is going to have a tough time in the upcoming new year.

Footnotes

[1]Project Myoushu

[2]Home – Pulse Asia

How to trick scammers

Well-experienced people sayings that you should never do these things

  1. Never compare your sex life with porn videos. Because porn videos are totally fake.
  2. Never be sad for losing someone. No one lasts for long period of time. Even, you are gonna lose your beauty, money and health with age.
  3. Never underestimate failure.Only a failure gives you the proper perspective of success.
  4. Never “Trust” easily on anyone. Because trust is the most expensive thing and so don’t trust blindly. Even, your friends get jealous when they see your progress.
  5. Never share your password of social media accounts, email, Internet Banking, and ATM pin\CVV number with anyone. Never!
  6. Never get involved in sexual activities till you are not serious in your relationship.
  7. Never believe on that girl\boy who have lots of relationship in their past. They can easily manipulated you by crying their bad past.( Exception is everywhere)
  8. Never try to hurt your parents. They have lots of expectations from you.
  9. In any situation, Never think about ending your life. Even plants regrow leaves after one leaf shed.

No brainer

What was the most satisfying display of instant karma you have ever seen?

I walked into a bank one morning in Florida to find it totally empty of any customers and only one teller behind the counter and another lady at her desk opposite. As I approached the teller, she scolded me for not first stopping behind the yellow line on the floor before walking the 3 steps to her counter. She was not busy at all. “Sir!!! Go back and stand BEHIND the yellow line!!” Me; “Ok, but I saw you are not busy”. I went back while she watched me. As soon as I was standing still behind the line, she nodded and immediately said; “Ok, NOW you can approach”. I asked her politely if there was any reason for having a customer stop behind the line in an empty bank. Her; “Because the sign says so!!!” she scolded. “And I say so!!!” The only other bank employee looked at her and rolled her eyes. Just then, a phone (Land line) rang and the teller picked it up still snarling at me. She was quite an unpleasant lady to the caller too. Just then, she starts to walk away at a brisk pace, forgetting the phone was not a cordless and the cord stretched as far as it would go and then phone sling shotted out of her hands and flew across the room and skidded to a stop on the floor. She looked at me right away to see if I saw what happened and I could not hide my grin which just set her off all the more. She turned red and it was clear she was not having a good day. I almost felt sympathetic.

Just a minor example of Karma, but it was pretty funny.

Hates all but one

What are some unethical life hacks?

  1. Whenever you are starting a new job, always let them know that you have 4 alive grandparents. Then you have 4 pre-made excuses for whenever you don’t want to come into work.
  2. When you’re shopping online and need to reach a threshold for free delivery, simply add a gift card to your order. The next time you make a purchase, you can use the card and repeat the process.
  3. When dining alone at a restaurant, bring a notebook. Write in it occasionally. The staff might think you’re a food critic, and they’ll likely try their best to impress you, maybe even treating you to some free food.
  4. If someone ever calls you fat, tell them you used to be 75 lbs heavier. It will make them feel guilty for saying it to you, while also making you look accomplished for losing weight.
  5. Use airplane mode to hang up on people. They will see “call failed” instead of “call ended”.
  6. When you’re looking for a job, post a fake ad for a very similar position on the internet so you could check out the resumes of your competition.
  7. Don’t show your Tinder profile or Instagram to your date. Show your profile on some niche platform like luxyor Mensa to go from being average to standing out.
  8. If your girl ever gets mad at you and won’t speak, just tighten up all the jars in the house. Eventually she’ll have to talk to you to get your help opening up one of the jars.
  9. If your coworker ever calls in sick for work, you can do the same 1-3 days later. Your boss will think you have the same thing and it’s “going around the office”. Your boss may even do the same shortly after you. It’s called the “fake flu”.
  10. lf you want people to stop letting dogs sh*t on your lawn. Instead of a sign saying “no dogs allowed”, put up one saying “Lawn recently treated with toxic pesticides”.
  11. Nobody would let their dog anywhere near your lawn ever again.
  12. If you’re in a taxi and you think the driver is purposely driving slow to get the meter up. Just cough or sneeze to make yourself seem sick and watch the driver speed up to prevent catching something from you.
  13. If you want to slack off at work, slack off but act annoyed or frustrated around your boss. This will give the impression that you’re working hard and the job is getting you heated.

Experiences

Mia’s Asian Chicken Salad

Asian Chicken Salad
Asian Chicken Salad

Ingredients

Thai Dressing

  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 1 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons ginger
  • 2 teaspoons garlic
  • 4 green onions, minced
  • 1 bunch cilantro, minced
  • 1 teaspoon chili paste

Salad

  • Napa cabbage
  • Carrot peel
  • Green onions
  • Cooked rice noodles
  • Thai dressing

Instructions

  1. Marinate chicken breast with Thai dressing for 4 hours, then cook on grill.
  2. Serve grilled chicken on top of salad with dressing drizzled over.

Has anyone ever tried to intimidate you from filing a lawsuit?

My son was denied membership in the National Honor Society as a junior in high school. He fit every qualification for membership, but two of his many teachers just didn’t like him. It was pretty obvious that he had been “blackballed”.

I went online and checked out the rules at the national level for bestowing membership. They clearly stated that “blackballing” was illegal. They also stated that the records of the votes by the teachers must be maintained for a certain amount of time after the vote for membership. So, I went to the school and asked for the vote tally. They refused to give it to me. I filed a freedom of information suit against the school.

A few days later, I got a call from an attorney at the state capital. He was representing the school, and he asked for my lawyer’s name and contact info. When I told him I was representing myself, he started in on me. He told me that I was sure to lose the suit and that I would then have to pay all of the schools costs, which would include his bill, and it would come to thousands of dollars. He told me I had better just withdraw the suit. I said no, and we hung up.

The case was scheduled for an appearance before the judge. The attorney called me again about 3 days before the scheduled appearance. He went after me again on what it was going to cost me when I lost the suit. I again told him that I was not dropping the suit.

We went to the courthouse when the appearance came up, and we both arrived at about the same time. He went ahead of me into the courthouse and introduced himself to the judge. I went in just after him and looked up at the judge and said, “Hi, Jim.” The Judge looked at me and said, “Hi, Eric.” The look on the lawyer’s face was priceless.

The judge listened to each of us and told us that the school was required to provide me with the information I was seeking, and would be responsible for paying all of my legal fees. He then asked me what my fees were. I told him that it was such a trivial case that I didn’t incur any costs, I just wanted to see the information.

Oddly enough, I never did get to see the vote results. Seems the school was so confident in victory that they had thrown the results in the trash some time earlier. Instead of pursuing it, I let them know that they needed to read the NHS rules and follow them more closely in the future. My son was inducted his senior year.

Strong man or pussy

As a mechanic, what are the most useless repairs you’ve been asked to perform?

Years ago I operated a full service gas station. There was a young lady who’d come in and have freon added to her AC. Back then freon cost just under $1 a pound. She’d come in and I added 3 or 4 pounds of freon. I’d charge my labor equal to what the material parts installed on the car. So 4 pounds of freon = $4. Meaning the total cost for my work was $8. It only took a few minutes to do.

After a few days she’d show back up to get another recharge. On the third visit I asked her “ Why don’t you let me find the leak and fix it so I can charge the unit properly and you won’t need to do this anymore. “ She refused and told me just to charge/add the freon.

It wouldn’t have cost her anymore than $50. If it was a hose or fitting leaking even less. If it was a pin leak in the high pressure coil? I could get one out of a salvage yard.

If it was a pin leak in the low pressure coil? I could fix it with epoxy.
Then evacuate the system and add new freon it’d be like new.

Edit: I thank everyone for their responses.

But for the ding-dongs who are saying things like I should lose my license or charging a leaking system is illegal…. THIS WAS IN THE 70s.

There WERE NO license. There were NO laws preventing the sales or use of freon.
PLUS…. back then… car AC units were designed to leak. That way the people who looked at their car dealer as the ONLY place to have the car repaired ends up giving more business to the dealerships.

I say to those people…. “ Sorry to burst your bubble… But there was life BEFORE 1985.”

Back in the day

What is your most “you’ve got to be kidding me” experience at a car mechanic?

I was never a professional mechanic, but this one was fun. A friend of mine was looking for a “small but fun” car back in 1993. We happened across a 1977 Datsun 280Z that was priced at $650. It needed paint, but had zero rust, which is hard to find on an old Z. The seller told us that it ran fine, and that it had a low-mileage Japanese import engine and transmission in it. We went to test drive it, and it missed horribly. I couldn’t get it over 45mph.

The seller wouldn’t budge on the price, but he said he’d take $50 off to have a diagnostic run at a local shop. He told us to take it home overnight. I insisted on stopping to get a set of plugs at AutoZone. Back then, Nippondensos were 88 cents apiece. When we got to the house, my friend gapped the plugs while I removed and installed them. I expected to see either a plug that was totally fouled with carbon, or one with zero gap. Instead, I noticed the order on the numbered factory wires:

1,3,2,4,5,6! What’s wrong with this picture?

Surely not, I thought. It just couldn’t be that easy.

I put the wires, in the correct order, on the new plugs. 5 minutes later, we were flying down the road at 120 mph, laughing our asses off. The engine ran smooth as silk. Needless to say, my friend bought it.

Some time later, I ran into the previous owner, who asked if we ever got it running right. I told him we had, but that it was very expensive and labor intensive. He said he knew it would be a difficult problem, because he and his brother had tried for two years and couldn’t figure it out.

Sometimes all it takes is a new set of eyes.

China is both cool and interesting

NASA’s Webb Captures an Ethereal View of NGC 346 (MIRI)

20
20

Has another parent ever gotten mad at you for saying ‘no’ to their child?

Yes. I went shopping for a particular Barbie for my niece’s birthday. I couldn’t see it on the shelves, but when I spoke to a member of staff she very kindly went out the back and managed to find one for me. I was just thanking her when a little girl ran up, squealing “Mummy, that’s the Barbie!” The employee said she was sorry, but I had the last one and there wouldn’t be more for a few days. The mother asked me if she could have it, to which I said no as my niece had been looking forward to it. The child went into demon mode, screaming “Mummy!” at the top of her voice and the woman asked again, saying her daughter is getting really upset. I again said no and tried to walk away. She then followed me, saying loud enough for customers to hear that I’d made her daughter cry.
.
That was it for me. Even though her child’s wailing had settled into a whimper by this point, no-one wants to be publicly accused of that. It was obvious that this woman was used to getting what she wanted and her daughter had learned from her mother’s example. She knew making noise would get her what she wanted, and couldn’t understand it not working in a shop when it clearly worked at home. I told the woman that (a) no child was entitled to get everything they wanted, (b) she should be aiming to raise a child with good manners, not a misplaced sense of entitlement, and (c) if she wasn’t careful, her only success would be in raising a child as bratty as herself.
.
I didn’t shout or swear, but I was very clear and she was so shocked that someone had stood up to her that she went the other way and started begging me for it. I told her that she had been very rude and wasn’t getting the doll from me, so if she wanted to go back to screeching and being abusive she was welcome to. Several people were watching by now, and they openly laughed when I told them what had happened. What made her finally shut up? Another customer telling her that she sounded like she needed a doll herself and should be quiet otherwise she’d end up on Facebook looking like a fool.

Brilliant advice

What did a judge say during sentencing that made you say “You gotta be kidding me”?

Not my case but a 17-18 year old boy accused and found guilty of sexually assaulting a girl he’d come across in the street late one night as she was making her way home after a big night out and yes, she was drunk, not that it makes a difference.

He dragged her into a nearby park and was in the process of trying to remove her clothes while she tried to resist him when a police patrol turned and caught him in the act. He had been spotted forcing her into the park on a CCTV camera and the operator had called it in and reported it.

Evidence is gathered, court case goes ahead and our lucky lad (please recognize the sarcasm) is found guilty and facing a minimum of XX years in jail. Judge thanks jury then sets aside the verdict/suspends the sentence and puts him on a good behaviour and some very minimal mount of community service.

Why, you might ask?

The judge said “as the boy was attending the ‘high-brow upper-class very expensive private school’ and had a promising future ahead of him, having a custodial sentence on his record would not be good for him, the court on this occasion could be lenient.”

The interesting thing about the boy with “a promising future ahead of him” was that he already had a shady past, three prior charges for things like assault, public lewdness and another sexual assault charge.

It must be good to have the right connections.

What is Christmas like in prison?

I spent 29 Christmases in prison. During this time I saw it change over the years on what they gave the incarcerated

The first few years I was in prison were like this. A huge holiday meal that took up two trays. One tray consisted of ham, turkey dressing, rolls, mashed potatoes with gravy and usually a serving of something else that was different every year it seemed. The second tray was a slice of pumpkin pie (or sweet potato pie), cool whip, a small container of ice cream and a soda

You were also given a bag of various nuts and another bag of candy. You were given a few Christmas cards to send out and $5.00 on your account. They stopped putting the $5.00 on everyone’s account after my 3rd year in prison.

The two christmas bags eventually changed to one. It consisted of shampoo, ramen soups, candy bars etc and was and to my knowledge still comes from Joyce Meyers Ministry

Over the years the size of the Christmas meal got smaller. But like the Thanksgiving meal they are still the best meals served in prison.

For many people in prison this is a hard time. Some stay in their cell all day and will not even go eat the Christmas dinner. They say things like “if I can’t enjoy Christmas in prison I don’t want to eat the Christmas dinner” I had a little different outlook. While I was a little down because I wasn’t with my family, I wasn’t going to go to that extreme. I put myself in prison and I know my family would want me to try to enjoy the meal. And I did, all the while thinking those who don’t eat the Christmas meal could give it to someone else

The one thing I did refuse was Christmas visits. Now I would let them come up before or after Christmas,but I wanted my family to spend Christmas at home , not visiting me in prison. They agreed to this under one condition. I had to call them. It is hard getting on the phones at Christmas. These days it is easier because they have tablets. The call was probably the hardest, because I could hear the sadness in my mom’s voice. One Christmas it was all I could do to hold back the tears. They had me on speaker and I said that I wished I could have sent them more for Christmas than a card. My mom said “ I think I speak for everyone when I say that just hearing your voice is the greatest gift you could give us” The others agreed and I about lost it
Wow, I am sorry . I did not mean to get that personal, but maybe it will give you an idea of how Christmas is for the incarcerated. At least when I was in prison

Good point, Pearl

What was the best time you witnessed a bully get owned?

Not really a bully, but a relevant story, nonetheless.

Years ago my family took a self defense class together. Our daughter, Katie, was a petite 15 year old high school student at the time and worked part time at a frozen yogurt shop. She arrived a couple of minutes late one day and her large male co-worker asked her why she was late. She explained that she got out of self defense class a few minutes late. He scoffed and said, “That stuff wouldn’t do you any good if someone my size came at you!” She replied, “Maybe, maybe not.” Then he said, “If someone did this there isn’t anything you could do”, and leaned toward her grabbing and twisting her shirt at the neckline. Less than a second later she was standing over him looking down at him. He was not hurt, but was lying on the floor on his back, looking up at her, with the most surprised look on his face! It was absolutely awesome! Three cheers for our self defense instructor who had taught us that day how to handle that event!!!

What is the most obnoxious thing you have seen someone do at the grocery store?

A Latina and her daughter (preteen) were at the milk aisle speaking Spanish to each other. As I grab some milk, I hear this older lady (50+) say, ”SPEAK ENGLISH, this is America!”

I was a little perturbed by this and began to stare at her in embarrassment. The young girl, in a calm and delicate way, dropped some history bomb on this older lady. She said , “America doesn’t have a national language because this land was founded by the Dutch, French, the English, and, most certainly, the Spaniards. And next time old lady, go read a book and learn, that’s what I did.”

I laughed so hard her mother smirked. It was obnoxious for the older lady to interrupt a mother and daughter shopping at the grocery. I wish I had recorded the interaction.

This country is built by people from all walks of life. In times like these, we have to remember this land was built for you and me 🙂

Words of truth

Military personnel, what’s the dumbest thing you’ve heard someone in uniform say?

I am sure I’ve forgotten most of them but…

I was on Temporary Duty (TDY) for training at a USAF tech school and while there I was appointed Barracks Chief for the TDY enlisted barracks. Now NCOs were exempt from details but lower ranking airmen were not. And as Barracks Chief I was also exempt.

We took our classes in a huge three story tall building with no windows. Because everything inside was highly classified; so only people with clearances could enter the building. This meant that on Saturdays there was a large detail to wax and buff all the hallways. It took about 4–5 hours for a 50+ man detail to do this job.

There were at least 500–600 lower ranking airmen who were at the school full time for entry level training in the field. We were all graduates of that program. When I had attended the school this duty got rotated among the entry level trainees, I’d done it a couple times in my schooling.

The First Sergeant of the Training Squadron had decided that this detail should be done by visiting TDY airmen who obviously had clearances and access already approved.

The problem was that while the detail required 50 people we typically had about 30 Airmen on TDY at any time (most TDY courses were 6–10 weeks to teach now experienced graduates added systems). So he would round up other trainees from among those in entry level training, to fill out the roster.

The problem of course is that it meant that the visiting airmen had the worst, nastiest, longest detail possible every single Saturday they were at the base. You couldn’t even go out clubbing on Friday because the detail started at 0700.

When I approached the First Sergeant about the problem on behalf of one of my guys the First Shirt explained this was completely fair because the detail was ROTATING — as soon as we had more than 50 guys in residence the extra guys would be excused based on how many times they had done the detail. Never mind that in ten years they had never had more than 45 or so TDY personnel at any moment — if they ever had 51 then one lucky guy would get one Saturday off…

I tried pointing out the obvious — that you cannot rotate a 50 man detail among 30 men and that in reality no one would EVER be excused from the detail but it simply did not register. I don’t know why.

(We made a visit to the base Inspector General and registered a complaint — it is not appropriate to require a small group to bear the brunt of the longest and dirtiest detail every single weekend. No one objected to doing a detail; even this detail would be OK once in a great while, it comes with the territory… The IG upheld the complaint and they changed the detail.)

What happened in your office that became the stuff of legend?

We had en employee retire. Not exactly “legend”, eh?

“Frank” was a thirty-year employee, a good worker, and not seen by Managment as a “troublemaker” or problem employee. One Monday, during a staff meeting, Frank just exploded. He launched into an obscenity-laced tirade against his boss,and his bosses boss! He used every dirty word you can’t use on TV, and the most blunt, vulgar criticism of the company, managment and some staff.

Frank’s boss, and his bosses boss just sat there, speechless, as Frank went on for almost five minutes. Finally, Franks boss said “Frank, we’ve heard enough from you. One more word and you’re fired!”

Frank replied that “You can’t fire me, I RETIRE!” The then stormed out of the conference room, flipped his desk over, and began handing out $20 bills to the “people he liked” in the office, about 20% of the staff.

Managment called security, and they escorted Frank out. As he was passing the Receptionist, he turned to her and said “Coming in every day and seeing your (blank) was the best thing about working in this (blank).”

Everyone I know has talked about quitting / retiring in a “blaze of glory” from at least one job. He actually did it!

Everyone who witnessed this still talks about it at office parties. It’s been years!

Footnote: six months after he left, Frank asked for a reference, as he wanted a part-time job. That didn’t go so well.

Warfare

Why is the top bunk considered disrespectful in jail/prison?

37 yr old single father with nearly 8 years in recovery.

I spent nearly 3.75 years incarcerated during my addict years at my rock bottom.

Bottom bunks are the most valuable, often paid for, bullied from, fought for or earned thru a medical “bottom bunk pass” if you have a disability limiting you to the bottom bunks only.

Medical passes in jail are like gold, the officers have to abide by them, inmates without them hate them.

I had a bottom bunk pass for 2/3’s of the time I spent in jail, a 2nd mattress pass, etc after breaking my back in 2011. I spent well over a year on a top bunk.

Why are bottom bunks the ones normally wanted the most? I’ll give you a few reasons from my experience’s.

  1. The lights.

    a. In jail the lighting is very obnoxious and bright, you only get a few hours of lights out (Usually from 11 PM – 4/5 AM but it’s never totally dark due to safety bulbs in each florescent light.

    Being on the bottom bunk you can avoid the bright light in your eyes which is a horrible way to wake up at 4 AM. You can also have more privacy by hanging a towel, sheet or clothing item which bring me to my 2nd reason.

    b. Privacy.

    By hanging a towel/sheet you can basically eliminate nearly all the light in your bunk, not have 3 dudes watch you sleep, or do whatever criminal thing you would want to get away with out of the view of the cameras or simply have a get away from the other 16 dudes you share your unit with.

2. Ease of Access.

a. Let’s face it, jumping down on to a cold concrete floor 8–10 times a day for standing head counts isn’t easy on the knees or your ankles. Climbing back up is a wicked pain on the knees and lower back.

b. You also better hope you get along with your bunkie because you step on his things, his blanket/mat, etc and you’re going to have problem. I would’ve if it happened more than once after explaining the inmate rules, you make it clear very quickly to a new bunkie how the system works.

You don’t have many rights left in jail so your cleanliness is one of the only things they can’t take away from you.

New inmates learn very quickly that those on bottom bunks have the seniority in that unit which comes along with more respect from new inmates.

There’s a few more reasons I can think of honestly but I don’t want to make this too long.

Bottom bunks are earned by seniority, bottom bunk passes, and/or muscles.

What do you bring to the table?

As a police officer, what is the kindest thing a suspect ever said to you?

One graveyard shift, I was driving west on Sunset Blvd around Fairfax. I always drove with my window down. I heard a small, brief, horn-honk and a car pulled up alongside. “Officer, pull over, I need to talk to you!” We slowed ourselves, stopping the car, and gave our location.

The driver, later ID’ed as, “Nick”, exited his car, as did my trainee and I. As he approached me, he suddenly reached deep into his right front pants pocket. My left hand already had my flashlight illuminating him, while my right hand went to my gun, unsnapping it and beginning to rock it toward drawing down on him. Suddenly his hand emerged containing nothing more than a glass tube. He threw the glass tube, the type used for the smoking of rock cocaine, onto the hood of my police car. Nick looked at me and said, “I need you to arrest me and put me in jail. I am addicted to rock. I can’t stop, please help me!”

I was still in the single digits of years of sobriety. I told him I’d do what I could. Nick was going through withdrawals only, he was not under the influence at the time.

I arrested Nick for violation of 23152(c) CA Vehicle Code – Addict Driving. It was the only time in my 30 years that I used that section to arrest anyone. You need not be under the influence of anything, your life just needs to be horribly upset by your addiction. I gave Nick his Miranda Warnings, which he waived, and asked him about his daily life and use of rock cocaine. A picture of a life destroyed by drugs emerged. He signed his statement, gratefully, and happily went to jail. Weeks later, I got an on-call subpoena for his case, but was told he’d copped out. The courts sentenced him to treatment.

Months maybe a year, later, I was off-duty and at the L.A. Convention Center attending a talk by Father Joe Martin, a Roman Catholic priest who was very active in recovery work. I was in line to get a soda, when there was a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see NICK!, who gave me a hug and told me he’d been clean and sober since his arrest. Nick said that I had helped save his life.

The United States unilaterally announced an expansion of its continental shelf sovereignty claims in the Arctic Ocean, covering an ocean area of approximately 1 million square kilometers. Is this reasonable? Why no country opposes?

If I hadn’t happened to see a piece of news from Russia, I wouldn’t have noticed this important information at all.

The U.S. government has encircled more than 1 million square kilometers of ocean in the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea near Arras.

Oh my God, 1 million square kilometers is three times the size of Malaysia’s territory and ocean area!

image 44
image 44

The U.S. Initiates Extended Continental Shelf Claims Tuesday, the U.S. Department of State announced plans to move forward with extended continental shelf claims in the Arctic

This is almost the largest territorial (territorial sea) sovereignty change in the world since the end of World War II. Such information has not received any attention in the Western mainstream media.

The reason given by the Americans is: According to the “United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea”, they began mapping the submarine continental shelves in these two areas in 2003 and discovered their geographical connection with Alaska. So in December 2023, they cited the “United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea” The Articles of the Convention “ ECS” lay out claims to this maritime area and put them on the map.

What is embarrassing is that the United States is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea at all. This means that the United States wants to occupy 1 million square kilometers of high seas based on a treaty that it has not signed.

There are huge amounts of flammable ice, oil, natural gas and mineral resources under this sea area.

The questioner asked: Why did no country object?

Of course, the only one who objects is Russia, because they are the only neighbor in this sea area.

Given the relationship between the United States and Russia, I don’t think Russia’s opposition will play any role.

Eventually, the map of the United States will most likely expand by 1 million square kilometers.

No country will care, or in other words, they will all quietly shut up.

You keep asking…

WW3 FOR DUMMIES

Gaius Baltar

Dec 26, 2023

Note to readers: This is a repost of an article I wrote and was published on June 18, 2022 – 18 months ago. That was long before I started a Substack account. Some of you may already have read it. When it was published on “the saker” blog, the Russo-Ukraine war was still young but an obvious civilizational conflict was underway. This article was an attempt at describing some of the forces driving the conflict, including economic ones.

The article went viral and got republished all over the place in many languages – including on Zerohedge. I have no idea how many views it got in total but it was hundreds of thousands, possibly millions. I suspect it was one of the most read articles on geopolitical/economic issues in 2022.

The geopolitical conflict is far from over and the scenarios outlined in the article are probably not going to be realized for some time (if at all – let’s hope!), but I’m curious to hear what you readers think of the current situation in the world and where we might be heading – either with this article as a framework or in general. It’s also healthy to revisit one’s thinking in the past and evaluate it.

Be warned that the article contains some doom-porn, but according to global web traffic results humans like nothing more than porn!

This is however not the main reason I’m posting this old article here on Substack. The reason is a book that was just published which addresses in detail one of the main points of the article; the enormous global debt and how it may be resolved.

The book is called “The Great Taking” and is authored by David Rogers Webb. I haven’t read it yet but I plan to. I heard it is quite interesting and you might want to take a look if you are looking for something to read between Christmas and New Year’s.

World War 3 for dummies

By Gaius Baltar

Some knowledgeable people, apparently including the Pope, are beginning to suspect that there may be more going on in the world than just the war in the Ukraine. They say that World War 3 has already started and things will get worse from now on. This can be difficult to determine while we are participating in the unfolding events and do not have the benefit of the historical perspective. It is doubtful that people back in 1939 realized that they were looking at the start of a major worldwide conflict, although some may have suspected.

The current global situation is in many ways like a giant jigsaw puzzle where the general public only sees a tiny part of the complete picture. Most don’t even realize that there may be more pieces and don’t even ask these simple questions: Why is all this happening and why is it happening now?

Things are more complicated that most people realize. What they see is the evil wizard Vladimir Saruman Putin invading innocent Ukraine with his orc army – for absolutely no reason. This is a simplistic view to say the least because nothing happens without a reason. Let’s put things in perspective and see what is really going on – and why the world is going crazy before our eyes. Let’s see what World War 3 is all about.

The pressure cooker

The West (which we can define here as the US and the EU) has been maintaining pressure on the entire world for decades. This does not only apply to countries outside the West, but also to Western countries which strayed from the diktats of the West’s rulers. This pressure has been discussed widely and attributed to all kinds of motives, including neocolonialism, forced financial hegemony and so forth. What is interesting, particularly during the last 20 years, is which countries have been pressured and what they do not have in common.

Among the pressured countries we find Russia, China, Cuba, Venezuela, Libya, Syria, Serbia, Thailand and Iran to mention a few. There have also been recent additions, including India and Hungary. In order to understand why they have been pressured, we need to find out what they have in common. That’s not easy since they are extremely different in most ways. There are democracies and non-democracies, conservative and communist governments, Christian, Muslim and Buddhist countries and so on. Still, many of them are very clearly allied. One must ask why conservative and religious countries such as Russia or Iran would ally themselves with Godless communists in Cuba and Venezuela.

What all these countries have in common is their desire to run their own affairs; to be independent countries. This is unforgiveable in the eyes of the West and must be tackled by any means necessary, including economic sanctions, color revolutions and outright military aggression.

The West and its NATO military arm had surrounded Russia with hostile countries and military bases, armed and manipulated Ukraine to be used as a hammer against it and employed sanctions and threats. The same thing was and is happening in Asia where China is being surrounded by all means available. The same applies to all the Independents mentioned above to some extent. In the past 10 years or so the pressure has increased massively on the Independents and it reached almost fever pitch in the year before the Russian invasion of the Ukraine.

During the year before the Ukraine war, the US sent its diplomats around the world to tune up the pressure. They were like a travelling circus or a rock band on a tour, but instead of entertainment they delivered threats: buy this from us and do what we tell you or there will be consequences. The urgency was absolute and palpable, but then came the Ukraine war and the pressure went up to 11. During the first month of the war, the entire West’s diplomatic corps was fully engaged in threats against the ‘rest of the world’ to engineer the isolation of Russia. This didn’t work, which resulted in panic in political and diplomatic circles in the US and Europe.

All this pressure through the years, and all the fear and panic when it didn’t work, are clearly related to the events in the Ukraine. They are a part of the same ‘syndrome’ and have the same cause.

The debt dimension

There have been many explanations for what is going on and the most common is the fight between two possible futures; a multipolar world where there are several power centers in the world, and a unipolar world where the West governs the world. This is correct as far as it goes, but there is another reason which explains why this is happening now and all the urgency and panic in the West.

Recently the New Zealand tech guru Kim Dotcom tweeted a thread about the debt situation in the US. According to him all debt and unfunded liabilities of the US exceed the total value of the entire country, including the land. This situation is not unique to the US. Most countries in the West have debt which can only be paid back by selling the entire country and everything it contains. On top of that, most non-western countries are buried in dollar-denominated debt and are practically owned by the same financiers who own the West.

During the last few decades the economy of the US and Europe has been falsified on a level which is difficult to believe. We in the West have been living far beyond our means and our currencies have been massively overvalued. We have been able to do this through two mechanisms:

1.       The first one is the reserve status of the dollar and the semi-reserve status of the euro which have enabled the West to export digital money and receive goods in return. This has created the enormous financial power for the West and enabled it to function as a parasite on the world economy. We have been getting a lot of goods for free, to put it mildly.

2.       The second falsification mechanism is the increase in debt to a level where we have essentially pawned everything we own, including our houses and lands, to keep up our living standard. We own nothing now when the debt has been subtracted. The debt has long since become unserviceable – far beyond our ability to pay interests on – which explains why the interest rates in the West are in the neighborhood of zero. Any increase would make the debt unserviceable and we would all go formally bankrupt in a day.

On top of all this, the falsification has created artificially strong currencies in the West which has boosted their purchasing power for goods priced in non-western currencies. These mechanisms have also enabled the West to run bloated and dysfunctional service economies where inefficiencies are beyond belief. We have giant groups of people in our economies that not only create no value, but destroy value systematically. What maintains the West’s standard of living now is a small minority of productive people, constant debt increase, and parasitism on the rest of the world.

The people who own all this debt actually own everything we think we own. We in the West own nothing at this point – we only think we do. But who are our real owners? We know more or less who they are because they meet every year at the World Economic Forum in Davos along with the western political elites who they also happen to own.

It is clear that our owners have been getting increasingly worried, and their worries have been increasing in sync with the increased pressure applied by the West on the rest of the world, particularly the Independents. During the last Davos meeting, the mood was bleak and panicked at the same time, much like the panic among the western political elites when the isolation of Russia failed.

What is about to happen

The panic of our owners and their politicians is understandable because we have come to the end of the line. We can no longer keep up our living standard by debt increase and parasitism. The debt is reaching beyond what we own as collateral and our currencies are about to become worthless. We will no longer be able to get free stuff from the rest of the world, or pay back our debt – let alone pay interest on it. The entire West is about to go bankrupt and our standard of living is about to go down by a massive percentage. This is what has our owners panicked and they see only two scenarios:

1.       In the first scenario most countries in the West, and everything and everyone within them, declare bankruptcy and erase the debt by diktat – which sovereign states are able to do. This will also erase the wealth and political power of our owners.

2.       In the second scenario our owners take over the collateral during the bankruptcy. The collateral is us and everything we own.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out which scenario was chosen. The plan for the second scenario is ready and being implemented as we speak. It is called ‘The Great Reset’ and was constructed by the people behind the World Economic Forum. This plan is not a secret and can be examined to a certain degree on the WEF website.

The Great Reset is a mechanism for the seizing of all debt collateral which includes your assets, the assets of your city or municipality, the assets of your state and most corporate assets not already held by our owners.

This asset seizure mechanism has several components, but the most important are the following four:

1.       Abolishment of sovereignty: A sovereign (independent) country is a dangerous country because it can choose to default on its debt. The decrease in sovereignty has been a priority for our owners and various schemes have been attempted such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the Trans Pacific Partnership. The most successful scheme is undoubtedly the European Union itself.

2.       The down-tuning of the economy: The western economy (and indeed the global economy) must be tuned down by a very significant percentage. This down-tuning is necessary because the western economy is massively falsified now and must be taken down to its real level – which may be as low as half of what it is now – or more. The slow takedown has also the purpose of avoiding a sudden crash which would cause massive social unrest which would be a threat to our owners. A controlled takedown is therefore preferable to an uncontrolled crash. This controlled takedown is already happening and has been going on for quite some time. Many examples can be mentioned of this takedown, including the EU and US energy policy which is designed to sabotage the western economy, and the obvious attempts at demand destruction during and after the epidemic, including the fairly bizarre logistical problems which suddenly came out of nowhere.

3.       Asset harvesting (you will own nothing and be ‘happy’): All assets that can be considered to be collateral to our private and collective/public debt will be taken over. This is a clearly stated aim of the Great Reset but it is less clear how this would be carried out. Total control of western governments (and indeed all governments) would seem to be necessary for this. That precondition is closer than one might think because most western governments seem to be beholden to Davos at this point. The process will be sold as necessary social restructuring because of an economic crisis and global warming and will result in massive decrease in living standards for regular people, although not the elites.

4.       Oppression: A great many people will not like this and an uprising is a likely response, even if the takedown is done gradually. To prevent this from happening, a social control mechanism is being implemented which will erase personal freedom, the freedom of speech, and privacy. It will also create absolute dependence of the individual on the state. This must be done before the economic takedown can be completed or there will be a revolution. This mechanism is already being implemented enthusiastically in the West as anybody with eyes and ears can see.

Russia, China and other Independents

How do Russia and China, and the war in Ukraine, factor into all of this? Why all the pressure from the West throughout the years and why all this panic now? Part of the reason for the pressure on the Independents, particularly Russia and China, is simply that they have resisted western hegemony. That is enough for getting on the West’s naughty list. But why the increased pressure in recent years?

The reason is that Russia and China cannot be subjugated through bankruptcy and their assets harvested. They do not have much debt in western currencies which means that the people who own the West through debt do not currently own Russia and China (like they own the West and the indebted ‘third world’) and cannot acquire them through debt. The only way to acquire them is through regime change. Their governments must be weakened by any means, including economic sanctions and military means if necessary -thus the use of Ukraine as a battering ram for Russia and Taiwan for China.

Subjugating Russia and China is an existential issue for our Davos owners because when they take the western economy down, everything else must go down too. If the western economy is taken down and a large economic block doesn’t participate in the downfall, it will be a disaster for the West. The new block will gain massive economic power, and possibly unipolar hegemony of sorts, while the West descends into a feudal Dark Age and irrelevance. Therefore the entire world must go down for the Great Reset to work. Russia and China must be subjugated by any means, as well as India and other stubborn nations.

This is what has fueled the situation we now find ourselves in and will fuel the continuation of World War 3. The western owner-elites are going to war to keep their wealth and power. Everyone who resists must be subjugated so they can follow the West into the planned Great Reset Dark Age.

The reason for the current panic among western elites is that the Ukraine project isn’t going as planned. Instead of Russia being bled on the battlefield, it is Ukraine and the West that bleed. Instead of the Russian economy crashing resulting in Putin’s replacement by a Davos-compatible leader, it is the West’s economy that is crashing. Instead of Russia being isolated, it is the West that is being increasingly isolated. Nothing is working, and to top it all off, Europe has given the Russians the means and motive to destroy the European economy by partly shutting down its industry. Without Russian resources there is no European industry, and without industry there are no taxes for paying for unemployment benefits, pensions, all the refugees and pretty much everything else which holds European societies together. The Russians now have the ability to engineer and uncontrolled crash in Europe which is not what Davos planned. An uncontrolled crash might see Davos heads roll, literally, and that is causing fear and panic in elite circles. The only solution for them is to move on with World War 3 and hope for the best.

What to do

The Great Reset of the world economy is the direct cause for World War 3 – assuming that is what is going on.  What can be done about this? From inside the West, little can be done. The only way is to somehow remove Davos from the equation, but that is most likely not going to happen for two reasons: The first one is that the Davos great resetters are too entwined in the western economy and politics. Davos is like an octopus with its arms and suckers inside every country’s elite circles, media and government. They are too entrenched to be easily removed. The second reason is that the western population is too brainwashed and ignorant. The level of their brainwashing is such that a large part of them actually want to become poor – although they use the word ‘green’ for ‘poor’ because it sounds better. There are, however, some indications that there may be divisions within western elites. Some of them, particularly within the US, may be resisting the primarily Europe-designed Great Reset – but whether this opposition is real or effective remains to be seen.

However, outside the West, there are certain measures which can be taken and must be taken. Some of those measures are drastic and some of them are being done as we speak. Among the measures are the following:

1.       The Independents, led by Russia, China and India, must create a block to isolate themselves from the radioactive West. This isolation must not only be economic, but also political and social. Their economic systems must be divorced from the West and made autonomous. Their cultures and history must be defended against western influences and revisionism. This process appears to be underway.

2.       The Independents must immediately ban all western sponsored institutions and NGOs in their countries, regardless of whether they are sponsored by western states or individuals. Furthermore, they must ban all media receiving western sponsorship and strip every school and university of western sponsorship and influences.

3.       They must leave all international institutions up to and possibly including the United Nations, because all international bodies are controlled by the West. They must then replace them with new institutions within their block.

4.       They must, at some point, declare the dollar and the euro currencies non grata. That means that they should declare default on all debts denominated in these currencies, but not other debts. This will most likely come at a later stage, but is inevitable.

This will create a situation where the West will descend into darkness without pulling others down with it – if we manage to escape the nuclear fire.

Cool things in China

Yeah. I keep forgetting that the rest of the world doesn’t do this…

What did someone do that made you think they were really smart?

Originally Answered: What was something that someone did that made you think they were really smart?

When my son was really young (about 3) we were at a summer bbq in a friend’s garden with a few other friends and their kids.

The kids were a range of ages, up to about 8 or 9, with my son being the youngest. One of the kids was playing with a ping pong ball which he’d accidentally dropped into a narrow hole in the grass about 8″ deep (where a fence post had recently been removed from) and became upset that he wasn’t able to get the ball back out.

A few of the other kids were trying to help, by squeezing their short fingers into the hole to retrieve the ball (unsuccessfully) while others attempted using sticks to wedge it out to no avail. All the while, my son was closely watching the other older kids in their endeavours.

When my son asked me to take him to the kitchen for a glass of water, I assumed he was just thirsty. But he took the glass of water undrunk and walked back out to the garden. He then went up to where the other kids were gathered, still trying to retrieve the stuck ball and proceeded to pour the whole glass of water into the hole. . The ping pong ball then floated up to the top of the hole, where one of kids grabbed it and a couple of them cheered.

My son didn’t say anything but I was watching on the sidelines, absolutely taken aback at the ingenuity of it – displaying lateral thinking when he wasn’t much more than a toddler.

As a scientist myself, I was delighted to realise my young son had apparently discovered Archimedes principle all by himself!

He’s almost 8 now and is definitely still passionate about science, maths and nature.

NASA’s Webb Snaps Supersonic Outflow of Young Star

18 1
18 1

What cosmetic changes in a house adds more value to it?

I had my condo for sale for a year, at the end it was done to 60percent of comparables, and I didn’t have an offer.

I took it off the market removed the wall paper, and painted the entire house, put in new cheap carpet, with a thick plush underlay. I got laminate flooring on sale. I tore out my old carpet and hauled it to the dump. I bought clearance blinds to replace the old faded drapes.

I had bought the condo during a low in the market in 1986, for $42,000 , I had tried to sell it in 2000 , for 100,000 and dropped it to $59,900 and never had one offer. There were no condos on the market for less. I had a 3 bedroom, and 1 bedrooms were going for more.

I spent 6 months renovating, and put it back on the market for $110,000 and sold it for asking price the same day.

I spent $4000 on painting, flooring, and blinds.

The place had wall paper when I bought it, and I hated it, but was too cheap to replace it. But to make a sale, I painted. It had linoleum and I replaced it with laminate, The drapes with blinds ( which were popular in 2000) . Then I scrubbed it spotless.

My realtor told me that I was foolish to spend $4000 on cosmetics, because people would want to pick their own stuff. But I think doubling the value in 6 months, shows that cheap cosmetic changes paid off.

I don’t guarantee that your house needs the same things as my house did 23 years ago

Webb Celebrates First Year of Science With Close-up on Birth of Sun-like Stars

16 2
16 2

Attempted ‘color revolution’ in Serbia: What we know so far

Opposition activists forced their way into Belgrade city hall after claiming a municipal election was rigged.

23DEC23

Opposition forces in Serbia breached Belgrade’s city hall amid mass protests on Sunday. They claim the recent municipal election in the capital, won by the ruling party, was rigged. Senior national officials have described the protests as an attempted “color revolution,” and said they had been forewarned by Russia.

Mayorship

Belgrade is home to roughly a quarter of the Balkan nation’s population of over 6.6 million. The office of its mayor is viewed as one of the most important in Serbia.

Members of the city council, who vote the mayor in, were elected on December 17 – the same day as a national election and several municipal votes were held.

The ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of President Aleksandar Vucic won the most seats in the Belgrade City Assembly. The opposition Serbia Against Violence (SPN) alliance claims the outcome was achieved through voter fraud.

Early violence

In the week that followed the elections, the opposition staged several rallies in Belgrade, some of them marred by violence.

During a demonstration in front of the Republican Election Commission last Monday, leading Serbian statistician Milorad Kovacevic and several of his associates were reportedly attacked by activists. Police seized several knives and bats from protesters, local media said.

Election officials react

The Election Commission denounced the violence and claimed the rally was an attempt to disrupt its activities. The head of the commission, Vladimir Dimitrijevic, expressed hope that it was an isolated incident and that any future attempts to challenge the election result would remain legal.

The body investigated opposition claims that ‘phantom voters’ had been allowed to cast ballots in Belgrade, but reported on Sunday that it had found no evidence that the election had been “stolen.”

Sunday riot

On Sunday evening, hundreds of pro-opposition demonstrators gathered in the center of Belgrade after being rallied by the SPN. Opposition leader Marinika Tepic, who declared a hunger strike last Monday and claims to be living on IV infusions, was barred from entering the Election Commission building. Meanwhile, an improvised stage was erected near the presidential residence, with speakers and performers whipping up the crowd.

Later in the evening, some activists stormed city hall, claiming they were seeking “to liberate the institutions.” The police intervened and drove them out.

Aleksandar Sapic, head of the temporary city administration, shared images of the damage caused by the rioters in the historic building, calling it “irreparable.” He declared that Serbia must be protected from the use of violence for political gain. He used the term “Maidanization,” referring to the 2014 armed coup in Kiev, which set the stage for the current hostilities between Russia and Ukraine.

‘Color revolution’

President Vucic denounced the riot, calling it an attempted “color revolution” and claiming that a foreign nation had warned his government about the threat beforehand. Prime Minister Ana Brnabiс thanked the Russian special services for providing intelligence to Belgrade.

The term ‘color revolution’ is often applied to the mass uprisings by ostensibly pro-democratic political forces in the 1990s and 2000s, including in Yugoslavia in 2000. Russia and some other nations perceive the wave as masterminded by the West to further its geopolitical goals, and executed through NGOs, media outlets, and parties funded by the US and its allies.

The Vucic government has been presented with a dilemma amid the current confrontation between Russia and the West. It is seeking EU membership for Serbia, which would require the realignment of Belgrade’s foreign policy with that of Brussels. However, Vucic has rejected Western calls to cut ties with Russia and join the US-led sanctions campaign against Moscow.

Responding to the turmoil in Belgrade, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed it was an “obvious attempt by the collective West to destabilize the situation in the country through ‘maidan coups’,” according to RIA Novosti.

Webb Reveals Intricate Details in the Remains of a Dying Star (MIRI image)

15 1
15 1

What is the most hurtful thing someone has said to you?

My ex-husband & I had been married for a few years before I opened up to him about the sexual abuse I endured as a teenager, at the hands of my father. Naturally, he was upset and wanted to know why I’d waited so long to tell him about it. I informed him that while it was an awful point in my life, I had long ago dealt with the pain & made peace with myself about i, that it was something I didn’t think much of anymore, but that I had always intended to tell him when I felt the time was right. He seemed sat with my response, and we went on business as usual.

Fast forward 3 1/2 years later… we had a brutal argument one day about his habit of not coming home til the wee hours of the morning. His shift at work would end around 4pm each day, & while I understood the need or desire to have the occasional few beers with the guys after a hard day, it was happening far too often & he was being inconsiderate by staying out so late while I was left alone to care for our children (mind you, I also worked every day, as well.) Apparently, that enraged him and out of nowhere, with this extremely cold glare in his eyes, very calmly stated, “I bet you enjoyed what your father did to you…” I was crushed! The debilitating emotions I’d felt so long ago came rushing back to me, and I suddenly felt as if what I’d experienced in my childhood had just happened. I was violated all over again.

He did eventually apologize for what he’d said, but I was never able to look at him the same way. Three years later, we divorced.

The Crab Nebula Seen in New Light by NASA’s Webb (NIRCam and MIRI)

13 3
13 3

Why is Somalia considered a developing country?

Somalia is not a real country. Somalia is a geographical expression which exists only on maps and in the minds of believers.

This is what Somalia looks like in imagination with its imaginary capital of Mogadishu.

image 483
image 483

And this is what Somalia looks like in real life.

image 46
image 46

The red part what the UN-recognized Somalian government in Mogadishu (sorta) controls. When people talk about the “country of Somalia”, they’re unintentionally referring only to the red areas. That being said, the map is a little misleading. Even in the red area, the government lacks control over many local communities, especially in the northeastern area of Puntland. And the internal borders change on a day-to-day basis.

The yellow area is called Somaliland. It functions as an independent country. The government in Mogadishu has no control over Somaliland.

The gray areas are controlled by tribal communities and terrorist organizations. The government in Mogadishu has no control over the gray areas.

This is partly why Somalia is a developing country. The official government has control over less than half the country. This means that there are no nation-wide social services. No national education system; people are often unable to receive a non-religious education. No unified foreign policy. No well-maintained national infrastructure. And the people of Somalia are kinda too distracted by violence and political instability to invest in their futures. Large parts of the country are controlled by terrorists organizations.

Despite the above, Somalia does have a stable informal economy, based upon (mostly subsistence) agriculture. But no country every became wealthy by growing plants.

NASA’s Webb Findings Support Long-Proposed Process of Planet Formation

12 3
12 3

Oh My goodness

What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

I heard this story from my neighbour, and it happened to them about a month ago.

So my neighbour (27 male) was going on a road trip with his father (about 55 or so) and they had to pull over on the side of the road, only about a half mile or so from the city limits. The traffic was pretty bad, and obviously the person behind them didn’t appreciate having to wait for them to pull over through two lanes of traffic, and followed them off the road. My neighbour hadn’t noticed the man following them, until he got out of his car (a work ute for a construction company) and pulled out a metal pole from the back of his ute. He came up and smashed the back windshield of the car, swore at the father (who was driving) and began walking back to his car pretty slowly.

Before he could start his car again, my neighbour and his father had walked up to the other man’s car and pulled out their badges.

Both of them are cops, the father is the police captain of the station. My neighbour said the man smelt like heroin, so they checked the car and found a bunch of drugs and equipment for druggos.

He then told the man that he would have a lot of paperwork to fill out.

I love that story. Be careful who you mess with.

NASA’s Webb Identifies Tiniest Free-Floating Brown Dwarf (NIRCam Image)

11 3
11 3

Not to play

Nearby Planetary System Seen in Breathtaking Detail, Fomalhaut Dusty Debris Disk (MIRI Image)

10 3
10 3

Genuine friendship

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

Yes, indeed.

I was 17, hitchhiking my way to the South of France after leaving home for good. I was waiting at a spot on the Route Nationale 7 in the northern part of Lyon. Not a very good place if you wanted to go south, but it was the best I had been able to do.

An open Mehari with a long haired young man at the wheel passed. Thy guy grinned, honked and then shrugged in the universal gesture of: “Sorry, can’t help you, mate.”

image 482
image 482

Citroen Mehari, based on the 2CV, image credit: radicalmag

About half an hour later a police car stopped next to me. To my surprise it was the guy from the Mehari. Hair tied in a neat bun underneath his kepi, his bright and colorful clothing replaced by a sombre French police uniform.

He asked me where I was going. In abysmally bad French I explained that my destination was Toulon.

He told me to enter the car. My heart sunk as I thought my short lived adventure was already over and I would be returned home to my mother in Germany.

Well, from what little I understood he told me he needed to go a certain route, which he did. After about an hour’s worth of driving through all sorts of strange neighborhoods he dropped me off south of Lyon at the RN7, an ideal spot to get to where I was going. He wished me luck, waved once and sped off.

BTW, my French is much better these days

NASA’s Webb Scores Another Ringed World With New Image of Uranus

9 3
9 3

He could be right

What is your biggest regret in life?

My first instinct is to say “going into debt for a worthless degree.” At age 18, I took on almost $120k in debt for a B.A. in Communications from DePaul University in Chicago… a private, out-of-state university for me. After spending six years doing jobs that didn’t even require a degree, I had to go back for my Master’s in Teaching (also from DePaul) in order to get a career I wanted: teaching. Now, at age 40, I’m still paying for classes I took when I was 18… some $400 per month. That’s down from the $650 per month I paid right out of college, mainly because my father died and some of the loans were in his name only. I will be paying my student loans until I’m 52, assuming I don’t pay them off early.

But, then again, I met my wife in college, and she and the children she gave me are the best parts of my life. So maybe I don’t regret going into debt for college. Maybe it was worth it, after all.

My second instinct is to say “moving far from home for college.” When I was 18, I was so eager to spread my wings that I moved four states away for college. I went from living with my parents, to visiting them just once per year… then once every two years. There were so many times that I could have been there for my parents, but I was too far away. I gave up the chance to have a close adult relationship with them, before I realized what I was giving up. I hurt them and, as the years go by, the more I realize that I hurt myself, too.

But, then again, I met my wife in college, and she and the children she gave me are the best parts of my life. So maybe I don’t regret moving so far away for college. Maybe it was worth it, after all.

So my biggest regret is, I guess, not taking better care of myself when I was younger… particularly in my mid-20s, when adult responsibilities of a career, marriage, and children came along. The first thing to go, once my plate got full, was time at the gym. Then I started stress eating rather than stress working out. I worked hard in my early 20s to get in shape… lost 130 pounds in the process… and I squandered it all by the time I was 30. Now it’s starting to catch up to me. I’m sitting here, writing this now, when I would rather be riding my bike. It’s a nice day outside, but my left knee is in pain and stiff. According to the doctor, I have “more arthritis than they’d expect for a man my age,” but “that can happen when you carry a lot of weight around your whole life.”

If I could do it all over again, I’d go back to about age 15 and change only one thing: I’d only drink water (no soda, no coffee with cream and sugar), and maybe even go vegetarian, just for the reduced calories. Fast-forward 25 years, and I’m a much healthier 40-year-old man, still happily married and still with awesome children.

NASA’s Webb Reveals Intricate Networks of Gas and Dust in Nearby Galaxies

7 3
7 3

Daddy advice

What was the cleverest thing you said to someone walking away?

I lived in an apartment building. The upstairs neighbor seemed to think he was back in the dorm: parties all night, every night… people tromping around… music blasting with the bass turned all the way UP.

I tried a white-noise app. I got earplugs. I tried playing music next to the bed. My work was suffering.

Then I addressed him directly: I would go upstairs and politely ask him to please be a little quieter. No dice. I moved through the let-my-frustration-show stage… the angry stage… the I’ll-call-the-authorities stage…

When I couldn’t take the experiment in sleep deprivation any longer, I contacted our local city council to find out my options. Turns out there are regulations having to do with “health”: exceptionally loud noise is on a list of “stressors.”

They sent him a warning letter, saying if there were more complaints they might go so far as to serve eviction.

The following weekend a man turned up at my door. He was well-dressed, polite – older gent. He said he was Upstairs Neighbor’s father and could he talk to me?

Well, hey, I like to think I’m a reasonable person. “Sure, c’mon in…”

He pulled out the letter the Health Department had sent the UN and started waving it about, accusing me of intolerance, trying to cause problems for his son, on and on. He told me I should move out – “Nothing wrong with people having company and enjoying music. I’ve been in his apartment and the music is never loud.” As if the kid would give the old man full blast and prove I had cause for complaint.

I was taken aback, as much as anything because it never occurred to me a 30-year-old would have to send “Daddums” to confront a neighbor. Father wanted me to withdraw the complaint. I refused. He ranted some more, then got up to leave, crabbing the whole way about “How do you have the nerve” and so on. I saw him to the door, and as he stepped into the hallway he turned and said bitterly, “I am so disappointed.” “I understand, sir. If I had children who behaved as your son has, I’d be disappointed too.”

He was at a loss for words. It was so gratifying. 😉

NASA’s Webb Telescope Captures Rarely Seen Prelude to Supernova (NIRCam and MIRI Image)

6 2
6 2

Rejection rules

Why is it bad to be overly competitive?

When I was 18, I placed second in the state finals of the 50 freestyle — and wish I’d just gotten last. At that stage of my life, everything was about swimming. I obsessed over it and hoped to go to the Olympic trials some day.

The worst part, I lost by .03 seconds. It was a sickening moment as my biggest goal of the year slipped between my fingers. I grew up with competition dripping from every corner of my home. Both of my parents were competitive swimmers and my identity was all tangled up in the sport.

It feels weird now, looking back and realizing this was still a moment for celebration and appreciation. Second in the state was nothing to hang my head over. But I’d fallen victim to zero sum thinking that is so common with competition — and often quite toxic.

The curse of second place is even scrutinized by academics. In a study led by economist, Dr. Adrian Kalwji, researchers studied the life expectancy of 978 US Olympic medalists from 1904 to 1936. On average, gold medalists lived to 73. Bronze medalists lived to 75 and silver medalists lived to 70. The study speculates that dissatisfactory outcomes for silver medalists have lasting effects on their life, both in socioeconomic status and psychological contentment. Their insights aren’t merely for sports, but extend to human thinking on competitive systems. Why is second place so fraught with disappointment?

When I won silver, there was a feeling of squandered opportunity. I was so close I could smell it. I walked into the showers after my race on the verge of tears, and thought through the small mistakes I made and questioned everything. Could I have reacted quicker off the block? Could I have timed my turn better? Was my training wrong?

image 481
image 481

Second place hits hard because we use “relative standing” when analyzing outcomes. A silver can easily make you feel like the first loser. In a study of social comparisons by Dr. Abraham Buunk, his team found these comparisons make us feel better or worse, depending on which direction we focus on. Moreover, it is less the outcome that determines our feeling, and more how we choose to interpret it.

We anchor our self-perception to the nearest reference points which creates a framing problem. For example, in one study, participants said they’d rather live in a world where the average salary was $25,000 and they earned $50,000, than one where they earned $100,000 and the global average was $200,000. It is strikingly easy to look up, rather than down.

Which brings to mind one of my grandfather’s funnier moments demonstrating this concept. As young children, my sister and I would stand at attention in front of him after doing a task. He would sit in his recliner as we recited what we’d accomplished like we were military cadets. In this case, it was related to a cleaning chore.

We stood at attention and, as a reward, grandpa pulled out a five dollar bill and handed it to me in full view of my 4-year-old sister and said, “Here you go!” Then, he reached into his wallet and handed my sister a one dollar bill. She looked down at it, grimaced in anger — then crumpled it up and chucked it at the wall. He immediately started laughing and then gave her five dollars. It highlighted the constant comparative thinking, which is why managing our expectations is so important.

After losing my 50 free, I went on to swim in college the subsequent year. I placed 3rd in the 100 free at the Atlantic 10 Championship and was thrilled. I’d barely qualified for finals and was in the outside lane. That bronze medal is my most prized accomplishment in sports and much of it is because of how unexpected it was. It felt like a gift.

Technically, I’d still lost the race. Why couldn’t I be happy about every defeat as I was with this one?

Why you should embrace 2nd place

When we are upset about an outcome not matching expectations, we often warp reality and use counterfactual thinking. Famed social economist, Daniel Kahneman, did an exercise where participants were told of two people, Mr. Crane and Mr. Thomas, who were rushing to catch their flight and were 30 minutes late because of their driver. Mr. Crane missed his flight by 30 minutes and Mr. Thomas missed his by five. Nearly every participant said Mr. Thomas was surely more upset than Mr. Crane. Why? Because he was so close to catching his flight.

In reality, the discrepancy didn’t matter. You either catch your flight or you don’t. The outcome has already occurred and there is no benefit to resenting one’s self over it.

Dr. Sergio Pellis studied how rats play fight during development. Often, a large rat will jump on a smaller one and have an immediate advantage and be poised to win. But around 30% of the time, the initiating rat will allow the other to win. The act of getting second place is fundamental to their bonding, contentment and development. If the larger rat dominated every time, he’d lose his training partner, peer, and they’d both miss out on learning. Without realizing it, they celebrate their silver metals.

Competitiveness that’s focused on improving a skill rather than dominating others is proven to increase satisfaction and competency. It is healthier and more logical, because losing is an inevitable consequence of competition. In my case, losing that swim race in high school lit a fire under me, and allowed me to perform well in college. I swam far better times and appreciated the consequence of small improvements to my stroke. I never forgot that .03 second gap. Heck, I’m here writing about it 22 years later.

Lastly, I urge you to stay gracious in victory or defeat. How you conduct yourself impacts your own psyche and how people perceive you. An amazing thing happened after losing my race. The guy who beat me, Eric, was so cool about the whole situation. The next night, we competed in another finals. Just before, we were standing in line for the walkout where they play music to hype up our race. I was standing by him and casually turned and said, “Good race last night. Congrats. It was close.”

He smiled, patted me on the back and said, “Hey, it was all luck. Good race.” And I so appreciated his humility in that moment. He could have been arrogant as many good swimmers are, and said, “Yeah, I could have swam a half second faster if I tried more.” But instead, he paid homage to his competitor.

Remember that the bitterness of losing is a comparison problem. Being outperformed can be a way to bond with others and appreciate how far you’ve come. It can be motivation to study your performance and your victor’s. Beware of making counterfactual comparisons, and building in a bunch of assumptions about why things happened the way they did.

Perhaps on that night, I swam faster than I ordinarily would have. Maybe my opponent had a slower night than usual. There was no use blaming myself. It was an honor to compete and feel alive.

Losing does not put you on a moral low ground. Appreciate the coveted fire of motivation that competition gives you. Give thanks for the competency it instills. It is as my coach often reminded me, “You are in a one person race with yourself.” Focus on progress, not domination. A setback has transformative power, if you allow it.

NASA’s Chandra, Webb Combine for Arresting Views (Pillars of Creation)

5 4
5 4

Female friends?

Oh I am so glad that I do not live in the West.

I think that I am going to try to reincarnate as a cat.

Banbury Tarts

Banbury Tarts
Banbury Tarts

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups flour
  • Seedless jelly or jam (preferably currant or raspberry)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Beat in the egg yolks, then the vanilla extract.
  4. Slowly beat in the flour until combined and smooth to form the dough (the dough will be a bit stiff at the end, and you may need to add the last cup of flour by hand).
  5. Form the dough into small balls and make a depression in the middle with your thumb.
  6. Spoon a teaspoon or so of jelly in the depression.
  7. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Yield: about 5 dozen cookies

A Spiral Amongst Thousands

3 4
3 4

What do overweight people understand that most people don’t?

Lots of things.

  • We’re not fat because we’re lazy. We work harder than thin people do. Strap a 50-pound sack of flour on your back and keep it on all day, every day. You’ll then be working as hard as a fat person.
  • We’re not fat because we have no self-control. We control our diet far more than naturally thin people do. We resist things that thin people don’t think twice about.
  • You bitch that you can’t find clothes you like. We would love to have the opportunity to bitch that we can’t find clothes we like. Our problem is finding clothes at all. The fashion industry hates us because we don’t represent the image they want for their garments. We have to take whatever fits, whether we like it or not.
  • Weight is set by a complex collection of factors including genetics, hormones, metabolism, lifestyle, and even intestinal flora. Of these, lifestyle is the only one we have any control over. It’s not a sign of moral turpitude.
  • Airplanes are misery for us. Airlines brag about their legroom and let you upgrade to seats with greater distance between them. They never talk about hip and shoulder room and offer no options to improve that except upgrading to business class, which costs thousands.
  • Theater and cinema seats give us bruises.
  • Some medical equipment can’t handle us. [1]
  • Even some GPs (primary care physicians) have contempt for us and let it show. [2]
  • Doctors have a tendency to blame medical problems on weight rather than diagnosing as carefully as they would with a thin person. [3]
  • We are a prime target for scammers. The only people scammed with phony products more than we are are men with anxiety about their penises.
  • We are ashamed much of our lives. Ashamed to be seen to be out of breath, ashamed not to fit in a crowded elevator, ashamed to bump into people in crowds, ashamed when a nurse weighs us, ashamed to meet people who knew us before we were fat. Why have I never been to a high school reunion? Shame.

Footnotes

[1]The Obesity Problem in U.S. Hospitals

[2]Impact of weight bias and stigma on quality of care and outcomes for patients with obesity

[3]Fat shaming in the doctor’s office can be mentally and physically harmful: Health care providers may offer weight loss advice in place of medical treatment, researchers say

NASA’s Webb Uncovers Star Formation in Cluster’s Dusty Ribbons, NGC 346 (NIRCam)

4 4
4 4

What is the best thing you have ever learned from a criminal?

I once employed a guy that was dubious at best. He was always talking flat out. In his words he would say “Yeah that’s the dexies mate” when I would ask him to slow down. This is when I was in my mid 20’s and Google wasn’t a thing yet. Yahoo and Alta Vista were, however I had bigger things to fry let alone checking out what “dexies” meant.

Anyway, one day we’re in the car together. This isn’t my favourite thing to do with this particular employee however, he was the only one not waist deep into a job working on the pinball machines, arcade video games and jukes boxes we would repair and sell. We were close to my house and I thought I would drop in and grab something before going back to work. Forgetting who was with me I got out of the car and walked inside. The guy followed, that’s okay. I didn’t give it a second thought until he said this:

“Nice house, lots of nice cool stuff here (as he was looking at the big (for it’s time) 68 cm Sony CRT TV, Slim line Sony DVD player, and stainless and glass custom built cabinet.” He was scanning the house, when I remembered he had told me once he had spent some time in jail. I remember holding my breathe for a second and thinking “Shit… what have I done here? Is this guy taking inventory of my house?”

Then he said this:

“I see you have an alarm box out the front and your key pad is near the telephone which is near the sliding (glass) door. Don’t do that.”

I looked at him a bit puzzled. He had cased my house in less than 5 seconds. When he told me how a criminal would think. He said this:

“Look you have a bowling green style front lawn and a good looking house, like some of the other houses on this street, it’s nice. So, people are going to look… like a nice looking car. Then if your house peaks someones interest, they will case the house when you’re not home, or maybe while you are mowing the front lawn because, you can’t hear them, and you’re intently watching the lawn mower to make sure you don’t run over sprinklers. The guy would see you have an alarm box out the front and be looking for where the phone is through your nice big glass sliding door window.”

Then the guy took me out the front and told me exactly what “his people” did when we were looking at the alarm box.

He pointed up the alarm box and said: “We buy / steal a can of “Space Invader” (This is a can of expanding foam. Ironic I was in the arcade game industry and this guy is telling me how people break into houses using a product called “Space Invader”) from the hardware store. You take the bottom of the can and you smash the blue light. No alarm is going off yet. You then shove the tube of the Space Invader can into vents on the side of the alarm box and fill the box until the Space Invader oozes out of the box. Then you go to where the phone is.

This is the product called “Space Invader”

image 488
image 488
image 489
image 489

It works like this. Spray it in… and in seconds it will expand after spraying and dry.

This is what Wikipedia says:

“Spray foam is a chemical product created by two materials, isocyanate and polyol resin, which react when mixed with each other and expand up to 30-60 times its liquid volume after it is sprayed in place.”

They would spray it into one of these:

image 486
image 486

They would spray the stuff into the vents on the side. The one I had was made of metal back then. This is also the light they would smash off with the base of the Space Invader can.

He continued:

“You get to the window / door that is closest to the phone. By this time the Space Invader will be close to dried. Wait a few minutes. (which I remember he said “When you first start doing “breaks” (short for “break and enters”) those few minutes with your heart racing can feel like hours. All you can hear is your heart racing in your chest) Then smash the window, there is no “quietly”… just do it fast. Get in and take the phone off the hook. This will stop the alarm system from calling the alarm company. The alarm will be going off out the front however, it will be muted, no one will be able to hear it, the light is gone, the cops aren’t coming. Take your time, don’t rush, or you‘ll miss the good stuff. Move quickly, but don’t run. Take what you need / want and leave”

In about 30 seconds he had summed up the “How to break into a house and get away with it” question I had never asked myself.

And then he said this.. “Oh but you have a big dog, you’ll be okay” as my dog Zanni rounded the corner to see we were inside the house and he was outside checking out who was inside.

image 485
image 485

This is Zanni. (He doesn’t normally wear a tie, however he had his best suit on as he was waiting for his date to come over before they went out on the town that evening.)

This was the best thing a criminal ever told me. The phone was moved, the alarm box was put way higher and in an awkward place to get to, let alone “install” and we did the rest of my neighbours houses as well.

Good to know how others think. I don’t have an alarm now. I have CCTV and a dog.

image 487
image 487

This is Mr Leo. He has taken over from Miss Jen, who took over from Zanni. All have put in more than 20 years of service.

Thanks guys, and Miss Jen.

image 484
image 484

This is Miss Jen.

What was the cruelest rumor you’ve heard about another kid when you were in school?

There was this boy in my class at school in 7th grade. He was short for his age. He kept to himself and never really mixed with anyone. He always ate his lunch alone on a bench seat which was on the edge of the playground just staring into space. It was like he was in his own little world and nothing mattered to him. I never saw him smile in all the time i knew him.

He would get called all kinds of names that really hurt him deep down. But he never retaliated or showed how much it hurt him, which seemed to infuriate his tormentors.

They were relentless. Mean. One day he stepped in front of a car outside of school and stopped in the middle of the road as if waiting for it to hit him. The driver screeched to a halt only inches away from his body. He was frozen and only moved when the driver asked if he was OK. He hung his head and walked away slowly.

Nobody chose him for team sports during PE and when he was the last one left everyone called him a loser and laughed at him. He hung his head and went to the far corner of the gym and sat down hiding his face in his hands.

They tormented him in the change rooms and started calling him a ‘homo, faggot and perv’. It wasn’t long before it had got around the whole school that this boy was a ‘homo’ and so everyone started calling him those terrible names.

He had fruit thrown at him from behind so that he never knew who it was. It hit him in the back of his head knocking him down to the ground. With tears in his eyes he tried to stand up but they came at him again and knocked his books out of his hands making him go down again. People laughed at him. He got up, grabbed his books, and ran outside and kept running till he couldn’t run any longer. He ended up walking for 10 miles just following a road not knowing were he was going. But he didn’t care if he died that day.

Still he didn’t retaliate. Or tell anyone. Or complain. The next week he wasn’t at school. Someone started a rumor that he committed suicide. Everyone laughed. Nobody called to see if he was all right. Nobody missed him. Nobody cared.

What they didn’t know was that his stepdad had hurt him so badly and that he was in hospital for three days. Too sick to attend school. He never told anyone about what happened when he returned to school. When everyone saw that he was still alive, they were disappointed. And told him to go kill himself. “Do it properly this time”.

He was still not well from what his stepfather did to him. When they pushed him into the lockers at school or tried to jam his head in the door, he let out a yelp. But the pain was not from what they did to him.

One day after PE he was acting very strange. He stood facing everyone with his head hanging low. As if his whole world was about to come crashing down. He was trembling. There was an unusual silence in the room that scared him. It was then that everyone saw his body. Covered in black and blue welts across his back, legs and arms. He had tears falling from his eyes and was clearly ashamed of his body.

The shower stung like a 1000 bees.

They didn’t touch his clothes or call him names or hit him; this time they left him alone.

That boy is me.

I never told anybody what had happened to me. I knew that if I snitched on my stepdad it would be 100 times worse. I was 12 and as far as I knew, nobody would help me even if I asked. I was too afraid of what he would do to me. I woke up every day hoping things would change. I didn’t hold grudges and never have. It helped me get through some depressing periods while i was at school.

I just wanted a normal life and to be happy.

I can’t say that I have found that dream and I probably never will. But at least I am in no danger now and I deal with the consequences of my childhood as it surfaces and as an adult I can put it in its proper place.

Why did the world stand silent and just watch when the evil CCP suppressed criticism and democracy in the free city of Hong Kong?

Because you, a normal people, who lacks bilingual ability and critical thinking, can’t distinguish truth from the sea of infomation in which propaganda hides.

If I say the “criticism” and “democracy” are just camouflages for America’s real intention to overthrow legitimate government, and 2019 riot is actually a West backed color revolution in the coat of “pro-democracy protest”, you must think I’m brainwashed.

However, I’m not. Simply because I’m bilingual. The organziers and main activists confessed they are funded and instructed by CIA and NED, also including MI6, and some other NGOs, but your media didn’t report this. And apparently you don’t read Chinese so you don’t know this.

This, in the academic field of Media and Communications, is called GATEKEEPING.

The news agencies had the right to decide which piece of news is to be reported. And the final news outlet is a result of FRAMING the narrative via news stories.

Narratives in news refer to news stories framed and presented to us about what’s happening in this world, and one major function of narrative is to shape our views on this world. And these views consist our attitude toward someone/something.

Like in this question, you think CCP is evil, evil is a attitude, which can be shaped by narrative, and narrative is the product of a series of news outlets.

As a passive receiver, you can’t ask news agencies feeding you whatever you want to know, but whatever they want you to know.

So, where to find the truth?

First, be bilingual, or at least knowing where to find the opposite voice. There are always English information from the other side, but you need to find it yourself.

Second, be of critical thinking. Some information is misleading, sometimes they even hide or delete something from the internet. When there’s only one side’s voice, it’s dangerous. Like Russia-Ukraine war, when Russia’s voice is muted, what you receive is the selected information.

Third, be open-minded to different voices. When I told you you’re brainwashed on HK matters, don’t argue back or leave, try to compare the differences and seek more information to verify yours or mine opinion.

Beef and Onion Stew (Stifado)

A traditional Greek Beef and Onion Stew makes a comforting cold-weather meal.

2024 01 11 12 10
2024 01 11 12 10

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 (2 pound) boneless beef chuck, tip or round, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarsely-ground pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 pounds pearl onions, peeled
  • Crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

  1. Cook and stir chopped onion and garlic in oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until onion is tender; remove with slotted spoon.
  2. Cook beef in remaining oil, stirring frequently, until all liquid is evaporated and beef is brown on all sides, about 25 minutes; drain fat.
  3. Return onion and garlic to Dutch oven. Stir in remaining ingredients except onions and cheese. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  4. Add white onions. Cover and simmer until beef and white onions are tender, about 30 minutes.
  5. Remove bay leaf and cinnamon. Garnish with feta cheese, if desired.

What is the dumbest thing you have ever done?

I drove out into the middle of a forest on a mountain.
Accompanied only by a man that I barely knew.
Without telling anyone where I was going.
To a place with no cell phone service.


I was 18. He was 25 and attractive.
I had known ‘of’ him (he worked at my company, in a different department), but I didn’t really actually know him. We both ended up at a party one night and, after chatting, we exchanged numbers.

He asked if he could take me hiking, and I said sure!

On Saturday, I packed up and he drove us for 2 hours into the wilderness of Mt. Baker. Halfway up, I realized… shit! I hadn’t told anyone where I was going (which you ALWAYS do if you’re going to be in the wilderness).

And my cell phone was out of service now.

And… who really was this guy next to me?!

I started to panic, as my anxiety fueled brain came up with bizarre ideas of what could happen.

“He could totes murder me and leave my body in the middle of the woods. This place is 119,989 acres… nobody would ever find me. And nobody knew I went with him for the day. If I were a murderer this would be, like, my dream come true.”

Luckily, I played it cool and halfway up the mountain blurted “Yo, don’t murder me bro!”

So smooth.


It turned out fine. He and I still go hiking together.
But, in all fairness, it was one of the dumbest/ most naive things I’ve done.

Always tell people if you’re going into the wilderness.
Don’t go off alone, out of cell phone service, with a man you barely know.

What is the most offensive thing you overheard someone sitting near you at a restaurant say?

I was in Chattanooga working at a franchise restaurant as a waiter after the mortgage crash some years ago.

We advertised specials on the weekdays and it would draw in a crowd that was less affluent. That’s fine, I get that people like to eat out and I provided them with the same outstanding service (I was always #1 or #2 in tips).

We had this one lady that would come in every few weeks, eat her food, and then complain to have it comped. There was nothing wrong with the food, etc. Of course I wouldn’t get tipped, either. The folks she would eat with were invariably embarrassed, but did nothing.

After enjoying this (not!) several times she came in again. They sat in my section. I notified the manager we had a comp. coming.

I took their drink and appetizer orders and, when I returned, I asked if they were ready to order their meal. When it was her turn I had to say it…

“And what free meal will you be ordering this evening?”

The table was silent. The manager on duty looked at me like I’d lost my mind but was smiling. In fact I think the whole restaurant got quiet as the end of my employment drew near.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked, loudly and indignantly.

It was so quiet you could hear the dishwasher run in the back.

“Well,” I said most matter of factly, “in my times serving you you’ve always complained and gotten your food and drinks for free when in reality there’s absolutely nothing wrong. I don’t get it. You’re not homeless, you’re well-dressed, showered, and obviously didn’t walk here (or anywhere, I’d guess), so you must like going out and eating for free. It’s happened here and probably going to happen again tonight. I thought I’d just clear the air a bit.”

Yes, if I had to do it over again I’d have rhymed off what she had ordered and not paid for, LOL.

She wasn’t happy, as you may imagine, and got rather loud in that very quiet establishment.

Good news is I don’t think she came back.

Bad news was neither did I.

The Enduring Stellar Lifecycle in 30 Doradus (Composite: Infrared + X-ray)

2 7
2 7

Have you ever had to lie to save your life?

“If I don’t call my mom right now, she’ll call the cops.”

Some background:

My mother devised a system of codewords and numbers that if used in certain ways meant different things. My older brothers would sometimes party with their friends in some not-so-great areas, so there were things that could be texted or said over the phone that saved them from bad situations. Maybe a rival gang showed up, the cops showed up, or there were unknown drugs on the scene (hey, we’ve all smoked a little weed).

The words were: breakfast sausages, kitty litter, tampons/pads/period (any could be used), ice cream, garbage, recycling

The numbers were 1–10.

”Breakfast sausages at 10?” Meant “Something is happening here and I feel unsafe”.

My mom would question “Does that work” for “do you need me to come get you”. Yes meant she came, No meant she alerted the cops who would usually just drive by.

So, how did this help me?

I was at a party where a guy was very insistent on getting me alone, and much bigger than I was. Upon getting me into a bedroom alone, he proceeded to push me down on the bed, and get on top of me. Over the noise of the party, screaming wasn’t working so I struggled, kicking and wiggling. When he grabbed my hair and yanked me up, I caught an old school alarm clock familiar red numbers and then started “freaking out”.

”Oh my god it’s so late I’m going to be f****in killed!” He stopped for a second, confused, and I said “I need to call my mom right now or she’ll call the cops! I was supposed to be home an hour ago!”

Immediately he was off of me and my phone was in my hand. No one wants cops at a party. My exchange with my mom went a little something like this:

”Hey mom, super sorry that it’s so late. I hope I didn’t worry you I lost track of time.”

”I thought you were going to stay with Theresa tonight after your party?”

”Oh crap yeah mom I’ll switch out the kitty litter tomorrow by 9. I’ll make sure I’m dropped off early so it’s done before the garbage is collected. Can you grab me some tampons at the store tomorrow?” (My would-be assailant is looking rather uncomfortable)

”I’ll throw on a robe and be there in 5. Be ready for me to scream.”

My mom proceeded to yell some rather nonsensical things at me over the phone, as I’d requested with “tampons”. “Garbage” was that whoever I was concerned about was near me, potentially being able to hear the phone conversation or read texts. “Kitty litter” meant I needed to leave ASAP, “9” meaning without cops.

My would-be assaillant was very uncomfortable and I left the room without a word, my mom yelling on the phone, and an overly exaggerated wince on my face. I reconnected with my friend and told her what happened, she walked me out with her boyfriend and ended up telling me that same guy had told her he thought we’d “really connected” and wanted my info.

In the end, I lied. But I would’ve been raped if I hadn’t.

It’s a system I’m glad to pass on to my daughter!

Reefer Madness 1936 | Full Movie | Louis Gasnier | Cult Classic | Dorothy Short | Kenneth Craig

Pushing, pushing, pushing…

Life happens, and you move on.

That is, as long as you are permitted to.

The story of the wife that assisted in my “retirement” from the ONI; MAJ is a long one and very painful for me to revisit.

You see, I was the FOURTH “husband” that she “retired”.

I originally thought it was two, but I discovered out later that she had three previous "husbands". Of course, they were bad, bla bla bla... And yes, each one ended up with problems. Where she profited greatly.

And while I don’t know ALL the details, it appears that I was the one that she got NOTHING out of. For she was living off the collective finances of the three previous “husbands”, whether insurance, alimony, or selling their resources. She got none of that with me.

Because of this…

… because of this failure in her efforts (sure she got me arrested, and I lost everything, she gained nothing.) She ended up with nothing. No profit. No money. No resources. No insurance settlements.

I think when you are expecting millions of dollars from bringing in “one big fish” only to see it go South, it turns you a little crazy. Or “crazier”.

And she has kept on doing everything in her power to “trip me up” and give me a hard time. Here is one such story…

When I was in the ADC, prison, I had to endure an all morning lie detector test. I, along with another 16 inmates were marched down to the gym, and waited as one by one, we were given lie detector tests. This one was quite different from the stuff that you see on television.

While it did measure heart-rate, body temperature and nerve impulses, it also measured voice. It was designed to look for changes in frequency and amplitude. Which was a novel idea. I had never thought about this. So all these measurements were taking place while watching my pupils dilate and all the rest. The system was designed to see ho my body reacted to all sorts of personal questions of a sexual and an interactive nature.

I answered as best as I could, and at the end the investigator told me that I wasn’t hiding anything. And of course, I wasn’t. As at that time, I had given up everything. I was stripped, defeated and was completely unguarded… an open book. Once you lose everything, you just don’t give a fuck any longer. It just doesn’t matter.

In fact, the other inmates made fun of me saying that “you can’t lie for shit“. I was that much of a predictable open book.

The point of this was to adjust our threat level. There were three threat levels. And when I was “retired” from MAJ in the ADV Pine Bluff, they established the lowest threat level for me.

But, apparently, my ex-wife, the one trying to poison me as part of my “retirement” wanted to raise all sorts of Hell for me, and this was one of her efforts. So she got the ADC geared up to give me a hard time. Sigh.

Federal Rules for classification are fixed.

I have level one. I possessed illegal pictures.

Level two would only be granted if I had physical contact with a minor.

And Level three was bodily harm to a minor.

So there was no way that my level was going to change. But they had to run a lie detector on me, by request by my ex-wife, to make sure that I wasn’t hiding anything. Sheech!

And if they suspected anything… they could keep me locked up indefinitely. How about that for control and power?

Ugh. Memories like this really get me into MAJ induced rages. Good thing that I auto calm, and am way, way, way outside the USA right now.

Don’t you know.

Today…

What was the best revenge you’ve ever gotten?

Not me but happened to a friend of mine: she worked in a large law firm in Dublin, Ireland. Her boss was a total prick, probably a psychopath. During the recession they cut people’s wages and even stopped serving coffee at meetings in order to cut costs – not that any of the senior partners took wage cuts. It is very expensive to live in Dublin; the situation was so bad that there was a constant stream of young, under-paid, financially struggling solicitors entering his office and begging for a pay-rise, any kind of pay-rise. With every one of them he pointed to a tray on his desk filled with c.v.’s and said if you don’t want to work here I have a large bundle of applicants who would be happy your take your job. No one got a raise.

Things came to a head when my friend entered an open competition for a position with the state-run Residential Tenancy Board, a kind of mediation body for disputes between landlords and tenants. It was known that my friend, along with several others in the same firm had sat the exam, and she scored extremely high, placing near the top of the panel. It was rumoured that the boss had applied as well. At the end of the office day he approached her desk and basically accused her of rummaging through another colleague’s desk and stealing his notes for the exam – something along the lines of “How can you prove to me that you didn’t go through Brian’s desk, and read his notes?” (Not that he gave a shit about Brian). This is a lawyer, asking another lawyer to prove her innocence under the presumption of guilt, that she was guilty until she could prove herself innocent. She knew this situation was untenable and said well I wouldn’t do that because it’s immoral, and illegal but it now seems clear to me that it might be best if I work somewhere else – she basically quit there and then in the most tasteful and honourable fashion. He exploded on the spot, demanding to know who would take over her cases and workload. She replied, “Well, you have a large bundle of c.v’s on your desk, hire one of them.”

What is China’s “peaceful rise” to power? How long will it last? Will China eventually become more aggressive like Russia and the United States?

No.

Absolutely not.

China has been the biggest power for 4800 out of the last 5000 years yet China did not invade or colonise nations thousands of miles from their shore!

China will not do what the U.S. do. That is for sure. It does not want to dictate to the world. It is too mature and responsible. China don’t see it is right or is it worthwhile for it to interfere and intervene every where. The repercussions to the U.S. is much greater than the U.S. dares to admit and bit by bit the U.S. benefits will evaporate and the humongous cost to the US will come home to roost.

China wants a free and vibrant world that is doing well and prosperous. When a peaceful and harmonious world becomes a reality China will trade with everyone. That is good for China, the Chinese people and the world too. Wars, interference and interventions are costly and harmful for the world. China sees it vividly and clearly that respecting the sovereignty of all nations is good for the world.

Just think about the U.S. spend billions building aircraft carriers and spend further billions to manned it and spend more billions circling the globe aimlessly. And if these interference lead to war, more billions need to be spend to fight these wars. And what does the US gets in returned? Mainly hates and disdained is all that they earn!

China is not blind and it is certainly very smart. It won’t want to do what the U.S. do. Not now, not in the past and not in the future! To China, the U.S. is “throwing sand in the sea” and basically self destructing.

What was the greediest thing you’ve seen a family member do?

Thirteen years after my dad died, we were notified that his father purchased land in another state, now owned by his children. A gas well was drilled on the property. Since my dad had died, his portion went to his three children. This is where the greedy part comes in.

My mom heard about this, I assume from my sister. She discovered that only us kids got to divide my dad’s portion. This news pissed her off to no end. Immediately, she got an attorney and demanded her share of the gas lease.

When the company that drilled the gas well communicates with the family, they copy EVERYONE. This is how I learned that my mom hired an attorney to ensure she got a piece of the pie. (I have been no contact with my narcissistic mother for fifteen years.) My mom took me out of her will years ago; she wanted to make sure I didn’t get too much. My mom’s actions were out of revenge and greed. If she couldn’t get it ALL, then she was going to make sure that I didn’t get more money than her.

Here is the best part. After years of waiting, my husband and I finally got a big check. One day, out of the blue, we received a envelope which we thought was another letter about the gas lease. After opening the envelope we could see it was a check. We were in disbelief, our jaws dropped, we could barely contain our excitement. As we looked at the numbers on the check, our minds began to wonder about the amount that was on my mom’s check. This was unreal. It was like no other point in our lives. This check changed our lives. It was the answer to our prayers. It proved to us the existence of karma!

After my husband and I calmed down, we started discussing how and where we would spend our $35.00. But more importantly, we laughed all the way to the bank, thinking about how much money my mom spent on an attorney to get a check that was less than $50. It was the best check we had ever received!

My dad’s share of the lease was 1/8th. Since he had passed, his three kids would split that into three equal portions. From what we can tell mom got 1/2 of dad’s share and left the other half to be split into thirds. In the comments people say that my mom is entitled to my dad’s share. I agree, yes she is. But the way she went about it was based on anger, revenge, and manipulation. I would have gladly given her my share if she’d asked. The last time my mom and I talked it was on this issue, I told her if I got any money from this I would put it in savings for my son – her grandson – who has a neurological disease. She decided to get the money for herself, which meant that she was so mad at me that she would take money from her grandson.

What’s the worst crime you have ever seen?

I have not seen it but I read this.

Brenda Spencer was a 16-year-old girl from San Diego, California.

Her parents were divorced.

her father was an alcoholic.

She had exceptional photography skills.

She was a good student.

It has also been said that she had been sexually abused by her father.

In1978, she started shooting birds in her neighborhood.

Later she was psychologically assessed and she was found to be depressed.

Her father purchased a Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle with a telescopic sight and 500 rounds of ammunition for her.

On January 29th, 1979, She shot and killed the principal and the school’s custodian.

Police arrested her after a standoff that lasted a few hours.

When asked why she did it, she said:

“I don’t like Mondays.”

image 373
image 373

It is a wrost crime.

Healthy dynamics in a family

Have you actually ever heard someone say ‘Do you know who I am?’ indignantly?

I worked in security at Heathrow Airport for a number of years and one of my roles was to process departing passengers. One day a tallish man tried reaching over a perspex barrier to retrieve a bag that was emerging from the x-ray machine. I was in the process of removing it in order that it could be inspected. He said “Do you know who I am?

I did. I won’t name him but he was the son of our serving prime minister at the time. He was the one who got lost for a few days whilst engaged upon a car rally across the Sahara desert.

Had he been as important as he thought he was he would have been escorted by the security service.

What is the most badass display of professional expertise you have ever witnessed?

When I was a young boy in Calcutta, one of my mother’s friends used to come over to our home on Sunday evenings and enjoy a glass (more like 7 glasses) of scotch. He was the MD of a medium size publicly listed company, a colourful character, had led an exciting life and always had stupefying stories to tell. He later went on to become the chairman of a very, very large listed Indian steel giant.

It might just have been the alcohol talking but he told us this.

He was at work one day when an ordinary looking man entered his office without an appointment. He invited himself in, sat down across the desk. Put his hand inside his bag, took out a sleek black pistol and put on on the table, barrel facing the Managing Director. He said, “look how bad your current security is, I could get in with a gun and so can anyone else. I represent XYZ Security firm. Our retainership amount per annum is Rs ABC. When do we start?”

They got the contract.

One of my husband’s friends complained to him that I had female hygiene products in plain view in the bathroom. Is that a big breach of etiquette in the UK?

When we moved in to our new house in 2020, my then 17-year-old son got his own bathroom. It wasn’t an en-suite, but it was right next to his bedroom and rather isolated from the rest of the house, so while others may use it, that was “his” bathroom.

One of the first things he did after moving in was get a nice-looking basket which he filled with a selection of high quality feminine hygiene products and placed on the back of the toilet.

He had read that a courteous host does that to make the women in their lives feel comfortable and welcome and to save them embarrassment if the need arises.

I think your husband’s friend needs to grow up at least as much as my teenager.

Edit —-

Before you think he’s too awesome, realize if I didn’t clean his bathroom, no self-respecting woman would ever use it.

He’s great, but he’s still a teenage boy.

Therapy

What is the most humiliating thing you have ever seen happen to a band at a concert?

I had tickets to see Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young at the Tampa Bowl on a nice warm evening. We got there early and as it was stadium seating we spread our blanket maybe 20 rows from the stage, right in the center. When the band came out they announced that they had a permit that would allow them to play into the wee hours but they were going to start the concert with some acoustic music.

During the first bars of the first tune the boos started. “We want rock and roll!!!” and so on. The noise from a mob of clowns down front was drowning out the music. Then someone threw a beer bottle onto the stage. The concert stopped abruptly. One of the singers again announced that the would play rock and roll until the wee hours but they intended to play an acoustic set first. The cheers drowned out the boos.

They started again but the assholes made it difficult to hear. For the second song, Neil Young sat down at the piano and started doing a solo. You may not believe this, but a “cool” thing to do among assholes back the was to get a mouthful of lighter fluid and as they spit it out they’d light it. People were shooting flaming liquids toward the stage. Finally, the police came in and hauled off a couple of morons. Young started to play again and there was more shouting and a beer bottle landed in the piano. Then a cherry bomb landed on the keyboard and exploded. Young got up and walked backstage.

The stadium went silent. Ten minutes later a helicopter landed behind the stage and it took off right away. The stadium lights came up and a guy walked out and announced that the band had left and the concert was over. We headed towards the other end of the stadium and out because we feared what the scumbags might do. That was the entire concert.

Have you ever seen a tattoo in Chinese on a non-Chinese person that did not say what they thought or were told it did?

Yes, and most of them are hilarious.

The tattoo is supposed to be a very serious and deliberate thing because it is permanent in a sense. However, here are some people who did a very funny tattoo in Chinese character. Maybe they did not know what is the real meaning of these Chinese or, I don’t know, they just want?

I saw many tattoo pictures of the non-Chinese person on the Internet and they can be roughly divided into three kinds.

1. Chinese old sayings

People did this type of tattoos generally know the meaning of that, but Chinese people rarely tattoo them on their bodies.

  • Beckham’s Chinese body tattoo
image 372
image 372

(Translation: Life and death are fated, riches and honour depend on the appointment of heaven)

  • Kenyon Martin
image 371
image 371

(Translation:Worry about personal gains and losses)

This Chinese idiom refers to very selfish people who pay too much attention to their own gains and losses.

  • Jameer Nelson
image 370
image 370

(Translation: Nothing is a taboo.)

2. Chinese food

  • A 20-year-old British designer fancies Chinese cuisine very much. One day, she came up with an idea that tattooed Chinese cuisine names on her waist.
image 369
image 369

(Translation: Sweet and sour chicken; fried noodle with beef; fried rice with egg and chicken meatballs.)

It looks like she printed a Chinese restaurant menu on the body. Next time she walks into a Chinese restaurant, all she has to do is rolling up her tops and say: I want this. Interesting.

  • This man got “Fried rice with pork” on his calf.
image 368
image 368

(Translation: fried rice with pork)

???

  • Are these people trying to cook themselves?
image 367
image 367

(Translation: Fish ball soup and sweet sour meat)

3. Some very confusing tattoos that are beyond my imagination

This is the funniest part. Many tattoos are far beyond my understanding.

  • Pig? on this man’s neck?
image 366
image 366
  • Shit?
image 365
image 365
  • Eunuch?
image 364
image 364
  • Diabetes?
image 363
image 363
  • I don’t know. I cannot speak Chinese.
image 362
image 362
  • Free rides on turgid model-mold?
image 361
image 361
  • Gold pig?
image 360
image 360

(All the pictures are from the Internet.)

Intel Sitrep

Have you ever been rude to someone and thought that you were right in doing so?

My husband had been raised by his grandparents so felt he owed them. We devoted our time to taking care of them and their house. We took them shopping, did the gardening, painted, built the wheel chair ramp and anything else they wanted. They had a daughter and grandchildren who refused to do anything. She said they lived their life now we are going to live ours. Then grandparents and us got the flu, they had a disabled daughter who was staying with us since grandma was in the hospital. She got released and we were told not to go near her. We asked the daughter to go get her and take her home, she sent the granddaughter. Granddaughter let her out in the street and drove away. Grandma called us and disabled daughter wanted to go home. I called the other daughter and told her off, granddaughter had to go to the airport to get her boyfriend. Why couldn’t she come after she got him, or her married brother? Her brother had to be home with the wife and kids. Grandma said let the disabled daughter come home. Grandma defended the daughter’s family. My husband was not included in the estate only his aunt. He was nothing to them but a handyman. He gave up and said we were moving unless he was in the will. We moved away and let them take care of the grandparents however they want. Grandma was widowed by then. Not sorry I told off his aunt. I never lose my temper or use harsh language, so they knew I was mad.

Chicken with Mangoes

Mango Chicken 3 1
Mango Chicken 3 1

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 whole chicken breasts
  • 1 (2 x 1-inch) piece fresh ginger root
  • 8 scallions
  • 1 (15 ounce) can mangoes
  • 3 cups vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons dry sherry
  • 4 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon granules
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

  1. Combine flour, 1 cup of the water, the salt and baking powder. Beat with whisk until blended. Let stand 15 minutes.
  2. Remove skin and bones from chicken and discard. Cut chicken into 1/4-inch wide strips. Mix strips into flour mixture.
  3. Pare ginger and cut into wafer-thin slices.
  4. Cut onions into 1/2-inch pieces.
  5. Drain mangoes and cut into 1/2-inch wide strips.
  6. Heat vegetable oil in wok over high heat until it reaches 375 degrees F. Add chicken, one strip at a time, to hot oil (cook only 1/4 of the chicken at a time). Cook until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on absorbent paper. Repeat to cook remaining chicken.
  7. Remove all but 1 tablespoon oil from wok. Reduce heat to medium. Add ginger to oil in wok. Stir fry until ginger is light brown, about 2 minutes.
  8. Combine remaining 3/4 cup water, the vinegar, sherry, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, bouillon and sesame oil. Carefully add to ginger all at once. Cook and stir until mixture boils.
  9. Add onions. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes.
  10. Mix chicken and mangoes into soy sauce mixture. Cook and stir 2 minutes.
  11. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

What was the strangest way an embezzler was caught?

There’s a newspaper in St. Catharines, Ontario, called The Standard.

The lady who worked the classified ad desk never missed a day of work. Rain or shine, sickness or health, she was there taking orders for classified ads which, at the time (the 1990s), were the lifeblood of any newspaper.

Then, one day, she had to be rushed to hospital.

And that day, ad revenues were twice what they had ever been.

A quick check of actual advertising revealed the paper was only being paid for half the ads they ran. An investigation showed that their classified clerk was moving large amounts of money through her bank account, mostly to go on shopping sprees.

They quickly figured out the reason she never missed a day is that her replacement would immediately notice that a lot more money was coming in than usual, which would indicate she was skimming half the proceeds for herself.,

Roncom moment

What is the lowest probability event you have personally witnessed?

I was working in Manhattan. I got a call from my kid’s school that he wasn’t feeling well and had to go pick him up. I had just finished developing a CD-based training program (this is early 90s, before this stuff was done online). On my way out, my assistant told me the CD master had just arrived and gave me a little plastic bag with the CD in it. I was in a hurry to leave and figured I could drop off the CD at home with my kid before returning to work.

Getting around Manhattan basically means getting into and out of yellow cabs. It’s pretty easy to find one.

image 355
image 355

Typical New York street

I catch a cab to my kid’s school. About 15 minutes later, I get dropped off. I greet my little one in the headmaster’s office and tell him we’re off to the doctor’s. As I’m waving down a taxi with my kid’s hand in mine, I realize I don’t have the CD bag. We go back into the school and it’s not there. Nobody remembered seeing me with a bag and, frankly, I didn’t remember having it in hand when I walked into the school. Oh, well, I thought, that was stupid. This was before Uber where you could call your ride to check on the back seat. This was, in fact, before everyone had cell phones. The bag and CD were gone.

I refocused on getting my kid to the doctor. Got him checked out. Got into another cab to a nearby pharmacy to pick up a prescription. Walked home and dropped my kid off with his nanny who was waiting there.

All this time I was hopeful they would be able to reproduce the CD master, wondering how long it might take, if it might delay the project, if I should tell my boss, etc.

I wave down a cab to go back to my office. While I’m thinking about all these things I see a bag on the floor. I pick it up and pull out my CD.

My assistant sees me walking in with the bag. “How is your baby? I thought you were dropping that off at home.”

“Kid is fine. Oh, the CD, yeah…” I figured she wouldn’t believe me if it told her the truth.

There is a mystery lien on my property (NJ). I paid property off. I can’t get in touch with the people who placed it there. I don’t know who they are. What do I do next?

I watched an investigative reporter type show look at liens in Ontario. It turns out that in Ontario they have this weird, habit of leasing hot water heaters, like it’s a car or something expensive. When they install the hot water heater, you sign a contract that lets them put a lien on your house until the hot water heater is paid off. They were typically 10 year leases. The lien is on the house , regardless of who owns it, and new owners just continue paying the lease, if you don’t pay it out. Anyway, there were some crooked companies that took advantage of this, and wouldn’t let you sell your house, without paying out the lease, and they wanted huge penalties, tens of thousands of dollars for early payment. Picture this, you have sold your house for $800,000, and everything clears, but it can’t be completed, because of this lien. They ask you for $15,000 to break the lease on a hot water heater that was worth $800 new. What do you do? Lose the sale? Pay the breakage fee?

So I would do what you can to find out early, because you don’t want to be held over a barrel when you go to sell it.

Gen Z idiocy

Have you, while repairing a computer, ever found anything that made your jaw drop?

When I was in, I think, my 2nd or 3rd job in computers, my company was rolling out email and word processing applications on our central computer. This was the late 80s and it was all green screen with satellite offices using PCs as dumb terminals.

I was sent out to all the sites to do maintenance on the PCs and train the personnel how to use the new applications.

Our business was primarily prepacked concrete mix for contractors and homeowners. At each location they would mix and bag the product for distribution to their regions.

At every plant I went to, when I opened the PC case, there was a 1/2in of powdered concrete covering the motherboard. It’s a wonder any of the machines didn’t crash from overheating!

What is the most outrageous “fee” you’ve ever been charged?

Decades ago, I received a past-due notice for a loan payment to a bank I’d never done business with. Puzzled, I called the bank. After explaining my confusion three times, I finally was talking with someone who had sense enough to look into it instead of fobbing me off to someone else.

“Did you make a purchase from Such-and-such Music Store?” Indeed, I’d purchased a piano for my wife a month or so earlier. (Might’ve been nice if the salesman had mentioned they’d turn the loan over to a third party, but whatever.)

I then asked the bank worker how the *very first* communication I’d received from the bank could be a past-due notice.

“You should have received a payment coupon book,” she said. (As indicated, this was ages ago.)

“I’ve received nothing from you till this,” I replied.

And then, to my everlasting amazement, she said, “I know. The printing company we use had an equipment breakdown and the coupon books haven’t gone out for a while.”

That “I know” blew me away. The bank *knew* their customers weren’t being told when their payments would be due, and how much they would be—and, in cases such as mine, didn’t even know their loan had been sold to that bank—and instead of notifying people, they just sent out overdue notices.

With a late fee attached, of course.

So I told the nice lady that I’d be happy to make the payment, but I would not stand for a late charge.

Now it was her turn to be puzzled. “Why not?”

“Because I wasn’t late—*you* were!”

In the end, she had to have a VP call me later, and after I went over it all again, he agreed it was kinda dumb for them to send late notices to people who didn’t even know they had a loan with that bank, he waived the late fee.

That only took half of my day.

Men’s Loyalty

Duty, Oath, Honor.

What responsibilities did you have as a teen that would make a modern helicopter parent’s head explode?

I got my driver’s license near the end of my sophomore year of high school. I got my first car a few days before that… a used ’86 Bonneville.

From that week forward, I was 100% responsible for getting myself anywhere I needed to go, including to and from school, my friends’ houses, and my after-school job. I already had a key to the house. I had a “curfew” of 10pm, but my parents always said that “whatever side of the door I’m on when they go to bed at 10 is where I’m going to be all night.” They had a chain lock on the inside of the door, so my key was useless if they locked it that way, which they did every night when they went to sleep.

Fortunately for me, I wasn’t very social and I didn’t stay out late anyway. They made exceptions for nights when I was working. I was a prep sports stringer for the local newspaper, and some nights I didn’t get home until 1am because I was covering a game several counties away.

My parents never actually locked me out. My sister, on the other hand, was locked out a few times because she missed curfew. My father was nice enough to put a recliner and a blanket for her on our screened-in porch. She slept out there more than once because she got home late.

It was the South, so it didn’t get too cold most nights. I doubt I could get away with that with my kids here in Chicago.

Why Gen Z can’t find work

What news shook you today?

This,

image 354
image 354

Image source: Web/Google

In 2015, one day a school boy named Amit was going to school. On the way he was hit by a car. Amit was bleeding, he needed immediate medical help but that car driver didn’t even stop and he didn’t feel to take Amit to nearby hospital. Amit was lying on the road, some people came and took him to a hospital but unfortunately he died. Amit’s dad Jitendra ji came to see his son and he was shocked to know about his little child is no more. Amit’s mom was in deep grief. In just a moment a happy family was shattered.

image 353
image 353

Image source: Web/Google

Jitendra ji filed a complaint but the police didn’t investigate. They even closed the case without informing Jitendra ji. This was ridiculous!

Jitendra ji and his wife just wanted to know his son’s killer. They wanted to question that man why he left Amit alone to die, he could have been saved if he was taken to hospital on time. They just wanted a Sorry. Was that so difficult??

Jitendra ji decided he will find that man who killed his beloved son. On the accident spot, he found a broken rear mirror and a broken car number plate. Car number was not full, but on the mirror there was a number. He asked from the local service centre but every time he got dissappointment. One day with hell lot of efforts a mechanic told him that this mirror is of a Maruti Car. Jitendra ji went to the manufacturing unit of the Maruti cars. He told his story and there people helped him. With the mirror number he managed to find the car registration number and with registration number he found the car owner’s name – Gyan Chand. It took 8 years for Jitendra ji to find the real culprit.

He went to police again with all the proofs and now again police disappointed him by not filing the complaint. He then moved to court and here also he didn’t get justice, his plea was rejected not just once but 4 times repeatedly. In Jan 2023, he again appealed to court for the 5th time. This time court accepted his request and asked the police to re-open the case but till now no arrest has been made.

Jitendra ji fought 8 years to find all the evidence and the person who killed his son. He is still fighting for the justice and he has told that he will fight till his last breath untill and unless his son’s killer get punished.

This story is deeply heartbreaking…….

image 352
image 352

Image source: Web/Google

I Salute Jitendra Ji from the bottom of my heart🙏

Amit would be Proud of his Dad❤

**Update : On 21st Oct 2023, Police has arrested the accussed, Gyan Chand.

Who is the most delusional person you ever knew?

One of my former student’s mothers. This was several years ago now. Her son was in 8th grade and read at a second-grade level. His handwriting was illegible. When he typed his assignments, his sentences were incoherent or not related to the assignment at all.

This was made worse by the fact that he was not a discipline problem. He sat quietly in class and looked like he was on task and understood the material. But he didn’t. He didn’t understand any of it. Even the easiest things in all of his classes were well over his head.

His mother said, at every single parent/teacher meeting, that her son was “a nice kid and just a little slow, but he would get it together soon.”

No. He needed special education services that our school couldn’t provide. The mother had been told that for years, but she didn’t want to hear it. In her eyes, her son was perfect. She was paying for private school for the purpose of avoiding the “special ed” label they’d give him at the public school.

So, the teachers did the best they could to accommodate his needs. Of course, it wasn’t enough, because he really needed a one-on-one, full-time tutor.

I actually know what happened to him. I heard through mutual friends that he went to a private high school which did have a special ed program (although they called it something else), he graduated from that special program, and is now working full-time as a helper in his uncle’s business. Good for him. That’s probably the best thing for him… to find meaningful work with a trusted family member.

Universities became for-profit enterprises

What was the last conversation you had with your mother?

I never really had a last conversation with my mother. She was in a memory ward in a nursing home. She had been having strokes was no longer able to walk, and the strokes had affected her swallowing. Her care was beyond us.

Unfortunately, COVID hit and the nursing home was locked down so we couldn’t go in to talk with her. We had been visiting almost daily. The conversations had become one sided due to the alzheimers, but at least she remember us. The day came when we got the call that she had slipped into a coma and that we had finally gotten permission to go in and see her. My last words to my mother were that I loved her, that she had been a great mother/grandmother and that it was OK to go home. She seemed to be waited for my sister to get there and say her goodbyes. My mom died a few hours after my sister left.

No matter how much time you have, somehow it’s never enough.

MY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL SAVED ME FROM HUMILIATION.

It was the evening of farewell for our 10th Grade. Our juniors had arranged an eventful farewell for us.

After all the entertainment and other stuffs, it was time to felicitate the top rankers of our class. I was called on stage to receive the award for securing the 1st Rank in the class.

I went on the stage brimming with pride to receive my prize from the School Principal. Little did I know what a blunder I was going to commit.

Here, 2 things you all need to know are:-

First, this was the first time I was going to stand on the stage in front of 100s of people. You can deduce what my condition was, from the fact that I was so immature that I didn’t even know what stage fright was!

Second, this whole scenario was taking place in the Evening. (Yes this is important to know!)

Then came that doomed moment. I was asked by the school principal, a young and kind-hearted lady, to speak a few sentences about my experiences in this school and the hard work behind my academic achievement.

I held the mic, still happy on receiving the award. As soon as I formed a few sentences in my mind and was just about to utter those words, the reality hit me. I saw an ocean of heads staring at me curiously to listen to what I am going to say. I went numb. I forgot everything I wanted to say. There was a complete silence for a few seconds. I knew I had to start. And then my brain which had ceased to work since a few moments, told me, “OK buddy, it’s not that difficult. You can begin by greeting the crowd .”

Feeling the breeze of that contrastingly cold evening, I gathered courage, forced a smile and softly greeted the crowd by saying, “Good Morning”.

There was a dead silence. Before I could even realize what a silly and humiliating mistake I have just committed, my principal took the mic from my hand, turned towards the crowd and said , “As this is his first appearance on a stage, this is a new morning for him. So, it’s not a Good Evening but a Good Morning to everyone from this bright young kid.”

And then I realized what a silly mistake I just did. I felt embarrassed but at the same time I stood there in utter disbelief and appreciation of the intelligence of my principal. She just protected her student by her brilliant presence of mind.

I can’t think of a better instance of presence of mind in my whole life.

That’s me for certain

In your opinion, what is the scariest thing about the world we live in today?

In 1859, a geomagnetic storm called The Carrington Event¹ disrupted electrical infrastructure across the globe.

…what there was of it.

…which was telegraph service at the time.

(and that’s pretty much it)


The Event was perpetrated by solar flare activity so unprecedented that the Auroras Borealis and Australius were visible from both poles to the equator, with such an intensity that night became day, disorienting humans and animals alike.


Telegraph offices that failed to go offline in time caught fire and burned, and those that did shut down remained operational for hours, despite being disconnected from their power source, due to the massive worldwide electromagnetic surge.


All news, for all intents and purposes, was once again local for the duration of the aftermath.

Newspapers couldn’t report on events outside horse riding distance.

The 19th Century reverted to the 18th Century in one fell swoop.


Now…what we do know for certain about the Carrington Event is that it wasn’t a one off.

It had happened before and it will happen again.


And THE NEXT TIME, unlike 1859, we will likely have satellites in orbit, and planes in the air.

…and cars that run off batteries, and those that don’t which have electronic ignitions.

…and power lines to heat our homes in the winter and cool our homes in the summer.

…and an Internet that we’ve basically come to rely on to maintain a global economy.

(that too)


And all those things are gonna go bye-bye for a time.


The quote about living “in interesting times” is erroneously attributed to the ancient Chinese, but it was actually coined by the American politician Frederic R. Coudert on the cusp between the Great Depression and a second world war.


No matter how bad things get for Mankind, we can all rest assured of one thing for certain:


It can always get worse.

Is India dangerous for foreigners?

It certainly can be. On my second trip to India I suffered a broken cheek bone and two black eyes at the hands of several youngsters who were barely teenagers. It was my completely my fault, by thinking that playing Cricket twice at school would allow me to play with these kids who live and breathe it. Having came across a game just starting my Indian friends talked themselves into playing and must have imagined that being English I played the game. But being brought up on a council estate in London it was football or boxing never cricket or rugby. I had played it twice at school and never even touched a bat. Anyway I thought I’d have a go and how hard can it be? Fucking hard thats how hard. The bowler could only have been 13 at the oldest so I was not worried I stood there holding the bat as I had seen them do it on tv. I then saw him running up, his arm lifted to throw and then white light and pain as I stepped forward straight into the bounce of the hard cricket ball. Wow I felt stupid and had a few weeks of discomfort. But I did gain respect for cricket and often go and watch it at Lords. I always support India(unless playing England) in thanks for this lesson.

Pride / Value

Has anyone surprised you after their death, e.g. receiving an organ from a donor, a sizeable inheritance, or a visit from a friendly ghost?

My mom died when I was 9 of a cancerous brain tumor. It hurt like hell and it took me years to recover. Maybe I still haven’t.

My Grandma, a widow, got remarried when I was about 15 or so to a great man, and when I left at 19 to do a couple years of volunteer service at my own expense in England, I remember hearing he wasn’t in good health. About 4 months in, I learned he also passed away.

It was at this time I got a letter from my oldest sister. As I pulled it out of its envelope (most letters still went this way), a small slip of paper fell out. On it was written, in my sister’s handwriting, in a purple pen, just one sentence, “Aaron, always remember to be my strong little boy” and under it was something that looked like somebody trying to get a pen to work – quick scribbles back and forth in a small area.

I thought it cute, but odd, and set it aside, then I read the letter. My sister quickly said, “Aaron, I was going through an old drawer of things today, cleaning it out and found this. In her last days, Mom asked me to write out a little note to each of her kids, and then she signed them at the bottom. I’m sorry it’s not very legible”.

I immediately began sobbing as I picked up the little paper again and felt the warmth of a mother’s love well 10 years after her death.

I hope I made you proud, mom.

What was the most ill-prepared hiker you ever saw equipped with, and what happened to them?

Dan and I were headed into the Canadian Rockies in September. The weather was miserable. On the way it a younger guy had passed us by. He was carrying a day-pack sized backpack and he made fun of our big “old-style” backpacks. He was nice enough about it and we just smiled and watched him fly by.

A couple of days later we were camped in place just below timberline and it was raining hard, windy and not far above freezing. We were comfy and dry in our tents, had hot food, good raingear and all was well, even if it wasn’t all that much fun. The young guy came into the area and set up his camp. He had a thin foam sleeping pad, a thin down bag, and a tarp measuring about 8′ x 8′ that he set up very low to the ground.

The next morning it was still drizzling and cold. The young guy came over to our camp. He was shivering and soaking wet. He had a light rain jacket and no rain pants. Also, he was barely coherent. “Ggggguys …. I … I … I’m uh, I’m ….uh …. I need help.” We sat him in the entrance of Dan’s tent and gave him hot coffee and some oatmeal. We got him out of his wet raincoat and wet shirt and wrapped him in a fleece jacket. He began to relax. We all decided the he just needed to get out of there ASAP. Dan and I went over and packed up his gear. It was like a wet sponge, all of it.

When we got back he was doing OK. He had semi-dry t-shirt in his gear and he put that on plus his wet raincoat. Dan walked down the trail with him for a mile or so. When he got back Dan said that the kid had warmed up and seemed good to go. Oh, and that he’d apologized for making fun of our packs.

Your inner critic

What’s something you can’t believe you had to explain to another adult?

It happened last night. To be fair, she was likely 18–22, so barely an adult.

STORY! My husband and I went to our city’s downtown area for dinner and a carriage ride. We paid for dinner and realized we needed money to tip the carriage driver because we only had a $50 on us. DOH!

Note: No, we aren’t bougie like that. My company paid out a small company bonus with $50 bills.

It was okay – there was a candy store and we had time. We poured out a small scoop of chocolate and checked out. There was some issue with the cashier understanding that us paying $50.04 for $6.04 was in her favor, but math is hard.

Now, this is what the US $50 bill/note looks like:

image 359
image 359

Actual quote from her: “Who’s on the $50 bill? Is that King Edward?”

Blink. Blink. What? A KING?!

We had to explain to this adult that no, this was not a king. It was Ulysses S. Grant. There’s even a county in my state named after him.

Her manager, who was a few years older, then said, “Oh yeah! I remember his picture on the wall in my history room. Didn’t he wear a really tall black hat? He looks fatter here though”

We pulled out a penny and asked if she was thinking of Abraham Lincoln. The manager then said, “Oh yeah! That’s the guy. Isn’t that the same guy?”

Oy. I’m sure President Grant is rolling over in his mausoleum.

What is the first thing car thieves do after stealing a car?

My cousin had an old beater car. He always drove it on empty, and only added a dollar or two of gas at a time. He didn’t think it was worth stealing, so he left the keys in it, in his back yard, while he ran into the house to get something.

He heads back to the car, just in time to see it go around the corner. He calls the police, expecting he will never see the car again.

The police phone him 10 minutes later, to tell him that they have his car.

Its at the local gas station. It had run out of gas, they had pushed it in the last few feet, and filled it up with gas. But we’re having a hard time starting it, after it had run out of gas. The gas station was only a few blocks from the my cousin’s, and the attendant recognized the car, and called the police. It was a very distinctive, beat up beater.

My cousin needed a boost to get it started, and then worried that the weight of the full tank of gas would wreck his car, because it had never seen a full tank before.

It turned out to be a bunch of teen joyriders, and the charges were dropped against them. My cousin said that they doubled the value of the car, by filling it up, so he wasn’t too stressed.

So in this case the first thing they did after stealing the car was fill it up with gas.

I’m cranky and I’m tired, and I worked hard at school…

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/immTxrNbJi4?feature=share

What is the boldest thing you’ve ever said to a customer knowing that you might get fired afterwards?

Not me, but my sister. She was a manager for a membership warehouse and they had this one woman that would come in once a month, demand a one-day pass, do her shopping and then pitch a fit when she couldn’t use her credit card (it was cash or debit card only). And she did this every month. Well, she demanded to speak with a manager and since my sister was on duty, she got to deal with her. Once again, my sister explained the rules to her and offered to take care of setting up a membership right then and there. The woman didn’t want to pay the $55 and began to berate my sister who was waiting her out. Finally, the woman shouts at her “To go to hell” to which my sister responded, “Ma’am, I’m already there.” Could have heard a pin drop in the membership areas as all the employees turned to stare at her. The “customer” had nothing further to say, so my sister calmly turned and left.

*The woman never came back to that warehouse. My sister wasn’t fired (for that) although her boss had a good laugh about it.

What’s the strangest thing delivered to your house (that you did not order)?

Two effing massive barbecue grills that I didn’t order that were on my back door when I got home from a business trip around midnight. Thankfully UPS or whoever delivered it (can’t remember which carrier) was naive enough about cyber security to have included the correct recipient’s phone number on the shipping label.

I texted the correct recepieny about it and, being way too nice, told them that I have a pickup and could deliver them but they were way too heavy to load on my own so someone would have to come help me load them.

The husband came over, we loaded them, i delivered them and we unloaded them at his house – all was well. Years later I still get packages and mail for them. I realized that we have the same numbered address and street but I’m SOUTH xxxx Avenue and they’re NORTH xxxx Avenue.

The mail that comes omits the north or south so I assume they’re too dumb to specify that important data element when giving out their address (because the address on the envelope, each time doesn’t specify north or south). it’s happened way many times to just be a coincidence.

So now I don’t bother delivering items, I text them that it’s happened AGAIN and ask them if they want to come me pick it up from my front porch or have me mark it as “wrong address” and see what happens.

So far they’ve come to pick it up

Keeping poor people poor

Who in history had the ‘last laugh’?

In 1967, Doug Hegdahl was on a recon mission in the Vietnam War.

His boat cruised along the river, and as he it did, a battle broke out and he was thrown into the water. He panicked and swam for shore.

Unfortunately, Doug swam towards the Vietcong side of the shore. They greeted him with prompt beating and dragged him ashore screaming.

Doug was tied up and thrown in a cage. They debated on whether to execute him. As they interrogated Doug, he realized they were trying to determine his usefulness. He gave goofy, incoherent answers, talking crazy. Then he repeatedly shouted, “No water buffalo!”

In Vietnam at that time, owning a water buffalo was a sign of moderate wealth. He was saying he was poor.

Being poor was good. The Vietcong hated wealthy people. His rambling earned him the nickname, “The Incredibly Stupid One”.

And while other US soldiers were tortured and killed, the Vietcong felt too bad for him. They thought he was an American version of the poor, dumb man forced into the front line in a war.

Little did they know, he was gathering information. During his years in prison, he memorized the names of 200 prisoners of war, along with the intimate details of the enemy base.

During a negotiation, the Vietcong chose him as their release thinking he was a simpleton and no threat.

Doug got home and immediately gave a press conference.

He told the US of those prisoners, and their freedom was obtained.

image 358
image 358

He memorized the 200 names using the song Ol’McDonald Had a Farm. He even needed to hum it when reciting the names back over.

You may not relate to his situation, but Doug’s experience gives insight into dealing with dangerous authority figures.

For example, if a cop pulls you over, it is better to play dumb rather than listen with your mouth, and explain everything you didn’t do wrong.

More broadly, it’s generally better to be guarded with what you know. True genius is knowing when not to reveal it.

Chicken with Walnuts in Plum Sauce

Plum Sauce Chicken Recipe3
Plum Sauce Chicken Recipe3

Ingredients

  • 1 cup walnut halves
  • 1 teaspoon beaten egg
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 6 chicken thighs (1 1/2 pounds), boned, skinned and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 2 teaspoons plum or hoisin sauce
  • 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 green onions, finely chopped (garnish)

Instructions

  1. Pour boiling water over walnuts and let stand 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
  2. Combine egg with 1 teaspoon oil and cornstarch in small bowl. Add chicken pieces and toss gently to coat them evenly.
  3. Heat 1/2 cup oil in wok over medium high heat until haze forms.
  4. Add walnuts and fry until golden about 45 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
  5. Add chicken to wok and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Drain well.
  6. Pour off all but thin film of oil. Return pan to heat, add plum or hoisin sauce, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil and stir until combined. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly until sauce begins to glisten, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  7. Add chicken and walnuts and mix thoroughly with sauce.
  8. Transfer to heated serving platter and garnish with chopped green onions.

Would you agree that China has been turning US communications ‘on and off like a light switch’, as claimed by the US Department of Defense?

Today, my friend told us a joke.
70 years ago, the United States led 18 countries to fight with a P5 country on the Korean Peninsula (let’s call it a draw).
20 years ago, the United States led 11 countries to invade a small country with domestic troubles and foreign invasion ( eventually failed).
In the past few days, the United States found 10 countries to against Yemeni Houthi. Because of the shortage of troops, they even ask China join them,China certainly refused without think too much.…Fighting with a Yemeni local armed force, even ask China to help big hooligan?(´•ω•̥`) 🐼: I suggest you back home,massacre the kindergartens and sweep the geracomiums…

  1. Houthi isn’t ET…
  2. The changes of opponents by the US Army shows they are more and more laggard indeed.

Now they even often make this kind of arguments,enough to explain two problems:

  • Some US people already brain dead.
  • The infrastructure in the United States has been in disrepair for a long time, and even the frequency of failure is ‘on and off like a light switch’.

So, we don’t care what you say,today communications ‘on and off like a light switch’ and tomorrow there will be more things ‘on and off like a light switch’.Keep complaining, you’ll get used to it.

Priceless

Which is better, the Chinese Navy or the US Navy?

The U.S. Navy has ‘experience, the PLA-N has ‘experience’ in reading about what the U.S. is doing, and how they do it. Asking ‘probing questions’ (even here on Quora) is one direction, as well as ‘working’ with Canada, which has a record of ‘loose lips’ regarding ANYTHING military that China seeks.

I’m sure China has some ‘tricks’ up their sleeve as well. This is one of their newer ships (21NOV23) in which they ‘seem’ to be ‘faking’ damage to their ship, which may come in handy when they DO find themselves under attack. NOTHING would break-off an attack faster than ‘looking like this’:

image 32
image 32

Advice for men

When was a situation you had to keep a straight face but couldn’t?

Years ago, I was in rehab for an alcohol problem.

One morning, a new guy showed up. As was customary, he “shared” his tale with the rest of us.

He was legally blind, but somehow managed to work as a successful stock broker. Unfortunately, on the side he had also developed one hell of an addiction to crack.

One Christmas morning, he had dressed up as Santa to entertain his kids. But he needed to sneak outside to take a few quick hits of crack before the family woke up.

Due to his visual impairment, he didn’t see the cop car rolling up the street. He got arrested.

Next day the local newspaper featured the headline that a crack-smoking Santa Claus was arrested Christmas morning.

I looked down at the grass. Clenched my jaw. glanced around and people were desperately trying to contain themselves.

The guy said, “it’s OK. Go ahead and laugh, guys. You have to.”

It was a full minute before we’d laughed off the image of a crack-smoking Santa Claus in cuffs.

Hints…

What is the most jaw-dropping method for shoplifting that you have seen?

I and a couple of friends headed to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for a conference followed by dinner. We ate at the Tir Na Nog Irish pub and sat next to the windows that looked out over the little amphitheater space where street performers entertain tourists. Lovely view of the corner of the harbor and the other pavilion. Directly below the window was a vendor’s cart selling all sorts of electronic gadget accessories (think cellphone covers, etc).

As we were eating, I watched the crowds milling around the plaza and people buying stuff from the cart. Then I saw a teenager sneak around the back of the cart (which was facing the window) and start pilfering stuff from the cart. He just jammed it into his backpack with glee while the vendor was busy talking to customers on the other side.

Turns out those “customers” were the teen’s parents. Once the teen had filled his pack, a second younger child moved in and did the same thing while the other one kept watch. Then a third child, even younger, darted in and took stuff as well. The vendor finally caught on to the scam and screamed for police. The BCPD always patrol that plaza to protect the tourists, so three bicycle cops appeared pretty quickly.

Meanwhile, we watched as the three kids met with mom and dad to show their loot. Then they spotted the police and all three bolted in three different directions, which appears to have been predetermined as a method of escape. One of the kids wasn’t so lucky and got pinched.

Mom and dad were screaming bloody murder about the police harassing their children.

At that moment I realized how stupid we’d been up in the restaurant because none of us thought to video the incident. But we all felt we owed that poor vendor some help, so down we tromped to the plaza, leaving one person to man our table so no one thought we’d jumped the check.

We informed the police of everything we saw, that the kids were the shoplifters, but that the parents knew full well and participated. The officer asked us if we would testify to that and we said of course.

End of the story: All three kids were arrested, but the police didn’t have enough to arrest mom or dad (because that’s how the scam works). We were called back to Baltimore to testify. The kids were really hard core according to the prosecutor. They were playing all sorts of innocence BS. But when she told them four witnesses were primed and ready to name them all, they folded and agreed to plea deals.

Very sad day for American childhood that parents used them in this way.

Do you think the Communist Party of China is the world’s best party?

There is no such thing as the world’s best? Each country ought to have what they each see as the best for their nation and their people under different circumstances unique for them, over a development level that is different from country to country.

You can say every nation thinks they have the world’s best for themselves. They ought to be. Otherwise why would they choose it? Surely they all want to do the best for themselves right?

These words or symbols or slurs such as Communism or Democracy or Socialism are tags for various purpose. Some times to simplify some times to discriminate one against another or worst to slur and demonised. These labels meant nothing more, as each nation is shade of grey and not black or white.

The U.S. for example calls itself Liberal democracy. But in reality it is neither democratic nor liberal at all. Is 0.8% of the rich or and powerful decides that the 60 odd % of their people who bother to vote have only two choice Biden a senile or Trump a perpetual liar to choose from, surely that is not democracy!

The U.S. with a mere 4% of world’s population has 25% of the world’s prisoner’s population, surely it cannot liberal nor free? But U.S. can called itself whatever it wants!

China calls itself socialism with Chinese characteristics but the U.S. insists on the label. “Communism” for worst connotations to cast fear and hate on them! If you repeat it like this questioner do, it simply help your media cast hates on China.

To me if the west can call the U.S. a Liberal Democracy why can’t they tern China as Socialism with Chinese characteristics? It is no different from Western media calling Palestinians as “terrorist” and Isreal as freedom “fighter” These slurs and suggesting good is clearly a set. narrative!

A right to be MAD

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/925GhDRo0HQ?feature=share

What are the most unreasonable demands people frequently place on themselves?

Mike begins dating Samantha.

It goes well for several months. They begin to squabble a bit and have disagreements.

He figures, if they don’t get along, they should just break up.

Later, he begins dating Rebecca. She’s pretty. But after a few months, he realizes she’s not smart enough for him. That relationship ends too.

Later, Mike begins dating Katie. Katie is super brilliant. And cute too. But he realizes he doesn’t think she’s cute enough. He wants brilliant and super cute.

And funny. Where is funny?

Finally, he meets Angela. Angela is smart, pretty, and funny. But not exceptional at either three. So he ends things with her too.

Mike never ends up settling down. He ends up living as a lonely old man in his final years.

He became a victim of advice taken too literally and at too much of an extreme “don’t settle”.

The truth is – we all settle. In some form or another. People regularly subject themselves to unfair expectations of a prospective partner.

We all have work to do. It’s better to find someone to do the work with. Or accept them as is and forget the work.

Remember, with any advice you read, from me, or anyone else, there is a huge grey area to work with. I can’t tell you how to read that grey area. That’s where you’ll need to swim on your own.

Don’t be a knucklehead who only thinks in black and white. We have enough knuckleheads in the world already.

Have you ever dined at a restaurant that left you thinking ‘is this a joke’?

It was a small local ‘high-class’ restaurant (no longer in business) I went to with some colleagues to celebrate one of their birthdays. The first thing I thought was a joke was the uninformative and poorly-formatted menu that contained things like “Different fish and chips 12”, with not another word to explain what was different about it and the ‘12’ meaning a price of £12.00 being far from obvious.

Even more of a joke was the way the food was presented. I ordered a burger from the main course menu (described of course as something like “house burger 11”), expecting something that would fill the plate and come with chips and salad as is the norm. No, what I got was a tiny bun less than half the size of the plate containing an equally tiny burger, a slice of tomato and a lettuce leaf, all by itself with not a single side. The punchline of the joke: to make it look bigger and fill the empty plate, the burger was served ‘open’ with the top half of the bun placed alongside it for no apparent reason!

I ate the whole burger and someone else’s leftover chips but was still hungry and had another meal when I got home. The whole experience still feels like a surreal joke, yet was deadly serious, and I wasn’t at all surprised when the place closed down not long afterwards.

No naps allowed!

Why was Alexander the Great able to conquer so much territory with a relatively small army?

Because Alexander the Great’s Army was leagues ahead of every other Army on earth. There was no close second. Alexander himself gets the credit but I don’t think this is fair. I honestly think Alexander was “meh” and won thanks to his great Army.


Let’s start by breaking it down.

1: Foot Companions

The regular infantry was called “foot companions”. These guys wielded a very long spear/pike and a small shield. Now at this time, everyone fought with a shield and spear however most spears were rather small.

It took years of training for the soldiers to learn to use the pikes. Additionally, these guys were all trained in small unit tactics, hand-to-hand combat, and all sorts of special stuff.

image 357
image 357

2: Companion Cavalry

The Companion Cavalry was the greatest unit of cavalry ever (arguably) and certainly the best at the time. Cavalry at this time were mostly scouts and fast-moving infantry. They couldn’t really charge into enemy lines given stirrups were not around.

Alexander’s cavalry was unique. These guys were trained for years and years on fighting on horseback. They could charge an enemy head-on, flank around them, or dismount and fight as infantry. They were the elite of the elite.

3: Shield Bearers

The Shield bearers were the “SpecOps” of the Macedonian Army. These guys fought like standard infantry with shorter spears, swords, and shields. They were hyper-flexible, extremely well trained, and capable of nearly anything.


Alexander’s Army was capable of things NOBODY else could do. They could fight in the trenches, outmaneuver an enemy, perform complex tactical actions, and do it all with ease. These guys were the most experienced, best-trained, and most elite soldiers on planet earth.

In a time when armies were civilian-based militia with a small core of trained troops, Alexander had a professional Army at his back.

A stack of bricks isn’t a house as much as a mob of men is an Army. Make sense?

Now, most give credit to Alexander and his brilliance but I disagree with this.

  1. Alexander made mistakes. At the Battle of Granicus Alexander recklessly charged across a river with a waiting enemy Army on the other side. This would have been a disaster for any other Army in history except Alexander’s and even Alexander’s Army took way too many losses.
  2. Alexander was overconfident. In engineering, there is an acronym called “KISS” which stands for keep it simple stupid. Warfare is much the same. If tactics are overly complex then it creates situations where things could go wrong. No plan survives contact with the enemy so plans need to be simple and flexible.
  3. Alexander didn’t create anything. This great Army Alexander had- it was created by his dad. These guys also gained experience fighting for Alexander’s father. Alexander didn’t unite Greece nor was attacking Persia his idea. Sure Alexander did conquer Persia however his Empire immediately fell apart because he was a terrible King and a terrible State-builder.
  4. Alexander was wreckless personally. Alexander’s job was the lead the men, not fight with them. Yet Alexander led every battle from the front. Sure this is brave and all but this is the wrong place for a General. In an Army of 50,000 there are lots of fighters but only 1 leader. Caesar for instance would place himself behind the crux of the battle, issuing orders and watching as things develop.

Alexander the Great’s father was Phillip the 2nd. This guy fought and won dozens of Battles and conquered all of Greece for the first and only time. Was Phillip the greatest General ever? No. Like Alexander, Phillip benefited from a highly experienced, highly trained, and uber-expensive professional Army.

Love without attachment

What was the nail in the coffin for an employee or a co-worker?

Hiring for our county office out in the boonies was done centrally, so often times someone was hired before we knew who it was. So when we saw the name Jim (redacted), we let out a collective moan.

Jim was well known around town. He was 6′7″, about 325 pounds, and was mean looking as hell. He often did rent collection/ evictions for local landlords, usually by intimidation. I mentioned this to HR, and was told to “work with him.”

So he started in our office. First order of business was to banish certain words from his vocabulary. Words like “wetback”, fag*ot, and of course, nig*er. Also, because he had contacted so many of our clients from his rent collecting days, often when clients found out he was to be their worker, they immediately withdrew their application for welfare. They were terrified of him.

After a couple of months, he seemed to have calmed down and was doing an OK job. But then, in the break room, he said the following:

You know what would be fun? If (co worker) Corrine would drive around in a convertible with a bikini on, and when someone would hit on her, I would be hiding in the back seat with a shotgun, and would suddenly sit up and point the gun at them, and watch them sh*t their pants!

This was it. The next day, three fraud investigators (armed) plus two sheriff deputies came in and escorted him out. I wanted to call HR and tell them “I told you so” but everyone was just glad he was gone; especially Corrine.

Note: he also helped get the head of HR fired. When he was removed from the office, he was put on paid administrative leave pending his firing. But the head of HR had a fear of lawsuits due to improper firings, so he was on paid admin leave for almost a year! Worse yet, there was another guy that had been on paid admin leave for even longer. So the HR manager eventually got fired…with no paid admin leave, just gone out the door!

What’s the most appalling behavior you’ve seen by a young child’s parent?

I come from a family that struggles with finances severely. In the second grade my teacher noticed that the few clothes I had were now Ill fitting so she bought me new ones so I would fit in. I lived in a very, very wealthy area and because of this I was already being bullied for not having what other kids did. I was happy to receive the clothes. I came home with them that night and my mother, who spent our food stamps on cigarettes (the cashier at the liquor store rang them up as other things) and a disgusting quantity of mountain dew every month, walked into my school irate and high off of my ritalin prescription ( that was prescribed to me for my ADHD, as an 18 year old I still haven’t had thr medication that I need since I was 6), bypassed the office and walked into my classroom and began to yell at the teacher. I thought the bullying was bad then, she made it a lot worse. I am thankful for that teacher though. My mother threw the clothes back in her face (literally) and so my teacher kept them in the classroom for me to change into when I got to school and washed them for me. This is only one of several scenarios involving my mother. To put it shortly, I had my first suicidal thoughts around 11 and the state took away her rights to custody when I was 15. You are not your situation, you are how you deal with it. To anyone in that situation or any situation they don’t want to be in, it gets better.

Political correctness

What is the oddest conversation you’ve had with a telephone scammer?

Maybe it is just my imagination, but I think my “locked up” ploy has somehow made the rounds of all those backroom scam operations which call to say your computer has a virus.

Initially, I kept the “agent” and his manager on the phone for nearly an hour, until they finally just gave up. The exchange went something like this:

Scammer: Please press the Windows and CTRL key at the same time.

Me: I can’t. The computer is locked up. It won’t respond to the keyboard, and the mouse does not move.

Scammer: Turn the system off, then turn it on again.

Me: I can’t. The computer won’t shut down.

Scammer: Use the power switch!

Me: I did. Nothing. It stays on, but doesn’t do anything.

Scammer: Then unplug the machine.

Me: Ok. Still nothing. It stays on, and is still frozen.

Scammer: How can that be?!

Me: I don’t know. I guess it just switches over to the internal battery.

(Then, a manager is put on the phone, and promises to make the machine right if I pay $99 for a one time fix, $200 for an annual plan, or $499 for a lifetime plan)

Scammer: Which plan do you want?

Me: Uh, lifetime, I guess.

Scammer: Ok, please give me your credit card number.

Me: I don’t use credit cards. How about PayPal?

Scammer: We can’t take PayPal.

Me: Hey! Wait a minute! The machine just started working! It’s perfect! Everything is working! What did you guys do?

Scammer: That’s impossible! We didn’t do anything!

Me: But, didn’t you say you had detected a virus on my machine?

Scammer: Yes, that is why we contacted you.

Me: So, that must mean you were connected to me, right?

Scammer: No. Your machine sent a message to us!

Me: Ok, so I was connected to you, but you weren’t connected to me?

Scammer: That’s not how this works!

Me: Well, you must have done something, because everything is fine now.

Scammer: It is not. Machine still infected. It will lock up again and be destroyed. You still have virus!

Me: Wait, wait. I’m going to shut down and reboot. Hold on.

(I tap a few keys to make noise, then…)

Me: Ok, I shut down and started up again. Now, I am running a virus scan. Hold on… ok, scanning memory, registry, hard drive, checking for malicious code… stand by, almost done. Great! No virus detected! Fantastic! And, it seems to be running faster than ever!

Scammer: That is not possible, it will fail!

Me: Look, I don’t know how you fixed it, but I would like to send you $100. I’ll send a check. What’s your name and address?

Scammer: We can’t accept checks.

Me: A money order, then?

Scammer: No money orders. I think you are bulls****ing me.

Me: Do ya THINK?!

Scammer: I will f**k your mother!

Me: You like f**king dead people? You’re going to get a sooty Johnson; she was cremated.

Scammer: Click.

I can’t recall when I have had a more uplifting conversation, but the ultimate result has proven to be the most valuable. For several months after the above exchange, I would continue to receive the virus calls; but the moment I said the machine was frozen, the caller hung up immediately. So now, I just say, “Am I ever glad you called, this machine is totally locked up!” In response, a reassuring click.

Try it yourself.

Winter Cat

What’s a moment when somebody was kind to you in the hardest moments?

Saw this question and immediately thought: Teresa.

Teresa is my sister in law’s best friend. She was also good friends with my brother, Dale. When Dale disappeared, Teresa was right there grieving with us. She shared stories about things she and Dale had done that had me rolling with laughter. Teresa is a bright spot where ever she goes.

Teresa is a respiratory therapist. Been doing it for years. Been single for years. Been putting smiles on peoples’ faces for years. She collected crochet afghans to give to her patients. They loved it. They loved her. She retired recently, bought a house in another state, and moved there on her own. I will miss her.

It was 2020, the year we buried my brother’s remains, after he had been missing for many years. It was around the time of the services, and I was having a rough time. Crying a lot. Teresa popped in one day and called me out to her car. She dug around in some bags and boxes in the back seat, and pulled something out. “This is for you” she told me. It was a cross made of wood with fragments of broken glass glued to it to make it shine. And in the middle it said simply, “laugh”. She told me she thought of me as soon as she saw it. It touched my heart. It made me realize maybe it was time to laugh more than cry.

Teresa is a special person. Salt of the earth. We need more like her.

Label referring to a concept

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/F5qAYRv0gGk?feature=share

Why does the ASML CEO seem worried about the Huawei Mate 60 Pro, despite previously stating “Even if we provided them with the drawings, they wouldn’t be able to make it.” regarding China’s technological capabilities?

huawei mate60 is using 5nm chips from unknown source, but for sure its made in China with 100% Chinese technology. Although it’s not the most cutting edge technology yet, it is the most widely used. So it’s going to bring down the price of all chips and ASML EUV will be too expensive in terms of producing chips. China is infamous for it industrial crushing ability, Whatever technology they proceed they will smash the market price to under half even to just 10% of the original market price. everyone in the same market will be gone in no time

Who was Majid Kavousifar and why does he smile before b‌ei‌n‌g‌ h‌a‌n‌g‌e‌d‌?‌

On August 2, 2007, Majid Kavousifar was excuted along with his nephew Hossein Kavousifar for the assassination of Masoud Moghadasi ,a judge from the Islamic Revolution Court in Iran.

Masoud Moghaddasi was one of several judges of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court, that collectively sentenced more than 2800 to 3800 political prisoners to execution during the 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners.

image 356
image 356

Majid Kavousifar showed no remorse to hangman in his last words, telling them “I reached the point at which I decided to eradicate any injustice.”

His last words before being hanged next to his nephew Hossein Kavousifar:

“My name is Majid Kavousifar, I am Iranian

I didn’t wait for someone in this world to give me my right

I reached the point at which I decided to eradicate any injustice

I smile because I know that a small smile at that moment will be a great message of hope for every oppressed human being on the face of the earth.

The memory of Majid Kavousifar and his triumphant smile will live forever in the hearts of freedom lovers in Iran and all over the world.

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

Actually, a police officer once said to me: “What did you do with my patrol car? Why did you steal it?”

The back story is that when coming out of the back door of the courthouse late one evening my friend and I saw a running, unlocked police car sitting in the driveway between the jail and the courthouse. My friend and I wondered why this was and decided to watch a while. After 10 minutes nothing happened and the car was still parked, unlocked, and running. My friend and I decided something needed to be done to prevent the car from being stolen so we flipped a coin and I lost so I got in the car and drove it around the corner and turned it off, locked it, and returned to await the arrival of the police officer who had been assigned the car. My friend and I watched and waited and about a half an hour later the offending officer came out and found his cruiser missing. Since he left his radio in the car he couldn’t radio the missing car in and he’d left the jail and the return door was locked. He panicked and started running around in a confused state. My friend and I who were hiding began laughing and he couldn’t understand why. He was really confused and upset. I held up the keys and told him I’d “stolen” it to keep it safe and showed him where it was. He was both relieved and highly pissed. Relieved at first and the gradually more angry. My friend and I just kept laughing and he got even madder. Then he said he was going to arrest us. I said why? It’s not stolen and who’s going to prosecute me, I’m the County Attorney? Then he said he wasn’t worried because he knew the judge would put it on me because he was a good friend of the judge. I just kept on laughing because my friend who had been standing in the dark background listening came forward and said, “You mean me, Steve?” And the judge began to laugh too. He then said he’d get us both hand I said, “Go ahead! How do you think the Chief is going to feel when he learns you let your cruiser get “stolen” under these conditions? He didn’t say much else but just took his keys, got in his car and drove away. So that’s the story on how the Judge and I stole a police car.

Can I refuse to do an exit interview with my boss?

My husband got offered a higher paying job with a different company, and one that treated their employees better. He tried to refuse the exit interview, but when pressed, agreed, if the big boss was in the room. He proceeded to tell the room exactly what led to his exit, and then they had the nerve to ask for 2 weeks notice. He looked the big boss right in the eye and asked if he would have gotten a 2week notice if he was being fired. The boss’ eyes dropped to the floor and he said no. My husband then asked if he could expect any changes to be made in policy regarding the treatment of blue collar workers. The boss again said no. My husband said, “ok, don’t consider this a ‘quit,’ consider as me firing you as my employer.” Then he walked out. We had to wait almost a month after he left to receive his last paycheck, even after calling the state labor board.

Christmas Watch-Along / AMA / Goof-off

Lot’s of good stuff in blurbs in this fun video. Grab some popcorn.

I enjoyed all of them, but my favorite is Non-geological shock. HAARP.

Let ’em explore

I loved the good ol’ army surplus stores, and as a boy, I would go over to them with a fist full of changes and some bills and pick up a odd surplus item or two to dink around with.

I had a Vietnam war era canteen… aluminum, not plastic, and it leaked. But I would wear it with my web cargo belt as I rode in my hikes thought the nearby forests. I also had a mess tin, with massive silverware, fit for a giant, but I really never did anything with it.

army and navy store
army and navy store

When I was 13 years old, I had a surplus German world war II pith helmet from the Africa Corps that I wore all the time, and I would wear it as I spent my summers golfing and then swimming. My friends all got ones as well, but theirs hardly lasted past a week. It would get wet… one excuse or the other …and be ruined. But unlike them… I treasured mine.

Army supply
Army supply

My brother had a cameo dentist smock that was really cool, and for a spell I lusted over it. It looked really cool. Don’t quite know how he ran into it, but the Army and navy store was constantly getting new and one-off items throughout the Summer months.

One week before I left for China, I went into the “old” store and I hardly recognized it. Mostly empty with a warehouse “feeling” to it. Many cheap goods, and not much to interest me. I bought a black backpack and it was the only thing that survived my trip to China. The rest of my belongings were lost in transit.

I suggest that if you have an opportunity, take your early teenagers to a local Army and Navy store and let them explore. Who knows what they will find.

Today…

What’s the most expensive thing you’ve lost and found?

I bought a house and was moving out of the previous home, in which I had a 6-car garage full of toys, along with many items stored outside. That month, I sold six Harleys, brought home three more, and sold them. Now that I would have half the storage space, I sold several other items, such as boats, offroad vehicles, and toy haulers.

When each of these items was sold, I would rubber-band the cash in $10k bundles, and anything less would be placed on the top shelf until it could be bundled with other funds. I’d frequently toss the bundles into the safe for the time being. At some point, when I did the math in my head, I felt I was missing a $10,000 USD bundle.

I had too much on my plate with the move to be concerned about whether or not I had lost money. But I’d catch myself doing the math in my head while driving or having a meal, and it wasn’t adding up, so I’d somehow lost a bundle.

The safe was left at the house due to its size and weight. I had to come back for it after enlisting some assistance in moving it. I had already emptied out its contents while rearranging a few of the internal shelves.

Once I realized I was going to be transporting the safe on its back instead of upright like before, I decided to remove all the interior shelving this time, as it would have come apart while being transported on its back. That’s when I found the missing $10,000. bundle.

It’s a good thing I hadn’t sold the safe with the cash inside.

What’s the fastest you’ve wiped a smirk off of someone’s face?

I used to work for a large rehab company. I was a licensed occupational therapist. One year, we had a new girl start there, who was from Europe. She was also also a licensed therapist, but had two years of additional training. She was also on a work visa. At first she was friendly and agreeable, but soon began to show her true colors. She started making snide comments about people behind their backs, and then proceeded to say them to their faces. She told me that where she came from, I wouldn’t be considered a real therapist, because I had only studied for two years.

We had a few Rehab assistants that she proceeded to lord over, because she had a college degree and they did not. But they worked hard and did their jobs. One day she sat with us at lunch; myself, and two rehab assistants. She proceeded to make rude comments about certain ethnic groups in the company, claiming that they had chips on their shoulders. I told her that her remarks could be construed as racism, and that she had better knock it off. She scoffed, and went on making rude comments. When she left the room with a big smirk on her face, one of the aides told me that she had been making unflattering comments behind my back, too. I decided that she needed to be taught a lesson. I contacted our clinical director and reported her behavior, especially the racist comments.

An hour later, she came walking down the hall, smirk replaced by copious tears. She had been warned that if she continued with her behavior, she would be shipped right back to Europe.

What did you say to your boss that made them quit their job?

I was an assistant manager for a large auto parts company. Our district manager (DM) was a real POS. I avoided him as much as possible. One day he came to our store, very pissy, and the manager was trying hard to appease him. After the DM left, I looked at the manager and told him he just brown nosed to his ankles. He didn’t say anything, just gave me a funny look. Two days later, after his “weekend”, he handed in his notice. He looked so relieved and happy those last two weeks!
He was dating another manager, so we all heard when his dad, a real sweetheart who used to come in frequently, passed away. Other than his girlfriend, I was the only person from the company that attended the funeral. He told me then that my comment was a major wake-up call and that he realized he was no longer willing to work in that environment. His new job made him much happier.

Why didn’t junk food cause obesity in the olden days?

I grew up in a semi-rural area, the child of homesteaders. We had food. Food was never good or bad, it was on the table, and you ate until you were full.

We ate very well, but worked for that food.

My mother had a huge chicken coop, so lots of eggs and chicken.

We planted and harvested about 2 acres of fruits and vegetables of all kinds that could grow in our area. My father had a greenhouse about the size of a single car garage, so we were able to extend a growing season.

Summer weekends were spent in the bush, picking all sorts of wild berries.

We made our own jams, jellies, cordials, chutneys, different kinds of pickles, canned fruits and berries. We processed veggies for use during the winter. This involved sterilizing jars, picking and cleaning foods, slicing, dicing, blanching food, boiling sealing jars, bagging and freezing.

My father bought the rest of the food we couldn’t grow or source naturally.

Sundays, we always had a huge roast, all kinds of roasted root veggies, and devil’s food cake with 7 minute frosting. Most often, dessicated coconut was also put in the frosting. This is exactly what it looked like

image 98
image 98

During the week, a normal meal was soup, meat and 2 veg, salad, some kind of pickle, and dessert. Dessert was usually fruit, either fresh or home canned in heavy syrup, and ice cream.

When I was young, our home had a wood stove – so fire wood had to be chopped. We didn’t have running water, so water had to be carried by bucket. We had a coal furnace, so coal had to be shoveled in, several times a day, outside of the summer months.

Because we didn’t have running water, we used an outhouse, which was in the far corner of the property. Even going to the toilet, you walked half a block each way.

When I started kindergarten, the school was almost 2 km away from my home (just over a mile). The only time you were allowed to stay at school for lunch is if the temperature was colder than a high of 0F (-18c). So most days, I walked about 8km, just to go to school and back (x2).

The girls all played jump rope at recess. Do children still do that?

We very rarely ate outside our home, except as guests at other people’s homes. When we would go on camping vacations, our first meal out, and last meal coming home would be KFC – the real stuff they used to make with the cream gravy. So if that is the fast food we had, we had it twice a year.

We used to get a bottle of soda when we went to Grandma’s house. That was about every second week. But we used sugar like crazy. Tea and coffee always had at least 2 tsp of sugar in it. Canned fruit was all in heavy syrup. When the large bottles of cola began to be sold, they were terrifically expensive. The 2 quart bottle was over $4. Considering the first apartment I ever rented a couple of years later was $125/month – you can see what a luxury item Coca Cola was.

Basically, I would say we ate very well. There were plenty of treats, but we were always walking/running and working in the yard. Even the simple things took a lot of work. There was no turning on the tap, that water had to be hauled into the house.

So what I would say is this.
Previously, there was little junk food. My mother even made home made marshmallow.
Food was processed at home or in restaurants (eg. no pre-formed patties)
There was no plastic sort of food, such as Cool Whip (introduced in 1966)
People didn’t eat away from home very much.
People had to work much harder for food.
People worked and walked much more in their lives.
The food of the past is very different than the food of today.

For those who conceal and carry a firearm, what life threatening moment made you grateful for doing so?

My previous answer from a similar question:

I am a 100% disabled USAF Veteran, and I carry a concealed handgun legally. I have had all the background checks that the FBI and Federal Government require and although not of sound body, am of sound mind (my ex-wife may disagree!). I was legally carrying when I stopped in San Antonio to get some fuel. I was in my pickup truck which is wheelchair equipped and it was on the back of the truck and I have Texas Disabled Veteran plates on my truck.

I used my credit card to get the fuel and this was about Christmas time. I am a Christian and love that part of the year. As I was finishing up I was approached by a young man in his late teens and early 20’s who had been watching me since I arrived. I am Italian, and he isn’t (you will figure out his heritage in a moment). He asked how my “Christmas was going?” I replied, “It’s a great time of the year!”. He stated “I’m having a horrible Christmas; I don’t have any money and my kids and wife will get nothing from me this year – can you help? I replied that I carried no cash and he had seen me “use my credit card at the pump!”

He then became directly confrontational and pointed his finger in my face and stated “Then you can take your honky ass into the ATM, use that card and get me some cash!” I backed off 2 steps and stated “I don’t know you and I am not in the habit of giving anything to people I don’t know”. His response was to pull back his jacket and show me a large hunting knife handle that was stuck in his pant and state “What if I show you this knife?!”?

My response was to draw my weapon and point it at his chest and state “What if I show you this gun?” He backed off quickly realizing the crippled Veteran was not as easy a target as he thought!

I was unaware but that store clerk was listening in on the speakers that are at the pump and had summoned the police. They arrived as I was pointing the weapon at the suspect. As soon as they arrived I reholstered and the store clerk told them what she had observed, and I verified the situation.

The Officer asked “Why didn’t you shoot him? He has been a problem for months around here!” My response was “he backed off and I think he would have bolted had you not arrived”. He was taken into custody for attempted armed robbery and I testified at his trial about 11 months later. He was given 7 years in the Texas Department of Corrections. Turns out he never had a wife or children.

What was I given? My life. It could have gone very wrong was I not armed. It could have ended in the worst way.

Guns aren’t meant to fight fair. They are meant to win. They are meant to give people control over what happens to them and to protect themselves, the public, and even you from serious bodily harm or death.

It’s not cowardice – it’s prudence.

I am here today because of that weapon which I still carry faithfully – always knowing it’s there but also always hoping I never have to use it.

It is and was an equalizer.

What moment completely changed how you saw someone?

“Can I trust you?” she asked me quietly as we walked in the school grounds.

She didn’t even wait for me to reply.

“My father was diagnosed with cancer. Two years ago. Of the prostate. He was under treatment since then, but these days, he’s been getting worse. And we don’t even have that much money, we’re a simple family.”


Sarah was the ‘weird girl’ in the class. Or that’s how the others saw her.

She was always energetic. So much that you’d think she was high on caffeine every day. She had a prominent personality, something so sun-bright that you couldn’t help but notice. And being talkative and making loud, obnoxiously lame jokes were a fundamental part of her.

Sarah was just so full of life. The fullest you can be. The fullest I’ve ever seen someone.

I think that’s what began, slowly but surely, irritating others in a way.

She would laugh at her own awkward jokes and people would roll their eyes. She’s so random and so extra, they’d say.

She became the class clown.


One day, during the sports class, the conversation written above took place.

And I couldn’t help but silently wonder: how/why was she so buoyant and full of life all the time?

A second later, the tone of her voice shifted.

“You wanna know why I’m so cheerful all the time?”

It’s like she read my mind, I swear. I looked her in the eye, then quickly looked away.

But what she said left me open-mouthed because it was completely different than what I expected.

“You know, I believe that you have to create what you want for yourself. As I see it, everyone has to create their own happiness. There is no other way out. I have so many things to be sad about. But that is exactly what I won’t be. I just work like that,” she shrugged.

And suddenly, just like that, I saw her in a whole new light. And I’m not even exaggerating. It was literally like depicted in the movies.

In fact, I felt guilty, on behalf of my class, that we’d been so utterly stupid.


Not to be dramatic or anything, but Sarah taught me things that I have not learned from anyone else.

I’m not gonna lie and say that since that moment, I’ve been the happiest person alive. I haven’t. It’s a slow process. But I see myself getting there very soon.

Sarah reminded me that one has to create their own happiness. You can’t rely on life or its circumstances to do that for you. She was a living example of the quote: “When life knocks you down, smile and stand up taller than ever before.”

I like to call Sarah my ultimate friend.

According to BBC, the China-EU trade talks end without reaching a agreement, which suggests that there are still unresolved issues, possibly related to further opening up of the Chinese market in the specified sectors, how do you view it?

Let’s see the issues :-

First EU told China they were not buying enough EU Products and importing enough EU products and the Trade deficit was widening quite a bit between the two nations

China replied that most of the EU Imports they formerly imported, they now had excellent quality import substitution within China like Industrial Chemicals or Industrial Technology Machines or ICE Cars

China also said the EU had restricted things they were most keen to import like EUV equipment or Deep UV Lamps or High Grade Etching Equipment

So China said “We have an open market. Bring your products and COMPETE. We have no tariffs here on your products”

The EU want China to keep buying ICE Cars and Industrial Technology at 3 times the price just to ensure a better balance of Trade

China said “How is that Capitalism? Free market?”

EU couldn’t respond

China did point out that Chinese imports of Advanced Lenses and Pharmaceuticals from the EU had risen by 41% across 4 years


The EU claimed China was violating and helping Russia bypass their sanctions. In fact I believe this was their main purpose in visiting China. They accused China of selling to Russia all the Industrial Spares and Manufacturing Parts plus enough goods to keep their purchasing intact

The Chinese replied they were not at war with Russia and EU sanctions were not sacrosanct to other nations. China brought out Lithuania and Australia and asked the EU if the EU recognized Chinese Sanctions on either nation and honored them

China asked if tomorrow China sanctions Taiwan, would EU agree to follow the same and not help Taiwan bypass sanctions

image 96
image 96

Ursula mumbled something about democracy and China told her to “Get Laid”


The EU finally accused China of protectionism and subsidy of NEVs that allowed NEVs to be sold cheaper in Europe

China categorically rejected this as wholly untrue and explained how EV subsidy was aimed to help CHINESE CITIZENS buy EVs and spearhead EV transition fully by 2030. They explained how the subsidy was at the tax level and the manufacturing subsidy provided to BYD was used only for their sale price to Chinese Citizens

The EU of course knew this very well

They have advisors who told them the same story

China then pointed out the EU subsidies to their mobile providers of almost € 63 Billion to help them buy the more expensive Nokia equipment for their 5G instead of Huawei

image 95
image 95

Again Ursula mumbled something about Democracy and China told her again to “Please get Laid” emphasizing on the “Please”


Simply speaking China is bewildered at all these leaders repeatedly coming to China and demanding things that are entirely against free market and capitalism

They offer investments but into the most mundane things like mass manufacturing and medium grade manufacturing that China isn’t interested in anymore. China has much more money than all of EU combined and can easily bankroll their manufacturing

They want TECH INVESTMENTS, the ability to identify good tech and invest in the same

EU doesn’t want this at all because of US orders

EU wants the World to remain in 2010 but the world is in 2023

What are you banned from? Why?

**Wanted to add, I only just realized I misread the title as WERE banned, not are. My apologies!**

I was banned from my local Walmart because I miss scanned an item. I went to self checkout one day because I had 4 items and wanted to teach my sons how to scan items. To make the story easier to understand, I had a tshirt, set of bras, shorts and some socks. While scanning, we had accidently double scanned the bras rather than scan the shorts, honest mistake. We finish up and as we are heading out, loss protection stops me and says “My name is XXX I’m with loss prevention please come with us” I was genuinely confused, my son got scared because of how aggressive they were but we complied. While in the security room they proceeded to rummage thru my bags and asked to search my purse. Again, I complied, but they never explained why I was pulled in. They searched cameras for probabaly 20 minutes. At one point, I hear one of the workers call across the radio “We need security detail for an escort.” I started getting REALLY scared and demanded an answer. Finally, they explain I miss scanned an item, because of this I am being escorted out of the building and will not be allowed back on property, should I step foot on property I will be arrested. I was baffled! They didn’t even give me a chance to fix my honest mistake! Needless to say, again I complied, but I put in a call the corporate after leaving, they reached out to me and lifted the banned immediately, apologized, and fired the entire loss prevention team. It wasn’t the first time they had abused power!

What’s the fastest you’ve personally fired someone else and why?

Immediately.

This guy was new and he was hired by someone else and put on my team. He messed up because he said he got his degree the same time I did. At the same school. In the same program.

I always research my team beforehand. But, this time it was pretty short.

He failed out his third year and didn’t come back to school. At least not mine.

I figured maybe he fibbed and graduated later. I checked with my school. No record of graduation.

He walked up to my team after he got to work. Asked him to follow me and we went to HR.

We sat down and I asked him about his degree. He repeated his resume exactly.

I stood up, said thank you and good luck. We’ll be going in another direction. And HR did their thing.

We don’t ask about degrees, but we do check your resume for lies. And, we don’t care if you have a degree. Just don’t lie about it.

That means that you are probably going to lie about your work. And, that is pretty toxic.

What is one thing you regret doing the most?

Committing a felony. I didn’t set out to break the law, I was a law abiding citizen for 59 years.

I was suffering from a deep depression and began self-medicating with Methamphetamine. The depression and drugs led me to some questionable online activities which, to me, seemed harmless. Without my realizing it though, I had crossed into the dark web.

My first inkling that I was in trouble was when 7 sheriffs came to my house with a search warrant. 6 months after that I was arrested on 23 felony charges.

Over the next 6 months my lawyer negotiated that down to 5 charges in exchange for me pleading guilty which I eventually did – I did not have the money to pay for a trial defense, and even if I did, a loss would have meant that I would die in prison – I was 60 years old.

I was extremely fortunate, mostly, I think because I was a first time offender, with a lifetime of abiding the law. I was sentenced to 5 years probation and 3 years prison suspended – no jail time unless I screwed up.

I lost a very successful career and income as a software engineer – no one would hire me with a record. My wife died of a stroke, partly due to the stress of the legal proceedings. Her family completely disowned me (my own family was gone) so I was completely alone in my grief.

I was forced to retire at 62 and live on social security (my first wife got my retirement in the divorce) and I have almost no friends.

Because of one mistake fueled by depression and drugs, my life was destroyed. I have to submit to monthly drug tests and meetings with my probation officer (a significant expense on social security as I have no car and he is 30 miles away), and in constant fear of having my probation revoked for breaking a probation rule (anyone who’s ever been on probation will understand what I mean).

If I could go back to mid 2018 and seek professional help for the depression, I would do it in a heartbeat. If I had sought treatment then I wouldn’t be where I am now.

EDIT:

I have received a lot of comments with people complaining that I’m not taking responsibility for my actions – this is completely wrong.

I take full responsibility for what happened to me. I made the decision to self medicate with meth rather than seek mainstream treatment. It was my decision to engage in the actions which led to my crime. Nobody made me do it but me.

I was arrested on evidence I cannot deny and sentenced fairly according to the law. I was a law abiding citizen for 59 years and believe strongly in the rule of law and the need to uphold it. I have absolutely no complaint about how I was treated as the result of my actions. The legal system and all of its agents acted exactly as I expected in doing their part to enforce the law and maintain societal controls.

That said, I have no doubt, with God as my witness, that I would have NEVER broken the law had my faculties not been impaired by drugs – in a sober state I would not have engaged in the actions that led to my crime. My values and critical thinking were subverted by the drugs – there is plenty of medical and psychiatric evidence of this. That is not an excuse, it is a simple fact.

What is the smartest thing you have ever done in an interview?

I wished the interviewer luck in finding a candidate with the credentials they were looking for, when it became known that I didn’t have the right credential to teach what they wanted me to teach.

They waited until the interview to tell me that they were specifically looking for a teacher with a Reading Specialist endorsement, which I didn’t have. They could have checked my resume before they called me in for the interview to see I didn’t have that, but whatever. My lack of the proper endorsement brought the interview to a quick close, and I wished them well in their search for someone with that particular endorsement. I knew they’d have a hard time finding someone with that who was willing to work at a private school. Public schools, which pay better than private schools around here, are quick to grab the Reading Specialists.

About three weeks later, I’d completely forgotten about that interview, and they called me in for a second interview. I checked their school calendar. They were two weeks away from opening day. I knew they were desperate. I was desperate to find a position too, so it all worked out. I went in for the second interview, and they offered me the position, even though I didn’t have the specific endorsement they wanted. Private schools are flexible when it comes to those things anyway.

They remembered me from the first interview because I was nice to them. I ended up working there for two years. It was my first real teaching position, and I loved it. I got the experience and connections I needed to make finding new teaching positions in later years so much easier. The first position is always the hardest to get.

More Than a Feeling

You feel like rolling up a joint. Eh?

What should we make of the Hong Kong’s “Safe and Orderly Election” that required 10,000 police officers to be deployed across the city?

Were you here? I am here and I was here on Sunday election day.

Yeah and? You hear 10,000 police deployed across the city! OMG.

What I saw? I went cycling early in the morning. I passed the election polling station, a small queue and a load of villagers.

The two police officers? They were stood about 10 metres away outside to one side.

That’s not an unusual sight. You see police standing around busy bus depots and MTR stations. The only ‘heavy’ presence was a couple months ago where desk job police were walking around. I scooted in between them and NOTHING happened.

We Have a Problem – The Actual WAR INVASION of the USA **IS** Planned and now, We have a date range . . .

World Hal Turner 11 December 2023

America, we have a problem.  While it has long been rumored that foreign countries are planning to invade the continental USA, we’ve never seen evidence of any such actual planning; until now. . .

For years we’ve all heard rumors of Chinese troops being massed in south-central Mexico, but never any proof to bolster such claims.

Two years or so ago, we all found out that Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada signed a Treaty with China allowing the deployment of People’s Liberation Army troops in Canada, and the Treaty prohibits local Canada governments from having __any__ say where those troops are, or what they do while in Canada.  That Treaty has been verified and __is__ real.

So if one believes the rumor about China troops in south-central Mexico, and we already have confirmation they’re entering Canada, that would mean invasion of the continental USA would be possible from both the north and the south.

Then, too, for years, we’ve all heard rumors that Venezuela would send troops to Cuba, to join with Cuban troops to invade Florida from Cuba — but ZERO evidence of any such planning has ever been offered or produced by anyone.

NOW, THOUGH, we have something very real, from deep inside Russian Intelligence.  

Below from inside the Russian FSB, we now have concrete proof an actual INVASION of the United States of America is, in fact, being planned, and the date range for that invasion has already been decided.   It appears we have less than one year.

The evidence, obtained from inside Department “C” of the Central Security Service of the FSB of Russia, appears below, and is for SUBSCRIBERS TO THIS WEBSITE, ONLY.  

<not available>

As a mechanic, what was the biggest mistake you made when fixing a car?

Back around 1990, I was about 23, two babys and wife at home, and got laid off at the light bulb factory in Plymouth Florida. So I went to work selling veggies at the flea market and working on VW’s while looking for a job. I had been rebulding Bug motors for some time and it had become quite a routine. Well I had this old bus, it was a 1962, 23 window Kombi wagon. Pulled the motor, did the thing right, line bored, new cylinders, pistons, all the bearings, oil pump, Bosch 009 distibutor, new carb, everything top-knotch. The owner wanted it right, so he spared no expense and I was happy to oblige. The afternoon arrived and i finally had the motor back together and up in the bus. It was bolted in and I was hooking up the wires and needed a new connector to hookup the new distributor and when i went into my shop to find one, i noticed this little silver thing laying on the bench. Picked it up and eyed it carefully. It was half of a cam bearing. Yup, I had left out half of a cam bearing shell. Had to pull the motor back out, break it all the way back down, and sure enough, there was one shell missing. Put it in and back together it went. Ran like a top for years! Thankfully, I didn’t try to fire it up!

Campfire Dutch Oven Chili with Cornbread

campfire dutch oven chili cornbread
campfire dutch oven chili cornbread

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

Chili

  • 3 pounds ground beef (90% lean)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes & green chilies, undrained
  • 1 (12 ounce) bottle beer
  • 2 (8.5 ounce) boxes cornbread mix (including ingredients to prepare cornbread)

Optional Toppings

  • Sour cream
  • Sliced green onions
  • Shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat briquettes up in a chimney, then make a layer of hot briquettes on the ground, a fire ring, or other metal structure.
  2. Place the Dutch oven on the briquettes and allow Dutch oven to get hot.
  3. Add oil to the Dutch oven and sauté onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño pepper stirring occasionally until tender, approximately 4 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.
  4. Add ground beef to Dutch oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking beef into small crumbles and stirring occasionally until browned. If Dutch oven starts to cool off, add more hot briquettes on the bottom.
  5. Add chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, black pepper and salt; cook for 1 minute.
  6. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes & green chiles and beer; bring to a boil. Cook for 30 minutes.
  7. Prepare cornbread mix based on box instructions and pour over chili, spreading into an even layer.
  8. Heat approximately 20 additional briquettes. Cover Dutch oven with lid and place hot briquettes evenly on the top of the closed lid.
  9. Cook for about 10 minutes, checking halfway through. Check to see if cornbread is done by sticking a wooden pick into cornbread. If the wooden pick comes out clean, it is done.

Nutrition

Per serving: 479 Calories; 174.09 Calories from fat; 78g Total Fat (6.22g Saturated Fat; 0.34g Trans Fat; 2.31g Polyunsaturated Fat; 8.39g Monounsaturated Fat;) 84.98mg Cholesterol; 960.63mg Sodium; 41.14g Total Carbohydrate; 5.28g Dietary Fiber; 31.5g Protein; 4.19mg Iron; 614.17mg Potassium; 10.92mg Niacin; 0.6mg Vitamin B6; 2.67mcg Vitamin B12; 6.87mg Zinc; 21.17mcg Selenium; 91.78mg Choline

This recipe is an excellent source of Protein, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Iron, Zinc and a good source of potassium.

What is the fastest you wiped that smirk off your manager’s face?

I worked as PC tech early in my career for a man that was a total control freak. Very military. One of his expectations was that everyone was sitting at their desk exactly at 8am. No excuses. Well, I was transferred under his department after my previous manager retired. I had been working without complaint for over a year.

If I knew I had a busy day I would come in early to get things done without interruption. I had been late a few times during the previous month as I was a new Father. But, as I said, I came in early, and stayed late so my work was never affected.

I also was a contractor, not an employee. And my contract wasn’t a 8 to 5 time clock, but a work level, number of tickets thing.

Anyway, this particular morning I came in about 30mins early to finish up a repair from the day before. No sooner than I had walked into my office the Plant Manager walked in. He was having a problem. So, off I go.

Well, it was about 45 minutes later when I walk back in to get a replacement hard drive. There stands my Boss. He starts in on me about me not being at my desk. Yelling at me like I’m a dog. I just stand there. Finally, he says I’m fired. I’m to pack my “stuff” and leave. Which I do. As I’m about to leave I tell him, Oh by the way, the Plant Manager (his Boss) was waiting on me. His face dropped.

I walked out.

About an hour after I got home I get a call from my company. The Plant Manager called them. He told them he wanted me to come back. I declined. He then called me. He paid me directly to come fix his computer. And my Boss got fired.

Who was the one kid at school who you never believed could make it as far as they did?

This kid was the other way around. He was considered as a brilliant geek, and I believe he suffered a lot from the constant bullying by the other kids. He scored very well in Olympiads, and also scored high marks on subjects such as Math, Physics and Chemistry.

In his spare time, he read Math books, studied Bridge and entered in semi-professional competitive Bridge games — I guess that was one of the reasons why he was seen as a geek.

Several teachers were convinced that Terry would ace university and become a brilliant scientific researcher, but reality turned out to be very different. He first tried engineering studies but failed miserably, and then spent some time in the professional Bridge circuit, but he never reached the level he thought he would.

Some years later, I was a surveillant at a Linear Algebra exam for freshman Informatics students (I was a postdoctoral researcher at the time), and there he was, trying once again to obtain a degree. And he flunked again. Not much later he left academics, and I kind of lost track of his life.

At reunions, those that do not show up are the people that died young, those that hate their past more than anything else, and those that failed in life. The future definitely turned out differently than Terry had hoped.

But luckily, we did not know this when we were seventeen.

What is the best way for a groom’s mother to help with the wedding without stepping on bridesmaids or other family members toes?

My MIL was absolutely the best. Once we had settled on the number of guests we could afford to invite, she offered to contribute toward the wedding so that more guests from their circle of family and friends could be invited. Because I wasn’t sure if we could afford an open bar, she offered to cover it and did so. She organized the rehearsal dinner and did an absolutely splendid job. The day after the wedding, she put together a breakfast for some of our out-of-town guests at her home. On the wedding day, she stayed low profile so that my mother could join me in getting ready with my bridesmaids (and this I regret, not asking her to join us, but I was young and naiive at the time and it didn’t occur to me). On the day of the wedding, she took care of little things that others didn’t, like collecting the bridal gown after I’d changed into my travel clothes. When we traveled to another city, she asked a family member who was visiting her for the wedding to let us use their apartment so we didn’t have to pay for a hotel. She’s the best MIL one could hope for!

What is the oddest conversation you’ve had with a telephone scammer?

Not the oddest but one of the funniest.

I was down the pub one summers day pre-Covid with a good mate of mine called Dan. Dan’s originally from Texas, ex-US Army 1st Sgt, and now living in the UK with his lovely wife. He’s been here long enough to have a good grasp of the British sense of humour.

We’re having a drink and chatting when my phone goes off, a number I don’t recognise and I answer, putting it on speakerphone. A thickly-accented Indian voice (who claims to be called ‘Hank’) on the other end tells me that he is the FBI, that i’ve got multiple warrants out for my arrest etc, but that if I pay them I won’t have to be arrested-bear in mind i’m in the UK and the FBI has no jurisdiction over here. Having sunk a few pints by then, i’m in the mood for a wind-up. I ask for details of these warrants, tell him that they’ll never catch me, then I ask him if he knows Special Agent Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson’s character in ‘Criminal Minds’). He replies that Agent Hotchner is on holiday at the moment. I tell him that I know this as he’s sitting right beside me, and he’d like a word with him. I hand the phone to Dan and sit back to enjoy the show. Dan goes all in, quoting legal codes, threatening traces, freezing of their assets, criminal charges, the works! Needless to say the call ended not long after

Would China be better off if they backed the Ukraine and ditched Putin? How would that work?

China has a really sweet deal with Russia right now. I can not think of a single reason to change it (from China’s perspective.)

  1. China is desperately short of fossil fuels and Russia is a huge exporter of fossil fuels. They are even willing to build multiple pipelines to get natural gas to China.
  2. Everything Russia sells to China goes at a 40–50% discount because of China’s manipulation of its two-currency system.
  3. Everything Russia buys from China comes with a 40–50% markup. Same reasons. Some things that are sanctioned go for as much as 4,000 times their original cost.
  4. China is selling Russia billions a year in heavily marked up “dual use” goods such as military grade tires, military vehicles, body armor, night vision devices, helicopter engines, field medical kits, and even entire field hospitals. They also sell them considerable sanctioned goods, especially electronics, that Russia cannot make for itself.
  5. They are compatible authoritarian governments.
  6. China and Russia make an impenetrable voting bloc at the UN. Together, they can block any international initiative against either of them.

Supertramp – Take The Long Way Home (BEST QUALITY SOUND)

So many of us can relate to this.

What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

I once had a client who was, literally, the strongest man I’d ever seen. Harry was well-built and about 6′ 4″. Even though he was large to begin with, his sheer strength to size ratio was off the charts.

One day we were driving in the car together and a guy in a Mercedes cut Harry off in traffic. Harry expressed his displeasure at this move by honking his horn. “Mercedes guy” proceeded to flip Harry off and then he pulled over – I guess he was looking for a fight.

Harry pulled in behind him. He got out, then Harry got out. The other guy was about 6′ tall and slightly pudgy, but not small by any means. However, once Mercedes guy saw Harry, he hurriedly returned to his car. BUT, he forgot one very important thing. His sunroof was open.

Harry, usually a fairly reasonable guy, was beyond pissed off. He went up to the guy’s car, PULLED him out THROUGH THE SUNROOF, put him on the street, turned him upside-down and STUFFED him back in his car, once again THROUGH THE SUNROOF.

Then Harry calmly strolled back to the car, got in, and we drove off. I glanced in the side view mirror and could see Mercedes guy’s feet sticking up through the roof kicking around a bit. Too funny!

I’ve never seen anything like it before or since. Harry passed away a few years later, but I’ll never forget him or what he did that day. It was an awesome sight!

Running late

The other morning as I was running late for an appointment I drove past a park and from a distance, I saw this young girl sitting on the bench and it looked like she was crying… I continued to drive and I thought to myself “what if that was me or even worse.. my daughter”.

So, I turned around and pulled into a parking spot, opened my car door and walked over to her and set down beside her.

She was crying so hard that she didn’t know I was there until I tapped her on the shoulder and asked: “Are you okay?” She looked up at me and said “No” “He cheated on me” “I don’t want to even live anymore” I knew at this point, I needed to take as much time as I could to talk to this young girl.

image 97
image 97

We sat there on that bench and talked the entire afternoon about relationships, life, and future goals and when the time came we finally said our goodbyes so I walked back to my car and as I started to back out, I looked back at her and she was walking towards me with her head down.

When she came up to the window, she confessed to me that she thought about taking her own life and because of me stopping and talking to her she decided that wasn’t in her best interest anymore.

Needless to say, I might have missed an appointment but I also might have saved a life.

Is it true that Japanese people don’t eat or drink in excess?

Sweet, sweet summer child. Let me share with you a day in the life of a young Japanese Salaryman, if you’ll indulge me.

Clearly, you have never heard of the dreaded company 飲み会。

Ah, that magical moment when your boss tells the faculty, “Today was a good day, let’s go out drinking!”

“What’s that you say? You have plans? No, no, clearly you are mistaken. Because WE, the employees of the company have decided to go drinking. We have all made this decision, subconsciously, the very instant, I, the boss, mentioned it. 空気を読んで! Are we not the pinnacle of unity and harmony?”

And now, you’re off to a wonderful night of drinking with your coworkers. Who must drink with the boss, as long as he wants to drink.

“What’s that you say? You don’t like drinking? NONSENSE. You merely have not found the appropriate drink, which, I, the boss, know is just right for you. Have another cup with me!”

“Another!”

“Another!”

“Eh? Eh? You don’t feel so good. Fie, I say! You just need another drink. Perhaps a different sake.”

That’s going to go on for a bit, until you, the newbie, and your coworker, who has learned how to hold his liquor better, are on a street corner outside a hotel in Tokyo, the coworker kindly holding your head as you throw up everything you have ever eaten. They are kind and will give you water afterwards, as you swear you will never drink again.

Until the next mandatory company 飲み会。

What is the sneakiest thing you did in your workplace?

I worked at a company where they were getting rid of a bunch of flat panel displays. They were old and had a funky plug on them, but worked perfectly fine. I asked the powers that be if we could take them home, since they were just going to trash them anyway. I was told that if you can bag them up, you can walk right past security in the lobby and you’ll be fine. You can’t just carry them out the door, though.

It turned out that one of my coworkers had a girlfriend who worked in a place that sewed custom bags for various industries. I gave him dimensions and 3 days later, we had bags we could use. Between the 6 techs I worked with, We walked out with about a dozen displays. We benefitted, the displays didn’t end up in a landfill, and a new line of bags was developed at my buddy’s gf’s company. It was a win-win-win.

[Gotta Get A] Meal Ticket

Early Elton John.

Why are people with a big house, nice cars, and with kids still unhappy about their lives?

At some point early in my marriage, we had a relatively large 6 bedroom house on a golf course subdivision with a pool and clubhouse. I had bought the nicest Lexus sedan I could afford, and a large SUV for my wife. We had two young kids. And we were miserable.

It wasn’t just about the money. These things were expensive for sure, and definitely weighed down our budget, but we could afford it.

The problem was time. I was busy with my business, working almost 7 days a week. My wife was taking care of the babies AND helping with the business. We almost never took vacations. A rare weekend off was like a vacation.

I’d be reading or playing with the kids and the phone would ring. The laughter turned off like a switch while I go to another room to talk. It’s like the world paused while the family waited to hear if I had to leave or not. Sorry, gotta run! I’d leave before even hearing if the kids said “bye daddy.”

I’m sure you’ve seen the Disney movie, Aladdin. I was the Genie. Giver of gifts. Solver of problems. All powerful being. But no more than a slave. The business owns you. Clients own you. The mortgage owns you. Just like the Genie, I longed for freedom.

One day, my wife and I looked at each other and asked “what are we doing?”

I started interviewing for jobs and got hired relatively quickly. Within a few months, we closed the business, sold our house, and moved. It was like Aladdin setting the Genie free.

It turned out that I work half the time, making pretty much the same as before.. I still drive the same car, which is now 15 yrs old. We live in a house half the size of what we had. I see my kids more than most dads I know. I am an equal participant in their homeschooling. We go on vacations multiple times a year.

Life isn’t perfect, but definitely there is more happiness now.


Addendum: Thanks for reading and the upvotes!

I’d like to add that it’s definitely possible to have a business or earn a lot and have a big house, nice cars, etc. AND afford family time. It’s not mutually exclusive at all. I know a lot of people who have it all. If you can find that lifestyle, go for it. I just didn’t have it in me, but that’s OK.

What does it feel like to be old, for example over 50 years? How does life change?

I applaud those who answer these types of questions honestly. After all, I believe that the younger ones who ask these questions want honest answers as to what they have in store. What they don’t want is old people trying to prove they’re doing great and that they’ve still got it, without offering any balancing disclosures.

I get irritated with people who answer these questions with only a list of all the great things they’re still able to do. They sky-dive, hike, kayak blah blah blah. They so desperately seem to want to come across like they’re still twenty. THEY ARE NOT. And the men nearly always have to show off about how they’re still sexually active (failing to mention they need boatloads of viagra to do it.) And no offence, but NOBODY wants to picture old people still at it.

Now some of these people are flat-out lying, and some are being honest. But, my irritation isn’t because some are truthfully still active and fit; it’s because, whilst crowing about their experience of older age, they’re leaving out the shitty parts of ageing.

It’s perfectly okay to admit that despite still being fit enough to kayak, and despite being generally content and more enlightened, you’re also struggling with physical issues, fears, societal prejudices, or sadness.

You’re struggling with friends who have cancer or have already passed.

You’re struggling with your own mortality.

You’re struggling with the knowledge that you’ll soon enough be of no real use to your children anymore.

You’re struggling with the saggy stranger you see in the mirror.

You’re becoming more invisible to the public at large.

You’re struggling with lessons learned too late in life.

You’re struggling with questions like ‘What the fuck was all that about?’

You’re struggling with dodgy knees, age spots and overall deterioration.

You’re struggling with energy levels and motivation (not all the time, but certainly some of the time.)

At times, you’re struggling with boredom; not every old person is sky-diving 24/7.

Your memory is not what it used to be.

Weight (for many) cannot be managed, no matter what.

The absolute worst part is losing friends and relatives along the way. Your social circle becomes smaller and smaller.

Then you have widows and widowers who have to grapple with a whole new way of life at their age after having relied on another person for decades.

It unnerves me that so many people are so hell-bent on proving something rather than sharing the reality, inevitability, vulnerability and, even the beauty, of life’s cycle. That you know your time is gradually coming to a form of decline and close, despite the fact that you might still be able to kayak.

There’s just something very self-congratulatory about those proclamations. Something which I imagine makes certain other older people feel like they’re failing or not doing enough, and that also sets young people up for thinking that ageing is one big picnic.

It’s okay to still be enjoying your life at whatever age without portraying ageing as a hunky dory affair. It isn’t. On some fronts, it’s way, way better, but on other fronts, it positively stinks. (Just as I imagine most teens would describe their teenage years.)

What is the most dangerous situation you have faced?

It was in the military boot camp. Finnish military is based on conscription; it is colloquially called as “penis tax”. It means if you are a boy, you have to serve in the military on pain of imprisonment. Girls may volunteer, and I volunteered.

Draft dodging is made almost impossible in Finland, which means the military gets almost the whole cohort to service (except those who are exempted for health reasons or who chose civilian service instead). It is a genuine cross-section of the whole society – which mean that the military does not get only the best of the boys to rank and file, but also the worst.

It means you have to serve with people you would attempt to avoid at any price in civilian life; bullies, thieves, blue falcons, pranksters, antisocial cases, substance abusers, weakly talented etc. And then there are always those, who have an intention to make other people’s time miserable.

We girls slept in a separate dorm, but practised with boys. And unfortunately there was such Arschloch in our company. He especially picked on us girls (as we all were volunteer), and especially me.

In the end his picking, teasing, harassing and pushing my button went far enough. My service motivation was already on the rock bottom, and to say, he had harassed me to corner.

I didn’t care anymore if I lived or died. I just wanted it to end.

Puukko, the Finnish knife, is the only civilian item along the eyeglasses which can be carried while in uniform. It doubles as a sidearm and Every Finn has one, and getting one’s first puukko is a kind of coming to age ceremony for boys and girls. So I drew mine. He drew his.

We were now staring each other, with drawn knives, ready to strike and fight to death. I was ready to kill. I did not care anymore. He stared me with expressionless gaze. It was as if his eyes had been bottomless wells. I could sense no emotion.

Then the drill corporals came. They separated us, and I got yelled upon and roasted for good.

Yet military is a strange place. It works on its own rules. In civilian life, this would have been either an illegal threatening or an attempted manslaughter, and prison would have ensued. But nothing ensued; we were told to get shut up and not to say a word on what had happened. The noncoms did not want any troubles and fuss. It was as if they wanted to sweep everything under the carpet. This is understandable as the materiél is heterogeneous: internal squabbles and quarreling happens almost daily. Everyone was aware I had been pushed and picked on, and they realized it was a primitive reaction.

Strangely, I was left alone after that. Nobody picked on me anymore. But it was the absolute nadir of my military time.

Why were Middle East refugees turned away and treated badly by Poland while Ukraine refugees are even been offered food?

Not only they are offered food, but also Polish families accept them in our homes (in fact I did too), and get everything free until they find a job or decide to leave. In fact, just today NGO’s helping Ukrainians stopped taking gifts. Their warehouses are full, there is more help than people that need it for now. (PS – Poles reading this – seriously, look at the FB groups what is needed, because there is more stuff that they need, and there are some things we lack. For example pampers’s and other baby and toddler stuff, as well as school utensils. But not everywhere, not in every city, watch your own, don’t just throw in gifts, volunteers are already overwhelmed with that kindness, nobody expected it will be so much)

Four main reasons:
1. For several hundred years we were one country:

image 94
image 94

(that red part)
We accept our families and relatives, that is normal. We see them as our kin.

2. Belarus president Lukashenko admitted that he deliberately flew Middle Eastern and African immigrants to our border in order to wage hybrid war against us, and use them as weapons. And Belarus is now a combatant country against Ukraine side by side with Russia. We don’t negotiate with terrorists like this man, neither we bow to such threats. So against as he called it “war” declared, we stood an army on the border. Pretty normal thing to do with somebody threatening you with war, isn’t it?

3. We strongly believe that a war refugee should stay in the first safe country. For Ukraine we are the first safe country.

4. In our culture, it is expected for men to fight the war, or rebuild their country. Not to flee. And from Ukraine, we receive women and children. Not 80% males in military age. Those, in Ukraine, stay and fight. They are not let our by Ukrainian forces anyway.

No matter if someone finds those reasons valid or not, those are them.

Why do some cultures remove their shoes indoors while others, especially in the West, do not?

As someone who hails from a culture where people typically their outdoor shoes before entering a home/temple/office/etc., I can only share my experience from that end of the spectrum.

The answer is simple and practical – we don’t want to track in dirt, mud, and the one billion other stuff that you can’t really see with the naked eye into our homes/temples/offices/etc.

For myself, I’m closer to the extreme end of the spectrum.

When I come home, not only do I remove my outdoor shoes and slip into my “indoor slippers” before stepping into my home, but I then go and change into my “indoor clothes” as well, before doing anything else.

Seeing people immediately plop onto their beds, still in their “outdoor clothes”, after arriving home makes me uncomfortable.

I also have an area in my apartment for setting aside “stuff I take outdoors but bring home”.
Like the bag I bring to work, and all the coats, clothes, I wear to work – they all get neatly placed in this area before I go change into my “indoor clothes”.

And this is not just at home.

Although not all work places have an “outdoor shoes off” policy, the game studio I work at does.

And it is strictly enforced – if you have a “brain fart moment” and forget to take off your outdoor shoes before stepping into the studio proper, you’ll have quite a few people springing out of nowhere, breathing heavily down your neck, who will smile and politely point out that you’ve violated the rules of the inner sanctum and would you please go and take your outside shoes off and use the mop to wipe that part of the floor that you’ve stepped on with your outside shoes.

There’s even been talk of implementing a demerit point system to cut down on colleagues who have these “brain fart moments” – although I think it’s unlikely, as I’ve seen it happen only twice so far this year, and usually both times the guilty party was deep in thought about something work related (which makes the transgression somewhat forgivable…) .

It applies to everyone.

Doesn’t matter whether you’re the Director himself, a Lead, a Junior, an Intern, an External Freelancer, a Client, or the Cleaning Lady – everyone takes off their shoes before stepping into the studio proper.

That’s why we have a “take your outdoor shoes off here” entrance area right after you enter the main door.

You immediately take off your outdoor shoes and put it into one of the four tall shoe cupboards located to the side of the main door.

image 93
image 93

We also have a couple of these “shoe benches” in this entrance area.
These are for people who need something to sit on while taking off / putting on their socks and shoes.

These “shoe benches” are also where we place our “inside slippers”.

It’s convenient – once we take off our “outside shoes” on one of these “shoe benches”, we can immediately reach for and slip into our “inside slippers” before then placing our “outside shoes” into the shoe cupboard.

image 92
image 92

We also have a few areas around the studio where there’s a low floor table with floor cushions to sit on.

These areas are used for group discussions, brainstorming sessions, tea-drinking sessions, I-just-need-to-take-a-short-break sessions, I-just-need-a-20-minute-nap sessions, etc

My favorite one is the one where it’s practically an indoor garden and we’ve outfitted the place to make it look like you’re inside a gazebo, with tea cups and tea pots on a side table.

Knowing that no one has tracked in dirt, mud, and the one billion other stuff that you can’t really see with the naked eye into the studio allows me to sit in these areas and enjoy my morning/afternoon tea with peace of mind.

image 91
image 91

3

What was the weirdest flex by a rich person?

Might not qualify as the weirdest flex but certainly one of the most bad ass.

Kerry Packer was Australia’s richest man worth around 8 billion some 20 years ago. His gambling feats were legendary. He would often go to casinos and win or lose 10 million plus in one sitting. One time he won $26 million playing 6 hands of blackjack at $200,000 each. That’s $1.2 million per hand.

On top of that, whilst some of these may not be 100% accurate (Urban legends can get twisted over time) they all have some element of truth.

He’s been known to tip croupiers and waitresses 100s of 1000s of dollars and paying off their mortgages. Once he accidentally tipped a waitresses tray and apologised and arranged to pay her $100,000+ mortgage. Another time a dealer was offered an $80,000 tip by Packer but respectfully declined, informing him dealers are not allowed to accept gratuities. Packer called over the Pit Boss and demanded the dealer be sacked on the spot. The Pit Boss fired her. Packer then pushed forward the $80,000 worth of chips before demanding the Pit Boss re-hire her.

But then came the Texan oil tycoon coin flip…

Packer was playing every box at a blackjack table and not allowing anyone else to play or back bet at the table. This was a common practice by Packer and indeed a lot of big gamblers. But one time there was a braggart Texan oil baron throwing his weight around, complaining and telling all and sundry he was a big deal. He’s rich, he doesn’t have to wait for a table and who was this buffoon hogging it…Packer doesn’t walk around telling everyone how good he is and he doesn’t like people who do…

So Packer swivels around in his seat only for the Texan to double down, pointing his finger at the face of Packer and yelling some choice words finishing with, “I’m worth $100 million!” Packer slowly leans back in his chair, pulls a coin out of his pocket, stares at the Texan and calmly says, “So you want to gamble hey? I’ll flip you for it.” He was serious.

As the Texan quietly slunk away into the shadows, Kerry turned back to the table and continued like nothing had happened.

Bad ass…

Cabbage Patch Stew

84774cfdd5416aacc5f661f3dbf51227
84774cfdd5416aacc5f661f3dbf51227

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground meat – beef, turkey, venison
  • 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1 (16 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
  • 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • Bisquick dumplings

Instructions

  1. Cook and stir ground meat in Dutch oven until browned. Drain.
  2. Add onions, cabbage and celery. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are light brown.
  3. Stir in tomatoes, and kidney beans (with liquid), water, salt, pepper and chili powder. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer until cabbage is tender.
  4. Meanwhile, prepare Bisquick dumplings. Drop by spoonsful into boiling stew. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
  5. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
  6. Serve.

What’s the strangest wrong number you’ve ever answered?

I picked up the phone (old school landline back in the day) and heard an angry voice say, “Where’s my money?” Since hanging up would only have convinced the caller that I was indeed the object of his rage, I stayed on the line and had what was for me an amusing conversation.

“You have the wrong number,” I said.

“What are you trying to pull?” he said. “You owe me $600.”

Further questioning revealed my interrogator was a drug dealer, had fronted an acquaintance a considerable amount of money, and was trying to collect with the (incorrect) phone number he’d been given. He just wouldn’t take no for an answer. “I know where you live,” he threatened. “I’ll come over there and kill you “

“Do it,” I said. “Since I’m not who you think I am, it’s no skin off my teeth.”

The conversation went on, I was unfailingly polite the whole time, I eventually excused myself and hung up, and he called back and tried again. Finally I said, “Look, man, your friend cheated you. I hope you find him, but I’m not your man.”

“Yeah, thanks anyway,” he said in a dejected voice and hung up.

What famous person had a promising career and then destroyed it with bad decisions?

I’m gonna have to say Charlie Sheen takes this award.

He was making tens of millions of dollars each year with his Sitcom, Two & Half men.

In the acting world, sitcoms are the best gigs.

The acting demands are super easy. The scripts are cookie cutter. After a few laps around the track, you learn to crank these episodes out one after another.

You come in, you shoot, boom you are done. They shoot entire seasons over a few weeks sometimes.

But he started in with the cocaine and we all know what happened next:

image 90
image 90

And what stinks (for Charlie) is that, around this time, he had gone through a divorce and judges issued alimony/child-support payments based on his current income.

He was paying his ex-wife Brooke Mueller $55,000 a month in child support AND his ex-wife Denise Richards $50,000 a month.

His income instantly ceased when he was on TV, going on these crazy tirades that were funny in the moment but catastrophic to his career.

What producers wants to work with a liability like that? Who wants to be publicly targeted by one of your own actors?

Combine his alimony/child-support payments, his drug habit, and preference for high end prostitutes.

And you have a dead career, HIV and a quickly depleting bank account.

Stay away from drugs, kids.

As a teacher, have you ever been accused of something?

I remember when I had one ten year old in my class, and we were oil and water to each other. One day I chastised her for swearing in class and she told me that she was going to get me back and I’d be sorry (presumably for scolding somebody as important as she was). The next day, my colleague, a teacher who was senior to me, came to me to tell me the student had complained I’d hit her. When I told him that it was a complete fabrication on her part, he told me, and I quote, “Well, she wouldn’t lie.

I told him that I was offended, since the clear inference was that he believed I was lying. And I resented the implication that I was a liar who would abuse a child.

I was very relieved when she moved to his class the next year and decided she didn’t like him anymore than she had liked me and began to spread stories about him. When he complained about her in the staff room, I looked him in the eye and said, “Well, she wouldn’t lie.”

How do pro-lifers feel after hearing about Kate Cox’s inability to receive health care in Texas?

In Boston in the early 1700s Cotton Mather introduced variolation for the treatment and prevention of Smallpox. In those days, Boston was a town (it didn’t become a city until 1822) of about 4000 people. Every year AT LEAST 30 percent of the population came down with Smallpox, a virulent disease which disfigured the survivors, turned their teeth black, and caused them enormous pain. In a town with only 4000 people where everyone literally depended on everyone else, having 1200 people laid up meant that at least another 1000 had to be caring for them – or digging graves.

And then came the miracle of variolation. For the first time the possibility of ending this horrible scourge was REAL. It was no longer necessary to organize long and tedious and useless prayer vigils. There was science and medicine that had a REAL IMPACT and saved many people from the hideousness or scars and rotten teeth or worse, death.

Do you think the citizens were excited about this? NO THEY WERE NOT. They tried to kill Mather; they tried to burn down his house. They tried to kidnap his children because they were innoculated and therefore “impure”. You see, catching a horrible disease and becoming scarred and even dying at the age of six month was GOD’S WILL. If GOD wants you to get sick, who are YOU to interfere with his plan? Those people were the worst kinds of hypocrites. They wanted to do whatever they wanted if they weren’t caught or “seen by God” (such as the city Father offering to commute Mary Dyer’s death sentence if she slept with him. She didn’t and she swung.) but other than that they have to “virtue signal” that God was in charge and therefore YOUR CHILD had to suffer and die from Smallpox (especially if mine did last year).

The people in Texas are largely brainwashed by religious morons who fly big jets paid for by the suckers who are willing to fight to let any number of women and children die in childbirth or otherwise because a Rolex-wearing priest told them it was GOD’S WILL and we are not to interfere with it (while those same pastors get plastic surgery and drive Bentleys)

Eventually, the people of Boston woke up to the benefits of variolation and inoculation and many of the people throwing bricks through the windows of Mather’s house during the day suddenly showed up at midnight with their children and begged for the scratch that would change their lives for the better, the same way that Republicans fly to Massachusetts from Texas when they need an abortion or real medical treatment but put their boot on the neck of the poor and force them to die or give birth to a rapist’s child. Ken Paxton is absolutely no different from the Magistrate who tried to extort sex from Mary Dyer – then hanged her when she refused.

How will the US sanction China for violating the Iran trade restrictions?

You mean China buying Iranian oil?

Or the recently concluded 400 billion trade deal?

China has set up special financial facilities for Iranian accounts that are immune to us Treasury sanctions, because the entire payment mechanism is independent of the US dollar.

In other words, the US cannot threaten hegemonic destruction, unless they are willing to attack key nodes in the Chinese financial system.

Besides, the US is ALREADY sanctioning both Iran and China. Iran’s sanctions approach that of an embargo while China has been busy fending off America’s “maximum pressure” strategy that includes illegal tariffs, the closure of a consulate, a genocide determination, the removal of Hong Kong’s special status, the economic slaughter of Huawei and other Chinese companies, and many, many more direct and indirect acts of malice.

China must have thought since we’re already under maximum pressure, what China does or doesn’t do no longer matters because America can always pin something on us.

With or without Iran, America will bring it on and up the pressure game.

What we don’t know is when the Chinese will start baring teeth and attack instead of parry.

How can I travel back in time and meet my younger self?

I don’t want to

My younger self is a guy who never took anything seriously in life, who never studied in the least, who was happy with a pass mark in most exams and was happy go lucky

I would pick the books, visit a friend named Sairam who was what you would call a Nerd on the LAST DAY and study from the beginning and get a 45–50 mark score without understanding too much

My 21–22 year old self went to a Grindlays bank interview, couldn’t answer a SINGLE QUESTION put to me on world affairs or anything else

I was literally like Santhanam in Vaalu

Total Humiliation

image 89
image 89

My rebirth was after this interview

My second innings began after this

Reading books in English, Dickens, Forsyth, Le Carre

Membership of British Council and reading books on History and Geography

Learning Economics in evening classes while working in the morning

It was a wake up call

Without that interview, I would have ended up definitely in a place where I simply wouldn’t even know what Quora is


I like my older self better

How is the current situation of Hong Kongers residing in the UK?

It depends who you ask.

The British government may want to attract Hong Kongers for financial reasons. The British public may be less welcoming.

I think a large percentage of immigrants are experiencing dissonance between what they expected and what they are experiencing. Many are unemployed or underemployed because of language and education/skill incompatibilities. There will be culture shock, feelings of alienation, depression, family problems, financial issues, etc.

Whether they want to (or can) come back to Hong Kong is debatable. Some sources say many do not plan to, despite the problems they are having. If they left because of anti-China/anti-government sentiments, then they cannot reconcile themselves to return. If they were involved in the 2019 riots, they may fear arrest (or “persecution” from their point of view). But more likely, if they sold their property in Hong Kong, they cannot afford to start over.

The immigrants are only in UK on a five-year visa, after which they can apply for settlement and citizenship. I suspect that a lot of them will find that citizenship is not forthcoming. What happens then? Do their visas get renewed or do they have to leave? If they have to leave, where can they go?

Have you ever seen a rude or entitled customer get put in their place?

My husband saw a woman at the dry cleaners who was acting very badly. Rude, entitled, aggressive – nearly spitting her words – the customers behind her were visibly uncomfortable, eyes lowered, feet shifting. It was one of those cases where you cringe inwardly for the employee being berated unfairly. Even if she was having a very bad day, this was – in my husband’s words – “…way over the top.”

She then made the great mistake of believing that she had supporters among fellow customers. In a plea for crowd support, randomly turning toward my husband, she said: “You agree with what I’m saying, don’t you?” Sadly for her, my husband had witnessed the conversation from start to finish.

“No, ma’am. I heard it all, and, I don’t agree with what you’ve said or how badly you’ve acted. First, you treated this store employee with blatant disrespect while he is trying to assist you. Second, you’ve inconvenienced other customers waiting for your tantrum to subside. Third, I am a small business owner, and if you acted like this in my business you would be asked to leave. You need to get ahold of yourself, and you owe this man (the store employee) an apology.” The woman then spun on her heel and walked out – and my husband was met with applause from other customers and a look of sheer relief from the store employee.

I honestly cannot stand it when I see a store employee being verbally abused. Cheers to my spouse for being a stand-up guy!

Does anything good really come out from staying in your comfort zone?

I have a relative who has never been outside her comfort zone. She’s in her 70’s and lived with her parents until they died, and then continued living in the same house she inherited. She never leaves her home village, and doesn’t have a passport or a Driving License. She’s never left the UK. I doubt if she’s ever left England. She’s never had a romantic relationship and obviously never been married.

She’s remarkably unambitious and satisfied. She is very sweet and quite eccentric, and lives surrounded by toy owls and cats. She complains about her health issues, but she’s quite positive generally. She used to do the hairdressing at a local old peoples home, but lives off the state pension now. She’s poor but perfectly happy.

I’d say that living a happy life is for her a good thing that has come out of staying in her comfort zone. We aren’t all the same.

Dr Tongue’s Evil House of Pancakes YouTube

Be aware of the signals and the vocalizations of the ones you love

I once had a cat named Phelie.

I wrote about this cat in another post. She was the kitten next to the bigger cat cat that was hit and killed by a car in a rainy Kentucky night.

Life moved on, and I was living with my cat, and two others (Texie and Smokie) and we were living in Milford Mass. Nice place. At that time, my wife and I were separated. She was in a mental hospital and under treatment for her raging mental illness. Yeah. Overall, we were functionally separated. And I was living with this slim blonde model named CJ.

She was a stunner. Really.

But her personality was a real shit, and she caused me a Hell of a lot of grief until I was finally able to kick her out.

But I will tell you that when I came home, this cat of mine… tiny and tender Phelie was always crying hysterically, and literally leaped into my arms, and while I was in the house she would not leave my side. She just hung out on my shoulders.

I thought that she “just” missed me.

What I know now was that CJ and her “friends” were probably terrorizing my cat. This went on, I am sure, while I was at work. This must have been true, even though, on the surface, she actually loved (or at least pretended to love) cats.

What I know now…

Sorry Phelie.

I let you down. I was too soft and too kind to others. I gave THEM the benefit of the doubt, instead of standing beside those that loved me unconditionally.

Be aware of the signals and the vocalizations of the ones you love.

Today…

How do you think China will respond to the US restrictions on advanced AI chips?

Chinese companies will continue to work and innovate, and make new products to sell at prices about 30–50% what western multinationals charge.

One unsubstantiated rumor says that President Biden recently watched a product presentation made by Richard Yu 大嘴鱼 of Huawei。 It is said that the esteemed president became upset halfway through the presentation and and threw and smashed the notebook computer he was watching the presentation on.

In the next decades, American presidents will have plenty of opportunities to throw and smash their computers after watching Chinese new product presentations.

Who do you trust more, the American or Chinese Pharma Industrial Complex to develop medicines that truly cure diseases affecting humans?

China

China simply has sufficient laws and regulations and doesn’t have the cut throat capitalism that the US has

In China – for every $ 100 spent for Pharmaceutical Research, a whopping $ 69 comes from the State and $ 31 comes from Private Industry under law

As a result, Chinese Researchers don’t have that IMPATIENCE to rush through research that US Researchers have

US Pharma Research is now almost entirely funded by Private means.

This means there is always a bottom line, a ticking clock and deadlines and timelines which are decided by PROFIT AND LOSS

Every Drug Research in US has its path decided by potential profits and as a result, even if clinical trials are unfavorable, they are rushed through


It’s a cold blooded calculation

A Pharma company invests an average of $ 600 Million on Research for a Drug

Once the Drug hits the market, it averages $ 3.5 Billion in revenue in a single year

It makes $ 7 Billion Revenue in 2 Years

If the drug has problems later, the drug is withdrawn from the market and some 2000 victims are paid $ 500,000 each , that’s $ 1 Billion

Add another $ 400 Million for Lawyers fees

Thus even a bad drug earns a Pharma company $ 5 Billion profit across 2 years

So US Pharma no longer has any ethics left

Even a bad drug will not cause any problem to the company because they make enough money to pay off any potential victims of the drug

They have enough money to pay top class Politicians , Lobbyists to blame something else and to take the attention from the drug itself


In China, the laws are different

A Bad drug pushed to the market is blamed on the officials of the company who will face jail or even the firing squad

Plus the deadlines aren’t so pressurizing and Chinese scientists can be a little more relaxed with their research schedules than the American scientists

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

Yes. About 30 years ago I was living in London and had traveled up to Northumberland to visit friends. I was driving back home and a mate was following behind in his Lada (this is all just context) and he drove into the back of my car while searching for his bag of crisps that had fallen into the passenger footwell. I was in my first car, a Ford Capri (go boy racers!). We pulled over and the back of my car was caved in – there was no damage whatsoever to his bloody Lada!

Fast forward a few months, I’d bought a new boot door for my car from a scrapyard and had it all repaired. But the door was red whilst my car was silver. (Again, context – but important).

My friends and I went up to Northumberland again, only this time Mr Plod pulled me over. I was puzzled. I hadn’t been speeding or driving dangerously, so I was intrigued as to what the officer had seen that required me to stop. I got out of the car and, in my best innocent look, I asked him what the problem was. He said this…

“Hello sir, I was just wondering whether you knew that your boot door is a different colour from the rest of your car?”

Several answers flipped through my mind. I could’ve slapped my forehead and shouted, “Never mind the back door, where’s my caravan?” Or I could’ve been incredibly more sarcastic.

Instead I settled for, “Bloody vandals! They’ll spray paint anything!”

He didn’t laugh. Instead he asked me to produce my licence at the station when I got home. He asked where I lived so I said London. He sighed, put away his ticket book and said, “Never mind. They never send anything up here anyway.”

With that he got back in his car and drove off.

Acts like me

What’s a rule your employer implemented that backfired terribly?

Many years ago, I worked at a factory that did plastic and wax injection molding. The guy running the place had worked there since he was in his early 20s, so you’d think he’d have a good handle on how things were done.

The problem with his leadership was that he had come up through the ranks as a salesman. He spent little to no time actually doing engineering or production. He was a wonderful salesman and a couple times landed contracts that were a great boon to the company. The man had a gift. He could have sold manure to a cattle farmer.

One of his biggest contracts was a government contract. We were going to be making parts for the US military. During wartime, these types of contracts are as good as they come. The type of high demand production runs that fill bank accounts. Workers were asked to work a minimum of 60 hours a week, with unlimited overtime pre-approved. Some of us younger workers were working 80+ hours a week – only going home during the work week to get some sleep, then coming right back at 5 a.m.

Bank.

I was running a machine that made a part, we’ll call it Widget X. Well, Widget X was a fairly large part that required a lengthy cooldown phase. You can’t just inject molten wax into a mold and expect it to hold shape until it has properly cooled. We only had one machine that was large enough to make Widget X, so it ran 24/7.

A few months into the production run, management was in a bit of a panic. Widget X was one of the most important parts of the contract and we were falling behind on production schedule. Engineering and quality control were asked to find a way to speed up production, but they told management the biggest time sink was in the cooling phase. There just wasn’t any way around that. If they lowered the temperature of the wax, it would be too thick upon injection and break the fragile ceramic cores in the mold. If they actively cooled the die, the wax would solidify unevenly and cause warping.

Mr. Leader, despite the fact that he had oversold our production capabilities, insisted that there was a way to increase output to meet demand. So he began looking into each and every step of the process.

Back to me running the machine. As I said, there was a very lengthy cooldown phase where the machine remained locked shut until the part was ready. During this phase, I took a little time to pick a new CD to listen to while working. (I said this was many years ago)

Seeing me “dicking around” with my Discman, Mr. Leader went into a fit of rage.

“NO WONDER WE’RE SO FAR BEHIND SCHEDULE!”

“That’s it! No more listening to music while working. We need to get back on track and I don’t want to see another set of headphones in this place until we do!”

If you’ve never done it before, injection molding has to be one of the most boring jobs on the planet. You press the two start buttons, wait for the machine to close, do its thing, then wait some more until the part is ready. You remove the part, push the buttons again, and wait. That’s the whole job.

Music was one of the few things that made the job bearable. We could disappear into our own heads and only surface every few minutes to restart the process. Now that we couldn’t do that, the boredom was up in our face. Staring at a giant metal press for 5–15 minutes at a time was dull. Very dull.

So, we had to find ways to amuse our minds for that time. Being the social creatures that we are, we turned to our neighbors and began talking to each other. The problem is that machine shops are really really noisy. In order to have a conversation that is not at a scream, we’d often have to take a few steps toward our neighbor.

This, as you could imagine, meant that the machine operator’s attention was not focused on the machine they were running, but on their conversations. Then when the machine was done running, they’d take a few seconds to finish their sentence and walk back to their machines.

Production slowed. In cases like the machine I was running, not by much. However, some of the smaller parts only had 30 – 60 second run times. An additional 10 seconds per part added up very quickly. Now parts that were running on-time were running behind.

Two weeks into the new rule, the owner of the company paid our department a visit. This almost never happened. He was always in his office on the phone or out on business. He had found out that every single part we were working on had fallen behind and wanted to know why. Mr. Leader had fed him a line that he didn’t buy for a second and was going to figure it out himself.

Luckily, the owner of the company understood production because he had done it early in his career. He knew how boring the job was and that asking employees to sit and stare while doing nothing was cruel.

He rescinded the no music policy immediately and production resumed at a normal pace. He also then called one of his friends in the business and subcontracted some of the production of Widget X to him.

In the end, nothing changed about how fast we could produce Widget X, but at least the rest of the contracts were back on schedule and we could listen to music again.

Why are Americans willing to be governed by political leaders who lack integrity, honesty, social discipline, and intelligence?

It’s 8pm and I’m about to go do something else.

So I’ll let Isaac and JC Denton from Deus Ex do the heavy lifting here:

image 6
image 6

On governmental power

Isaac: “*China is the last sovereign country in the world. Authoritarian but willing — unlike U.N.-governed countries — to give its people the freedom to do what they want.*”

JC Denton: “*As long as they don’t break the law.*”

Isaac: “*Listen to me. This is real freedom, freedom to own property, make a profit, make your life. The West, so afraid of strong government, now has no government. Only financial power.*”

JC Denton: “*Our governments have limited power by design.*”

Isaac: “*Rhetoric… And you believe it! Don’t you know where those slogans come from?*”

JC Denton: “*I give up.*”

Isaac: “*Well-paid researchers — how do you say it? — “think tanks,” funded by big businesses. What is that? A “think tank”?*”

JC Denton: “*Hardly as sinister as a dictator, like China’s Premier.*”

Isaac: “*It’s privately-funded propaganda. The Trilateral Commission in the United States, for instance.*”

JC Denton: “*The separation of powers acknowledges the petty ambitions of individuals; that’s its strength.*”

Isaac: “*A system organized around the weakest qualities of individuals will produce these same qualities in its leaders.*”

JC Denton: “*Perhaps certain qualities are an inseparable part of human nature.*”

Isaac: *The mark of the educated man is the suppression of these qualities in favor of better ones. The same is true of civilization.*”

In your recovery (from addiction, trauma, etc.), what was the most helpful thing anyone did for you?

On September 11th, 2017, I overdosed on heroin in a Starbucks parking lot. Between the paramedics and the police, a total of six shots of Narcan were administered to revive me.

image 61
image 61

Photo is my own.

I was fined $454.96 which I paid in full the following week. I paid it right away because I knew my probation officer was going to lock me up when I arrived at my appointment at the end of the month.

It’s been documented since my childhood that I have a problem with authority figures. My teachers, the police, my probation officers and every counselor I’ve ever had reminds me of that fact.

The truth is, it feels like they have a problem with me. They go on and on about social norms, the rules, the laws and the consequences of my actions. Ohhh the consequences.

It seems to me that once you’re in the system, they do everything in their power to keep you there.

No slack. No second chances. No excuses.

It pains me to think of all the police contact I’ve had. And it always ended the same.

They. Win.

So I walk into my probation appointment sweating bullets. I knew I was going to county lockup that day so I left my phone, my wallet and my keys with a friend. I walked in with just an identification card. That would make processing me into county jail so much easier.

After signing in to adult probation, my p.o. called me up to the fourth floor.

He handed me a specimen cup, knocked on the bathroom door and walked in with me.

I unzipped, turned towards him and sealed my fate.

After failing the urinalysis, I handed him the above-pictured ticket, along with the receipt (as if that’s gonna change anything) and told him exactly what happened.

He gave me the courtesy and respect to explain that I had a problem. He never interrupted and never actually looked at the ticket.

He handed the still-folded ticket back to me and explained the position that I was putting him in. It was complicated. I had already been to jail, while on probation, three times. Probation already sent me to rehab, twice.

I sat there silently. I already had my turn.

He told me, Mr. Brennan, I don’t want to lock you up but I’m supposed to if you catch any new charges or get a tech.

A tech is a technical violation. The difference between a new charge and a tech is pretty simple.

Rob a bank — new charge — bank robbery.

Late to an appointment, fail a drug test, don’t show up to a counseling appointment or overdose on heroin — no charge — but, I’m violating the agreement I made with the courts for the remainder of my jail sentence to be walked off on the street. Those are called techs.

So it’s really a no-brainer. He has to or is supposed to lock me up for 90 days.

Here’s what he said: Thank you for being honest. That shows me that you respect me. I spoke with the judge a few days ago. He left the decision with regards to your freedom up to me. Because you were honest and told me exactly what happened, I’m going to put you on walk-in-status for the remainder of your probation. If you screw up, you go to jail.

Walk-in-status — Instead of meeting with him once a month, I had to meet him every five days for the remainder of my probation. I couldn’t be late, by even a minute, to any scheduled appointment. I had to take three drug tests a week and pass. I had to attend intensive outpatient therapy and get help.

I agreed to the strict(er) guidelines and walked out that day when I knew for sure I wouldn’t.

Before I left, I thought of something. How could he have talked to the judge before I told him what happened? So I asked.

He told me that when I overdosed, the police put my information into their database. When they did that, he received an email because my Social Security number was tied to his caseload. He knew the day after I was hospitalized what had happened.

After he talked to the judge, he decided that if I was honest I’d go free. If I lied, I wouldn’t.

Not every authority figure is the same. They are people, just like me. Collin (name changed) helped me when I was struggling. I’m still eternally grateful for his help in getting on this path.

Notes: I was reminded a week ago that I’m coming up on 1 year since I last shot heroin. Everyone’s so excited. Except for me. I mourn. I mourn the loss of heroin. I feel like I couldn’t figure out how to be a successful junkie. I feel like I failed at doing what I loved. I feel like I’ve lost my identity and I don’t fit in with anyone. I’ve been quiet because I don’t have anything nice to say. I’m sad and it comes out as anger. I hurt the people I love with words when I’m angry.

Nods: Thank you to B.B., B.G., and my girlfriend for all your help this week. I know I can be a self-centered miserable bitch. I try not to. I’m sad.

Leon

What was a red flag that made you stop talking to a person immediately?

I moved to a new state for my husbands career and made fast “friends” with a retired neighbor. I went all in with this friendship. Birthdays, Christmas’s, holidays, I always made sure to bring her food and gifts, and to invite her over to celebrate. She never reciprocated gifts and never came to our house unless other friends and neighbors came over too. I knew she had no extra spending money and is retired, so I didn’t consider that a red flag. I’ve lived next to this woman for 3 summers now. Well, we were just given the company home we live in and I got a new job making great money and now this womans ugly side has been coming out loud and clear. She would always make snide comments about my husband “putting work before me” and just somewhat hateful things, but I always chalked it up to her being a crotchety old lady and I would razz her about it, thinking it was all in good fun! I guess that’s what rose colored glasses can do to someone. Well recently, I went to St Vincent’s to buy some hangers (I have 5 kids so even though we do great financially, I try to be frugal with this economy) and the credit card machine wouldnt work, so I said to the cashier it’s nbd and I’ll come back tomorrow. A lady came up to me and handed me $5 and said here ya go, pay it forward and I was so grateful for that $5, bc of the kindness of this woman and bc I had no cash on me either. I went home and ran into my neighbor and told her what had just happened, and she just looked at me, scoffed, and said, “you look poor, that’s why she gave you the money”. That’s when I realized, nothing I could say or do for this woman would ever make us friends. She helped me realize that most people just make summations of who you are in their eyes to make themselves feel better. I went inside and blocked her landline phone number and her email (the only ways she communicates outside of in person). I also learned, if someone can’t be happy for you for $5, they’ll never be happy for you for anything!

Do you think that any countries are doing a good job with COVID-19? If so, which ones and why?

China of course.

China a nation of 1.4 billion lose less than 5000 lives to Covid-19. The U.S. with a mere 330 million people lose 1.1 million. Lives to Covid!

China used the Covid-19 locked down between 2020–2021 to refreshed their economy from low to middle level technologies to building the biggest ships and jumping from 3rd biggest vehicle’s manufacturer to being the 1st in 2023. During that time China launched its own jet planes, expanded its infrastructure!

The U.S. meanwhile provoked and goaded Russia into a war that it is losing badly now and running out of ammunitions!

China acted decisively and locked down cities and regions. And that stop the worst of early pre vaccination infections by at least hundreds of millions people. It saved their lives. China waited and checked and checked till it became 100% safe to totally let a much weakened strained of the virus to infect everyone and get immune to Covid.

China showed that in the event of pandemic, the Chinese government of socialism with Chinese characteristics is best suited to overcome. Challenges and difficulties. Liberal Democratic type of government simply could not match!

What is the best comeback you used on someone?

Mid 80’s, only female in a pretty hard core, rough talking oil field sales office. I had only been there for a few months and we were all still getting to know each other. Worth noting, I was kind of foisted on them, hired downtown and sent out to the field office.

My probie self was quiet and hard working with no input into the some what adolescent big men trying to shock me.

I had two kids, both in elementary school.

One morning the school called to advise I needed to come pick up my youngest as he clearly had chicken pox.

I walk into the boss’s office to let him know. He says – much to my amazement – well now, do you want to work or do you want to be a mama?

I couldn’t believe that he said that! 1989 not 1900!!!

My nonprobie real self surfaced. I straightened in my chair, preparing to rise looked him straight in the eye and – let’s just all do what’s right and see where we end up.

That was Thursday, when I returned on Monday no one said anything. I stayed another 8 years.

Seems strange

What joke will make one burst into laughter for at least 30 seconds?

A wealthy man walked into a bar in Miami. As soon as he entered, he noticed an Afr*ican woman, sitting in one corner. He walked over to the counter, removed his wallet and shouted, “Bartender! I’m buying drinks for everyone in this bar, except that woman over there!”

The bartender collected the money and began serving free drinks to everyone in the bar, except the Afr*ican woman. Instead of becoming upset, the woman simply looked up at the guy and shouted, “Thank you!”

This infuriated the wealthy guy. So once again, he took out his wallet and shouted, “Waiter! This time I am buying bottles of wine and additional food for everyone in this bar, except for that Af*rican sitting in the corner over there!”

The bartender collected the money from the man and began serving free food and wine to everyone in the bar except the African. When the waiter finished serving the food and drinks, the Afri*can woman simply smiled at the man and said, Thank you!”

That made him furious. So he leaned over the counter and asked the bartender, “What is wrong with that woman.. I have bought food and drinks for everyone in this bar except for her, and instead of becoming angry, she just sits there, smiles at me and shouts ‘Thank you.’ Is she mad”

The bartender smiled at the wealthy man and said, “No, she is not mad. She is the OWNER of this establishment.”

May our enemies work unknowingly in our favour…….

Semolina’s Muffaletta Pasta

50f89ddae78ff6df5cee37cadce66354
50f89ddae78ff6df5cee37cadce66354

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Olive Salad

  • 2 1/2 cups green olives
  • 1 cup black olives
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons diced pimiento
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 2 tablespoons basil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon black pepper

Muffaletta Pasta

  • 1 1/2 ounces ham, cut in sticks
  • 1 1/2 ounces Genoa salami, cut in sticks
  • 1/2 cup olive salad
  • 2 cups cooked penne pasta
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
  • 1/2 cup provolone cheese
  • Chopped parsley

Instructions

Olive Salad

  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Muffalette Pasta

  1. Sauté the ham and salami in the olive oil until lightly browned.
  2. Add the olive salad and the penne pasta and cook until the pasta is heated through.
  3. Transfer the ingredients to a serving plate and garnish with the remaining ingredients.

New Evidence For The Simulation Hypothesis? Donald Hoffman on The Simulation Argument

What is the biggest failure of American liberalism?

I see two great failings. Which one is the “greatest” depends, I suppose, on what day of the week it is, and what the phase of the moon is.

So, in no particular order:

Information by itself almost never changes attitudes. Liberals tend to be policy wonks, living in what Karl Rove sneeringly dismissed as the “reality-based community.” Liberals let facts speak for themselves. Meanwhile, millions of people in this country sincerely, truly, absolutely believe in a conspiracy where Democratic political leaders are running a sex slave ring from the basement of a pizza shop that doesn’t have a basement.

Liberals believe the fact that there is no basement in Comet Ping Pong Pizza means it’s quite clear that there is no child sex traffic ring in the basement of Comet Ping Pong Pizza. Ah HA ha ha ha ha. If only.

In the real world, which liberals claim to believe in, simple observation tells us that people reach conclusions based on emotional impulses, then their rational brains follow along behind. Yet liberalsconsistently, over and over, refuse to acknowledge this; they cling to this weird delusion that if you show someone facts, you’ll change their minds.

Liberals eat their own. To far too many liberals, if you agree with them 98%, you aren’t an ally, you’re 2% enemy. conservatives tend to construct vertical social hierarchies based on submission to recognized authority. Liberals tend to construct horizontal social hierarchies based on ideals of egalitarianism. Liberals clearly hold the moral high ground here, but in functional terms that means if a conservative is told by a recognized authority to vote for a convicted rapist and conman, he will crawl through broken glass to vote for a convicted rapist and con man. If a liberal’s favored candidate said something in 1977 that might possibly be construed as not fully supporting whatever the liberal cause du jour happens to be today, the liberal will reject him utterly.

Any person insufficiently ideologically pure is evil. There can be no disagreement, no nuance, no difference of opinion, oh no; if you don’t agree with me, you are actively evil. It’s about virtue, not governance. There is no room for nuance, no shades of gray, no legitimate disagreement, no complexity; you are 100% with us 100% of the time or you are cast out. Liberals love the way it feels to cast out the wicked and the impure. Picking up the torches and pitchforks feels good. It feels righteous.

One of these leads to better outcomes than the other.

Why do the Chinese eat birdhouses?

Hi, Alexander Plishko . Thanks for your very interesting question.

I’m not sure what birdhouse you’re referring to.
The number of times I’ve thought about eating a birdhouse is exactly the same number of times I’ve thought about eating a car tire.
Which is exactly zero.

Some of my close friends say that I have a habit of overthinking things – and I admit I do – but when it comes to food, I stick to edible things.
Why would I eat a birdhouse or a car tire when I can eat some rice / noodles with vegetables and meat?

A thought just occured to me.
Are you asking this question because YOU feel like eating a birdhouse and are ashamed that you might be judged for it and thus you busied yourself with concocting this very interesting question instead?

In that case, I would encourage you to go for it.
Don’t let shame and guilt stop you from chasing your dreams.

Remember – if you can dream it, you can achieve it, Alexander Plishko !

You know what?
Another thing just occured to me, Alexander Plishko.
Your inability to see what Chinese are eating could be a result of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
I mean, in your profile picture, you look like you’re in your 60s.
At that age, you want to get your eyes checked often.
AMD is a disease that affects a person’s central vision – and if left unchecked, can result in severe loss of central vision.
I would advise making an appointment with an ophthalmologist – eye issues at your age are no joke and you should get a professional to check out your eyes as soon as conveniently possible.

I’m always serious about my health and will never hesitate to make an appointment with a doctor or specialist if I feel something out of the ordinary going on with my body – if there is really something wrong with your eyes, I would strongly advise you to do the same as well.

Just looking out for you, Alexander Plishko.

Now, given that you may be having some eye problems and thus are probably finding it difficult to make out what you’re seeing, I wouldn’t be surprised if you mistook what you saw some Chinese folks eating for a birdhouse.

Some of my fellow Chinese Quorans have already mentioned bird’s nest soup, but I highly doubt it, given that bird’s nest soup is almost never served in Chinese restaurants that cater to Westerners such as yourself.

I think it is far more likely that you were seeing Chinese patrons digging into a Cantonese dish called 雀巢海中宝 [English: I think “Seafood Nest” is an okay translation, though I have seen some menus refer to it as “Seafood Bird Nest”, which is where your confusion might stem from, given that a bird’s nest can also be thought of as its house, amirite?]

Basically, it’s seafood placed inside a “nest” made from deep-fried julienned taro.
The nest is crunchy and edible.

I ate it a few times as a kid, but haven’t eaten it since.
But I know that this is one of those old Cantonese dishes that got “exported” to the Anglosphere and became more popular in Anglosphere countries than it ever was back home.

I’m not a fan of this dish – just not a fan of deep-fried anything.
But if you’re curious and thinking of giving it a try, then I encourage you to do so, if only so that the experience helps to broaden your culinary horizon.

image 60
image 60
image 59
image 59
image 58
image 58

Unintended consequences

What is the most shocking diagnosis you have received after going to the doctor for a routine checkup?

Went to the ER with symptoms I believed were cardiac in nature. As a nurse, I knew that heart attacks in women do not always present with the classic signs. I was very light headed and short of breath, but no chest pain. All the heart markers were negative. I was feeling pretty good just resting on the stretcher. That was until the doc comes in, pulls the stool up close to me and puts his hand over mine. Oh F$?K, I think. Turns out I had acute leukemia. Boy did things start happening fast! Well, I didn’t get home for 104 days!! Eventually had a stem cell transplant and I’m around 7 years later, telling my story.

What is your most memorable cultural shock?

In Nigeria, you’ll have to be rich to convince people you’re only walking for the love of it.

Walking is considered poor by many and the distance and pace with which you walk could determine your rank in poverty.

Similar to how some tribes or people consider the obese to be wealthy.

But in a couple of developed countries, I’ve been to, people walk a lot and walks super fast.

To them, walking is not just a means of getting from point A to B; it’s a sign of health-consciousness, a badge of environmental awareness.

I’m currently in Australia and walking is embraced with a sense of pride.

It’s not just about reaching a destination; it’s about embracing the journey, appreciating the environment, and prioritizing personal health.

People stride with purpose, their steps counted and celebrated on the latest smartwatches.

Public transport in these countries further accentuates this cultural divide.

In Nigeria, a day on public transport can feel like a trial by fire, a stark contrast to the efficiency, cleanliness, and reliability of trains, trams, and buses I’ve experienced abroad.

Nigeria, like many underdeveloped and developing countries, carbon footprint is not too big of a deal, yet, and as such, everyone wants to own a car, for comfort and dependability and most of all, for the pride of owning one.

One area I could forgive Nigerians is that our weather could get quite hot and humid most of the year.

Apart from the discomfort; there’s a practical aspect to consider—no one wants to arrive at their destination drenched in sweat. But even for exercise purposes, I don’t see a lot of people doing it.

If I’m not mistaken, walking for the pleasure of it is considered a rich people thing. I mostly see such folks walking about their estates once in a blue moon.

2023 12 11 13 28
2023 12 11 13 28

It’s a sharp contrast to my current situation, where choosing the perfect pair of walking shoes has become some sort of a ritual—a ritual that is non-existent back home.

From California to Texas

What is an insane coincidence that you’ve experienced?

I chose to give a child up for adoption during a difficult time in my life. I chose a couple who could not have their own due to a tragic illness discovered on their honeymoon. I asked the universe to show me the way, and to give me confirmation that these were her true parents.

I allowed the adoptive mother to share my pregnancy journey. One day I asked her what names was she considering for her baby. Her reply was the confirmation I sought and one of the greatest “coincidences “ of my life.

She answered my question, “ well if it is a boy we will name him Paul and if it is a girl we are going to name her Madeline”. I was stunned because my father is named Paul and my mother is named Madeline.

My daughter Madeline is now 18 years old and starting college in the fall. I’ve not met her but I know her. When she is ready I am here to get to know the woman that she has become. I know that I was simply the vessel from which she was delivered to her true parents. I have NEVER for one second of one minute of one hour of one day of one week of one month of one year doubted that I made the right choice. This was the most fulfilling, selfless act of my life.

UPDATE: Since this post, I met my daughter Madeline just after her 21st birthday. It was so wonderful. She had so many questions only I could answer about her biology, inherited traits. Her mother called after the meeting to tell me that when she left and got into her car that she cried tears of joy because she was so happy to meet me and I helped her understand so many things. She resembles me so much.

Under which president did the USA start getting in debt to China? How big is that debt now & how does that debt influence US foreign policy decisions?

The U.S. was the king of the blind in 1945 as the U.S. was the only major nation that was spared from the destruction and collapse caused by the 1st and 2nd world war. So Americans wrongly assumed it is exceptional. It is not. Not even close.

But in 1945 the U.S. economy is closed to 52% of the world’s GDP. Today it is barely 15% in real purchasing power terms! One by one, markets overtook the U.S. competitiveness and today the U.S. barely can sell a thing except from some destructive weapons and that too often coercion.

The U.S. suffers at least triple whammy. One it has a debts of 35 trillion dollars debt fast approaching 200% of the U.S. GDP. The WTO suggest keeping to 60% ceiling, so the U.S. has hit 3 times that! as a comparison China’s debts is just a little over 50% of its GDP, a very healthy level.

Two, the U.S. has one of the lowest propensity to save at less than 5% savings rate while China U.S. the world’s biggest savers at 35%!

Three the U.S. cannot stop spending it has fought 2 dozen wars from 1980 to 2023. China fought zero wars since 1979! While the U.S. spends on unproductive spending, China spends on productive investment on the state of the art infrastructure the U.S. borrows to make and spend on destruction and weapons !

So over time China’s investment will pay handsomely while the U.S. earn only hate and disdain! so the last time a U.S. president had a surplus is Bill Clinton some 25 years ago! A generation of over reach, over interference, and over spending has totally destroyed the U.S. economy and its capacity and capability to ever compete!

How are modern Chinese females becoming curvy? Is it due to extensive plastic surgery usage like Koreans or natural evolution?

It is due to an improved diet with more protein, some fat and careful monitoring of carbohydrates.

If you go online on Chinese social media, you will frequently see younger Chinese women showing photos of their meals. A little meat, lots of vegetables, some fish, and some fruit. Little to no rice.

They also are into yoga and going to the gym.

(This observation is mostly about younger women living in or from tier 1 cities. I am sure that women in other cities are different but I have less contact with them.)

Another name for America

What China thinks about many Americans.

Has corruption in politics gotten so overwhelming, that we, (Americans), have stopped searching for a solution?

Worse than that, I’m afraid: when you find a solution, you outright reject it, because you’re persuaded that it’s not a solution, or that it’s the solution to the wrong problem(s).

What we’re seeing in the United States isn’t multiple different solutions to the same problem: in reality, what we’re seeing is that both sides of the aisle identify different ‘problems’ and therefore reject any solutions that don’t match exactly what they envision. Let’s use immigration as an example:

  • Immigration continues to be a ‘problem’ for the United States because it (mind-bogglingly) remains a popular destination for people from Southern American nations, primarily due to the draw of work and consistent wages, as well as being a safer environment than some of the more dangerous nations south of the US-Mexico border. However, this is identified as a ‘problem’ in different ways:
    • Democrats view immigration as a net positive (largely because it has been proven to be of significant benefit to the economy, particularly with migrant labour filling the gaps in the labour marker that ordinary Americans refuse to – largely due to low wages/benefits offered), but want to ensure that migrants are encouraged to enter through legal means, whilst those trying to enter through illegal means are caught and/or deported quickly.
    • Republican voters view immigration as a negative because they’re told that Democrats want to make citizens of migrants in order to improve their part of the vote share, and because they’re told that immigrants reduce wages and job opportunities for the average American (which simply isn’t the case). They’re told that the country is being ‘invaded’, and therefore that ‘white Americans’ are soon to be in the minority – something that scares them because they know how they themselves treat those in the minority!

Now, both go about dealing with these concerns in different ways. Democrats believe that we need to tighten up the border in an effective way, but also not to punish those migrants who are actively contributing to the economy.

Republicans seem to prefer more – shall we say inhumane? – methods:

image 62
image 62

Or purely ineffectual methods that aren’t really designed to accomplish anything:

https://metro.co.uk/2021/08/23/arizona-trumps-border-wall-already-falling-down-after-flash-floods-15135971/

Here’s the disconnect: one side wants real solutions but ones that are practical, and suit the actual issues of the United States. You have to be considerate both of immigrants themselves (because they are human beings, oddly enough), but also the impact on the economy: too many migrants might cause economic issues but we also need to factor in the net benefit. Thus, the Democrats craft solutions along the lines of “Let’s allow for those migrants contributing to the economy to continue to do so through legal means”, largely because those individuals a) are coming into the country anyway, and b) are at least showing that they intend to contribute.

As I’ve said many times before, neither side really wants to resolve the ‘problem’, however: Democrats recognise the net benefit to the economy, whereas Republicans are blatantly misrepresenting the issue in the first place, so aren’t engaging with the issue of immigration on legitimate grounds. They want the issue so they can win elections: resolving it wouldn’t win them anything.

That being said, we can see this from the reality: migrant labourers only come into the United States because they know they can find work. If the US Government actively prosecuted American employers who provided those jobs for hiring illegals, that well would dry up fast, and the incentive to enter and live in the US would dry up pretty speedily. No work, no reason to come.

Why does no party use such an approach? Politics. Republicans don’t want to resolve the issue in the first place – they simply want the issue for elections (although it’s always amusing to note the high number of Republicans who employ migrant labourers – even Donald Trump being known to have done so!), and Democrats have a tendency of failing to explain their perspective in a way that catches the attention of the electorate. “We want to make life easier for those already working here” isn’t nearly as “sexy” (politically-speaking) as “Immigrants are coming to replace white people!”, which ends up being how the GOP’s propaganda machine ‘re-frames’ the ‘debate’.

The sad reality: if you can’t fit it onto a bumper sticker, most Americans aren’t going to pay attention long enough to hear the reality. That’s why propaganda works so well in the first place.

So…solutions. You’re not going to get any genuine solutions because neither side can agree honestly about what the issues are, and half the time, they’re misrepresenting the issues in order to muddy any possibility of an effective solution. That’s what corruption looks like, for the record: when politicians actively engage with the electorate in bad faith in order to misrepresent the issues that are important to the nation, in order to encourage them to vote for those who actually won’t solve the issues.

It’s a blatant lie to suggest that the majority of American politicians are actively working to resolve the actual problems facing the American people – in truth, they’re not, particularly with the crop of idiots currently sitting in the House of Representatives. And since nobody can agree on what the problems are (or even how to frame the problem correctly), you’re not going to get solutions. And any time on party comes up with a solution, the other re-frames it as a problem.

We just go round and round in circles, with trillions of dollars spent, and the needle rarely ever moving – which is why the United States is looking more and more dystopian, and why the world’s most powerful superpower is steadily moving towards an existential crisis. You’ll never get solutions until you force the political system to focus on what the actual problems are, and at the moment, the American people are entirely failing in their responsibility to keep politicians focused. You’re letting them tell you what’s important, rather than telling them what is important, and where to focus.

Get a grip, or grab some popcorn and wait for the explosions.

What business problem do many leaders struggle with related to employees?

Ben was a radioactive employee and it didn’t take me long to realize it. He was a senior project executive, a big burly brown-haired man, who wore expensive frameless glasses that gave the faux impression of sophistication.

I was a doe-eyed young financial analyst at the large trucking company, which managed more than 10,000 trucks and 200 terminals. We shipped everything from diapers to oil to freon. We had trucks full of furniture and trucks on the edge of icy cliffs. The legal office controlled one corner of the building, dealing with a waterfall of business deals and personal injury claims.

Like many young employees, I was insecure and eager to please. My boss threw me in the deep end early, having me sit in on monthly meetings for my division, taking notes and assessing risks. Everything was by the books. I double checked every process and tried not to step on anyone’s toes or say the wrong thing.

Ben eyed me over during our first meeting without saying anything, and proceeded to direct people and ask questions. Nothing was unusual. But within a few months, he let his guard down and began being himself. The profanity began. The gruff shouting followed. I wrestled with his troubling lack of decorum and wondered if I should expect similar treatment, despite not even reporting to him. His anger and lack of empathy was palpable.

The biggest issue was his mouth. If there was a woman in the meeting, he was a completely different person and was relatively tame. However, most times, it was all men, and he behaved like a wild animal. For example, he randomly said, without any context, “I hate the Japanese because they bombed Pearl Harbor, and I hate the Jews because they killed Jesus.” It was one of those off-color jokes where you sensed he wasn’t really joking at all.

During another incident, a beautiful young female coworker walked by the outside of our meeting room, which was enclosed in glass windows and sandwiched between two hallways. As she walked by, her baby bump was showing and one of the team engineers said, “Oh, is Becky pregnant?”

Ben chimed in and said, in a deep southern drawl, “If she was with me, she’d stay pregnant.” It was this type of stuff that I dealt with over and over.

Perhaps a detractor might say, “OK. But he isn’t saying it to her directly, right?” Or, “He’s just joking, lighten up.” Even conceding that, it was still wildly unprofessional — to put it lightly. He didn’t set the best example and there was already a major cultural problem at the office.

My main frustration was that we couldn’t just have a meeting. There was always some distraction, be it comments or irreverence. I can’t even repeat many of the things that were said. To some extent, you expect a bit of roughness around the edges at a trucking company. Truckers aren’t known for their filters. But this was a nice, high end office, not a remote terminal near an oil field.

How his issues became more pronounced

Ben’s biggest career-threat wasn’t with his mouth, though that alone could have gotten him fired in many places. His biggest issues were interpersonal. He was an unreasonably difficult boss, in a Donald Trumpian way, who dropped the hammer too swiftly and too hard. He asked his subordinates incredibly specific questions about projects that were unrealistic to know. Then, he’d flip out on them in front of us all and make an example out of them. It felt like he was periodically reminding everyone of his authority.

I never saw Ben smile unless his own superiors were in our presence, and it was that switch that made my stomach turn. He’d spark a big smile and pretend everything was great, only to switch back to Dark Ben the moment his boss left.

And then one week, something changed. I’d just arrived that morning, and was weaving through the huge grid of cubicles, and saw Ben across the room talking to a coworker. Ben suddenly saw me and waved with a smile, “Hey Sean! How are you?” I looked his way, and held a stiff hand up as a wave but was perplexed.

“Did he finally see a therapist?” I wondered. He never smiled or greeted anyone. Then, all day, and through the week, he was extraordinarily kind to everyone — but it wasn’t out of charity. What actually happened, was that one of Ben’s subordinates, a fresh college grad who Ben had ridden like an exhausted pony, finally had enough and went to the CEO himself to complain.

It wasn’t the first complaint about Ben. The CEO pulled Ben into his office and, allegedly, gave him a stern talking to and scared him straight. Or you would have thought. Because within a few weeks, his facade of kindness started fading and he went back to his regular self: irritable, vulgar, and impossible to work around. He had the highest number of interdepartmental transfers of any manager and it wasn’t a coincidence.

Perhaps the most troubling part is that all these years later, Ben still works there. You might wonder, how could a company look past so many glaring issues that they knew about?

In my MBA program, our business professor, Dr. Fred Sturdivant, proposed an important philosophical question: “What do you do with a high performing jerk?” Generally, most people are quick to say they’d get rid of them. It is the moral, right thing to do and seems like a no-brainer, right?

Yet, in my years in corporate, it didn’t happen nearly as often as leaders would profess. When someone is great at their core competencies, in a way that is hard to replace, they tend to get enormous leeway. One former employer even had the mantra, “Performance begets privilege.” It’s no different than the problematic star athlete on a team. Coaches (and fans) will look past enormous character flaws, including violent legal trouble, all because of what the athlete does for them.

And this was the central challenge with Ben: He was fantastic at his job. His division was extremely profitable. He’d grown up in the trucking industry, and was trained on it from an early age. He was, and it pains me to say this, very intelligent when it came to the business.

Anyone who has managed people knows that, after dealing with a few underperformers, you learn to value your stars. All of that aside, I believe Ben caused enormous damage to the company’s culture and employee morale. After all of the interpersonal problems he created, I question how beneficial he actually was to the bottom line.

I learned from my father, who was a military leader, that no matter how far you rise in an organization, you should always retain your humility, and treat the janitor with the same respect you’d show to the CEO. Status should not create a personality filter. If leaders are flipping personalities like Ben does, it doesn’t promote a culture of mutual respect.

And if you are leader reading this right now, please have more discipline than our CEO had. Hold your managers accountable to conduct themselves like adults, and treat their workers like human beings. Leadership starts at the top, but is reflected at the bottom.

Have you ever picked up a hitchhiker? Was there a good or bad outcome?

I picked up a young woman hitchhiking to Houston from San Antonio. She said her boyfriend kicked her out. She was going to her Mother’s house. She was noticeably upset. I stopped to get gas and bought her a cheeseburger and a milk shake. She said she hadn’t eaten since the day before. I drove her straight to her Mother’s house and handed her my phone and told her to call her Mother to make sure she is home. She called, her Mother had gone to get some groceries and she got back in a few minutes. We waited in the driveway. She and her Mother thanked me and invited me to stay for dinner, which I did. It was a chance meeting. I was nice to them and they were nice to me, no scams or any extra drama.

The Chinese Communist Party often claims that Tibet before 1959 was a dark, theocratic feudal serfdom with cruel punishments, but Tibetans abroad often deny these claims. So what was the real situation in old Tibet?

image 57
image 57

Human skin at ceromanies in old Tibet

image 56
image 56

Letter in Tibetan from a monk to a government official to ask for blood, newly excoriated human skin for a ceremony to celebrate Dalai Lamas birthday. In the religion they believe that the dirtiest thing can purify the soul.

”Rab Ge:”

A Buddhist ceremony will be held here. We need meat, hearts, and blood from all kind of animals 4 human heads, intestines, pure blood, turbid blood, earth from ruins, the menstrual blood of a widow, the blood of a leper, water from beneath the surface of the earth, earth raised in a whirlwind, brambles growing towards the north, excrement of both dog and man and the boots of a butcher. All these should be sent to Tsechykhang on the 27th.

Tsechykhang , the 19th”

image 55
image 55

Hands with arms cuts off as a punishment

image 54
image 54

Homeless beggers in old Tibet.

image 53
image 53

A serf whos eyes and hands cuts out

Was old Tibet a cruel serfdom (slavery) sociaty? Judge for your self. Do not believe me, just read the travel diaries and other documents from old Tibet by western adventurers.

Average young girls

How does U.S. Customs detect fentanyl on packages being shipped into the United States from China?

In 2021, 215.37 kg of cocaine was found in 100,000 tons of soybeans exported from the United States to Qingdao port China. The next year, Shanghai Customs found the same thing. US Customs are wooden men,right?

2023 12 11 14 26
2023 12 11 14 26
2023 12 11 14 25y
2023 12 11 14 25y

Entrainment of pests such as flies and mosquitoes in export goods (carefully packed with culture tubes).Intercepted by customs again and again.Everyone knows your purpose.

I’m too lazy to talk about you, you should be more sensible!

2023 12 11 14 25d
2023 12 11 14 25d
2023 12 11 14 25
2023 12 11 14 25

Which Chinese minority race looks the most different from Han Chinese?

There is only one native caucasian* ethnic group in China: the Chinese Tajiks.

They are an Iranian-speaking ethnic group living in the Pamir Mountains in the extreme West of China. Most of them practice Ismail Shi’a Islam, but they are very secular. They don’t practice Ramadan. Many are also non-religious. There are still some Zoroastrian elements in their culture.

Pamiris (Chinese Tajiks):

image 52
image 52
image 51
image 51

The ethnic group with the darkest skin color is probably the Wa. They live in the SW Yunnan Province and speak an Austroasiatic language. Traditionally they follow Theravada Buddhism or Animism, but there are also Christians since the 19th century.

Chinese Wa:

image 50
image 50

*Note: I do not use the word ‘white’ here, because the notion of whiteness is a Western social construct. By Caucasian, I mean that these people have physical traits that would make them be categorized as Caucasian by a 19th century European anthropologist. They have nothing to do with being white as a race.

Have you actually ever heard someone say ‘Do you know who I am?’ indignantly?

I am a retired Audiologist. About 15 years ago I was working in a practice in an upscale neighborhood. One patient, a well-known actor, came in for a hearing test. I was asking the usual history questions and he gave me the “Do you know who I am?” bit. I didn’t care for him to start with, but when you think you’re better than me just because your face has been on screen, you can jump in a lake. I’ll put my three Master’s degrees and one Cinical Doctorate up against your Academy Award nomination any day of the week. You may have entertained millions, but I helped people HEAR again!

Why Do Cats Get So Attached To One Person?

The chosen one.

Can animals get addicted to drugs?

image 63
image 63

Police in Australia got the shock of their lives when they busted a Meth lab in Sydney. They were expecting to find drugs and money and drug-making material, instead they came face to face with a 6-foot-long-meth-addicted python showing clear signs of withdrawal and acting very aggressively toward the officers.

image 64
image 64

It’s believed the snake became addicted to the drugs when the fumes from the cooking of the meth were absorbed through its skin.

The snake was captured and sent to a rehab centre run by inmates at a correction centre.

It took seven months for the snake to return to normal under the care of 14 inmates who were selected to work the wildlife programme.

What evil things has Bill Gates done for society?

I worked for him for eight years in the 1990s, and Microsoft employees were privy to the company’s charity efforts in a way that the public was not. And Microsoft gave many millions to worthwhile causes under Gates’ leadership.

He also forced Microsoft’s insurance carriers to have same-sex domestic partners insured as “family” — a decade before other large companies were having that conversation.

The worst I can say about him is that he’s a technocrat, with a lot of technocrat blind spots. But he’s smarter than any-three regular geniuses put together, with a sometimes-frightening ability to synthesize information from different directions and perceive the hidden correspondences and implications, then devising a workable action-plan.

His work in the area of vaccines has been to fund the development of cost-effective treatments for what in public health are termed “Neglected Tropical Diseases.” They are neglected because there is literally no money in developing pharmaceuticals for them — they’re diseases of impoverished brown people in sh*t-hole countries — but Gates did his homework and decided that the most cost-effective intervention to lift those countries out of poverty was public-health measures like vaccination — so he is funding that himself. He also funded the development of a <$200 composting toilet for areas where water is precious.

So he’s not evil. He can be abrupt and abrasive, and does not suffer fools gladly. He’s not Batman, but at least he’s doing something useful with his wealth and he isn’t a Bezos, a Musk, or a Zuckerberg either.

Restaurant August BLT
(Buster Crab, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich)

A fried soft-shell crab served open-face over toasted brioche and dressed with fresh vegetables.

2023 12 10 17 17
2023 12 10 17 17

Yield: 1 sandwich

Ingredients

  • 1 Louisiana soft shell crab, dressed
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup seasoned all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup mixed red, yellow and green grape tomatoes, peeled
  • 1 dash 25 year old balsamic vinegar
  • 1 pinch minced chive
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 slice brioche or challah, toasted
  • 2 teaspoons favorite aioli
  • 1 pinch micro greens
  • 1 pinch lettuce sprouts
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Chive oil for garnish
  • Beet juice for garnish

Instructions

  1. In a sauté pan, heat the canola oil over a medium-high heat.
  2. Season the buster crab with salt and pepper. Toss into a mixture of seasoned flour and cornmeal. Place the crab into hot canola oil and allow to cook for 1 minute on each side.
  3. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper, vinegar, chives, and olive oil. Place the tomatoes over a well-toasted brioche and place into a serving plate.
  4. After cooking the buster crab, remove and allow it to drain over some absorbent towels for a moment. Place the crab over the tomatoes and top it with a dollop of aioli, which you in turn cover with a pinch of micro greens and lettuce sprouts.
  5. To serve, garnish the plate with additional chopped chives, chive oil and beet juice.

Which European country has the worst food?

Filled with patriotic pride I can say with entire conviction and without a shadow of a doubt that this is the Netherlands!!!

Dutch traditional cuisine consists in potatoes cooked to dead and some other stuff all mashed and with some dark fluid called “jus” [ʒy].

The more modern Dutch cuisine consists in versions of Suriname, Asian or Turkish food mingled and massacred until any similarity with the real thing is pure coincidence and lacking any sort of taste.

Dutch cannot cook, except the few of us who have the fortune of some foreign ancestry or ascend. Our ancestral culinary arts consisted, as I already commented, in mashing stuff or making pancakes. Our modern cuisine consists in opening a package of some dull stuff and pouring it in cooking water. Or just call the pizza guy directly.

And what to say about the Crown Jewels of Dutch food: FEBO :

image 49
image 49

Or our latest 100% Dutch culinary revolution: The Kapsalon (Literally, the barber shop). It’s basically shoarma meat (there’s a vegan option too!), fries, some lettuce and cheap Gouda cheese with some suspicious looking sauce all literally thrown together in a big tinfoil container. It was invented by a guy who went to a barber shop and used to order shoarma and fries from a nearby Döner Kebab, out of convenience he asked to have it all put in the same tray and this is how it was born. This is not a joke, this is the real history behind it.

And you just don’t want to know what my landspeople can make out of any international dish. Really not, you would get nightmares.

But as the Belgians say: “What do you expect from a bunch of kaaskoppen (1) that drink Pils from plastic cups”

Hup Holland Hup!

(1) Kaaskop = Cheesehead

When your man…

China Recent News.

Episode 2

Methane and Liquid Oxygen rocket

A Chinese private company became the first in the world to launch satellites with rockets fuelled by methane and liquid oxygen on Saturday, beating SpaceX to the technology and raising hopes for its commercial applications.

image 46
image 46

Rail Gun

Chinese Navy’s rail guns can fire 120 rounds of shells that move at a staggering speed of 7200 km/hr. They can hit targets 200 km away. No defense system can stop them!

image 45
image 45

thorium-based molten salt nuclear power plant

The world’s first thorium-based molten salt nuclear power plant in operational in China.

image 44
image 44

Why are Chinese citizens not concerned about the lack of opposition in the government and their total control of the media?

Because the political ecological system is different.

For example, I come to realize why Americans are so zealous about voting and making speeches (“democracy” and “free speech”) in recent years: If you do not speak for yourself, defending your interest, then those what should be yours would be taken away by other people—legally—in American political game.

But Chinese government is a parental government in my eyes, or, authoritarian government according to Western standard.

Let’s compare what are the differences between the Chinese and Amercican government

In the end of 2022, a major snow storm hit America, some mayors told their people not to rely on the government

But in China, while the storm was still raging, government organized workers to fix the electric tower. P.S., in China, water, power and gas are controlled by government, they are run by companies, but the biggest share holder must be government.

image 48
image 48

Communist party members were organized as volunteers to clear the snow and ice on roads

image 47
image 47

Therefore, I conclude the difference between the two countries as:

In America, government only provides minimum services to people, making policies on behalf of its supporters and ignore the others.

In China, government provides overall services to all people, making policies benifits all (if not, then compensation must be count in), and no one is behind.

Another proof supporting my conclusion is, there were over 1800 government officials of different ranks died on their post from 2015–2022. Why? Because China launched “eradicate poverty campaign” during this period, officials were assigned to most remote, most poor, most underdeveloped areas, helping local people overcome poverty. The 1800+ died were died of over exhausted, or traffic accidents in the mountains, or flood when rescuing people. (That’s why Chinese people don’t believe in Xinjiang fake news, on one hand, Xinjiang received 5–6 times higher subsides and government investments than Eastern provinces, on the other hand, “genocide”?? What’s the meaning of doing so?)

So, when you have a government that’s dedicated to serve the people, what’s the meaning of opposition?

“I oppose the government serving me”?

Here I’d like to rectify a wrong perception that many Qurans have: Chinese government controls all media.

It’s not.

China-haters, West-lickers, foreign proxies, traitors can be found on every media.e

This lady worked for Chinese Central TV as host and journalist, with huge influence among people, had left CCTV after she found she’s not popular among people. Because her ideology is pro-West and think China should be the second class citizen in the world.

You may found there are numerous unfriendly, stupid or even hostile questions about China here on Quora, but I tell you, such things are rather stink on Chinese social media. Compare to those platforms in China, Quora seems to be very friendly…

The meaning of government controlled media is to provide the last and undoubtable information, to clarify the discussion and calm down the quarreling among people.

You can debate, you can quarrel, you can conduct personal attacks, but, once the government controlled media provided the most creditable information, all these vanishes.

So, no matter the policial ecosystem or media ecosystem, China and America are different.

WHY DID GOD PUT A CAT IN YOUR LIFE? || The Spiritual Connection of CATS

G3 and P99 dreams

I know that I live in China, and that it is safe, safe… safe! But you know guys, I do miss my guns. Yup. I left them all behind back in the ‘States when I moved to China. I loved to take them out, and shoot them every now and then, and truthfully, I was lethal with my pistol.

I also miss my G3.

HK G3 Assault Rifle
HK G3 Assault Rifle

I have had numerous weapons through the years, but I left behind my precious P99. It’s not that it is better than the trade-offs that I get here in China. It isn’t, but every now and again, I do miss firing that pistol.

Truth, you all.

Deep down, I still hold on to some of my American characteristics.

Walter P99
Walter P99

Of course, all of this is meaningless to you all, unless you are an American. But there is always something very nice about being able to defend yourself from the crime-ridden United States .

Here’s a (my) Martin .444 lever action.

Marlin 444 Lever Action
Marlin 444 Lever Action

Man, oh man, those bullets were huge!

Marlin 444
Marlin 444

It could really cut through the brush… I’ll tell you what.

Back in the day, Australians used to own thee kinds of weapons, and then a crazy guys in Tasmania (I seem to recall) went on a shooting spree “out of the blue”, and the Australian government started to ban everything… you know… to make Australia safer.

I hear that there are parts of Australia that remains very, very dangerous. I mean that there are some places that you do not dare go out at night…

…ugh. That is NOT a place where anyone should live.

But I don’t know if it is the wildlife… or the “wild” life. But if live in one such place, I would suggest that you leave. Life is too short to live in fear.

A life lived in fear is a life not lived.

Are there employees who later employed their boss?

For my case, I was the boss who was later hired by the guy who used to work for me. Early in my career, I managed a construction crew of a dozen or so workers. One of my workers, I’ll call Scott, showed exceptional intelligence, drive and common sense. I promoted to foreman and then supervisor in less than two years. I left that company over a contract dispute and found another job.

Six years later, I’d grown bored with the new job and felt my future there was limited. Out of the blue, I received a call from Scott. A short time after I had left the old company, Scott ran into his old college sweetheart and a year later, married her. College? A menial laborer, promoted for foreman, and then supervisor, had a college degree? Yep. He told me that he was once a practicing attorney but disbarred for helping a client hide some assets. After disbarment, he slipped into depression and alcoholism. At his lowest point, he took the job of laborer.

His sweetheart and new wife was $$$ LOADED $$$. she had bought him his own successful construction company. He was a smart, ambitious guy but lack bossines (I mean business) sense and knowhow. He found himself over his head on a project and called me for help. It happened I had a couple of weeks vacation left, so for a nice fee, I agreed to spend that time helping him.

At the end of those two weeks, he offered the the job as Executive VP at salary over my current one and a share of the profits. He turned out to be the best boss I ever had and I worked for him until he retired (at forty-two.)

How do Chinese people feel about foreigners who live and work in China?

Ask the foreigner.? To them it is a million times safer than back home in the U.S. Chinese people like diversity and welcome good foreigners. But if he is a CIA or NED spy or trouble maker chances is he or she will be caught within 24 hours. If he likes the food, the place the people or the culture he or she is always welcome. If he is a hubris, xenophobic racist he should stay at home and join the KKK.

Let me warn you, China sniff you out in an hour and we will send you packing. But if you live China and wants to make China even better welcome. Let me tell you what you can do in China that you cannot do at home. You can open a 6 pack and you can drink as you walk on Chinese streets. You cannot do in the U.S. You can walk in the street at 3 am in the morning safely even if you are a women. In the U.S. you have many no go areas that even cops don’t want to go.

You cannot see homeless because there is none in China. Your chance of being shot by a random mass shooter is a billion to one in the U.S. if you fall sick everyone including foreigners get to be treated by the best doctors and given medical help. The life expectancy of China exceed that of the U.S. There is zero case of racial profiling in China but in the U.S. blacks can be necked to death in open daylight.

Come over and let’s prosper together.

Is Xi Jinping’s presidential car in San Francisco a Hongqi car? What model is it?

image 154
image 154

It is a customized armored Honqi H9 Model 701

There are Sixty Eight Customized cars made for the CPC top brass every 5 years and PLA Top brass

Xi Jingping has four such cars, all similar and heavily armored

The Communication system is connected to a Chinese Satellite constellation and is not dependent on any other system allowing the president to talk to anyone he wants without any interception

Presently only Biden & Putin have similar systems

The Contract Tender price of this car was 972000 RMB ($ 136K)

What did your boss do or say to you that made you quit your job?

“I don’t care if she’s dead. Money is money.”

I’ve been managing a brand for 9 years and have had stellar performance. I was promoted quickly and pretty soon assumed the role of second in charge for one of the key cities.

Part of my role includes bringing in big corporate sales. I was in the midst of closing a large annual contract with a major player.

And then my godmother had to undergo brain surgery.

I applied for some time off and spent a week with my godmother who lives in another country. I had accrued over 40 days in leave as I’ve been working myself to death to grow the company.

When I returned, my then boss wanted to know if I had finalised the sale. I was speechless. Everyone knew about my godmother’s surgery and it was an annual contract that the company could’ve afforded to wait a couple of weeks for. It wasn’t as if it was completely lost and I’ve been in communication with the client throughout.

But then came those words that I will always remember – “I don’t care if she’s dead. Money is money.”

I walked.

On a happier note, my godmother is fully recovered!

What is the most extreme example of human willpower and discipline?

Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima

image 153
image 153

Story: He was the leading runner in the 2004 Summer Olympics marathon.
At his pace, he was sure to win first place and secure the gold medal which would’ve brought pride and glory to his family and country.

Near the end of the marathon, he was attacked by a spectator. The spectator actually sidelined into him. Intentionally. In public.

That brief, 10 second-long distraction was enough to completely disrupt De Lima’s mental AND physical rhythm, both of which are critical to running long distance marathons.

He was quickly surpassed by two other runners and was evidently off his game for the remainder of the marathon. He finished in third place in surprisingly good spirits and received the bronze medal.

What people remember is that he crossed the finish line with a smile despite what had happened to him just moments before.

This was a man who was robbed of first place and an Olympic gold medal in a matter of seconds.

Imagine training for something your entire life and being so close to accomplishing something extraordinary. Something that brings you, your family, and your country great pride and happiness and puts you in the history books.

Only to be robbed in a matter of seconds in the most outrageous and nonsensical way possible. By something that should never have happened in the first place.

De Lima could’ve stopped running when that incident happened. He could’ve attacked the trespasser. He could’ve complained endlessly to the officials.

But he pushed past, he ran, and he finished.

Even after the fiasco, words like “furious” or “hatred” were evidently not in De Lima’s vocabulary. Holding a relentless vendetta against his perpetrator was clearly not important to him.

Even when a fellow Olympian earnestly offered his own gold medal to De Lima, De Lima responded “I am happy with mine – it is bronze but means gold.”

De Lima went on to win a variety of awards commemorating his self-discipline and spirit of sportsmanship.

He also went on to light the cauldron at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

image 152
image 152

It takes immense willpower and discipline to run and finish as a top contender for a marathon in the Olympics, but I think what makes De Lima so special is his willpower and discipline to look past something so ill-fated and still come out on top. He truly lives a life of no regrets.

And I don’t remember who won first or second place in that 2004 Summer Olympics Marathon.

But I remember Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima.

The man is a legend.

Men and Ice Cream

What is the most offensive thing someone has ever asked you?

When I was nine years old, my mum died.

Although I didn’t know how she died at the time, it later turned out that she had died by suicide. Nine year old me thought she’d just died of old age — she was 43 after all!

We were kept off school for a few days. My middle sister was in the year above me at the same school. Our classmates had been told that our mum had died (not how) and that they should be nice to us.

On my first day back at school, a boy from my sister’s class ran up to me and shouted in my face “Jordan, how’s your mum?” and ran off laughing.

I still remember his name 41 years later – Billy Smart; the same name as a popular travelling circus from that time. That’s all I remember about the boy now – his name and that he thought it would be funny to tease me about my dead mother. I hope he became a more sensitive and well rounded person as an adult, but I have doubts.

What’s a rule your employer implemented that backfired terribly?

Ahahaha, memories! I worked at a publisher for a few years and the management had no clue how much work folks did. They were so clueless, in fact, that they were convinced people were shirking their duties, sneaking out early, coming in late, etc.

So, they ostentatiously installed an electronic time card system. We had to log in and log out every time we entered or left the building, respectively.

They informed us we were going to be paid for the “actual” hours we worked, instead of what we submitted on our timecards (we were “salary,” and yet had a low-budget pay system, so “salary” simply meant “submit a 40-hour timecard every week regardless of the actual work you perform.”), with the implication that we better watch out ’cause “now they were watching.”

Hahahahaha! Watch this!

This company was so delusional that it spent cold hard cash in a passive-aggressive attempt to not pay people, and it totally backfired.

To no one’s surprise, the next payroll was a blowout because we always busted ass and worked long hours. Plus, we completely stopped taking work home to do. Our rationale was “If you’re going to be a jerk about insisting that we are only paid for being in the building, then we’ll only work while we’re in the building.”

The company found themselves shoveling out overtime pay like it was Skittles.

They deactivated that system after Week Two.

I think, to this day, they still think we somehow “hacked” the system, because they could not acknowledge that we worked long-ass hours.

Dingbats.

Make men cry

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yq3yG3BZt4U?feature=share

What is the best thing you have ever learned from a criminal?

I learnt how to break into my own house when I forgot my keys.

I was waiting for my wife to come home standing in my doorway when a neighbour asked me if I was okay. I said I was fine and I was waiting for my wife to get home from work so I could get in.

I knew that he had a criminal history. He asked me if he could use a small branch of one of my trees to open the door. I agreed, and he put one into the letterbox of my door and he used it to nudge the Yale lock to open it.

I learnt that I needed a better lock. In fact, I bought a whole new door with several locks.

I also learnt that criminals can. and do. reform. For many years, my neighbour could have entered my house and stolen anything he wished.

You just need to put more effort in…

What’s something your husband did to you that you will never forget?

He died!

Months before he died he wasn’t feeling the best. Where he used to NEVER take time off work he had started taking lots of time off. Or coming home early. His feet hurt him. He did a lot of walking at work.

I BEGGED him to go to the doctor. I told his mom to TELL him to go to the doctor. All it created was fights. So I quit begging him to go.

I went on a girls weekend and he died in our home. I have SO MUCH ANGER that he died so young, when it possibly could have been prevented. The main cause of death was a heart attack due to untreated diabetes. Clearing out his drawers I found many bottles of unused diabetic pills. They weren’t even his. Someone gave them to him to “help”, he still didn’t use them.

Now I tell people. PLEASE make sure the ones you love go to the doctor, use Dave as an example why. Also that you know how all the household expenses work. He paid all the main bills and spoiled me. I didn’t have to do any of that. Was a huge eye opener when I had to take over. Nearly lost my house to foreclosure, but am finally getting things under control, four years later.

So yeah, he died on me. I will never forget. We were high school sweethearts. Met when I was 15, he was 17. Got Married when I was 19 and he was 20. Married for 23 years. Together 27.

Make sure the ones you love take care of themselves and get medical help. Sucks being a 42 year old Widow.

Don’t be too humble…

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

What is the most absurd thing you’ve been charged for on a bill?

So I was in a car accident with my then girlfriend. A teenage girl, driving her mom’s car ran a red light and hit us. It was a pretty bad accident and my girlfriend was taken out of the car on a backboard. The girl who was driving was really shook up, and her passenger had a minor wound that was bleeding. I had banged up my knee and my face got hit pretty hard. An ambulance came, but there was no room for me in the back, so I sat upfront, shotgun. When we got to the ER it was really busy. I sat there waiting for about two hours. Finally a nurse brought me to the examining room, where I waited about another 45 minutes to an hour. The nurse who brought me in looked at my swollen face and said if you had iced that it wouldn’t be so swollen. Finally I just signed myself out.

About a week later I got a bill from the hospital for treatment and an ambulance ride. I called and told them I wasn’t paying because they never treated me and I rode on the empty front seat of the ambulance. They told me that I was charged because if I had really needed treatment it was there. So I asked if they charged people who walked past the hospital also were charged for the same reason. My bill was graciously forgiven. That’s when I knew I would go to law school.

Who cares what he thinks…

What’s something your husband did to you that you will never forget?

Not my husband but my bf. On Sunday passed I collapsed at the bar we were at having pizza and wine, and I suddenly dropped like a stone. I died for like 7 seconds, eyes wide open and no pulse. I was out for a few minutes then slowly came to. I had no idea what I was doing on the bar floor or who the girls were hovering over me. (Lucky the one girl was a chemist and resuscitated me) My bf tried to see if I could make it to the car but I was too weak, I could not walk at all. I could barely sit up. He called an ambulance for me. He sorted my ID with the drivers to help with my medical aid numbers (as the ambulance was going nowhere otherwise) Followed me to the hospital and sat by me while tests were being done. My blood sugar stabilised and I could go home. He drove us back at midnight, an hour journey…both of us exhausted. He’s not my husband so I didn’t expect him to do all that for me. I can’t believe he behaved exactly as a husband would. I’m a very lucky girl.

Jerry Springer world

What’s the best revenge you’ve gotten after being fired or let go from a job?

After the dotcom crash I got hired by a small software company. They didn’t really have a good product and it was obvious they were on the way down. One day the owner called in with instructions to fire all the sales people as they weren’t making any sales anyway. OK so at the end of the month he calls to ask how sales were going. I said about as good as can be expected with no sales people.

A week later the hammer comes down and we’re all let go and given our severance checks. I immediately go to the bank branch that check was drawn on to cash it and it bounced!

So since I still had the keys to the office, I went back and grabbed a bunch of high-end laptops and took them home. Another week goes by and he calls to ask about these laptops that have gone missing. I said they’re not missing, I’m holding on to them until you make good on the bounced check. I was told that was theft and they would be pressing charges. I said great, I’ll be contacting the Labour Relations Board about your shitty practices and also the Police about knowing passing a bad check for thousands of dollars.

Needless to say I was asked to stop by his office to exchange the laptops for another check. It was like the scene out of Scarface where Tony Montana goes to buy the coke.

Owner: Do you have the laptops?

Me: They’re close by. Do you have my check?

He gave me the check and I went and cashed it and then went back and gave him his laptops.

It is assumed that men can handle hardships on their own…

What is the best thing that has ever happened to you for being nice?

This is the best, most positive experience I had at the hotel where I worked in college.

As I was getting ready to close my shift out at the front desk of a large hotel on Capitol Hill, a woman came to my desk and said that she wanted to check in, but she lost her purse somewhere along the way between the train station and the hotel.

She was frantic. She was having a meltdown. I asked her about her reservation, if she was with a group? She said “Yes! I’m with X group!”

Awesome. I knew this was an incoming group, with a block of rooms, so I asked for her name. Her name corresponded with a name on my incoming list. I told her that I see her reservation and you have a room! So don’t worry about that, I said. Let’s get the rest sorted.

I then asked when was the last time she saw her purse, and she said that it was on the Amtrak that came into Union Station about 20 minutes before she got to the hotel.

I asked her if she’d had anything to eat. She said she hadn’t, in hours. I said well you better get over to the restaurant and let them give you something to eat while I make some calls! I sent her to the restaurant, and I made sure that everyone knew she was my guest, and why.

I got on the phone, called a few people I knew at Amtrak and asked them to find the cleaners on that train. They found her purse, and brought it to the hotel. Everything intact.

Kicker is? The woman I helped? She was in DC to lead a series of workshops on customer service. I turned out to be the star in her first session on “Getting service right.”

Turns out, I’m nice. Who knew?

This man deserves Heaven

What’s the hardest thing you’ve endured being poor?

As my marriage began to unravel, my (then) husband became worse and worse with money.

First, he wouldn’t come home for days, leaving the kids and me with no car. That meant if I needed groceries, I had to walk 8 blocks to one store or 11 to another and carry them home.

I couldn’t ask my father for a lot of help, as my mother had cancer. More often than not, I was helping her, and my father was filling in when I couldn’t.

One day, I found I had no bread or milk for my children. I went to the cabinet where I kepy emergency money, only to find the jar empty. The “proud papa” took it. I scooped up whatever spare change I could find and went to the grocery. At the counter, I found I was short. I was ready to cry. I tried to think of which should I put back, when the grocer told me someone behind me paid for my groceries. I cried as I took the bag and said thank you.

Walking home I thought it couldn’t get any worse, but I was wrong. The jerk stopped his paychecks from going to our joint account. He wouldn’t pay the mortgage or utilities.

I had a bank book that he forgot about, and with that I paid bills for as long as I could. I put my children on food stamps to put food on the table. I put a lien on my house since you couldn’t qualify for services if you owned a house. Passover was coming and I didn’t have a penny.

Agencies that claimed to help made you feel like you were robbing them if you asked for food. I got one parcel and was sick. Everything was dated a month or two before: the juice, other items, and the raw chicken – which smelled so bad I threw it out.

I begged my brother for $200 so we could have a nice holiday. He gave it to me – and never let me forget it. If he needed a favor, he reminded me that I owed him. I was so ashamed I never told my parents.

The house went to foreclosure about the same time the utilities were shut off. I borrowed money from my father to move and pay first month’s rent on an apartment. When I finally started working I put aside $10 a month to pay him back. It was hard, and I barely made ends meet. My kids hadn’t gotten new clothes at this point in nearly two years.

I was still chasing my separated husband to get him to court. Finally, I hired three court servers for $200 a piece to wait at each exit at his job. He was served his subpoena to appear in court. After some delays – didn’t come with a lawyer, fired his lawyer in court – the judge asked him why he didn’t take care of his family. He said I’m having problems with their mother. The judge said “Why didn’t you buy food? Pay for the house? Clothes? What did you do for your children?” He kept trying to say he was having a problem with me and the judge got angry.

“What did you do with your money?” the judge asked. We presented photos of his new sexy sports car – bought with the money that was supposed to take care of his children. The judge told him “I’m done talking to you.” Then she asked me what I had done for my children.

I showed her the paperwork for food stamps, proof I sold jewelry and used the bank book I had to pay utilities. I just got a job, so we were under a roof.

She told my then husband “you earn almost 3 times as much as your wife and you did nothing for your children?” She ordered child support at the maximum allowable by law, as well as back pay of money he should have paid since January (it was now October).

He screamed “where will I get that kind of money?” The judge said “sell your sexy car, that doesn’t have room for your three children.” My attorney stepped up and said “we would like to show more mercy than he showed to his children. He can pay off his wife in semi monthly checks.”

He took the deal, never realizing he would be paying me for three years. The extra money coming in meant my kids could get new clothes for the first time in two years, I paid my father back the money he lent me – and I gave my brother $300 when he lent me $200. I told him the extra $100 was for him to shove it anywhere he wanted – I didn’t want him to talk to me like I was dirt again. In spite of my brother’s protests that he didn’t mean to humiliate me, he did in fact keep the extra hundred.

Today, I’m a bit better off. But I still need to watch my money. Sometimes I get depressed and buy junk I don’t need. But I try hard to avoid that.

Smart man

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JFReCu9Pv1g?feature=share

Why do some people think a nuclear war can be won against say Russia or China?

Read some of the western propaganda. You can see it on youtube videos about non western hardware.

There’s a very common narrative.

Everything Russian is junk! None of it works! Russians apparently don’t even have working rifles according to most westerners. If Russian rifles don’t work how would these [slurs] be able to maintain nuclear weapons! Only the SUPREME MASTER RACE can maintain nuclear weapons. You can see smug British people say haha ours work! Like our SA80 the BEST gun in the WORLD! The Challenger 2 the MOST INVINCIBLE TANK IN THE UNIVERSE. You remember posts on Quora about 6 months ago? British people saying it would take nuclear weapons to stop a challenger2.

Chinese?

Everything in China is made of tofu! Pretty much exactly the same as the above.

The MASTER RACE is so confident that they think they can perform nuclear strikes and bomb our cities and we can’t do anything back.

It is a big problem

Blue Bayou Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate Mousse

Yield: 8 cups

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter
  • 5 ounces egg whites
  • 2 ounces granulated sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups heavy cream

Instructions

  1. In a double boiler combine chocolate and butter, stirring until melted.
  2. Whip cream and sugar until light and fluffy; set aside.
  3. Beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form.
  4. Using a wire whisk combine egg whites with the melted chocolate and then with the whipped cream.
  5. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Don’t rock the boat

Be the best option.

Say I steal 2 cents from every bank account in America. I am proven guilty, but everyone I stole from says they’re fine with it. What happens?

A case like this actually happened in the 1960s. A programmer working on Wall Street opened an account and wrote a program that funneled all the forgotten mills rounded off of each penny into his account. It seemed like he was stealing nothing. It turns out that a weakness in binary systems makes it difficult for them to convert 1 penny correctly so they round up or down. There are often thousandths of a cent that are then ignored and few people, if any, on Wall Street look at the penny column. It was absolutely invisible. But those thousandths of a cent, multiplied by millions of daily transactions add up. He was caught by the sheer size of the numbers that were being generated.

He was prosecuted not because anyone cared about those fractions of a cent (they didn’t) but because he was stealing and stealing is against the law.

When you steal something it doesn’t matter what the victim thinks. The state is obligated to prosecute. The statutes don’t often say, “He broke the law but it’s ok because his victims don’t care”. The statutes, while they may take the scale of the injury into account, must prosecute you for breaking the law because “Justice is blind”. It’s a one size fits all approach, for better or worse.

In reality we know what really happens and there are plenty of ways for justice to be derailed long before the judge bangs the gavel and pronounces a sentence, but the theory still applies. It doesn’t matter what the victims think. Actions have consequences and you broke the law.

Dogcoin millionaire

What is the best thing that has ever happened to you for being nice?

In 1994 my then-husband was arrested for soliciting a hit man to kill me. He was apprehended by federal agents through a sting operation. As more information was revealed about how he was caught, I learned that my husband had contacted a member of the Outlaw motorcycle gang looking for the killer. Turns out the gang member called the feds because he had been in my business a few weeks prior with his daughter and I had given the little girl change for the gum machine.

A quarter saved my life….and sent my now-ex husband to prison for 21 years.

Be nice, you never know 😉

Cat With a Broken Paw Went To The Clinic & Begged For Help, But The Vet Did Something Shocking!

Great story!

What would China be like today had Mao Zedong lost the civil war against Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalists? How would this have affected the balance of power worldwide today?

Mao won because he and the Red Army had won popular support among the Chinese people. In fact, during the three main battles fought during the civil war, Chinese civilian volunteers provided logistical support to the Red Army, and abandoned the Nationalist Revolutionary Army.

In China’s cities, runaway inflation and corruption among Nationalist officials destroyed support among private Chinese businesses, and they moved to support the Communists.

From your question, you seem to assume that the civil war simply involved two armies fighting each other for the control of China.

In fact, just as Sun Tzu has said, wars are fought and won in the hearts and minds of the people; it is not just about two militaries.

For this reason, your belief that the Nationalists could have won against the Communists is an impossibility.

The Chinese people decided that they needed a new China, and that is the environment the world is living in now.

Marriageable man or instragram

How have you changed?

“I’m worried about you,” my grandmother told me. “You’re too nice. People like you don’t do well in the world.”

That was the last time I saw her.


I forgot about that conversation.

I didn’t even understand what she meant.

Besides, it’s easy to dismiss the words of an elderly woman suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s.


I’ve always been concerned with what others think about me. I wanted to do well in the world. I had a deep need for outer acceptance because I wasn’t embracing myself on the inside.

I thought that if I just stayed out of trouble—if I just avoided controversy and did my best to please the people around me—I’d feel safe in the world.

Perhaps even wanted.

And so I became the nice guy.

I let other people come first. I put my own needs aside. I sacrificed my wellbeing.

And I was miserable.


But in the last years, something changed.

I put me higher up the priority list.

It’s not that I became an asshole or stopped caring. I realized that I’m still someone who feels and empathizes deeply with others.

But I decided to stop operating out of fear and guilt.

And I’ve realized that, as much as it sounds like a cliché, you have to cultivate happiness within instead of expecting the world to hand it to you as a trophy for your “good” behavior.


So I started taking my career seriously and insisted on being paid what I knew I was worth instead of letting employers walk over me.

I began practicing martial arts and became more confident.

I resolved to not put up with other people’s shit.

I gave up being nice.

And in doing so became more empowered. More genuine. More me.


I finally understood what my grandmother was trying to say.

She was right all along.

I just wish I could let her know.

Yes and no

25 Strange Things That Only Exist In Vietnam!

Vietnam, nestled in Southeast Asia, boasts a multifaceted tapestry of history, culture, and natural beauty. The nation’s turbulent past, marked by the Vietnam War, contrasts with its vibrant present, where bustling cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are hubs of innovation and growth. In today’s video, we will be talking about the things you can only find in this country of the east. We cover everything from their markets to their religious beliefs, but if you stay until the end of this video, you will also find out what exactly is the balance of five flavors, and why is it the most important part of their cuisine. Enjoy!

What was the biggest decision taken by you that changed your life?

Writing on this site—because of what it’s led to.

After my divorce, I knew I’d have a lot more free time on my hands. I needed a hobby that would be productive.

I am very intense and passionate about anything I do. I was a hardcore gamer for years and was a high-level league of legends player at one point. Not good enough to go pro, but maybe just below the level at which people make money. But it was a problematic hobby that ate up too much time.

As a child, my dad had often said, “Wow imagine if you put as much time into your studies as you did into those games.”

I decided no more hobbies that will consume me.

I figured writing on Quora would be a quasi-productive, quasi-fun hobby, that wouldn’t consume me too much.

Everything except that last part was true. It spun into this whole big thing that I never expected. I got obsessed with writing. I think in the first 3 years I wrote 4000+ answers.

This love of writing led to opportunities to make money. I was able to work at the craft.

Writing also made me realize how much I hated my corporate job. I would liken it to when you are in a terrible relationship and some great, attractive person who has their shit together asks you out on a date.

You start to wonder, “What if there is more to my life than this crap relationship?”

Quitting my job was a huge decision that changed my life for the better. I have freedom. The money is great so far. I have control of my life.

It’s amazing what can happen if you just listen to your parents.

How China Reinvented The Space Station!

Why was France industrially much weaker than both Britain and Germany before WW1?

Because it was mainly an agricultural country and France was a major food exporter.

Britain and Germany had massive industries meaning fewer people working in agriculture. This resulted in food shortages, the need to import food, and higher food prices.

The French economy was doing very well being based on agriculture.

Computer brain. Don’t get computer brain.

What is the funniest loophole you have ever seen?

When I was in eighth grade, our science teacher held a school wide competition to see who could build the strongest bridge out of tooth picks.

My best friend, “J”, was very smart, very clever, and always mischievous. The rules only states that the bridge had to be made out of toothpicks and had to be a certain length (I think 12”, this was over 20 years ago). The rules did not limit what glue you used to join the toothpicks. Additional toothpicks could be earned by doing extra credit worksheets.

“J” came up with an awesome plan. He did dozens of extra credit sheets. He had thousands of toothpicks. His father was a machinist for a local manufacturer of printing presses and was able to procure some industrial grade epoxy to use as glue.

“J” set to work making alternating crisscrossing layers of toothpicks and epoxy. He essentially made a solid brick of toothpicks and epoxy.

The day of the competition came. The competition went in alphabetical order and “J”’s last name was pretty far down the list. The teacher had everyone gathered in the gym to see the competition. The bridges were suspended over a gap with weights hung from them until they broke.

Kid after kid brought up their bridge, some of them very fancy suspension type looking bridges. Most of them broke at 6 kg or less.

“J”’s turn came. He walks up to the platform with his brick. Kids in the audience are laughing at it. The bridge is placed over the gap. 1 kg, 2 kg, 3, and on until they hang the biggest weight of 25 kg and it’s not even flexing. All the kids are stunned.

The teacher, who was quite large and probably weighed 150 kg, puts two stacks of books on the floor, puts the brick over the gap between them, and stands with one foot on it. Not even flexing yet.

He then has the entire middle school follow him to the parking lot. He uses the books to prop up the brick again and proceeds to drive one wheel of his car onto it. It flexed a little.

At this point he has run out of heavy things to try to break the brick and declares “J” the winner.

As a teacher, what was the trashiest thing you’ve seen a parent do?

I’m frequently shocked at the language some parents use when dealing with the priests and nuns at a Catholic school. I’ve been in meetings where parents shouted and swore at elderly clergy people because they (the clergy people) had the audacity to remind the parents that they were way behind in their tuition payments, or their children were in danger of being expelled due to too many discipline issues.

I was always taught to treat older people and members of the clergy with respect. I’ll never get used to hearing a middle-aged parent scream and swear at an elderly priest or nun.

I was also always taught that you’re supposed to be extra nice to pregnant women. Apparently, a lot of parents were not taught that. I’ve seen parents scream and swear at teachers who were just weeks away from giving birth.

I was also always taught that you’re not supposed to swear in front of children. Yet every year, there’s at least one incident where a parent picks up their child from school and, in the course of a three-minute conversation within earshot dozens of kids as young as three years old, manages to drop a dozen really loud f-bombs.

I’ve also been preparing for my class in the morning, only to have the windows of my classroom shake as someone with stupidly-loud bass in their car drove up to the school to let their kids out… all kids who were under eight years old. There’s a time and a place for loud music. Seven thirty in the morning in front of a Catholic elementary school while you drop off your kids is not the time or place for that.

I caught my neighbor using my electrical outlets outside, and I told him I was going to call the cops and tell them what he was doing. He laughed and said I can’t prove it. What should I do?

Get photos of the cord plugged in, photos of where it goes (unless you have to trespass), and make sure they are dated and time stamped (most digital cameras can do that and possibly some phones). Pull out your electric bills from the times you know he was using your power and try to see how much extra was used. If it is a lot over a short period, you have proof on the bill. Not sure about your power company but some keep track of just how much is used when to try to help you cut down and that information could also help you.

I always say, document, document, document so it isn’t your word against his.

What the Hell?

What work secret did you accidentally find out that changed everything?

I’m not sure this counts as ‘accidentally’ but: A long time ago I joined a startup company. We were doing some innovative stuff with fiber optics.

My roommate and I got into the habit of taking the accountant out to lunch or Happy Hour every few weeks; generally on a Friday. We’d get a few drinks into her and she’d open up about the financial condition of the company because she was worried.

We found out that the first unit we “shipped” was actually sent to a warehouse for storage because the CFO wanted to tell the investors we’d sold and shipped a unit by year end. There was a potential client but they hadn’t signed the purchase order.

When I found out that the CFO was lying to investors and employees I started looking for a new job. Sure enough four weeks later they announced a layoff. I was let go because “your software already works and we’re betting that it will keep working.” Meanwhile they kept a programmer that couldn’t get his program to compile let alone work.

When my manager called me in, I told him that he was cutting off his nose to spite his face. I also neglected to mention all of the semi-automated routines that I’d built in my spare time that no one had thought about or worried about ( things like builds, backups, space reclamation in the homegrown database, etc. ).

They offered us ‘outplacement services’ with the first meeting that AM at an offsite location. At the outplacement meeting they scheduled us for a follow up meeting the next morning. I told them I couldn’t attend because I had an interview already scheduled. Three other people also had interviews already scheduled because I wasn’t the only on that took the accountant out to lunch!

Have you ever met a failure who completely changed their life around that truly inspired you?

Yes. I have a school friend who was very bright and did well. He was in the rugby team and was a Prefect. He was very popular.

After school he went to a good uni but surprisingly dropped out. He got a good job in advertising but lost it. He got another, got married, but both failed disasterously. He was a raging alcoholic and was out of control. Finally he became very ill and ended up in a clinic. He was in his 20’s still and was given a year to live unless he stopped drinking.

He met a girl at the halfway house he was in. She was in the same position as him. Together they joined AA and got their lives going. They moved abroad, to a fairly undeveloped country that was growing quickly, and with some inheritance, started a small film production company. They did very well. He was responsible for starting many AA chapters there. He saved careers, marriages and lives.

We met for lunch recently. It’s forty years since his last drink and he’s happy and prosperous. Being dry is not a struggle, but he is still vigilant. He accepted a long time ago that he has a terrible weakness, possibly inherited, and this is his burden. Unwilling to hand on this weakness, he’s never had children. He’d have made a wonderful Dad.

How warm was it inside of homes in the 19th century during the winter time?

Cold, but usually above freezing, at least here in the UK where nearly all buildings are made of stone or brick.

I don’t have central heating. I do have 18″ thick stone walls, but in a very cold winter my kitchen has been known to get so cold that my fridge stopped working, and my hands went numb within a minute or two of entering the kitchen.

However: yes, my windows are double-glazed but they’re a lot bigger than they probably would have been in the Victorian era, and in the Victorian era they would have had wooden shutters. I don’t even have curtains in the kitchen, because the room is laid out in a bloody stupid way which means I can’t even get *near* the window without climbing on top of a kitchen counter and walking across it.

In the Victorian era I would have had a fireplace in the living room and possibly the bedroom, and my kitchen would have had an actual stove that burned fuel and so put out excess heat.

Have you ever sabotaged food because someone was stealing it?

Back in the day I worked as an assembly line “artist,” creating art that sold wholesale to decorators of office buildings and hotels. The company was owned by a foreign family that had fled prosecution in their own country and a few family members were employed as artists or support staff.

I was a poor lad but this job seemed really fun. It paid a bit more than minimum wage and it was cool to hang out with young artists like myself. I rarely went out to lunch, preferring to save money and bring my own, including yogurt cups for dessert. After a while I noticed my yogurt kept vanishing. I made a stink about it, even contacted HR (well, the supervisor that handled billing and HR) mostly suspecting another starving artist.

Then I had a diabolical idea – I read that consuming saline solution could cause diarrhea! I wore contacts so I had some, I just needed to find a way to inject my yogurt cups with it. After some failed attempts, I was still trying to figure it out when another yogurt cup went missing.

Struck by inspiration, I went to the HR supervisor’s office and “confessed,” with the door open and loud enough for nearby folks to overhear, that I had “spiked” the yogurt with saline. I regretted my rash decision and told her that whoever consumed the yogurt would likely have stomach problems for an hour or so but would otherwise be okay.

Sure enough, an employee suddenly went home sick, complaining of stomach problems! And it was one of the owners’ family members, a fairly well off individual compared to the rest of us. So did I get in trouble with the bosses for poisoning a beloved relative? Nope, because there was NO ACTUAL SALINE in the yogurt! The only thing the thief was suffering from was a guilty conscience.

Don’t steal food!

Ouch!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ij8ZeTd7X7s?feature=share

If men and women are equal, how did the society become patriarchal in the first place, almost all around the world?

Men and women are NOT equal.

There is a thing called sexual dimorphism. This refers to physical, physiological and even mental differences between males and females of a species, beyond their sexual organs.

The vast majority of species in the animal kingdom have sexual dimorphism, and even some plants. I’m sure you’re familiar with lions.

Males and females are fundamentally different, and in humans and all apes the males are generally bigger and stronger than the females. This isn’t just a matter of exercise. Testosterone in men promotes the growth of larger and more powerful muscles, something women cannot achieve without outside help like anabolic steroids.

Testosterone doesn’t just influence men’s muscles; it also affects their brains. Men and women are mentally different because of the different levels of testosterone and estrogen in their brains.

And guess what? This doesn’t just apply to humans.

Male birds, for instance, are the only members of the species that initiate courtship rituals. (That’s why the peacock has that huge mane of feathers). Male birds sing and court females because of the levels of testosterone in their brains, making them aggressively seek and impress females.

Most animal species from rats to humans to birds exhibit these mental differences between males and females, even in species where no physical sexual dimorphism is present (such as with dolphins).

These differences even cause societal systems to form in animals. Patriarchies aren’t unique to humans. Lions have a totally patriarchial society where the males head the pride, and the women serve and hunt for him. Wolves, apes, and other animals have formed patriarchies.

Guess what? Some of the other species have matriarchies. Elephants for instance are a completely matriarchial society, with males being cast out of the herd to find other herds to impregnate, which is about the extent of his involvement in society. The herd itself is guided by the oldest matriarch.

The fact of the matter is, differences between males and females affect society. Not just in humans, but in many social animals. Pretending that men and women are equal is like an ostrich hiding its head in the ground trying to ignore what is obvious.

Human societies formed into patriarchies around the world regardless of creed, religion or ideology for one simple reason: the stronger physical dominance of men made them better warriors and workers, while the vulnerability of women during childbirth meant it was important to provide a safe and stable environment for them to rear children in. Further, only women can produce milk to feed newborns. This meant that the role was locked in from the start, something a man can never do.

Thus men took on the role of protector and provider, while women took on the role of homemaking and childbearing. While modern society can allow men to just buy infant formula and women to rise to exemplary careers and bring home the bacon, this is a modern development and not one that was possible through the early stages of human evolution and society.

In today’s world and moving into the future, it’s certainly possible for us to destroy the patriarchy and create a different kind of society. Time will tell where this social experiment will lead humanity.

Terrorists Blow-Up PAKISTAN Air Base! 40 Fighter Jets Burning

World Hal Turner

The Taliban-Linked Terrorist Group “Tehreek-e Jihad” (TTP) has just claimed Responsibility for a Significant Attack tonight on Mianwali Air Force Base in Northern Pakistan.

The Terrorist Group appears to have Snuck into the Base using Ladders and are claiming to have Destroyed several Aircraft as well as some kind of Armored Vehicle.

The Pakistani Army is currently conducting an Operation to Secure the Base and have already Killed multiple Terrorists.

Why is China not supportive in making India a permanent member in the UN security council?

I viewed some answers above, I felt many answers didn’t get the main point.

The truth is: nobody of the 5 wants to share their rights.

Everyone of the 5 says they agree to extend the council but actually they don’t. Because it will add the bargain cost.

USA government says they support Japan to get into the council because USA knows Russia and China will veto. USA says like this way to keep Japan in hand to deploy USA army.

China supports Germany to the council because China knows USA and France will veto. Guess for what interest.

USA and Russia says they support India because they know China will veto. For what interest? Weapon sales.

So now do you understand what game they are playing?

How far do alpha, beta, and gamma particles travel in the air?

Alpha particles don’t get far at all. They’re heavy, they’re slow, and they carry a charge, so they interact easily. They can travel an inch or so in air, but are blocked by a sheet of paper.

Beta particles are just elec…okay, um, so, correction. β- particles are just electrons. They’re light and zippy, so how far they get depends on how fast they go. Good rule of thumb, approximately 10ish feet or so for each MeV of energy.

β+ particles are positrons—antimatter electrons. In theory they could get as far as β- particles, in an antimatter world. In our world, they don’t get far at all in air before they hit something and annihilate in a flash of gamma photons.

Gamma rays? Oh, it is on. Hold my beer.

Gamma rays laugh at your puny “air.” Gamma rays laugh at your puny steel. Gamma rays might stop for lead, maybe, if you have enough of it to make things interesting. Six feet of concrete or one and a half feet of lead should do it.

  • This might as well be tissue paper to gamma rays
  • Gamma rays sneeze at this
  • This is not even close to what it takes to stop gamma rays
  • Starting to get there, if the gamma rays are going through lengthwise
  • Now we’re talking! (The whole stack, not one plate)

Gamma rays will go merrily through this planet’s entire atmosphere, plus the bodies of the researchers doing the experiment, plus the roof of their house, and then merrily on toward Alpha Centauri.

What happens if the United States stops China from developing advanced computer chips?

300,000 engineers and scientists in China will briefly look up from their work and say in a puzzled tone: “奇怪,那是什么声音? 是不是美国放屁的声音?”. Then they return to their R&D projects in advanced chipmaking.

Bitter Pill

Have you ever been mugged and had it end badly for the mugger?

Not a mugging but I did have a break in at my apartment. I was assaulted, had both eye orbits fractured, broke ribs and fingers, and was choked almost to the point of loosing consciousness.

I however did manage to stab my attacker in his face and skull, scalping him from his left ear to the top of his head and causing brain dammage. He lost serious ammounts of blood passed out and was put in a medically induced coma for two days and had multiple blood transfusions before he was even conscious to be charged with aggrivated assault, breaking and entering and attempted murder (I dont actually know what he was officially charged with, just that he was sentenced to two years and ended up serving four)

I had my ass beat, and badly. But I was told by the police that if it wasnt for modern medical treatment my attacker would have died.

Now years later I was very drunk the night before my brothers wedding. Someone did try to mug me but I was apparently so drunk that I didnt know what was happening and I thought they wanted a cigarette and I kept explaining that I dont smoke. Their heart must not have been in it because they gave up and moved on to someone else without stabbing me. Some witness called police and I was supposedly too drunk to give a statement. They got me back to my hotel and I dont remember any of it

And thats my life story so far.

“Men Have No CLUE!” This Is Why Men Aren’t TAKING Western Women SERIOUSLY Anymore

Raw reality. I am so glad that I am no longer young.

U.S. and Europe Talking with Ukraine about PEACE NEGOTIATIONS with Russia!

World Hal Turner

U.S. and European officials have begun quietly talking to the Ukrainian government about what possible peace negotiations with Russia might entail to end the war, according to one current senior U.S. official and one former senior U.S. official.

The conversations have included very broad outlines of what Ukraine might need to give up to reach a deal, the officials said.

Some of the talks, which officials described as delicate, took place last month during a meeting of representatives from more than 50 nations supporting Ukraine, including NATO members, known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the officials said.

The discussions are an acknowledgment of “the dynamics militarily on the ground in Ukraine” and politically in the U.S. and Europe, officials said.

In other words, despite all the media hype that Ukraine is winning, Ukraine is actually losing.  Imagine that.

More at NBC News HERE

First it’s the unchecked flooding of Chinese Fentanyl into America. Next, mercenary bounties get placed on British residents. At what point should America issue an arrest warrant for China’s Xi Jinping à la Manuel Noriega?

Rodrigo, educate yourself.

Unchecked flooding of Chinese fentanyl into America”?

Fentanyl is a LEGAL drug. Fentanyl addiction is a problem only in America. NOT in China or anywhere in the world. It is Americans ordering, procuring and peddling this drug and not the Chinese “flooding” the U.S. It’s OUR problem because WE caused OUR opioid addiction. Why the shit are you blaming China for us not being able to control the trafficing of fentanyl within the U.S.?

Mercenary bounties placed on British residents”?

“Mercenary bounties” is the farthest from the truth.

Australia, UK, US condemn Hong Kong bounty for exiled activists

Bounties is defined as money paid for killing or capturing a person or animal.

However, Australia, the U.K. and U.S. have branded the rewards for information as “bounties” for 8 exiled pro-democracy HK activists for the 2019 riots in Hong Kong that these countries instigated through the CIA and NGOs. Hong Kong has every right to seek information on persons guilty of seditious acts against China.

This is Hong Kong issuing warrants for their citizens for serious criminal acts. And if they are stupid enough to return to Hong Kong, they will be arrested.

Arrest warrant for Xi”?

Another stupid question. Who is to issue this? The U.S.? For what charge?

Are you dense enough to believe the U.S. has the authority to arbirtrarily order the arrest of the leader of another country? The U.S. has NO police authority beyond our border just like any other country.

And then what? Do you expect the U.S. or another country to invade the soveriegnty of China by going to China to arrest Xi?

China hate does not justify you to think, write or act stupidly.

This Just Ηappened In South Carolina, But Something Εven Stranger Ιs Ηappening Around The World!

Seems suspicious we never had this many huge disasters in our food manufacturing plants, trains, and other big plants.

https://youtu.be/MQV052LM9VY

U.S. Flying MQ-9 “Reapers” Over Gaza

World Hal Turner

The United States has been flying MQ-9 “Reaper” drones over the southern Gaza Strip of late. (HT REMARK: One wonders if they are giving intel to Israel so they can slaughter more women and children?)

They were first spotted on Saturday on Flightradar24.

Officials say the drones were being used to “aid in hostage recovery efforts” indicating that the U.S. is more involved than previously known.

Are Republicans losing?

Republicans are winning, they just don’t seem to know it nor can they give the rest of us some peace. What do I mean by this?

Traditional Republican values are what America still runs on and much of the rest of the world too. In fact, all of the countries where things work, they run on traditional conservative or Republican values. Like thrift, hard work, saving, putting your kids in school, reasonable but not high levels of tax, a hand up not a hand out. No corporate crony capitalism (this is in theory of course as there always is colllusion) , some type of religious base to your society and usually that is Christian though it could also be Jewish, or Hindu or Buddhist or Muslim.

So why are the Republicans winning and losing?

First the losing. Because they can’t stop themselves, they keep snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. It is called extremism and the entire right wing of the Republican party starting with the so called Freedom Caucus which has nothing to do with either, not espousing freedom rather telling everyone especially women what they can and can’t do and it is not even a caucus, just a raucous group of malcontents.

Republicans are winning of course in the electoral college where they own around 30 states which gives them a disproportionate control of just about everything with state, local and federal government. They control red states which means military bases and expenditures (11 out of 15 largest are in red states, yet they cannot pass a budget that is focused on the military or allow the military to make promotions which their extremists block). They control state houses in the same proportion, they gerrymander like crazy and win more and more as the Supreme Court now rules in their favor, slowly whittling away black and brown rights in particular.

They are winning on dismantling and even the legitimacy of the federal govt and their chief avatar, Trump has his man in as Speaker who we found out this week doesn’t even have a bank account. No, he is not a traditional Republican.

What to make of this? Democrats feel they are in the majority, but control less and less and are fragmented. Republicans could control everything but the right wing crazies including Trump keep giving them opportunities which if it were not for Joe Biden, they would have squandered once again.

Republicans? Their values, real conservative values rule the civilized non autocratic world. Unfortunately in America, these values are not the values of the current Republican party.

Therefore you see, in the end they are winning in spite of themselves and with their losing their way and becoming extremist, they are literally taking the country down along with democracy with them.

Prizes…

Bank Notice: “Some Deposits May Be Temporarily Delayed”

World Hal Turner

Several US banks are facing service disruptions today. Meanwhile, users on the ‘free speech’ social media platform X complain that the Automated Clearing House system is down.

Downdetector.com shows Truist, Bank of America, Chase, US Bank, and Wells Fargo are experiencing widespread outages and disruptions that began around 0800 ET.

A message on Bank of America’s webpage reads, “Some deposits may be temporarily delayed … Some deposits from 11/03 may be temporarily delaved due to an issue impacting multiple financial institutions. Your accounts remain secure, and your balance will be updated as soon as the deposit is received. You do not need to take any action.”

Hal Turner Remarks

I see about 5 US banks listed as being offline over on down detector website. (HERE)

Bank of America
Chase
Chime
US Bank
Wells Fargo
Huntington

My bank (Capital One) is **NOT** affected at all.

One wonders if the situation in the Middle East has Hackers going after the US banking system?

Apparently, it’s a particular clearinghouse that B of A, Chase and Huntington use. That went down last night. They just got it up and running and I was told that most will get their deposits within 2 hours. Tonight at latest”

BofA rep just told me that the Fed sent the banks a bulletin that there was an outage overnight but that the servers are back online now and the deposit backlogs should be worked through by end of day today.

My wife contacted her company’s bank this morning. They reported that the issue is with the banks that use what’s called the ‘Federal EPM Processing Clearinghouse,’ and that they had a widespread server outage overnight, but that they are back online and processing the backlog.

What is the weirdest complaint people made about their food in a restaurant?

We were eating at Benihana’s one evening and sat next to a young couple who appeared to be on a date. They looked over the menu and ordered a variety of sushi. I was impressed by how adventuresome they were.

When their meal arrived both of them stared at their plates closely examining every item. They were clearly getting very upset. Finally they called over the waiter and the gal said in a loud voice, “You call yourself a restaurant?! Did you even CHECK this stuff before it left the kitchen! Look at it! Everything is raw!”

No words.

I learned what true love is…

Will China survive if her country suffers an extreme economic embargo from international communities just like one from North Korea?

China has had the north Korea experience. It was embargoed (I.e. Total sanction) together with their war comrades for three decades, until the 70s.

China survived that, back in a time when they couldn’t even make fertilizers.

The soviets helped but only the first decade. China remained desperately poor into the 90s.

Today, a china embargo will not be cost free like in the past. Does the world even notice Cuba has been embargoed for almost 6 decades?

Not so China.

For one, Apple as a viable company becomes historical, because it will not have hardware to sell. Every single company in the semiconductor supply chain will be disrupted, because China is a key node, either as supplier, assembler or customer.

Moving on, the different festivals driving seasonal demand will have to be repriced, because it is hard to find a supply chain big and efficient enough to absorb demand spikes.

Study the pandemic. Why didn’t a black market develop for ppe, ventilators and other medical equipment despite exponential growth in demand? Prices increased but they stabilized and the quantity and quality of goods has been remarkable given months of spiraling demand.

It is the same story with work from home essentials, from bird feeders to children toys to video conferencing equipment.

Things are so out of whack containers are being shipped empty back to China while the cost of sending an FEU from Asia to Europe has crossed the 10k mark.

Embargo China if you must, but it will hurt big time, especially for the comfortable first world.

China has made itself relevant to the world. There will be no repeat of “let’s bomb Iraq back to the stone age using flour in the test tube as justification”.

If China is embargoed, you won’t only see it in the news.

You will feel it, deep into your pockets, and you will live the consequences.

REPORT: VIP Jets Now Airborne from DC to Cheyenne Mountain Bunkers – “Gov’t Going Underground”

World Hal Turner

I’m not sure what to make of this, but it was posted in a US Veteran’s Forum.  The guy in the brief video seems VERY nervous as he reports EIGHT “VIP” Aircraft heading to Cheyenne Mountain (NORAD??) and says “They’re putting government into Bunkers.”

His voice is clearly trembling as he describes what he sees going on.  Looks legit to me, at first glance.

I pass this along with the full Disclaimer that I have not (yet) verified these claims.   But if he’s right, then time is of the essence and all of YOU should know.

*****FLASH ***** U.S. House Approves Resolution on Iran: “All means necessary” to prevent Nuclear Armed Iran

Nation Hal Turner

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Resolution late last night  “. . . to use all means necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon; . . .”    Now we know why our military is massed in Middle East.

It now seems clear to me that all the US military hardware sent to the easstern Mediterranean, has nothing at all to do with Israel, per se, and has everything to do with Iran.

That military hardware isn’t there “to protect Israel” as much as it is there to disarm Iran.

The Iranians have likely suspected this, now, they know.

Iran had better take a long, hard look at what is arrayed against them because once all that firepower starts shooting, the entire landmass of Iran will be like a hail storm of explosions.

What happened to Iraq in 1991, I think will look like nothing compared to what they plan on unleashing against Iran.  But . . . . there’s a little problem.   Russia.

Two weeks ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin casually reminded the world that his MiG-31 fighter jets, flying freely in international air space all the way up in the Black Sea, are equipped with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.   He also causally reminded the world that those missiles have a “known” range of at least 1,000km.  Without actually SAYING this, it quickly became clear to everyone paying attention that America’s two aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean Sea, are within range of those Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.

Moreover, it also became quickly evident that those missiles can carry either a conventional warhead, or tactical nuclear warheads of at least 5 kilotons.  

The US cannot defend itself from hypersonic missiles.  No one can.

So if the US goes after Iran, using carrier-based planes, Russia can order two of its MiG fighters to fire Kinzhal missiles armed with small, tactical, nuclear warheads, and utterly destroy both aircraft carrier battle groups.

Can you say “World War 3?”

A direct Link to the official US Government Website showing the text of the US House Resolution on Iran is HERE

Hal Turner Editorial Opinion

Interestingly, this now seems to be a method for declaring war without actually “declaring” it.  

While the words “Congress shall make no law . . . .” does **not** mean what it actually says in the Constitution’s First Amendment, and while “. . . shall not be infringed.” does **not** mean what IT actually says in the Constitution’s Second Amendment, you can bet your ass that “. . .any means necessary . . .” means exactly what it says in this resolution!

So . . . . it now appears that the massive naval and military build-up we’ve been watching in the Middle East over the past two weeks was all part of a well-planned series of moves KNOWING FULL WELL they intended to take us to war with Iran.  They just waited until ONE day before likely hostilities break out, to put through this new “policy.”

This is the level of sleazy, political, human, garbage we have in the Congress of the United States.

Oh, and by the way, have you noticed that this web site is the **ONLY** media outlet in the entire country pointing this out?  That shows you you the level of sleazy, human garbage, infesting the mass-media these days.   Keep it all quiet — on purpose.   Keep the American people in the dark — on purpose.

Then, when actual war breaks out, the American people are blind-sided, afraid, and called to rally behind the troops.   All one big plan.

As our military starts coming home in body bags, the very same politicians who literally caused the war, will cry crocodile tears for the men whose lives their vote snuffed out.

It’s disgusting to me on a level that’s hard to verbally describe.

Straight to the point

The Ukraine Peace Talk Trial Balloon

A trial ballon has gone up on the NBCnews website. It is testing the public reaction to the upcoming U.S. and NATO acknowledgment of their defeat in Ukraine:

U.S., European officials broach topic of peace negotiations with Ukraine, sources sayNBCnews – Nov 03 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. and European officials have begun quietly talking to the Ukrainian government about what possible peace negotiations with Russia might entail to end the war, according to one current senior U.S. official and one former senior U.S. official familiar with the discussions.

This comes the same week that saw a Time piece about Zelenski’s unwillingness to consider the real situation on Ukraine and to admit defeat. The same week the Economist interviewed General Zaluzny who optimistically spoke of a stalemate at the front even while his army is on the cusp of disintegration.

Taken together the three pieces might well be part of a U.S. administration campaign to concede its defeat in Ukraine while blaming its Ukrainian proxy forces for the results of its blunder.

Back to the NBC piece:

The conversations have included very broad outlines of what Ukraine might need to give up to reach a deal, the officials said. Some of the talks, which officials described as delicate, took place last month during a meeting of representatives from more than 50 nations supporting Ukraine, including NATO members, known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the officials said.

The discussions are an acknowledgment of the dynamics militarily on the ground in Ukraine and politically in the U.S. and Europe, officials said.

They began amid concerns among U.S. and European officials that the war has reached a stalemate and about the ability to continue providing aid to Ukraine, officials said. Biden administration officials also are worried that Ukraine is running out of forces, while Russia has a seemingly endless supply, officials said. Ukraine is also struggling with recruiting and has recently seen public protests about some of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s open-ended conscription requirements.

The problem of the Ukrainian army is an obvious one. It is running out of men and has few it can still recruit. It is difficult to assess the real losses the Ukrainian military has had, but I would not be astonished to learn that they sum up to about 300,000 dead and some 500,000+ wounded, many of whom will now be disabled.

Finally these concerns about Ukraine’s manpower get acknowledged:

President Joe Biden has been intensely focused on Ukraine’s depleting military forces, according to two people familiar with the matter.

“Manpower is at the top of the administration’s concerns right now,” one said. The U.S. and its allies can provide Ukraine with weaponry, this person said, “but if they don’t have competent forces to use them it doesn’t do a lot of good”

The last sentence seems to be taken from the Time piece which had said:

In some branches of the military, the shortage of personnel has become even more dire than the deficit in arms and ammunition. One of Zelensky’s close aides tells me that even if the U.S. and its allies come through with all the weapons they have pledged, “we don’t have the men to use them.”

Ukraine itself is destroying its own brigades faster than it can generate new ones:

During the last days tanks from the 47th brigade (Leo 2) and 10th mountain brigade (T-64BM/BV) have been seen, and were destroyed, near Avdiivka. Both brigades had only recently been mauled during their hopeless attacks at the southern front. It does not make sense to throw what is left of them into another battle without reconstituting them. The whole experience and knowledge these brigades had gained will be lost with them.

The whole professional middle-block of the army, the sergeants and young officers, have mostly been killed or wounded. Without them it is impossible to constitute new forces.

The NBC piece has made news in Ukraine (in Russian) but I have yet to find Ukrainian reactions to it. While I was publishing this a first political reaction, total denial, appeared:

Zelenskyy: There is no stalemate, and there will be no talks or concessionsUA Pravda – Nov 4 2023

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not think the situation on the front in Ukraine is a stalemate and has said that Ukraine will not negotiate with Russia.

Quote from Zelenskyy: “This is not a stalemate. Russia controls the sky. We are protecting our troops. No one [in Ukraine] wants to just throw our people [into the battle] like Russia does […]

How can we overcome it? With the F-16s, we have to wait for our guys to get trained and for them to come back. When there’s air defence on the front, our soldiers advance, and they deploy the equipment they have.”

What will he say when the F-16s, the fifty year old wunderwaffen, fall out of the sky faster than they go up?

There are sure signs that the divide between the political and military leadership in Ukraine is growing. President Zelenski, on request of his new defense minister, just removed the commander of Ukraine’s special forces and installed a new one:

Major General Viktor Khorenko does not know the reasons for his dismissal from the post of Commander of the Special Operations Forces. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, did not submit a request for his dismissal.

It is very unusual to fire an officer without a request from his superior commander.

There are also shots fired against Zaluzny himself:

President’s Office advises Commander-in-Chief of Ukrainian Armed Forces not to publicise situation at frontUA Pravda – Nov 4 2023

Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President, commenting on the article by Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, for The Economist, has said that the military should not bring to the public what is happening at the front.

Zhovkva also stated that “one of the heads of the leaders’ offices” called him after the mentioned article was published.

“And they simply ask me in a panic, ‘What should I report to my leader? Are we really at a stalemate?’. Are we trying to achieve this effect with this article?”, the President’s Office representative said.

The NBC piece even sets a time frame to Ukraine to admit that it is over:

Officials also have privately said Ukraine likely only has until the end of the year or shortly thereafter before more urgent discussions about peace negotiations should begin. U.S. officials have shared their views on such a timeline with European allies, officials said.

Russia will likely agree to peace talks. But it probably will demand more than Ukraine is willing to give. At a minimum that is the full control over the five oblast it has annexed, including Crimea, and no NATO relations with Ukraine. The current Ukrainian parliament will probably reject those requests which will then lead to further Russian demands.

Kiev has yet to acknowledge reality. The Ukrainian state has been bleeding out – financially as well as physically. Its masters have found that their aim at the start of the war – to weaken Russia – has led to the opposite. Russia now has a bigger and better armed military with more real war experience than any of its possible opponents.

Russia has won.

Posted by b on November 4, 2023 at 13:23 UTC | Permalink

Who is the smartest person on earth currently? How?

Danny-Bob Vanderwal is the smartest man alive. Danny-Bob was so smart back in school that the teacher couldn’t find anything in her text books that Danny-Bob didn’t already know. When he graduated from high school, he got offers to go study just about anywhere he wanted. But instead, he went to work at the family vineyard. Danny-Bob said he owed it to his great grandpa that brought these grapevines from Germany to the Ozarks over a century ago.

image 150
image 150

Back in 2013, the county had the worst drought anyone could remember. Grape vines died and family vineyards went out of business everywhere. But Danny-Bob had a plan. He’d studied old geology maps of Vanderwal mountain made back in the 1930’s. He found a fissure in the bedrock down about a hundred feet below the vineyard. Danny-Bob had walked the mountain since he was a little kid, and he had always wondered where the watershed drained to. He came to the conclusion that the stormwater on the surface was draining down to that fissure. And it was probably staying there.

The summer of 2013 was really hot. It was well over 100 degrees in the shade. Danny-Bob had bought an old 1950’s cable-tool well drilling machine and the whole family was out trying to punch a hole through the black granite bedrock beneath the vineyard. Danny-Bob had the old Hercules diesel power unit firing on 5 of the 6 cylinders, but she was turning the drill head. The whole family worked non-stop for 8 days and nights. And finally, on September 7, 2013, Danny-Bob hit water. They all hugged each other and danced in the cool wet mud that flowed up the borehole.

The Vanderwal vineyard was the only one to survive the drought of 2013. Danny-Bob’s great grandpa’s grape vines are still producing today. And everyone in the county knows without doubt, Danny-Bob Vanderwal is the smartest man alive.

What are some things nobody tells you about life?

This answer is purely based on my opinion:

  • No matter how strong the bond seems but it can be broken.
  • The people you think will not leave you forever can leave you in 0.1 sec
  • You can survive without things you think you can’t survive without.
  • At one point of time in life you will get hated by everyone or anyone
  • If you’re student you will be respected everywhere according to your marks
  • If you’ve finished studying you’ll be respected according to your job standards
  • Your looks matter alot
  • You’ll have to go through many phase alone
  • There aren’t 100% guarantee of your loved ones being with you
  • You will hear the most painful words from your close ones
  • Everybody likes to be with you untill you treat them well or else they’ll stop liking you
  • You’ll come through a phase when you’ll find it hard to smile.

What is the most offensive thing someone has ever asked you?

I lived in a small country town and my front garden was on the road children took to the little school, and as I was usually out there with my dog, many of them would stop and talk to me, and pet the dog, but being careful considering the paranoia about pedophiles, I never made any ‘advances’ that could be considered inappropriate

I had to collect my mail from the little post office, no deliveries were made, and standing in line one day, a miserable older woman in front of me turned and demanded to know ’Are you a Pervert?’

As you can imagine EVERY head snapped round, and all I could think to say was,

‘ I don’t really know..do you want to visit later and find out?’

Her face was a study..the post office erupted in laughter, and she stormed out in embarrassment, and being a small place, the story went around like wild fire…and several locals congratulated me later for ‘Talking the old biddy down a peg or two!

What was the shortest interview you’ve had that led to a job offer?

How about an interview that I did not even know was an interview? Time spent on interview: −2

weeks. Let me explain:

I went to a state university, and was not the ideal student. My undergraduate GPA was pathetic. I could make excuses, but the reality was that my parents made enough money that I could not qualify for any government student support, and they expected me to provide money to them. All of my high-school friends were far more cool than me, and they had jobs, and money. I could have worked a bit harder, maybe. But I worked my way through college, and usually took on too many obligations. My GPA was very bad, but one professor, Dr. Vimes, hired me on a grant to do some work creating custom maps for convention attendees, to get them to the booths that they were interested in. I got to travel to conventions and install the map systems.

When I finished my BS degree, I wanted to go on for a Master’s degree. The department chair, Dr. William M. Marcy, initially rejected my application. However, some of the faculty, and the department administrative assistant, convinced him to give me a chance. Dr. Vimes weighed in on that, and probably made a greater difference in my life than he ever realized.

As a Master’s student, I was paid a meager stipend to teach courses and conduct some research. I had the opportunity to travel and present my research at conferences. Meanwhile, Dr. Marcy had a start-up company that employed some graduate students. They had a fundamental problem that they could not solve. They had worked on the problem for over a month, and one of the graduate students told Dr. Marcy to hire me. He caught me in the hallway and outlined the problem, and asked me if I could solve it. I said “probably.” I showed up at the job site at 9:00 AM. By noon their problem was solved. It took me another 30 minutes to write some code to automate it. Dr. Marcy asked me for a bill, and I said, “Don’t worry about it. I had fun solving the problem. Buy me a good dinner someday.”

Under the tutelage of Dr. William Jennings Briant (Brian) Oldham, I finished the MS degree, with a much better GPA, and went to work in industry. In my two years, there, I earned an award for “Best internal supplier” and filed a patent application. When I told them that I wanted to go back to school and earn a PhD, they were willing to support me. They paid for four years of what turned out to be a six year degree. The patent was awarded, and they licensed the technology to other entities. The patent made them well over $10 million, so I think think that them paying me for four years of graduate school was a win-win. During my time as a PhD student, I traveled the world and presented papers to scientific conferences in several countries.

Now I’m going to answer the question.

As I approached my graduation with the PhD, I wanted an academic position. I wanted to be a professor, even though the pay is less. But there were about 50 academic positions nationwide, and over 600 applicants. There is a fairly standard part of interviewing for an academic position. The applicant must give a “research” lecture, and a “teaching” lecture. I needed to practice my lectures. So in October, I sent an email message to my MS Thesis advisor, Dr. William Jennings Brian Oldham, asking if I could do my lectures for their seminar. at my former university.

About a week later, he responded by asking what dates would work for me. The signature on the email message indicated that he was now the department chair. I congratulated him on his promotion, and gave the dates that I could be there.

Fast-forward. I drove down in early December to spend a few weeks with my family and incidentally give my lectures and get some feedback on them from my former professors. Dr. Oldham asked me to show up early, so that they could give me a tour of the campus and see how it had changed in the decade after I was a student.

I showed up at the appointed time, and a student took me all over campus, which was surprisingly interesting. Being near Christmas, someone was playing the carillon. One of the best carillons in North America. She even took me to the office of the president of the university, where I met with Dr. William M. Marcy. Yes, he had worked his way up from professor, to department chair, to university president. We only met for a few minutes, but he did mention that I had been a really shitty undergraduate, and that he was very happy that other people had pushed him to change his decision on admitting me to the MS program.

Shortly after that, I gave my teaching and research talks, and got some feedback from my former professors. The president of the university was present for both of my talks. He reminded me that he still owed me a dinner, and asked me if I was available that night. That night, we went to the best restaurant in that city.

A week later, I received an email message from my former advisor, Dr. Oldham, asking me to log into a web site and fill out the application. It turns out that they had put me through the standard job interview, and all I had to do was actually apply. I did that, and a week later, Dr. Marcy called me and asked, “What will it take to get you to come here?” I answered, “I want to be the highest-paid associate professor on your campus.” And that is how I ended up spending 14 years at a great university in a place where I really did not want to be.

And the shortest interview of my life. I did not even apply for the job until after the interview, so really, the time between application and landing the job is negative.

Blue Bayou Chicken Florentine

chicken florentine side close
chicken florentine side close

Yield:4 servings; 2 cups sauce

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 4 (7 ounce) chicken breasts (with skin)
  • 1 cup Florentine sauce (see below)
  • 3 ounces chopped fresh or frozen spinach*
  • 3 ounces grated Cheddar cheese
  • 2 ounces cooked and chopped bacon
  • Seasoned salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter

Florentine Sauce

  • 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons unsalted butter (room temp)
  • 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
  • 3 sliced medium mushrooms
  • 2/3 cup white wine
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 2 chicken bouillon cubes
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon diced pimentos
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Chicken

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In mixing, combine spinach, bacon and cheese; set aside.
  3. Open chicken breast and sprinkle with seasoned salt. Stuff with spinach mixture. Fold and place seam side down in baking dish. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle outside with seasoned salt.
  4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
  5. Top with Florentine sauce and serve over rice.

Florentine Sauce

  1. Blend together flour and 2 teaspoons of the butter; set aside.
  2. Sauté onions and mushrooms in 1 teaspoon butter (do not allow onions to brown).
  3. Add white wine and reduce completely.
  4. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer and slowly add the flour/butter mixture a little at a time until desired thickness is achieved. Continue cooking at a simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.

Notes

* If fresh spinach is used, it must be blanched.

What was the shortest interview you’ve had that led to a job offer?

That was the last job I had in Vietnam before moving to the U.S.

I showed up. My (later would be) boss looked at me. Pointed me to the chair to sit down in front of his desk, then he said:

– I read your resume and recommendation. Do you have any questions?

I didn’t expect the interview went straight to that point, so I asked:

– What do you expect your new hire to be in one year?

I think I surprised him with that question as well. He thought for a few seconds, then listed out his bullet points of his expectations. After listening, I told him, firmly:

– I will be that person in 6 months.

He stood up, held his hand out. I shook his hand, he smiled:

– DEAL!

I got the job. Worked for him 5 years. He’s the best boss that I’ve had the chance to work with and learn a lot from.

What did your boss ever say in the office that caused you to resign?

Years ago I worked as an overnight stocker for Walmart when a night manager position came open.

I was the team lead in the grocery department and had, previously, been an assistant manager for a local grocery store so after almost 5 years with Walmart and 12 years in the grocery business, I felt that I was qualified for the job.

I went through several interviews and at the end it came down to me and a suckup who worked days.

The suckup ate lunch with management staff on a regular basis so I had a feeling that I was going to get screwed.

I didn’t receive a call on the day that they said they’d announce their decision but when I arrived at the store an assistant manager asked me to come back to the HR office. I knew I’d gotten screwed when he directed me to a chair in front of the desk while he leaned against the desk so I sat back to listen to what he had to say.

He said that choosing between me and the dayshift suckup was an incredibly difficult decision but they’d decided to promote the suckup.

He said that I was doing an outstanding job as team lead in grocery and it would not be in management’s best interest to remove me from that position.

He said that I was doing such a good job that they were bumping my pay up by 50 cents an hour, effective immediately.

He asked if I had any questions and I had just one:

“So, I didn’t get the promotion because I’m doing too good of a job?”

He immediately began backtracking and saying that I misunderstood him but I knew what I’d heard. I handed him my name badge and apron before leaving the store. I have not set foot in a Walmart since.

Can Taiwan and Quad win a war against China?

Not a chance

China can go into War Economy in a matter of weeks

None of the others can

You would be taking them on in their backyard where their supply and production and replacement will be twenty times faster than Quads with only South Korea being capable of production based supply

India

India , if they send one ship will face a Chinese pincer movement across the Eastern and Northern fronts and that’s a war that India with barely $ 20 Billion debt free dollars can’t afford

Russia and Venezuela and Middle East will refuse to supply Oil to India on the spot and Canada is not a friend now.

So India will simply sit this one out

Japan

Japan is a decent Navy but an offensive war?

They would simply be unable to get weapons and equipment beyond the sixth week

They would be begging the US for equipment pretty soon especially Shells

Japan has 140,000 active shells & around 600 Active Missiles

China has 1.7 Million shells and around 12,000 Active Missiles for offensive and defensive

South Korea

South Korea will sit this one out

Uncle Kim would be looking with Glee

No way will SK risk a conflict with China and open up a new salvo with NK

So it would ultimately be US vs China

Quad, the rest of it would simply opt out or play a small role in the deep background


US isn’t the great superpower anymore

They can’t defeat China on their turf

They don’t have the manpower if China decide to go reserve and get a whopping 5 Million men in 6 months

No American will agree to get conscripted to fight China miles away today

This ain’t 1965


So No

NATO, QUAD have no chance against China in the South China Sea

China doesn’t want a conflict because China is primarily a Trader than a Warrior

What items make you silently judge the people who buy them?

I don’t generally care what people buy but there is an exception.

I’ll occasionally see someone who is morbidly obese at the grocery store, who had a kid or two under 8 who are very, very overweight already and on track to be 2–3x their healthy weight.

Without fail, their grocery cart almost entirely filled with junk food.

I’m all for people living their own lives and whatnot. I also get that food and being judged is a sensitive issue for overweight people.

But I hate seeing kids being indoctrinated into a pattern of trashing their body.

It’s a really difficult thing to undo later in life if you’ve been conditioned to go straight for candy or chips everytime you are hungry. It borders are being a form of child abuse.

image 151
image 151

Admittedly, this is a touchy issue for me because I lost a family member solely to the fact that they’d chosen to trash their body. I probably have some pent up agitation because of that.

Outside of that, I don’t generally judge people’s purchases. When I worked retail many years ago, the only thing I judged people over was their attitude.

As long as they were nice and respectful, we were cool.

Some people look down on you for working such a low octaine position. So I try to pay it forward and be polite with everyone.

Is British airways really that bad, why do some allege it’s standadrs have dropped?

British Airways has been in decline for a LOOONG time.

What was it?

Multiple things : They were pretty much a monopoly in the past meaning they had the American problem. DELTA, AA have absolute monopolies on some routes… so it’s like it or lump it. This attitude continued well into de-regulation of airlines.

Later on, they got bought out and as usual corporates sweat the company for more profits. They did this by cutting back on cleaning and employee pay.

Employee pay was a funny one. In that they had unionised staff yet again a legacy of the monopoly age. They could give you crappy attitudes and be protected from losing their jobs. They also had new less well paid staff on different contracts. In essence nobody cared. The seniors were entrenched and were difficult to fire so they didnt care. The new staff were underpaid and on a vastly lower rate and less perks than the regular full time staff so they too didn’t care.

What is the craziest thing you’ve found in an old coat pocket?

I bought a coat on Marketplace. When I got home, I washed it, and I checked the pockets again before doing so, to make sure there was nothing more – like a tissue – that might make the wash gross. The pockets were really deep and came to a point, and I felt something in one of them and had to fish deep to get it. When I pulled it out, it appeared to be a diamond ring, with three sizable diamonds, white gold. I took a picture and messaged the seller I’d found it. She was surprised – said it had been an anniversary gift and wondered if her little girl had been playing with it and put it there. I didn’t want to make the drive again – it was 20 mins each way. So I offered to ship it, which she accepted. I hoped she would offer to pay shipping, since this was not my fault. She’d didn’t. I shipped it anyway.

Have you ever seen a mass exodus after a respected employee quit or got fired?

I worked several decades at a company that Forrest Gump invested in, he called it “some fruit company in California”. I just turned 60, and got a bit tired of expectation of 14 hour days, so I asked to use my skill set in a reduced capacity. I have a life to live, family, other interests. So I asked for a demotion. “We don’t do demotions”. I said that we would have to do something, as I am not keeping up this pace until I drop. So we agreed to part ways (laid off). This did not go over well with other engineers who respected my work, some of whom I have mentored. Basically, anytime you touch a keyboard on a Mac, and enter something in any language of the world, what you see on the screen is my junk (and the junk of a bunch of other really bright people with whom it was my privilege to work). Well, it seems that the other engineers realized that there is no loyalty, and it was just a matter of time before they would be treated similarly. Next thing I know, the other engineers have moved elsewhere inside the company, or have left. Then it seems the entire project got put in “maintenance” mode, as nobody wants to mess with my work, I believe (it is elegant, but a bit hairy… well, I think I invented something, but whatever). Conclusion: This fruit company is ok at recycling hardware, but does not want to hear about recycling its people. The CEO is reported to have said that this is a company for young people, although he isn’t. My years of experience and skill set are no longer valued, there is no loyalty (as I go through ups and downs of life), so I’m happily pursuing my other interests… and I don’t look 60 anymore !

West Confused As China Rolls Out Red Carpet For Russian President Putin On His Visit!

https://youtu.be/FWDONQ4BAtM

Oh my goodness!

What the Heck is going on with the USA? Prep for false flag, practice to the end, or just insane commands from a demented “president”?

EAM transmitted to USN submarines? WTF?

E-4B National Airborne Operations Center “NAOC” Transmits Emergency Action Message (EAM) to US Submarines from over Gulf of Mexico!

World Hal Turner 21 December 2023

NAOC and E6B Takeoff Offutt AFB
NAOC and E6B Takeoff Offutt AFB

A United States Air Force E-4B aircraft, which is a designated National Airborne Operations Center (NAOC) took off from Offutt Air Force Base this afternoon, headed out over the Gulf of Mexico, and Transmitted an Emergency Action Message (EAM) to US Nuclear Missile Submarines, using Very Low Frequency (VLF) Comms.

There’s something unnerving seeing a E-4B NAOC (GORDO16) and a E-6B TACAMO (FULL02) launch from Offutt AFB around the same time.  As you can see from the FlightRadar24 map image below, that’s what happened.

The E-4B

The E-4B serves as the National Airborne Operations Center and is a key component of the National Military Command System for the President, the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In case of national emergency or destruction of ground command and control centers, the aircraft provides a highly survivable command, control and communications center to direct U.S. forces, execute emergency war orders and coordinate actions by civil authorities.

The conduct of E-4B operations encompasses all phases of the threat spectrum. Additionally, the E-4B provides outside the continental United States travel support for the Secretary of Defense and his staff to ensure Title 10 command and control connectivity.

The E-6B

The E-6B Mercury is a communications relay and strategic airborne command post aircraft. It provides survivable, reliable, and endurable airborne Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) for the president, secretary of defense and U.S. Strategic Command.

Only One Job: 

The E-4B and E-6B at the end of the day only have one job: getting the message out (Nuclear launch codes) from the NCA (National Command Authority) to the United States Nuclear Triad by any means necessary.

Those means include a variety of waveforms including VLF, HF, UHF, SHF and beyond.

A B-52, B-2, ICBM Silo, or Submarine, will decode these encrypted messages and either launch their nuclear weapons at an intended target – – or not  – – based on the decisions of our elected public officials.

So imagine my dismay when surveillance picked up the E-4B transmitting an EMERGENCY ACTION MESSAGE (EAM) while out over the Gulf of Mexico this afternoon!   More specifically, the aircraft was messaging our nuclear missile SUBMARINES because it was using VLF, Very Low Frequency, to send the encoded message. VLF is the band that penetrates the ocean to sufficient depth, to reach our submerged nuclear missile subs.

USA civil war?

The state of Colorado ruled Trump ineligible for the 2024 election. An account of something something insurrection democracy something.

As it stands, Trump will compete in only 49 states in the election.

It is likely, others will follow. If a few swing states do it, then result of the election is successfully altered.

If supreme court does not strike these down, the United States is officially no longer a democracy.

If supreme court strikes it down, the damage is still done. People will lose trust that their vote matters.

The country is headed into civil war.

Posted by: FieryButMostPeaceful | Dec 21 2023 16:26 utc | 3

What was the funniest way you ever wasted the time of a telemarketer?

“I have amazing news!!”

Began the telemarketer. We’d been getting a lot of those calls in the past few weeks and I was about 19 or so, so my evil little comedic mind was at work.

Here’s the thing: no one asks those bastards (you know I wanted to say something else) to call us personally! We want them to stop. It was back in the early days of this crap and many of the accents over the phone were still American.

“I have amazing news!!”

“You found a kidney??!”

“Uh, what?”

“You found a kidney!!!! You’re from the hospital, right? We’ve been waiting by the phone and- and I just can’t believe this is really happening; bless you; thank God!”

“Um…no… I’m… calling about (something he suddenly had dramatically less confidence in).”

“You- you’re not from the hospital?”

“No, sorry, I-“

(I turned my head from the phone and didn’t really muffle it properly.) “Oh, don’t cry, Sarah, sweetie! They’ll find one! It’s okay sweetheart, don’t worry.”

(I turned back to the phone.) “I’ll just call back later.”

“Thanks; I’m sorry: could you please keep the line clear? We’re waiting to hear from the hospital.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll do that.”

It got played about 2 more times and then those bastards stopped harassing us by phone to buy or sign on to their whatever.

Meanwhile, about China…

US are completely paranoid about China overtaking them, their tactics to block them has simply backfired spectacularly, so the US resort to scaring every neighbour of China into thinking they are going to invade them, including us.

Arnaud Bertrand
@RnaudBertrand
19h
This is a good read on “why the American technological war against China could backfire” and “supercharge China’s creation of an independent computer chip industry”.
theconversation.com/why-the-…

It’s exactly what is happening and at the end of the day, as the article makes clear, it’s all about hubris.

It was always beyond delusional for the US to believe that it could stop the technological progress of a country that IS AHEAD OF THEM on all metrics that matter for it, as detailed in the article:
– “Chinese high schoolers score the highest in the world in reading, science and mathematics”
– “Chinese universities are outperforming institutions in the rest of the world in the vast majority of disciplines”. For instance, critically, China has 6 of the top 10 universities in the world in engineering whilst the US only has 2…
– China produces more than double the number of STEM PhDs every year than the U.S.
– “In 2022, China overtook the U.S. for the first time as the country or territory publishing the most research articles in prestigious natural science journals”
– “China published the highest number of scientific research papers annually between 2018 and 2020, and had 27.2 per cent of the world’s top one per cent of the most frequently cited papers, compared to 24.9 per cent for the U.S.”
– According to research done by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute “China is leading [the world] in 37 of 44 cutting-edge technologies, including nanoscale materials and synthetic biology”
– Etc.

Conclusion from the article: “When it comes to the use and production of knowledge-based industries, China has more advantages than any other country in the world. American actions will create a new generation of Chinese high-tech firms that will compete directly with the U.S. and western businesses from whom they used to buy their products. These firms will produce more affordable products than their western counterparts, and could dominate technological infrastructure in the Global South.”

In a nutshell the very notion that China is a country whose technological progress could be stopped is almost criminally deluded, and derives from both a deep misunderstanding of China by the US and a deep overestimation of American capabilities… Adopting this strategy is backfiring big time and will without a doubt yield a considerably worse result for the US than if they’d favored a “coexistence” collaborative approach 🤷‍♂️

Posted by: MD | Dec 21 2023 20:24 utc | 33

Two guys

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9P7aiPM7vd0?feature=share

Do you know people who get paid to do absolutely nothing at their jobs?

When I worked security, I knew people whose job consisted entirely of occupying a space for a long period of time.

Technically, they were securing the area and they had a walkie-talkie to call the rest of us if anyone tried to go into the area who shouldn’t have been there. But no one ever tried to get into those areas.

I worked at an outdoor concert place that had upscale restaurants around the perimeter of the grounds. Those restaurants closed when the show started, and security guards were put in the restaurants to make sure no drunk concert goers tried breaking into them.

I volunteered for that position once, and never again. I literally sat in a dark, empty restaurant for four hours. I could hear the music outside, and I could see people walking by the windows, but no one tried to come into the restaurant. No one ever tried. It was so boring… I requested to be in front of the stage for shows after that.

Discovered

On the wedding day.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xF8-FkjL_wI?feature=share

Civil war?

https://ronpaulinstitute.org/bar-biden-from-the-ballot/

The Liberty Report

Bar Biden From The Ballot?

by Daniel McAdams | Dec 21, 2023

This week’s decision by the Colorado Supreme Court to bar former President Trump from the presidential ballot has led to expected repercussions:

Republicans across the country are threatening revenge barring Biden from red state ballots. Where is voting in this country headed?

Posted by: MD | Dec 21 2023 21:12 utc | 40

What should I do to make a lasting impression on others?

I was skidding through my freshman year, sleepwalking to classes and nursing hangovers. I’d just stepped into an elevator on our first day and noticed Professor Kaplan standing next to me. I’d heard about him. He was allegedly one of the best professors, a former Harvard lecturer.

image 346
image 346

I turned and said, “Greetings professor! I believe I’m attending your lecture today.” Holding his notebooks, he turned, smiled, and said, “My condolences.” And then he proceeded to give one of the best lectures I’ve ever seen. His display of humility in that elevator made him that much more endearing.

Self-deprecating humor, done lightly, and framed in a positive way, is powerfully charismatic. It makes people feel comfortable and appeals to their insecurities. But if you make a joke about your third wife leaving you, you might be overkilling it.

News broke from the Xiangshan Forum that the Chinese government will abolish the Great Firewall. Are Taiwanese and Americans mentally prepared to accept the impact of public opinion from 1.4 billion Chinese people?

Laughs.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

A lot of people think I’m paid to write the things I write, I merely have a fair bit of free time. Today was the last day for my day job until next year, tomorrow is a massive party though…

Anyway me and a couple of other shit posters irritate enormous amounts of westerners merely by our free time shit posting.

People don’t like to argue against me because I like to use western media to debunk western media. Last night for instance a person said the BBC is honest. I then showed them two BBC clips together and one was very different.

Imagine 500million extra internet users even MORE aggressive and shit postery than me? I say 500 million because while 900 million people can write English to an OK level only about 500 million are proficient.

Imagine ME x 500 or x 5000. And here’s the thing, I’m overseas born, so I’m a hell of a lot easier going than a lot of Chinese people.

What’s the fastest you’ve wiped a smirk off of someone’s face?

Back in 2006 me and a friend had been Christmas shopping, and it was a big outing for me, I had been battling Leukemia for a number of years, and after having a bone marrow transplant I was finally able to be out of a sterile environment,.

We went into a Restaurant and were seated right next to a table where 3 quite over weight women were seated.

I was very thin, I am 5 foot 7 and at the time weighed about 105 lbs. I didn’t have much of an appetite, so when finished my meal was barely touched, the waitress asked me if I wanted a box to take food with me, and I said no.

Well that prompted one of the “ ladies” to loudly say say “ Skinny Bitch, you can tell SHE is on drugs”!

I just looked at her and said “ well, not since the bone marrow transplant, thankfully I am done with Chemo.”

that shut her up.

Have you ever seen a mass exodus after a respected employee quit or got fired?

Back in 1981, I was kitchen manager at a new pizza place in town. We were about 4 months in and turning a good profit. The guy who managed the place was a great guy and everyone who worked there loved him. The actual owner of the place had a daughter with a boyfriend. He fired our boss for no reason and said his brat’s boyfriend was the new boss, a guy who had never worked in food service before (it’s just a pizza joint, how hard could it be?). Then we were told we would need to be attend a meeting to talk about these changes at 4:00pm. We did the following: 1) added shit-tons of salt and cayenne pepper to existing pizza sauces, 2) changed the printed recipe for dough to make it unlikely to rise correctly, and if it did rise to certainly taste bad, 3) change the sauce recipe to make it inedible, and 4) swap all the lines around for the soda machine, so that when you dispensed from Coke, Dr. Pepper came out, etc. We only had beer in bottles, and our bottles were longneck deposit bottles, and they hadn’t picked them up yet, so we loaded all the beer into the back of a pickup truck, filled the beer cooler with empties, and took the beer to an undisclosed location. Four o’clock came around and everyone was there. New boss, his girlfriend, and the owner were there and as soon as the new manager was introduced, we got up, walked out the door, and soon found ourselves at said undisclosed location, partaking in recently purloined beer and repeatedly calling in take-out orders that would never be picked up. Did I mention, there was a reservation for a party of 30 that night at 6:00?

Anyway, the place was done in 6 weeks.

More stress than effort

What is the dumbest life decision you’ve seen somebody makes?

I present you John Allen Chau:

image 350
image 350

Besides making a bad life decision that cost him his life, he also got the opportunity to take a step back but decided to dive back in immediately:

There is an island called “North Sentinel” which is home to 150 natives who vehemently refuse all contact with the outside world.

This rule makes sense, as these human beings are not accustomed to the diseases of the modern world, and any contact could lead to contamination that would be fatal to their small tribe.

But this didn’t stop John Allex Chau, a 27-year-old preacher, from travelling to the island to preach about Jesus Christ.

image 349
image 349

He was showered with arrows which, fortunately for him, all missed their target.

Logically, he decided to return the following day for a second attempt.

A completely dumb decision, as the poor man would never leave the island alive.

Didn’t he think God was maybe sending him a divine message the first time the arrows missed his head?

What’s the weirdest way your fast food order got messed up?

A few years ago, I was charged with ordering breakfast sandwiches for everyone in the office for our morning meeting.

As I went around and got everyone’s orders, ‘Dave’ specifically asked for no mayo on his sandwich.
I made a note on the order next to his name that said “NO MAYO” and sent in the order.

Half an hour later, I was distributing the sandwiches and heard Dave say, “Oh, har har har. You’re so funny, Kate.”

I came over to see what he was talking about and started laughing.

Dave’s ‘sandwich’ was comprised of two buns that were swimming in mayo.

No egg.

No bacon.

No cheese.

No ham.

Just an ungodly amount of mayo everywhere.

Someone had to have emptied half a container of mayo in between the buns, and thought, “Hmmm… not quite enough”.
And then slathered the outside of the buns, and then thought, “Nope, doesn’t cut it!”.
And then wiped more mayo on the inside of the packaging.

After I finished laughing, I took it back and showed the cashier who was absolutely appalled at the mayo monstrosity in my hands.

She went in the back and asked the other guys what the hell had happened and why on earth they made a mayo sandwich.

Apparently they thought it said “Only mayo.”

In which case, they fucking nailed it.

Modern Women Are FREAKING OUT As 63% Of Men Have WILLINGLY Left The Dating Scene

Keep it simple. 50% of women in the 20s and 30s today will NEVER get married, and will NEVER have children. Up your game girls

Is there one moment that made you think that you have a ‘cool dad’?

I was 18 and at home with dad, while mom and my brother had gone out of town.

He asked me if I wanted to watch any movie and I replied a big enthusiastic yes.

I suggested a Bollywood movie Gangster. He agreed. I hadn’t seen the movie’s trailer. What a mistake.

We went to the mall, got the tickets.

When the awkward scenes started, he turned to me and said,

“You should watch such movies with your friends. Why did you tag me along?”

“I am sorry I didn’t know they had such scenes.”

“No worries. Let’s see the movie now. Next time see the trailer before suggesting it to me.”

When it got over we went over to the food court for dinner.

I noticed a guy and wondered where have I seen him when my dad said,

“He is not your type.”

“What?”

“He is not your type.”

“Who? I was not looking at him in that sense.”

He smiled.

“What makes you think he is not my type.”

“He has a moustache. You hate moustaches.”

“How do you know that?”

“Well you know right, I had a moustache till you were a toddler? You would constantly pull them and say you hate it. Why do you think I have been moustache free all these years?”

I smiled at the memory when he pointed to another fellow and said,

“That guy looks your type. Or that?”

“Papa please.”

“Or that…..”

This is one memory I cherish with my coolest dad!

What is the best excuse you have given to the police for speeding?

Not me, but I was there. My mom was driving and my brother & I, about 9&6 years old, were fighting in the back seat. She’s yelling at us to stop fighting, and didn’t realize that she got into the town speed limit zone (35 instead of 45).

The cop came up and asked why she was going so fast, and she told him. Next thing you know, he’s got the back door open and is lecturing us about how mom needs to pay attention while driving and if we are fighting in the back seat she can’t. And if he catches us fighting in the back seat again, he might have to arrest us. Then he told my mom to drive safe, and to let him know if we caused any more trouble.

Years later, I asked her if she remembered. She laughed, and let me know that of course she did. He had been one of her classmates, she had known him since they were little kids.

For how many days can a person survive without food?

I fasted for 21 days without food.

I read a book about a magician who performed a stunt where he was locked into a glass box above the city. He did not eat for 53 days, he could only drink water. His stunt had to quit as doctors were monitoring his vitals and after 53 days they started to get too bad.

I couldn’t believe someone could fast that long without food and live, so I wanted to try it myself. I like challenging myself in weird ways I guess. But, I had to make sure I wouldn’t die first, a lot of people told me I probably would.

It turns out, fasting has been used for centuries as a form of healing. Catholic churches had fasting centers where people could come when they got sick back in the day. Jesus, Gandhi, and pretty much every religious figure did it. It was well known that fasting healed the mind and the body.

I read a lot of literature on how fasting has reduced cancerous tumors and even autoimmune diseases. I read about all of it’s supposed health benefits: teeth whitening, skin clearing, tumor shrinkage, plaque eating, and fat reduction. They all sounded good to me. It said you got a heightened clarity of mind after 21 days so that was the time frame I decided to do.

I began my fast. The first day wasn’t bad. The second day I got really hungry and then it went away. The third and fourth day were bad. I was so hungry I didn’t even leave my couch. I just sucked down water all day and slept. Apparently, after 72 hours your body goes into ketosis and starts living off of fat reserves. I think it took closer to 96 hours for me.

After that, I completely lost my hunger. I actually had a lot of energy. The hard part wasn’t eating, I no longer wanted food. The hard part was boredom!!! I suddenly went from eating 3 meals a day to eating nothing. The time I spent cooking, eating, and washing dishes was given back to me, probably at least 4 hours. I couldn’t work out (bad on a fast) so that was out. I couldn’t do any social things because those all involved eating a meal, drinking coffee, or alcohol, none of which I could do at the moment. So, I became ultra productive. I got all my homework done weeks in advance, I started crocheting and painting, and I slept a lot. My mom and friends received calls from me every day. I had so much TIME.

Some days I felt weak, but other days I had a ton of energy. I felt great and really happy. My skin cleared up a lot after the 10th day and I did notice my teeth getting whiter. My tongue got white stuff on it; according to the internet that’s a way your body gets rid of toxins. I lost around a pound of weight a day.

After the 21st day, I was ready to eat again out of boredom. I started by drinking a decaf coffee. That was a mistake, my stomach had lost its lining so the acidity of coffee made me throw up. Everything I ate was really intense. Fruit tasted sweeter and everything had so much flavor.

Overall, I’d lost 24 pounds and I looked really good. But, I had never regained hunger. That meant I still had fat stores on me. If you fast long enough, you’ll regain hunger one day which they call your “true hunger”. That means your fat reserves are up and your body will start eating your muscles to survive, so you really need to start eating after that! I’d also lost some muscle, I was weaker at the gym now, but I regained my muscle quickly.

Most people, if you’re a normal weight, can fast 20-40 days before regaining hunger, before their total fat stores are up. After regaining hunger, your body starts to eat muscle tissue for energy, which includes your heart, and it’s only a matter of time before it will give out. Perhaps 7–20 days until death as preducted by some studies.

But, if you’re overweight or obese, you’ll have a ton of fat stores ready to use. One guy fasted for 384 days under medical supervision on nothing but water and tea with no adverse affects. I’m sure he could have made it quite a while longer until his fat stores were completely up but he ended the fast when he hit 180 lbs.

So the answer is, it varies. But, if you’re of a normal weight, your maximum is probably somewhere from 20-40 days until your muscle tissue begins to get compromised.

Explore China’s Amazing Futuristic Library – Totally Mind-Blown!

Wholly shit!

Have you ever accidentally found out that you were about to be fired?

Yep! I was 17 working at a mom ’n pop kinda thing, local hardware store. The type where entry-level workers just write in what they can work on a calendar posted in the back room.

Well, one day, the owner came to me and told me that there was about $50 missing from my register. I was usually one of the closers, and I always went to the bank with the nighttime lead to drop off the deposit. I thought maybe I just counted wrong or something. The owner said that if he saw that kind of discrepancy again, I would be fired. I said ok, yes, I understand. I worked for about another week, but I could tell that I was being watched by hawks.

So when I went the next week to write myself in on the schedule, I saw my name crossed out with White-Out on the calendar. Confused and a bit suspicious, I wrote myself back on. When I came in for work, the owner pulled me aside and told me that there was another $70 found missing from my drawer and that I was no longer employed there. Well, ok, fine. Maybe I can’t count, or I’m just an idiot, but whatever. I kind of knew I was going to be fired soon when I saw my name whited-out on the calendar.

For the record, I was at a party with a bunch of random neighborhood friends a few years later, and I overheard a guy I used to work with talking trash about the hardware store and how he robbed the place blind and didn’t even get fired for it—someone else did.

Almond Chicken

almond chicken
almond chicken

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 12 ounces Chinese pea pods
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup natural whole almonds
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons water
  • 1/3 cup sherry

Instructions

  1. Skin, bone and cut up chicken breasts into 1/2-inch cubes.
  2. In a bowl, mix ginger, honey and cornstarch and blend in water, soy sauce and sherry.
  3. Thaw pea pods if frozen. In a wok, heat oil over medium heat.
  4. Add almonds, stirring and cooking for about 3 minutes.
  5. Add chicken and cook just until meat turns white.
  6. Pour in sherry mixture and cook until sauce thickens.
  7. Add pea pods and stir-fry until hot and glazed.

Yield: 4 servings

Yup. You all don’t want to hurt MY girl…

What were the first symptoms you had of a serious, life-changing medical condition?

I was working in a supermarket in October 2001. I bent down to pick a can of beans off the bottom shelf on an aisle.

As I stood up, my vision shattered.

Image: My vision shattered much like looking into a light diffuser on a fluorescent light.

2023 12 21 19 22
2023 12 21 19 22

I also began with a severe headache on the right side of my head.

Over the next few days the headache went away but my vision remained poor inmy right eye.

I was sent to a local eye hospital by my doctor and there I was told after several days of testing that I had Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome, an auto-immune disorder in the same family as Lupus.

The eye problem was a blood clot that had formed and destroyed the blood supply to the retina of my right eye. Treatment was to be life long and I would need to take blood thinners, then Warfarin though today I take other blood thinner drugs.

I also had to have extensive laser surgery on my right eye to prevent further damage from the clot and resulting new blood vessel growth.

Five and a half years later, when I was going through a non theraputic dosage of Warfarin. I had a similar event, a blood clot formed in my left eye. Destroying that retina and leaving me legally blind.

Gone wrong

Isn’t it a sad thing for the Chinese that the Koreans would rather make friends with white people than them?

Let me help to makes western admirers amongst orientals such as Japan-and South Korea, people from greater China such as Hong Kong and Taiwan and neighbours such as Phillipines and Vietnam see light.

I am qualified to advise and share my experience. I was born in Malaysia and now a Singaporean who were a starry eye west admirer for say the first 20 years of my life.

Today I am a practical and pragmatic person who sees things differently. If your nation is a direct neighbour or in Chinese neighbourhood, try to comprehend the following.

China has been around for 5000 years as your neighbour and during 4800 out of the 5000 years China were really really strong. In fact so strong it could if it wants to, to walk right into your nation and claimed it for good. But they didn’t. Japan, Korea, Philippines, India, Vietnam and others remain a fully sovereign nation. Appreciate that.

Just look at the nation that lies and spread fear about China, the U.S. it is barely 247 years old yet it started as a 13 states union and in less than a hundred years it stole another 37 states from its neighbours. And what did the U.S. do in Asia! It murdered 3 million Vietnamese, a million each in Philippines in Mindanao, Laos and Cambodia, and at least 2 million suspected communists in Indonesia and colonised the Philippines for close to 50 years.

And they do that as a nation 10 thousand miles away from Asia! China is stone’s throw away from your shores yet you are still independent! So be logical and honest about who is the aggressor and who respects your sovereignty? If you are fair China is a 5000 years gentleman. The U.S. is a 247 years hoodlum you never ever want to get close with, unless you are inviting trouble.

Next let me help you know your future. China is the world’s most humongous market. Your nation is blessed to have such a huge market at your door step. They can buy your products and resources and yet supply you with value for money product for a song.

They are not the despicable west who wants to change your way. They even say their socialism with Chinese characteristics is not exportable and urge you to seek your best political and social system going forward. US says it is their way or the highway! In fact they murdered 5 million Indo Chinese to make them democratic unsuccessfully in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Go to the U.S. to have fun and travel around, do business with them as they are a big spender. But whatever you do remember who really is with you and where is your future with. Most of all remember where is your nation is geographically and China will always be there! It cannot be floated away and so are you, you are stuck there.

Don’t ever let your nation be another Ukraine, the U.S. want your people to die and your nation to be destroyed just to poke China in the eye, just like how they used Ukraine to poke Russia in the eye, unfortunately one time too many. Don’t let them have even one CIA or NED officials in your nation. And don’t ever be used as a cannon fodder.

Grow up and know right from wrong. Korea for example, whether you stay rich and get richer depends on China not the U.S. The only thing the U.S. can help you is simply to get your nation destroyed! China will always be there, it will grow to be 4–5 times the size of the U.S. economy before then of this century. And as a market for Korea, it will be bigger than your next 20 biggest market! So get real, grow up like me, be a realist and be smart.

Vote in a pro Chinese candidate. Vote in a leader that has no inclination to do shit for the U.S. And tell the US. that you are a friend and a partner of China, and that you want American’s as tourist and investor. But under no circumstances will you allow them to interfere in your nation and in Asia. Asia is for Asians. If you have issues involving the US is a sure way to implicate the issues and create discord.

The USA is bat-shit crazy

What is the lowest probability event you have personally witnessed?

Iraq, circa 2006:

A bunch of young dumb grunts are meandering about the country looking for bad guys, WMDs and whatever else General Mattis (pbuh) felt was appropriate at the time. In this case it was myself and the United States Marine Corps.

Being young, dumb and American, we naturally did not speak much Arabic besides the usual peacekeeping terminology like get your hands up, stop, get down and f#ck off. As is common in these conflicts, we tend to recruit native speakers to act as interpreters.

For reasons unknown, I happened to remember one of these dudes in particular. Let’s call him Joe Hammad for the sake of security. Now these guys usually don’t work anywhere near their hometowns in country because let’s be honest, in the eyes of the bad guys, hell even in the eyes of many locals, these guys are narcs. Snitches get stitches and all that but ramped up to 3rd world standards.

In exchange for helping us communicate with an often unfriendly populace, these dudes are offered visas to go stateside should they fulfill their obligations. For many reasons, this often doesn’t happen. Remember the snitches thing?

Fast forward to 2014. Suburb of a large Arizona city. My broke ass is out of the military and between employment so I decide to put an ad on Craigslist to let a room of my house for rent. Thank goodness I was financially smart enough to have owned my own home at the time.

Within a few days of placing the ad, I have a nibble or two but this one guy comes with cash in hand. I meet him on the porch when he arrives. He’s an Arab man of medium height, about 45 years old and well spoken with a sharp sense of humor. Within minutes we both had a clear spark of recognition.

And that’s how Joe Hammad from Iraq became my roommate after the war in Iraq ended.

Australia

Why does homemade fried rice never taste the same as fried rice from a Chinese restaurant? Am I missing some secret ingredient or method?

I can’t say for sure whether or not you’re missing any secret ingredients, since I don’t know your recipe. I am certain you’re missing one key component though, and that’s heat.

Chinese restaurants cook over commercial wok burners, which put out 125,000 BTUs of heat. Your home stove might generate 15,000 BTUs out of its largest burner. That’s a pretty significant difference.

The heat of a wok burner imparts a distinctive flavor onto foods. When foods hit the polymerized surface of a hot steel wok, they instantly release moisture, which leaves the food in the form of steam. The foods are tossed through the rising steam, where they capture the droplets of water, and fall back into the wok. This action, repeated over and over, is the essence of wok cooking. The intense heat also causes rapid browning and caramelization and gives the food a distinctive smokey flavor. The flavor, known as Wok Hei in Cantonese, is what makes Chinese take out so crave able, and can’t be duplicated on a home stove. None of what I described can be duplicated, to the same degree, on a home stove. It just doesn’t generate enough heat.

This is a 125,000 BTU wok burner.

image 347
image 347

That ain’t your momma’s kitchen stove.

If a policeman tells me I can’t film him, am I required to “obey a policeman’s lawful order”?

My daughter’s car was hit by a speeding unmarked police car. I have written about this and she is recovering well. When I got to the scene, she was still trapped but the fire brigade were on the scene and had everything in control. While they were waiting to cut my daughter out, the lead fireman came over to me and told me to take as many pictures and as much video as I could and to make sure I got pictures of the officers involved. As soon as I started taking pictures a uniformed policeman came over and said that I had to stop as it was an active crime scene. I said that was nonsense and carried on taking pictures. He carried on saying I should stop. I told my wife who had just turned up to take pictures as well. The policeman just walked away. We took loads of pictures and videos, the witnesses telling us what happened. It took two months for the police to give my solicitor any indication that an officer was involved in the crash and this was only because he sent them some of our photographs. They now say there will be no criminal charges to either driver and that his speeding was legal as he was on a covert operation. He was unhurt and walking around, he never once came over or asked how my daughter was. I am glad that I did not listen to the policeman and I am sure that the video and pictures will help in the civil case.

What is your best parking spot revenge?

Back when I was (a lot) younger, after a softball game both teams (mine and the other side, who were all good friends on and off the field) came back to our cars to find someone had parked lengthwise behind three of our cars. None of the three could get out because this unthinking individual parked lengthwise and not in a valid parking spot behind them.

We waited about 20 minutes or so chatting, hoping the person would come out and move. They never did. It was a smallish car, a Corolla, so several of us carried the car to the space in the hedge where people had access to the softball fields beyond. It fit perfectly, the front bumper against one side of the gate and the rear bumper within two inches of the other side. Note this wasn’t a metal gate, it was a hedge with an arbor vitae forming the “sides” of the entrance.

Then, out of sheer schadenfreude, we waited. Some left, of course, but most of us were there about 45 minutes later when the person came back to discover their car was basically unmoveable without cutting down a tree owned by a private entity, or have it dragged out by tow truck.

Red Pill men

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YEAwPael6xM?feature=share

What secrets are you hiding from your parents?

Going Anonymous as my parents follow me and I don’t want them to know this.

I was young ,probably in 7th or 8th standard when I used to do this.There is a bakery near my home of which I still am a regular customer .I buy things from the place at least 5 times in a day.

As we were regular customers we had credit system of paying the owner .We used to pay our credit on a monthly basis. So basically anyone from my family could go and get anything from the bakery and the owner would just write it in his accounts book and we used to pay the whole amount at the end of the month.

Me being really smart found a loop hole and would buy a lot of snacks,basically all kinds of items available for me to eat . I would just buy snacks worth Rs 2000 or so when the owner was not at the counter. He had an assistant who did not know how t read or write so he used to tell me to write it in the accounts book and I would just pretend to write everything and hand him over the book and he never used to check or bother about it.

I did this 3–4 times when I started to feel guilty about this because clearly it was shoplifting or stealing.

I later made a promise to myself that I will never do this again and would pay the whole amount I had stolen to the shopkeeper once I start to earn .

I completed my graduation this year and started working at an MNC and after I got my first salary the first thing I did was to take the money and confess to the shop owner about this.

He got angry at first but looking at my honesty he accepted the whole amount that was due which was about Rs 10000 and thanked me for this.

I told him not to tell my parents about this as they will be really disappointed .

This was the happiest day of my life as a big burden that I carried for almost 6–7 years was finally gone.

As a mechanic, have you ever made a mistake and ruined someone’s vehicle? How?

I’m not a mechanic, but wanted to share this story.

I needed a new battery for my Jeep Cherokee. I went to the local place that handles my maintenance. I was in a hurry and also needed an oil change. I brought the vehicle into the Maintennance bay. The guy went to get a new battery. He said something about the battery being backwards, or similar statement. It had something to do with not having the exact battery needed. The engineer in me thought that we should wait to get the right battery, but I didn’t push the issue. I had to be somewhere and was in a hurry. The guy puts the battery in and asked me to try to start it. Smoke billowed out of several places inside the vehicle. Wtf was going on?!? This guy had reversed the poles on the battery and had effectively electrocuted my jeep. To say that the electrical engineer in me was upset was an understatement. I had to be somewhere. I got them to fix my Jeep so that it would run. I was irate. It was a Friday. I had to be somewhere all weekend. I was back on Monday morning. Thankfully, they did pretty much everything right. The mechanic had quit, thankfully. There were some additional repairs that had to be completed. Everything was covered.

A few years later, I needed some warranty or recall thing done. The dealership wouldn’t handle the recall work because of non Jeep parts. I went back to the local shop, and they replaced everything with Jeep parts. The dealership handled the recall work.

while I was mad about the incompetence of the mechanic, the local shop did the right thing.

Which countries will likely disappear in the coming 10 years? And for what reasons?

It’s a wild assumption, but one very likely case is Yemen

image 30
image 30

For those who quite don’t know, the situation in Yemen is like this

image 29
image 29

The green region is under Houthi control (backed by Iranians), the light red is controlled by Hadi government (backed by Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain and even USA), the yellow is the Southern Transitional Council (a movement that wants South Yemen to come back as it existed prior to 1991), and the white is al-Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula, also called AQAP

Now one would expect either of the sides to fall, however seeing the way each one is sticking to their captured lands, it looks that another division of Yemen may actually happen. If the AQAP could be vanquished , then the country would end up with three separate authorities, leaving the whole field very much open for a possible trifurcation . It’s quite possible that the Southern Council could get vanquished too, if that happens then a bifurcation would happen, leading to once again a North and South Yemen to emerge.

The difference would be that unlike the previous versions where North Yemen was an independent Arab Republic and South Yemen was a communist state, this time North Yemen would be an Iran-backed client state whereas South Yemen would be a Saudi-UAE backed client state.

Too white

Chicken Cubes with Cherries, Pineapple and Lichees
(Bo Lo Lichees Gai Kew)

2023 12 21 19 54
2023 12 21 19 54

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1 teaspoon sherry
  • 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon anise pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chopped scallion
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 cups vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 cup lichee juice
  • 1 cup lichee meat
  • 1/2 cup maraschino cherries
  • 1/2 cup pineapple chunks

Instructions

  1. Bone chicken and cut into cubes; mix sherry, light soy sauce, anise pepper and chopped scallion together, pour over chicken and marinate for 30 minutes.
  2. Beat egg white and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch together. Pour over chicken breast mixture.
  3. Heat oil to 325 degrees F. Deep fry chicken. Drain on paper towels.
  4. Mix sugar, ketchup, vinegar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and lichee juice in saucepan; stir until thickened. Add lichee meat, cherries and pineapple. Stir until hot, then serve over chicken.

Yield: 1 serving

What is the sneakiest thing you did to get back at an awful neighbor? Did you get caught?

He knew it was me.

This was Central Florida, the lawns were St Augustine grass that with lot of water, mulching and fertilizer, they grew a couple inches a week, and the leaves are wide and tough unlike the soft lawns up north.

My neighbor disliked me because I built a 2 story house and that blocked the view of the lake. We worked for the same company and he was upset that I was hired in at a management level although he didn’t work for me.

Our lawns were about a 1/3 acre, so a Saturday cut and trim would easily take 3 hours with a normal lawn mower.

He bought a basic riding lawnmower, and he would drive his mower on my property, up to 5′ before making a U Turn. That was OK, except he would make the hard turn on top of my sprinklers. Almost every week, I had to replace the broken PVC pipe, digging up my lawn. I tried several things to dissuade him, but in the end on a Friday night, I brought home about 20′ of a high strength braided steel cabling. It was the smallest diameter I could find. I uncoiled it surrounding the sprinkler heads pushing down into the tall grass so you would never see it. But you would hear it, and I was in my garage when I knew he ran over it. The racket it made was frightening.

Even a 25″ blade on a 10 HP motor couldn’t cut it. But it did wrap it around the shaft and stalled the motor. All 20 feet of the cable was gone from my yard.

He had to push his mower to the garage, and spent the rest of the day disassembling his mower to untangle the mess.

That was the last time he went on my lawn.

Can the Chinese government stop Chinese citizens, especially the billionaires and millionaires, from leaving China?

No

The Only Billionaires who are restricted from leaving are those who are Directors of Public Companies or Director’s/Top Executives of Companies that owe minimum 10 Million RMB in Loans to Banks or vide Public Bonds

They need an exit visa

Others can leave when they want

Many Billionaires from the Mainland have their families in Singapore, Australia and USA while they live in the Mainland for 6–9 out of 12 months a year

The only rule for them is they cannot repatriate in excess of $ 300,000 a year out of China , that too for very specific reasons

So what they earn in China, must be kept in China at all costs

They try sending more money out, they face upto 18 years jail

So keep your family wherever you want, have Villas in Sydney or Florida, Send your mainland sons to UK for school but THE MONEY YOU EARN IN CHINA CANNOT LEAVE CHINA OR YOU NEVER SEE DAYLIGHT AGAIN FOR AT LEAST 10–18 YEARS

Who is the most notorious mad genius of all time?

How about instead of notorious we focus on an evil genius that should be more notorious? Nazi scientists always get all the focus but what if I told you Japan had their own version of an evil scientist and he was an absolute monster.

Meet Shirō Ishii – a serious piece of sh%t

image 348
image 348

This guy was a Doctor and microbiologist- and a rather smart one at that. He was regarded as a brilliant person for nearly his entire life. He was well educated and joined the army as a doctor. While there he caught the eyes of his superiors and was sent for further education at Kyoto Imperial University.

During WW2 he was placed in charge of Unit 731 and this is what he was known for.

What was unit 731? Well, they were a scientific unit that conducted experiments and thought up new ways to win the war. Some examples of things they did include

  • Imprisoning women, raping them until they got pregnant, and then running horrid painful experiments on them just so they could see how certain poisons affected pregnant women.
  • They would infect people with syphilis and then cut them open (while alive and awake) so they could see what their bodies did as the infection progressed. Women, men, and even children were forcibly infected
    • This is called vivisection- its the practice of cutting someone open while alive to see what their body is doing and its typically done when experimenting on animals. In unit 731 they did it to people without anesthesia- always resulting in a slow agonizing death for the person.
  • Injected people with animal blood to see what happens (bad way to die)
  • Placed people in centrifuges and spun it until they died
  • Deprived prisoners of food and water to see how long it was until they died
  • Placed people in low-pressure chambers until their eyes popped out
  • Burned people alive to see how long they would live
  • Injected people with saltwater to see what would happen
  • Poisoned people to see the effects
  • gave people radiation poisoning to see the effects
  • Leave 3-day old babies in the cold just to see how long it took them to freeze to death
  • Tested flamethrowers on live people
  • Tested grenades on live people
  • Removed organs for fun. For instance, they would remove someone’s stomach and attach their esophagus to their intestines directly.
  • Tested hundreds of diseases and biological weapons on people

In all, around 10,000 prisoners were killed by Unit 731 and as many as 20,000 were tested on. The biological weapons produced by this unit were used to kill as many as 500,000 civilians

On a side note not even the Nazis used chemical weapons in WW2 (they only did in concentration camps). The ONLY nation to employ chemical weapons against civilian and military targets in WW2 was Japan.

You may wonder what happened to Shirō. I mean we caught him and put him on trial for war crimes right?

Nope

He was given full immunity in exchange for full disclosure of his tests. American microbiologists stated that Shirō’s findings were extremely valuable and impossible to replicate unless the experiments were done again.

Shirō lived out the remainder of his life a free man and died in 1959.

Humor: What are some of the greatest examples of presence of mind?

A businessman went to a shoe store to purchase a new pair of shoes. He was a prominent person in that town. After selecting a pair of shoes with size 8 he asked the salesperson to pack it. The salesperson had just started his career and joined the shoe store a few days back.

The businessman soon discovered that he had left his wallet at home. He told the salesperson that he would take the shoes with him and make the payment the next day. The salesperson being new to business excused himself in order to discuss this matter with the store manager. The manager knew that the customer is an eminent businessman; however, was reluctant to deliver the shoes without payment. At the same time, he was not ready to lose a sale too. He advised the salesperson to handle the situation in the best manner possible and left the place.

The salesperson stood there frozen for a few minutes unable to decide. He then returned to the customer, started packing the shoes and handed the package to the customer.

The next day the customer arrived at the store with the shoes he had purchased, made the payment for his purchase and told the salesperson that “After opening the package I found one shoe with size 8 and the other with size 7. Maybe you packed them by mistake. Can I have the shoes with size 8 please?” The salesperson apologized for the inconvenience caused and replaced the wrong size shoe with the correct one. The customer collected his shoes and left the store with satisfaction.

The manager happened to overhear their conversation and realized that the salesperson had used his presence of mind and handled the situation very well. They didn’t lose their business as well as the customer.

Moral

It is by the presence of mind in untried emergencies that the native metal of a man is tested. If an individual has a calm state of mind, his attitude and views will be calm and tranquil even in the presence of great agitation.

What were some of the incidents where you displayed your intelligence as a kid?

In the fourth grade, Mr. Mowry, our high school biology teacher, visited and gave a lecture. Afterward, he asked the class to name the smartest animal.

One kid said “chimpanzee.” Another said “dolphin.” I kept waving my hand, but he ignored me. (He later told my mother he knew I knew the answer.)

Finally, after the rest of the class ran out of ideas, he asked me. The class looked incredulous when I said “human beings.” After all, people aren’t animals.

His response was “Life has only two choices. Plant or an animal. Which is it?”

(When I had him as a teacher in the tenth grade, I pointed out there were other life forms, such as fungus and bacteria. He acknowledged that, but figured it was a bit much for a fourth grade class.)

In any case, it felt like my fifteen minutes of fame.

It’s been downhill since then.

What happened at a wedding that made you feel horrible for the bride?

I was at a wedding once where the Groom ended up in hospital with achohol poisoning, but it wasnt what you think.

There is a tradition where I live, where right after the ceremony, the bridesmaids “steal” the Groom and take him for a drink. While the groomsmen do the same thing with the Bride.

An hour later, right on time, the groomsmen had the Bride at the next venue where the dinner and dance was to be held, but there was no sign of the bridesmaids and the Groom.

We guests sat around for a bit, wondering what was going on, and eventually food was served despite the fact there was no Groom, and the Bride was looking more and more upset.

It wasn’t until the start of the wedding dance that news filtered through about what happened.

The Groom had never, up to this, had a drink in his life. And the over enthusiastic bridesmaids had made the guy down several hard drinks in that hour.

And, he reacted really badly to them.

So badly they had to take him to the emergency room to be treated for poisoning, and that is where he spent their wedding night.

The rest of the wedding evening for us as guests, kinda fizzled out as you can imagine. But that poor Bride was in tears and left shortly after the dinner to be with her new husband.

Once you VISUALIZE CORRECTLY, the SHIFT happens IMMEDIATELY. (This Is How)

https://youtu.be/u2XUAlykU2U

After you became a parent, what did you realize that your parents had right all along?

A lot of things, but I’ll focus on just one for this answer. Maybe other parents can relate:

Cooking for the family is a one-person job.

My children always want to help me cook. I remember, as a child, I always wanted to help my mom cook, but she only let me help on the weekends. Now, I usually only let my kids help me cook on the weekends, too.

In fact, during the week, I kick them out of the kitchen, just like my mother did with me 30 years ago.

Why?

Because, after a long day at work, cooking is actually very relaxing… if you’re doing it alone. Cooking with children is mostly just teaching and supervising. I do that all day. I don’t want to come home and do more of it most days.

Plus, when children “help” you cook, it just slows you down, and I’m usually in a hurry to make dinner before my wife gets home.

My children also tend to stand right behind me when I’m cooking, and I’ve tripped over them before. So now, for speed and safety reasons, I have a “the only person who should be in the kitchen while I’m cooking is me” policy on weekdays.

What is the strangest medical thing that has happened to you?

My mom took me to see this doctor when I was 8 years old and she wouldn’t tell me how come. When we got there the nurses took me in and got me ready for the doctor. They had me laying down with things on my arms and legs so I couldn’t move. I thought this was really funny but I was really embarrassed because I didn’t have clothes on and they could see my boy part. When the doctor came in she started looking at my boy part and she asked me if I know why my mom has brought me here this morning and I didn’t know why. I was like yikes when she told me that in a moment they are going to be circumcising my boy part. I have friends that are circumcised and I know what that means and I was like yikes. They give you stuff so it wouldn’t hurt but I still feel her doing stuff to it and I was like yikes thinking about what she is doing. After it was done and mom come in and got me I was really embarrassed because everyone seen it and know what happened to me. We went for breakfast after and mom told the waitress why I had pajama bottoms on. That was the most embarrassing day ever.

Why has the US failed to rally the Muslim world against China using the Uyghur issue?

Because the biggest killer and tormentors of Muslims (IN THEIR HOME COUNTRIES) this century has been the UNITED STATES!

Back home, Muslims have been discriminated, and watched like a hawk by the authorities, especially those of Middle-east descent.

The last time America “rallied” the Muslim world was the first gulf war, where a UN coalition liberated Kuwait from Iraqi occupation. Cooperation has been downhill ever since. Even MBS, the Crown Prince of Saudia Arabia, has cooled relationships with America and delivered repeat diplomatic snubs. America’s strongest and most important Muslim ally in the Middle East is working hard to diversify risk, such as settling in non-dollar currencies.

Besides, the evidence is weak, and nothing like the blatant genocide/war crime broadcasting live from the Gaza strip today.

What is the most selfish act you have ever witnessed?

I was camping at a campground in Northern California, and had gone to the bathroom in the morning. A guy was washing his hands with his ten year old son. This guy was decked out with a full on safari outfit, right down to the hat and it was clearly brand new.

When they had finished washing hands, the Dad took a few of those super cheap, thin, brown paper towels and dried his hands. When his son reached for his own paper towels, the Dad said “uh uh. Waste not, want not!” And handed him his soggy, used, brown paper towel and the kid had to try to dry his hands with this gross, soggy wad of used paper towel. The dejected look on the kids face said it all.

I was so disgusted with this guy and felt so bad for the kid. If he was so desperate to save such a minute amount of natural resources, he should have let the kid wash and dry first, and used the kids leftovers.

it really felt like psychological abuse, but he said it with such vigor that I think he was just an ignorant narcissist.

I’ll never forget it.

What was the longest night you ever had as a parent?

It was a Friday night and the last day of school. My son would be a Senior in the fall.

When I pulled down our street on my way home from work, I noticed both sides of the street were lined with parked cars. You probably guessed it. My son had turned our house into Animal House! We had just had a pool built and it was full of kids every afternoon. I didn’t mind. I could relax knowing where my son was.

But this wasn’t one of those afternoon get-togethers. This was a full blown wild party. Girls were naked in the pool, and there were whiskey and beer bottles everywhere. It looked like half the high school was packed into my house.

My fear was someone leaving drunk. I couldn’t let that happen. I found my son. I told him and the group with him that I was going to my room and would let them have their party, but I needed everyone to leave me their car keys. I didn’t want anyone leaving drunk.

In my state, 17 yr-olds are not old enough to drink. I am responsible for each one as long as they’re in my house. I’d also be responsible for them drinking at my house, I could be arrested. But my worry was getting those keys and keeping them from leaving. I’d figure something else later.

I had what looked like 10 sets of keys that kids had gave me. I told them to write their name on their keys. I thought that once I got their keys, I wouldn’t be so worried and I’d contact parents and let them know what was going on.

I’d been home about 15 min, and went in my room to change out of my work clothes. In under 10 min, I was out of my room and was going to get more of the kids’ keys. Problem was, no one was there. The house was empty, and the cars on the street were gone, except for a few that were probably passengers now. Not one kid was in sight, only a few articles of clothing had been left floating in the pool.

I was furious. My son had left too. He wasn’t answering his phone either. I called a few parents and explained. A few didn’t enjoy being bothered with it. None of them seemed concerned. I was so upset I puked. I didn’t know what to do, or where to look. I just prayed they were all safe at someone’s house. I cleaned the house, and every 30 minutes called and texted my son. He never replied. I tried to sleep, but I kept thinking about all the terrible things that could happen to them, how one night of partying can ruin the rest of their life. I couldn’t stop thinking. I probably buried my son a dozen times in my mind that night. Around 3am, I dozed off

At 4:14am, I got a call. The connection was poor, and I couldn’t hear every word, plus there was a lot of noise. I heard “this is blablabla with —-sheriffs —-EMT paramedic—-permission to treat———!l? Ma’am? Hello? We need permission —-accident involving 4 minors—-please ma’am!

I was yelling, “ Yes, yes, you have my permission to treat them.” I kept saying it over and over, because our connection was so bad. I wanted them to hear me.

The call was dropped. I hit redial on the phone, but it wouldn’t reconnect with who just called. I didn’t know where the kids were, who was with my son, or the details of the accident and the injuries. It was like being trapped in a horrible nightmare. I didn’t even know where to begin. I called all the hospitals and police stations in the area. Nothing.

I have never felt that much pain and heartache at the same time. I wanted to be with my son. I was no longer angry, I just wanted to to be where my son was. I kept envisioning the worst. I paced the floor while holding my bible, and praying those next few hours. I hit my knees and begged God to take me and leave the kids here in good health. For hours I was frantic. I was shaking and felt so helpless. The not knowing was tearing me up. I felt crazy.

At 6:20am I get a call from the hospital. She can’t discuss the accident or injuries. She just gave me the address and names of the passengers. These 4 boys were in a hospital a 4 hour drive away. I had to drive 4 hrs, having no idea of what condition my son would be in. This had become the worst night of my life.

This drive was a long 4 hours, plus a bad storm had rolled in and made driving difficult. I kept thinking, “ Why doesn’t my son call? It has to be bad if he’s not calling me.” The hospital was in a small town on the way to a popular city on the bay. I couldn’t believe it! They had left the house and driven to the beach. I kept thinking about all the empty beer bottles and whiskey bottles I’d picked up at the house. My mind was thinking the worst.

It had gotten pitch black, and the wind was gusting. I was driving into a bad storm, lightning struck all around me. The rain was so heavy, I could barely see the lights of the gas station ahead of me. The cars on the road had all pulled in to wait out the storm. I figured I should too. thought I’d fill up with gas, but there wasn’t a pump not in use. I pulled over by the air pump and just then lightning stuck a transformer, it was on fire. My nerves were shot. The explosion scared me so badly that I almost pee”ed my pants. I couldn’t take it. I decided to get out of that parking lot before a gas pump exploded. Just as I was about to pull out, I heard the sirens. Tornado sirens! Wtf! I was done, I couldn’t handle this. I just wanted to be with my son. I didn’t know what to do. The rain was now falling almost perpendicular to the ground. My windows were rolled up, and still the rain was coming in. My car was shaking. I put it in park, turned off the key, and just sat there crying and praying. I couldn’t see anything out of the windows. I heard another loud explosion, but couldn’t see what it was. I shut my eyes and cried. I listened to the wind and thunder and sirens. My car was shaking so badly I thought the doors were going to open. Then everything stopped. The wind had pushed me to the end of the parking lot next to the railroad tracks. There were railroad tracks (the big wooden beams) all around my car. I guess the wind pulled them up and tossed them around. I put the car in drive and drove. I was hyperventilating, and pulled over at a rest area. I began thinking I would never make it to my son.

I made it to the hospital, and found the corridor they were on. When I got off the elevator I was looking at a waiting area. My son and his one friend were sitting there talking and laughing. A cop was sitting with them. I ran to my son, and he stood up. At that moment I didn’t know if I wanted to hug him or punish him. (Of course I hugged him.) I was looking at his face and arms and I wanted to count his fingers and toes just like I did the first time I held him. He was holding me as I was crying tears of relief. Not a scratch on my son’s body. All four boys were fine!

The cop told me that he had seen a car in a corn field and stopped to check it out. Apparently the crash had just happened when he arrived because the tires were still spinning. My son had fallen asleep behind the wheel. When the car went off the road onto the shoulder he woke and his reflex was to turn the wheel. This caused the car to spin and he lost control. It hit a cable line and the car flipped 5 times. One boy in the back seat flew through the windshield and landed 30’ from the car. He drove a hatchback, and the other boy in the back seat was thrown out of the back. No one was wearing seat belts, but not one boy needed a stitch. Thank God! The cop said he didn’t think he’d find anyone alive. It was the worst accident that little town had ever seen. I was so relieved that everyone was fine. The cop told me that when he was walking up to the car he followed a trail of beer cans all the way to the car. They were unopened and no one had been drinking. They were tested and they were all found to be sober. The car had flipped through the corn field, and the cop said the corn probably softened the blows.

We had to go to the wrecker yard to pay for towing The cop told me to prepare myself. There was no way to prepare myself for what I was about to see. His brand new car didn’t have one place on it that wasn’t damaged. You couldn’t tell what you were looking at. The front and back looked the same. The door handles were the only thing that made you know which end was where. Ears of corn were sticking out everywhere. It was a sight. I stood there crying and holding my son and his friend. They cried too.

I don’t remember if my son got a ticket. I do remember that I had to drive him to alcohol awareness classes twice a week for a month. And once a week I had to drive that 4 hrs to see the judge for a month. The car was sold for scrap for $325. I joke now, and say that we would have gotten more for the corn. The other two boys were arrested for having marijuana on them. They had to wait for their parents to get them.

This happened 19 yrs ago. Last year I was visiting friends near that little town. We went to play bingo one evening. I was talking with a couple sitting across from me. I had mentioned that the last time I’d been down this way was for a bad accident that my son was in. The man looked at me and said “OMG! You’re —’s mom!” He knew my sons name, and said he was the cop on the screen. He told me how he has never been able to forget that morning and the accident. He still has nightmares about walking up and finding 4 dead boys. His wife said it really got to him. She had told her husband that he needed to maybe find the boys and once he knew they were okay, maybe the nightmares would stop. But he didn’t have contact info. I showed him pics of my son and grandson. This man cried right there in the bingo hall. I think it did us both good. I hope he’s sleeping better.

I truly believe we a learned something that day. It definitely changed all involved.

It was the worst 24 hrs of my life.

Why do bars open your beer for you?

Question: Why do bars open your beer for you?

State law is the primary reason.

Also there’s another more shrewd reason: Any beer that is NOT opened isn’t one that they have sold and it can allow them to 86 a patron who is sneaking in beers to drink.

While this is, of course, uncommon in higher class establishments, in lower-end bars, patrons have been known to BYOB as the prices of the bar’s offerings are unacceptably high in their opinions, necessitating the “need” for them to sneak in their own and defray some of their drinking expenses. The bartender and servers can tell if they see a beer that’s unopened or witness a patron opening their own beverage that the bar didn’t sell it, and they can eject the patron(s) involved.

This actually was quite common at some of the establishments that I used to frequent in North Carolina decades ago. One of the worst fights that I have ever witnessed was when a bartender tried to eject a patron who brought their own and the patron struck the bartender with a bottle. Unfortunately for the patron, things weren’t like a movie and the bartender proceeded to beat the shit out of him which including some kicks to the head when the man was down. Had some other patrons not stopped things, we probably would have witnessed a murder. I left shortly afterward and I never returned to that establishment.

Anyway…an unopened beverage is one that wasn’t sold by the bar and that’s another reason for the bar to open theirs.

How did your marriage end?

Suddenly (for me). He had been planning it for a while as he had met someone else. I found out and confronted him. He admitted it and left. I cried alot mainly because I had two very small children and another on the way. To be honest I was scared. However within a few weeks I began to notice things. The atmosphere in the house was calm and happy and it was MUCH tidier and better organised. . I was far less stressed and not shouting at the children. Mornings were a breeze because I was in charge and there was now a routine. Bedtimes were easy for the same reason (this had been a nightmare before). I enrolled the children in after school activities which they loved and hadn’t been able to do before because ‘we couldn’t afford it’. Also their friends could come over for tea (not allowed before). I had loads of spare money because no one was buying cigarettes or alcohol. Then the icing on the cake… a gorgeous new baby came along. Life was good and 21 years later its better than I ever imagined possible. The woman he left me for is much better for him. She treats him the way he treated me. I am happily married and the children are all grown up. The end of that marriage was the beginning of my life.

Chicken Slices with Sichuan
Peppercorn Sauce (Jiao Ma Ji Pian)

52ba2ceca0a81d37.jpg 480x360x95 cbb9b399
52ba2ceca0a81d37.jpg 480x360x95 cbb9b399

Ingredients

  • 1/2-1 teaspoon whole Sichuan peppercorns
  • 5 green onions, green part only, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 pound cooked sliced chicken

Instructions

  1. Soak the Sichuan peppercorns in a small bowl of very hot water for 5 minutes; drain.
  2. Puree the peppercorns, green onions and salt in a food processor; transfer to a small bowl.
  3. Add the broth and soy sauce, stirring until well combined; stir in the sesame oil. Drizzle over the chicken slices.

Serves 4.

What is the strangest thing you’ve ever found in your yard?

I’ve written this before and it seems right for this answer.

When young, this is the strangest thing we found in our yard.

Dad had a house built in a new subdivision just out of town. It was one of the first houses. It used to be prairie land.Here’s the story.

Yes. We had a very large, beautiful back yard with fruit trees, lilacs, birch and spruce. It was like a park.
Anyway, mom had my older twin sisters and I doing yard work, or helping in yard work because she wanted us to learn about planting, growing and nurturing.
Lori and Tracy hated yard work. It was like being on a chain gang to them.
“When I have my own place, I’m not having one, bloody plant,” Tracy said. Only she didn’t say bloody.
The twins were sixteen here, I was fourteen. I was digging a hole to plant a small tree mom had bought and my spade kept clunking on something.

Lori was raking and Tracy weeding in the garden with a hoe but no plant was safe with Tracy around. Good and bad plants were sliced to death. She figured the worse she did, mom might not ask her to help anymore. “They’re all green anyway!” The girls had better things to do. They would have much rather been with their friends, boys, or shopping for clothes.

I dug around this thing, pulled it out and cleaned some of the mud off of it. It was a small, very old statue like object about a foot and a half long and a eleven inches high.

“Hey guys, come here,” I called my sisters. I always called them guys. They came running over glad to get away from work. We cleaned off the mud as best we could.
“Holy shit! Do you know what this is?” Lori exclaimed. “RJ, bring it by the house.”

It looked like it was made of cement. I lugged the heavy thing to the house. Lori turned the hose on it and washed off the rest of the mud.
When finished, we stood there looking at a small, very old, well worn statue of a baby kind of laying down in its side. That’s what it clearly was.

Lori looked at Tracy, then me. “I think it could be a grave marker, for a baby. Maybe some pioneer’s child died and they lived around here and buried the child and the father made this statue to honor the baby.” My sisters were real life Nancy Drews plus they had vivid imaginations. Lori had it figured out in minutes. Tracy and I agreed. We couldn’t come up with anything better than that.

“Unless,” I said, “This is a prehistoric baby that was buried and fossilized.”

“Don’t think so,” said Lori quickly.

“Ok,” I said agreeing with my big sister maybe a little too quickly.

“There were no humans in the dinosaur era,” she added, “it’s a babies grave marker.”
We lived a way out in the suburbs. Dad bought the land and built a rather large house on it. Pioneers could have lived here and buried their child.

We got mom and dad to come out and have a look and they thought it quite interesting.
“Dad, maybe if I dug up around there I might find some more neat things,” I said holding my spade. The twins agreed.
“No,” mom said, “knowing you, you’ll have this backyard looking like a prairie dog village.”

We wondered what to do with the baby statue.
“Why don’t you put it by your pet cemetery?” Mom said.
In the far corner of the yard we had a little pet cemetery with some birds, turtles, fish, my gerbil Gerry, and a squirrel we found dead in the yard. All our pets who died except the bird that flew through the open living room window and my rabbit I took out in the back yard the first day I got him. He hopped away, under the fence and was gone.
I was not allowed any pets after that except a fish named Cleo, after Pinocchio’s fish. Cleo was kept in Lori’s room because I overfed the last two fish and they died.
“You’re supposed to sprinkle food in lightly,” said Lori, “not give it a big buffet!” I was not trusted with fish.

Anyway, I’m getting way, way off the subject here.
We liked the idea of the baby stone guarding our pet cemetery and that is where our unexpected find ended up, watching over our deceased pets.
“We have a lot of pets buried out here,” I said after setting the statue near the cemetery.,

“Yeah, and you killed most of them,” Lori said messing my hair. Tracy laughed.

“I did not,” I said, “just two fish that I gave too much to eat and the turtle who escaped and was found under my bed.”

“Cause you left the lid off his pan,” Tracy said.
“I think he was trying to crawl into bed with you.”

We stood there looking at the stone baby, as we called it.

“Back to work guys,” mom called, “Tracy, you’ve chopped weeds and good plants, I told you the difference.”

“They’re all green mother, all look the same,” Tracy said under her breath as she walked back to the house.

It was a pretty neat find that we all remember. To this day, we are still not sure of its story but it was a small statue of a baby laying on its side in rest.

It is a child laying on its side in a fetal position facing you, head on a pillow.

image 351
image 351

Legend of the Phantom Fortress | The Ghost Plane that Flew and Landed Itself

What is the most selfish act you have ever witnessed?

A girl I knew, we’ll call her Jen, had a pretty lousy dad.

He was on disability from the government and hadn’t worked in years because of a ““““back injury”””” that didn’t hinder him from partying, playing basketball and romping around with girls.

Consequently, he was perpetually broke and living paycheck to paycheck.

Jen’s mother divorced her father when Jen was 2, largely because of his inability and lack of desire to work.

She remarried another man. They had kids, which was fine, but Jen always felt like an outsider in that household.

Her biological dad was in her life but never came through in the most important moments.

Her birthday came around and when I asked if her dad got her anything, she said, “He couldn’t afford to get me a present.”

Without thinking I said, “But wait? Didn’t he just take a surfing vacation to Mexico?”

She sulked and said, “Yeah…”

I felt terrible. Wished I hadn’t said anything.

A birthday present might seem like a small thing, but it is a big deal to a kid.

What should you do when someone has taken your assigned seat and refuses to move on an airplane?

You call the flight attendant.

Airlines have a rule that everyone must be in their assigned seat on take off.

It is because if there is an accident it makes their processes easier after the fact.

Once the plane is in the air, the attendant may move people around.

You have the choice of moving or not – often if you do, the seat offered to you will be better than the one you have. But check first.

I was in the situation where I had an aisle seat in a bank of 3, and the other two seats were taken up by a couple who were extremely fat. They didn’t speak the language I spoke, but by gesture the man was pretty clear what he wanted, and was getting really angry with me. However, I had sat down and stayed there. There literally was no room for me between them, as it was I could barely keep my seat. He called the flight attendent and was insisted I swap. She explained to him, and then to me, in English, that she had to insist we keep our assigned seats until we were at cruising altitude, and she assured me I wouldn’t have to sit in the middle. When she came back, she asked me if a window seat in bank that had no other people in it was acceptable – of course I jumped at the chance. (I tend to be a bit claustrophobic and find being able to look out the window a true joy.)

Where would you not go because you would be seen as a stranger out of place?

For a pedicure.

That’s a lady’s place.

Not for REAL men.

But I did go, on the mistaken belief that the pedicurist could relieve the discomfort from my ingrown toenails. So a friend told me.

I had no appointment; had to wait. Reading women’s magazines and crayoning in the coloring books for children. I never was very good at that.

The air was thick, redolent, I should say, with estrogen fumes; choking. They were sucking the oxygen out of the room.

There they were, all those females reclined in chairs, sort of like dentist chairs, their feet in little bath tubs. I had never seen that, before. Good Lord, deliver me.

So I deployed my best defense: I turned invisible.

It must have worked; none of the women seemed to recognize my presence, or even my existence. No problem, there; I get a lot of that, anyway.

But, alas, as my power of invisibility slackened, a technician noticed me, and motioned me toward a chair. We could not speak; her language was Vietnamese and mine was Klingon. Hand signals, gestures.

But then, as I reclined, and the warm water engulfed my feet, I started to relax. Then came the gentle massaging of my feet and toes, soon followed by the most gentle clip-clipping I have ever known.

The finale was a massage of my lower legs whereto were applied various emollients and ointments, emitting scents of citrus and of juniper, frankincense and myrrh. I wondered if I was being prepared for burial.

And I’m going BACK.

Why do fast food restaurants now expect tips?

Its called tip creep, I was in a hardware/automotive store a few months ago, when I went to pay, it asked if I wanted to leave a tip. The top suggestion was 35 percent. I glared at the poor cashier, and she said, dont blame me, the new credit card/debit machines all came preprogrammed like that. She had no idea if management had asked for it, or if essentially all new machines were like this. She told me to complain to management, not her, and so I did.

I think its an American problem. I was shocked that many states had frozen minimum wage increases for 25 years.

In some states you only get a couple of bucks an hour, if you make your minimum in tips. This is sick, boost minimum wage to 15 or $16 an hour. Get rid of the bribes, err , tips. When I was in Egypt, if you wanted your government paperwork processed faster you paid a facilitation fee, if you wanted the plumber to move you up the priority list, again it was backshees ( I m not sure of spelling) or a facilitation fee.

Thats what we are moving towards. First it was restaurants and bars, then hair stylists and masseuses, then fast food restaurants, then pick up at pizza joints, then hardware stores. At a hardware store, where I self served, who gets the tip? Would the cashier get 35 percent of all sales, I want that job.

Here in Canada where minimum wage is $15 or $16 , we pay the same tip as the US where its $2.33

So my guess, is that the credit card machines have tips as a default, and fast food restaurants have no incentives to remove it, because who would they give that tip to?

What is the cheapest thing you’ve seen a mega-rich person do?

Years ago, I was traveling with a gentleman who owned multiple companies, all successful, and was worth multiple hundreds of millions. He had rented a car several days before my arrival (I flew in later), and he offered to drive to the airport for the flight home. As he drove, he explained to me that the car was not full on gas when he picked it up, but the rental car checkout person had given him his business card and assured him if there was an issue with the amount of gas on return, he would handle it. As you might expect, on return they wanted to charge him something trivial like $15 to top up the tank. He was livid. He paid, just to get to the flight, but then spent the next hour on the phone and at the gate, and onto the plane, stopping only going through security, arguing on the phone to have it removed. Couldn’t let it go. This man was probably made more money in interest in 1 minute just sitting than he would have saved in a hour+ of arguing. It could not have been worth his time, or rather, his time could have been so much more effectively used.

In my experience with folks at this level, and I’ve met a few, it’s a compulsion. They simply cannot let it go. They will spend a million dollars to make $1.2 million in an instant, but will not spend $5 if they feel taken advantage of.

Col Douglas Mcgregor: “It’s OFFICIALLY OVER! We have WASTED TRILLIONS OF TAX DOLLARS ON THIS..”

https://youtu.be/QpPWGD3uosc

I was fired 3 days ago out of nowhere after 5 years. Now, the CEO emails me that my job has been “re-instated”, but when I come back, I will get a warning for “low performance”. What can I do?

Rest assured the CEO is not doing it out of the goodness of his heart.

Most likely what happened is the CEO or company realized they need your expertise in something or to train your replacement. Or perhaps as some others pointed out, the company forgot to dot their I’s and cross their T’s when terminating you. Perhaps they had to fire you for cause but didn’t follow progressive discipline procedures. In order to protect themselves and avoid a lawsuit they are bringing you back to perform these tasks.

If you do go back, insist on signing a contract for a certain duration like 12 months. I’d also insist on a certain raise like 25-100%. Whatever you think is reasonable. Insist on no derogatory information in your file. I’d also add language that the contract could only be voided for cause and company bears the cost of the arbitration.

If the company brings you back keep in mind they will try to part ways with you when they no longer need whatever short term assistance so start looking for another job immediately.

Do not under any circumstances come back under their ‘reinstatement’ conditions. You are better off collecting unemployment and looking for other opportunities.

What is something about human psychology that almost nobody knows?

1. A person’s attitude towards life is influenced by the environments in which they grow up.

2. Your thoughts are shaped by your upbringing, culture and societal expectations.

3. Humans have a tendency to try and simplify complex situations into simple concepts.

4. Our mind’s capacity for self-awareness is both a strength and weakness when it comes to problem solving.

5. We are often irrational when making decisions, but this doesn’t mean we’re illogical creatures.

6. Nonverbal communication accounts for over 70% of how we communicate with each other.

7. Self-perception is formed through interactions with our environment, including family, peers and media messages.

8. Everyone has implicit biases that influence their beliefs and behaviours, regardless of how aware they are of them or not.

9. Fear can be a powerful motivator as well as an inhibitor of personal growth depending on how it’s managed and directed .

10. Emotions play a significant role in decision making processes, more than many people realize or acknowledge .

Should the Chinese government be held responsible for the recent commuter train mishap in Beijing?

Of course they must be responsible

In China, the subway is a social infrastructure, not a profitable business.

Although the subways are operated by “subway companies” in various cities, they are usually state-owned enterprises.

In other words, the equity of the subway system is controlled by the government.

image 31
image 31

Therefore, in an accident like the Beijing Subway, there will be two different responsibilities.

1. Legal liability

The subway company must make up for the losses, which includes repairing damaged vehicles and facilities, rescuing injured passengers, and paying their medical expenses and emotional distress. They also face criminal prosecution if anyone dies.

In short, they must bear all the responsibilities that a Western subway company should bear.

Of course, insurance companies also play a very important role. They will activate insurance clauses to provide necessary compensation.

2. Political responsibility

Since subway companies are state-owned enterprises, they must bear more political responsibilities than private companies. In other words, an official must be held responsible for the accident.

First, the subway director of the Beijing Municipal Transportation Management Bureau must bear direct responsibility. He may be subject to isolation and review to determine whether he has committed malfeasance. If suspected of committing a crime, he would be thrown in jail. If not, you are usually fired.

Secondly, the director of the Beijing Municipal Transportation Bureau must assume management responsibilities. He usually needs to make a public apology and be demoted or transferred to a minor position.

Also, the director of the Beijing Emergency Management Bureau must assume management responsibilities and accept investigation. Are they doing their job and completing routine inspections and supervision? If not, it’s usually demoted or fired.

In China, for any important social incident, government officials will be investigated and held responsible. If you think that after the accident, some official stood up and said: “We are very sorry.” Then it could be over, and then you’d be totally wrong.

What is the most witty reply you have given ever?

I don’t know if it’s witty or not, but it stunned the other person and was extremely satisfying.

When I was in my early twenties I worked at one of those cookie stores in the mall. I was working With my friend L who hired one day when a man in his 60s or so came up. I started helping him and L went behind me and kind of playfully kicked me, I laughed and told her not to kick me. I’ll agree it was childish, but that isn’t what upset that man. I’m guessing that just dropped me that last little bit lower in his eyes and he figured he needed to tell me off.

“I think you should be kicked for having that shit in your face.” I had a small nose stud at the time.

For just the tiniest hair of time I was stunned and had no idea what to say… then he opened his mouth again.

“What does your dad think of that?!” Big old smirk, oh he thought he had me on that one.

But I knew I won.

“I don’t care, he was an abusive alcoholic that almost beat my mom to death and molested me at eight, and he’s dead now. My mom however thinks I’m amazing in every way and is happy we all turned out well.” Big smile. All true by the way, I just don’t normally tell strangers all the details like that in go.

His face fell and he stared. Then he grabbed his cookie and stomped away.

What weird rule did you have as a child that you thought was absolutely normal?

We had to announce to the rest of the family any time we were going to use the bathroom, and how long we thought we’d be in there.

This was because we only had one bathroom and my father got really mad at us if we interrupted him while he was in there, or if my sister was in there for a long time, as she tended to do when she was a teen.

Some of my fondest memories from childhood are of my sister knocking on the door to get into the bathroom, like it was an emergency, shortly after my father went in there. It was never really an emergency. She just needed to fix her hair or something.

My dad: [Goes into bathroom, newspaper in hand.]

Thirty seconds later, my sister comes out of her room and starts knocking like crazy on the bathroom door.

My dad: [Godammit I just got in here! Leave me alone!]

So, every time any of us needed to use the bathroom for any reason, we’d stand in front of it and say, loud enough for everyone in the house to hear, something like:

“I’m going to the bathroom now! I’ll be in there for about ten minutes!”

Then we’d pause, in case someone wanted to use it quickly before we went in there.

I didn’t realize until I was an adult that announcing to your family that you were going to the bathroom wasn’t a normal thing to do.

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

YES… when I was in South Africa, I hired a maid through an agency. She arrived on the appointed day. She gave me the agent’s papers and introduction letter, and she asked me where she should start. I said she could start with cleaning the oven. “Oh no,” she said, “I don’t clean ovens”. “That is OK,” I said, “make yourself a cup of tea and make some breakfast for yourself and then I will give you your money and you can leave”. She looked very crestfallen and told me she needed the job. I said “OK; then clean the oven and you can stay”. She cleaned the oven.

She stayed for 30 years, and every month we had the same conversation. She left the agency after a month and she became my best friend, my companione.n, my housekeeper, my babysitter, and my nurse when I was ill. When she retired, I paid her a pension for the next 12 years till she died of COVID-19. I miss her very much. She was a wonderful woman.

What is your best parking spot revenge?

In my youth I was hard up for a summer job so I took a position delivering newspapers. I was a substitute driver for the regular person doing the route. My paper had a shed where I and the other drivers would come to load up our papers at about 4 am, and across the alleyway there was another shed where the rival newspaper distributed papers to it’s drivers.

One morning I park in front of my paper’s shed to load up. As was my usual practice I used the tying machine in the shed to secure a couple dozen papers to throw at the beginning of my route and loaded them in my car. I then loaded stacks of papers that I put rubber bands on while driving to use for the rest of the route.

I found that while I was doing all this, the delivery truck for the rival paper had unloaded several large stacks of their papers just behind my car. I was ready to leave for my route but could not start because the papers were in my way. I went over to the other paper’s shed and asked the guys there to please move the papers so I could leave my parking spot. They laughed at me and said I could move them myself.

So, I did. I got in my car, started it up, put it in reverse, and backed out of the space. The stacks of papers went flying, my rear wheels driving over many of them. I then accelerated forward over the papers and they shot out in a satisfying rooster tail all over the parking lot and I was off for my route.

Did you ever accidentally overhear a conversation about you from your coworkers?

I was working in a record store that had booths to listen to records before you bought them. I was in a booth setting it up for someone to listen when the boss/owner was outside the booth, not knowing I was there. He started to complain that he did not like my hippie looks and did not trust me. The next day, the manager quit (I do not know the reason), and the boss came to me the next day and wanted me to take over as the store manager. I told him I would think about it. After work, I called the ex-manager and asked why he quit. He said he was sick of the two-faced liar that was the boss and he had got a job with a new company called the Wherehouse (an up and coming big chain record company, He asked me if I wanted to be the assistant manager which paid a lot more than I was making.

The next day, I called the boss/owner and told him that I did not want the manager job, and, by the way, I quit. He tried to talk me into staying when I said, “Then why did you say…” and repeated everything he had said about me.

I started at the new record store the next day

The Truth about Paternity Fraud

What happened in the past that seemed too crazy to be true but actually happened?

Otto Von Bismark was a prophet.

In 1888 he predicted the following

“One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans”

In 1914 the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Serbia (in the Balkans) would be the event that led to WW1

image 345
image 345

Then in his final days, he said

Jena came twenty years after the death of Frederick the Great; the crash will come twenty years after my departure if things go on like this.

Exactly 20 years after Bismark’s death Germany would lose WW1 and nearly collapse.

In his final meeting with Wilhelm, he stated

“Your Majesty, so long as you have this present officer corps, you can do as you please. But when this is no longer the case, it will be very different for you”

Indeed when the present officer corps moved on and were replaced by the next generation Wilhelm was forced from power and exiled in shame.

Let’s tell some more Bismark facts because the guy was just such a hoot.

  1. During his younger years, he famously got in an average of one duel per month and never lost. Duels as in fights to the death with swords.
  2. While working his first job for the government, he disappeared and left his post randomly only to appear weeks later with the daughter of some English gentry.
  3. There was an assassination attempt during his rise to power. A man shot at him six times and then was disarmed by guards. Bismark said he was fine and walked home. Hours later the royal court doctor finally got in to see Bismark despite the protest of Bismark. Turns out all six bullets hit him but none of them did much damage. Bismark was just unconcerned about the whole thing.
  4. Bismark was a local lord in his younger years. He had an estate with some peasants who worked for him. He would announce his entrance into their homes by shooting a gun in the air or releasing a fox.
  5. He would drink two bottles of champagne and smoke two cigars for breakfast
  6. There was a period where rebels took the Prussian King (his king) hostage. At the time Bismark was still a countryside lord minding his land. He decided to raise his farmers into a peasant militia and free the king. As he went to leave with his militia, a local man told him to stop whipping up the peasants and go home. Bismark responded, “You know me to be a kind man, but if you try to stop me I will shoot you”.
  7. For all of his antics and wild personality, he ended up marrying a very calm, devout, conservative Christian lady.

The rest of his story is a little less flashy but just as interesting. The man was a freak of nature. He played Europe like a chessboard for decades. He created Germany and accidentally the French Republic, and he was one of the most brilliant political minds ever.

Let’s end with some fun quotes because why not.

“If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made.”

“There is a Providence that protects idiots, drunkards, children and the United States of America.”


Next a few Andrew Jackson facts.

image 344
image 344
  1. After being elected president of the United States, Andrew Jackson faced an assassination attempt. Richard Lawrence bought a gun and approached Jackson to shoot him. The first shot misfired, and the second shot misfired as well. Jackson noticed this and proceeded to attack the man and beat him with his cane. Jackson’s guards had to pull Jackson off his assassin — what a mad lad.
  2. After winning his election, Jackson threw a rager in the White House inviting a ton of random people in to drink heavily. The party went on for hours and was out of control. Jackson was forced to flee the out-of-control party through an upper-floor window.
  3. Andrew Jackson loved to duel, like step back and shoot each other type duel. In a duel with Charles Dickenson, Jackson did something bonkers. As the men turned, Jackson just stood there. You see the rules were that both men had to stand still until both shots were fired. Charles turned and shot hitting Jackson around his ribs. Jackson then took his time to aim so that his shot would be fatal. He calmly took a bullet so he could kill his opponent guaranteed.

When Jackson’s friend approached him about this, Jackson said

“If he had shot me through the brain, sir, I should still have killed him.”

In what ways is India better than the United States of America? What could the USA learn from India?

I have been living in the US for about 7 months now. I am strictly comparing my life in India and here:

  1. India has PayTM: You don’t need to carry cash, cards. Most businesses, even small stores, auto rickshaws have paytm facility. Here I cannot, cannot, leave my credit card at home!
  2. Public Transport: Is almost non-existent, at least where I live. There is the Caltrain, at a 1 hour frequency, and some buses and VTA, but they usually do not cover the routes I need. And I cannot just take an auto rickshaw to the grocery or Target/Walmart. If I don’t have a car, I need to depend on Uber/Lyft which are expensive.
  3. Online shopping experience: Myntra, Jabong, Flipkart, Amazon, most e-commerce biz in India have home pickup for returns, which you don’t have here.
  4. Laundry is a headache: Most apartments do not have in house laundry, dryers, and making several trips to the laundry room is not something I enjoy. Not to mention, it is expensive too ($1.5 laundry + $1.25 dryer per load)
  5. Medical Services are way too expensive and not easily accessible: Medicines and vaccines are expensive. Something like a tetanus shot which costs Rs. 50 (less than $1) in India, costs $80 here. I can get spectacles made for Rs. 2000 (~ $30) in India, but it would cost me upwards of $300 here. In India, I do not need an appointment in most cases, and I can walk in to a clinic. For my son’s eye checkup, I got an appointment for after 2 months. For the spectacles, the optometrist said they do not have the technician available and can only accommodate us after 3 weeks(!!).
  6. Paper wastage: I get so many paper adverts in my mail every two days, which go straight in to the bin. Sheer waste of paper! And the DMV refused to accept a soft copy of one of my documents. They said they need a hard paper copy! I thought the US was at the forefront of the Digital revolution.
  7. Tipping: Expect to pay about 15%-30% more than your actual restaurant bill, for the tip. There is no service whatsoever, servers just come and put your food on the table.
  8. Shopping experience: Shopping here is not something I enjoy. There is usually no one around to help you with sizes, suggestions or finding something. They simply tell you to go help yourself by saying that whatever they have is out there, so you are left to find stuff yourself.
  9. Lifeless atmosphere: Every city, village in India is vibrant, full of life (and noise 🙂 ). I miss that very much here.

Of course, my answer is restricted to my observations and my small sphere of life. There are definitely greater differences, social, political, economical, which some people have put up here. I just listed some that common folks like me might experience.

Thank you for the upvotes!

Just a couple of months short of completing a year in the US, and I keep finding things that I wish were different ( I know I sound very cynical, but I am not, and I do appreciate the good things in the US too)

Going to add a few more to this list:

10. Road trips aren’t as much fun as they are back in India. Half the fun of those long road trips lies in watching the scenic beauty on the way and halting at roadside dhabas or tapris for chai and bhajiyas or food. Be it any highway, you are bound to find one or two such small roadside hotels or dhabas where you can stop and savour hot food and talk and laugh with your companions. I do not find that here. Road trips are just driving on long freeways or interstates where sometimes people tend to fall asleep due to the monotonous driving.

11. International shipping : There are very few choices in that regard, namely FedEx, UPS and probably DHL. And they are quite expensive. FedEx gave me an estimate of between $100–200 plus $30 for the box ( which is not charged separately in India) for a 4lb (less than 2kgs) shipment. Whereas, our parents sent us 8 kgs of Diwali faraal 🙂 from Pune for less than $70.

12. I miss the air of celebration or festivity here. During Diwali, Indians might put up their festive lights and diyas on their patios, but they do that and go back into their houses and shut the doors or pull the blinds. That’s that! That was Diwali here. Sad. But, the same Indians celebrated Halloween with such gusto, I was left wondering is this what happens when we move to the US? That we forget to celebrate our own festivals the way they ought to be while embracing the festivities of the West? While I see nothing wrong with the latter, I would have definitely loved to see more enthusiasm towards the former.

13. Gun violence: The gun violence happening in the US is being covered in almost newspaper and sites. It has created a general unsafe atmosphere. Especially the shootings in schools and colleges, innocent young lives being snuffed out by some senseless act of violence are tremendously sad.

14. New Year celebrations: India – restaurants, malls, roadside dhabas, almost everywhere that you get food, open till 5 am. US- most restaurants closed post lunch or early evening on 31st Dec and closed whole day on 1st January. So, we had very limited choices of restaurants to go to for New Year’s Eve dinner.

15. Limited places for kids to play: Most apartments here do not allow kids to play inside the apartment premises. Kid scooters, bicycles are not allowed. Playing in corridors is also discouraged so as not to disturb residents during quiet hours. Going to a park everyday is not possible. So, all in all, kids have only the school grounds to play mostly. It would be very helpful if apartments designate a play area for kids.

What moment at the office made you realize, “It’s time to start looking for a new job”?

When my son was an infant, after my wife’s maternity leave was over, she went back to work about 30 minutes from our house. My job was about 90 minutes from our house. I had to leave home by 6am every morning to take my son to my in-laws for the day, so I could make it to work on time. Then, I had to be the first one out the door at work to make it back to my in-laws so I could pick up my son and bring him home. On a good day, I would be home with him by 6pm. On a bad day, particularly if it was snowing, we might not make it home until 8pm.

One day, my son slept through the morning ride to my in-law’s place, and was asleep when I went to get him at the end of the day. I realized, when I went to sleep that night, that I had not seen my son awake that entire day. Worse… he hadn’t seen me that day.

So I started looking for a job closer to home. Over the years, I’ve taught at four different schools, always getting as close as possible to my own house, to maximize the time I get to spend with my children. I’ve got my commute down to fewer than ten minutes now. It’s great! I even come home on my lunch break so I can walk the dog some days.

What is the stingiest thing that you have seen a family member do?

When I was very young, I’m guessing about 5 ,my uncle gave me a letter holder that was shaped like a dachshund, it became my favorite toy.

My grandfather was visiting, and he saw me playing with the letter holder. Which was dogs front and rear separated by coils, which would have held letters.

He said, “you’re playing with office equipment, that’s not for little boys, you don’t want that do do you “ I assured I did, that it was my favorite toy. He took it anyway. My mother wouldn’t stand up to him, and he was gone.

When he died about 10 years later. I went to his office to get my toy back, just on principle. It wasn’t on his desk, my grandmother said that she had never seen anything that looked like what I described.

When I was about 8, we had a standalone bathroom sink that just stuck out of the wall. My grandfather very nicely made us a stand that went around the sink, with two doors on the front. It allowed us to store stuff in the bathroom. It looked professionally done. He said it was practice for the one he would build himself.

A month later, he came down with one that was miscut badly. He took it into the bathroom and replaced the good one with the garbage one.

He said that he needed the good one in his nice house, and the crappy one wouldn’t look out of place in our house, and he didn’t want to spend the money on new supplies.

Honestly! Who would take back, what was supposedly a gift of love, that he had made for his daughter.

What are some of the funniest “got fired” stories?

Writing anonymously so it don’t come to bite me back…

To win some times you ‘really’ have to lose

I was working for a US based MNC in India’s self proclaimed Silicon valley.

I was leading a team, the work was too strenuous. I was clocking in around 12–17 hours of office time everyday for almost 8 months. My health started to deteriorate (constant back problems) due to long hours of sitting. I was not able to spend time with my newborn baby. Had to practically live in office for almost couple of months. And to top it all , Management was the least bit supportive , they take employees for granted and make their life hell. As in most services based companies , work life balance is a distant dream. They thought Vacations are an aberration, And thought that the more miserable an employee became the more productive he becomes.

To cut the long story short , I decided enough is enough and that I would pull the plug on the job. I work for my life sustenance and not the other way around. The problem is we have to serve 3 months of Notice period, which is a big NO for most recruiters. During the week when I was mentally preparing for this ordeal, my Manager approaches me saying , your performance is OK, but we are initiating a Performance Improvement Program (PIP) for your own benefit. Which they thought would make me more productive. They thought this would make me teach a lesson, and I would work ‘HARDER’, and this was a process were they monitor me for a month and would let go if employee is not performing better. This is an absolute horrendous experience for any employee to go through. Let alone somebody who literally ‘broke their back working’.

But this was a boon in my scenario if I fail not only they would let me go in a month but also they would give me four months Salary ( They don’t want the undesirables to hang around). I kind of simply stopped working , and made sure I fail in ALL the review meetings , we don’t want to leave anything for chance do we? , with a puppy face of course. So at the end of the Month , I was relieved of my duties and I received 4 months of my salary in due time. And I landed the next job in 2 months which gave me 30% hike as well.

HK

0:02 / 16:40

I’ve LEFT China Moved to Germany (BIG MISTAKE)

What was your “I am surrounded by idiots” moment?

There was a time, quite a few years ago, when I worked as a cashier at Burger King. I mostly worked at the front counter, taking orders and keeping things neat and tidy up front.

One night, I noticed that our drive-thru times were seriously lagging, even though we weren’t that busy. The kitchen was sending food out quickly, and I was bagging it up just as fast, so why did we have four orders waiting to go out the window?

I went to investigate and found my drive-thru employee in the middle of a meltdown. We had a dinosaur for a system back then, and the drive-thru was tricky because the register didn’t tell you how much change to give back, just how much the order cost. To help those who needed it, we kept a calculator by the register, but apparently, nobody had thought to let the new girl know it was there.

Honestly, though, she wasn’t the only one who struggled with making change, and it always shocked me how many people were incapable of doing basic math without technological assistance.

Long story short, I ended up teaching many of them how to make change without the calculator, but it was shocking how many high school and college kids could not make small change.

What would you like to remind everyone?

After my husband was killed in an accident, friends and family sent their condolences and were ready to help me with whatever they could. Many brought us meals and others took care of the yard work and some gave money and gift cards. I was very grateful for all their kindness. It was overwhelming how kind people were, it brought tears.

In time things began to settle down. I was cooking out meals and mowing the yard. But what continued on was the sympathy. I’d be in Walmart and I’d see a friend or neighbor, and the conversation would be about how I was doing and how sorry they were, and even when I’d say I’m doing fine and just want to get past the pain, it was as if they didn’t hear me.

Everytime the phone rang it was someone who was reaching out, praying for me, and asking if I was ok.

It’s hard to be grateful and appreciate all the support, but at the same time wanting to move on without hurting anyone.

Grieving my loss was going well. It was front constantly reminded of the tragedy that set me back. I had to stop answering my phone so I could heal. One day someone was knocking relentlessly at my door. I opened it to find a friend that I hadn’t talked to since before my husbands death. She was telling me to get my purse and come with her. I asked where we going? She said to have some fun, so grab your purse and let’s go.

Not once did she bring up his death. We talked about the stuff we had always talked about. We got our nails done, ate lunch at our fav fajita restaurant and stopped at a few antique stores. When we got to my house I asked her why I hadn’t heard from her and why she didn’t even ask how I was doing. Her answer was, she didn’t need to ask how I was doing, she knew how I was doing, she said you were grieving. I let you grieve. Nothing I could say or do would benefit you. I figured that after a few months of grieving you’d be ready to get away from everything and everyone that’s keeping you from moving on. She hugged me and said softly, Lori, it’s time to move on and live your life.

She was an amazing person and best friend.

What is the coolest line a pilot has said to the passengers?

G’day folks, this is your captain speaking. Sitting next to me is my old cellmate Dave ‘Eye Patch’ Gordon who failed his driving test but passed the FAA exam, so as long as there’s no roads up there, we’ll be pretty safe. ‘Dave turn that oil leak light off please.’ We’ll be flying up over New York, then over Canada, where, on the way in, we were shaken like a shitting dog, so we’ll try and avoid that really rough air – no promises, but we’ll try. Then we’ll turn and begin our passage over the Atlantic. That British Airways jet parked next to us gave us the bird last night, so we’re likely to give that asshole a close pass on climb-out. Our cabin crew, led by the gorgeous and ample Lisa will serve you dinner later. Enjoy a few drinks on us and when we turn off the no-smoking sign, light-up those Malboros and be kind enough to throw one in my direction. In the meantime, while we’re waiting for our slot from these union controllers, spare a thought for us pilots, whose lives depend on these assholes when they walk off the job. We’re flying an old 747 original today, so if you hear it moaning and groaning or even see an engine fall off, we have three others, built in 69 and patched up with some really good glue. Dave, turn that fucking oil leak light off.

What is your evaluation of the recent visit to China by a delegation of Arab foreign ministers? Do they want China to attack Israel?

Maybe they do but unlike the U.S. China has culture, US don’t. Unlike the U.S. China knows right from wrong., the U.S. don’t! Unlike the U.S. they are mature, he U.S. is not! probably will never be! China don’t want anybody to attack anybody!

China don’t want another death. China want a safer and better and more peaceful world. These Arab and Muslim world want China to help make a better world. Not one that the white Caucasian can wake up on the wrong side of the bed and decide that they feel like carpet bombing them to kill their grand parents and their babies and children and they can pluck from the sky any excuses such as WMD or made up genocide such as Uyghurs forcing Japan into a 30 years stagflation!

Arabs an Muslims are not wrong, they want a life that the U.S. cannot fxxked the up! Or steal every penny that they work hard to save. But U.S. insist that they must have the monopoly rot do genocide and slaughter! Why?

Because of their skin colour! Because of their religion and their Anglos Saxon culture! They can kill and not be killed! Because like whites Caucasian humans they deserved to raped any coloured women and lynched any coloured human because they are 4/5 of an actual human!

Yes their message is that there are are behind the Chinese. If the U.S. misbehave they will all fight a war that totally destroy America. China is frankly calming them down! The world ought to rid the U.S. rules based International order 50 years ago!

DNA Clinic Reports: Half Of Men Who Take Paternity Tests Are NOT The Real Father

What psychological tricks and hacks are useful to know?

1. Try to maintain a positive attitude as much as possible, it will make you more productive and better equipped to handle challenges.

2. Challenge yourself by setting realistic goals that stretch your capabilities and inspire you to work harder.

3. Take regular breaks throughout the day to give yourself time to relax and recharge.

4. Surround yourself with positive people who support you and help you achieve your goals.

5. Visualize success in your mind’s eye – see yourself completing the task or achieving the goal in a clear, focused way and visualize this outcome happening with ease and enthusiasm.

6. Break down tasks into small manageable steps to help avoid feeling overwhelmed or discouraged by large projects or goals.

7. Create positive self-talk statements that motivate and remind you of your goals, abilities, and purpose throughout the day.

8. Minimize multitasking and focus on completing one task at a time for greater clarity and productivity in your work or personal life endeavors.

9. Reassess strategies that have not worked for you in the past, rather than feeling like a failure try again with a different approach if necessary for success in any situation .

10 Finally remember, patience is key! Allow yourself adequate time to grow and accomplish objectives in life without putting too much pressure on yourself to succeed quickly .

What’s the best revenge you’ve gotten after being fired or let go from a job?

Well this is not exactly of being fired or let go from a job but the revenge factor is there. Pretty immature now but at the time a very sweet one.

Back in the 80s I was on my senior year to become a CTA by Christmas. The well done summer job in the research lab of the local paper mill was rewarded by a job offering after I graduate. We set the contract signing to end of November. Surely I was happy about this.

Cometh the day of signing and the head of the HR explained they’ve received an order from high up that I cannot be hired. No names or reasons were given. After pulling some strings I got to know the picture.

In the lab school we had two classes and the teacher of the other one was an mean old frustrated witch for whom anybodys happiness and joy was a thorn in the eye. Nobody got along with her but since she was about to retire people just put it up with her. She of course heard about my job offer. As we of course all knew her husband was the chief of all labs at that papermill. The order not to recruit me came from him and was based on some bullshit about me. I personally never met him so it was easy to guess where the order came from. When I confronted the Witch about this she just smiled vily and said something nasty which prooved my suspicions. I was so furious I didnt know how to sit or think straight. Eventually left town to work at the university lab instead and academia actually became my career.

She was a dedicated gardener and had a collection of massive palm trees and other plants in our coffee room. Comes the graduation day all her plants suddenly turned brown and died. She was utterly upset about this and with watery eyes was thinking of some parasite attacking them. She was right – that parasite was me equipped with 2 kg of sodium hydroxide pellets dissolved in 10 l bucket of water. Poured on the plants the evening before graduation…

This is now over 33 years ago and I regret killing her plants…sorry for that….but at the time the revenge factor was pretty sweet.

Black Star Trek ’72 Alternate Universe Casting

This is fun.

What was the best time you witnessed a bully get owned?

I was sitting in a student bar many years ago with some friends. There was a young lady there who me and my friends knew from the Aikido class we went to. She was much better than us and we didn’t know her well but we had said hi as we went to her table.

A couple of large guys came in being rather loud and obnoxious. We ignored them but one of them decided to start hassling the young lady who was sitting alone at the bar reading her course book. We would have got involved but she didn’t need us to! She told him no, he tried to grab her and then, like a flash, she just put him in a wrist lock. She didn’t move from the bar, just put the lock on one of his hands and he collapsed in agony, a few seconds later she took it off again and repeated her request for him to go away. This time he did, rather sheepishly!

Chicken Bokeumtang (Spicy Korean Chicken)

IMG 0552
IMG 0552

Ingredients

  • 1 (4 pound) whole chicken, cut into 11 pieces with bone in and skin on
  • 1 pound potatoes, peel, halved or quartered
  • 3 to 4 carrots, peeled, cut into large chunks
  • 2 onions, cut into large chunks
  • 8 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons Gochujang, Korean red pepper paste
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Gochugaru, Korean red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon honey or granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
  • 4 green onions, sliced into 2 inch pieces

Instructions

  1. Bring enough water to boil to blanch chicken in a large Dutch oven; add chicken into boiling water, bring back to boil, about 5 to 10 minutes.
  2. Drain chicken into a strainer and rinse pot quickly. Rinse chicken under cold water and place back to pot.
  3. Add potato, carrot, onion and garlic to Dutch oven.
  4. In a small mixing bowl, combine gochujang and next 6 ingredients. Add combined sauce into pot and toss everything together until chicken and vegetables are evenly coated with sauce. Cover, bring it to boil over medium high heat. Stirring frequently.
  5. When it starts boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring frequently for first 20 minutes of simmering to prevent burn bottom of pot.
  6. Stir in green onion and remove from heat.
  7. Transfer to a serving plate, garnish with some more sesame seeds.
  8. Serve with warm cooked rice, kimchi and other your favorite side dishes!

БОЙЦЫ ДОЛЖНЫ ОТСТОЯТЬ МАЛЕНЬКУЮ ДЕРЕВНЮ. МОЩНЫЙ ВОЕННЫЙ ФИЛЬМ БОЕВИК! ЛУЧШИЙ ФИЛЬМ ПРО ВОЙНУ! Ржев

Full russian war movie. In Russian, but nicely done. Takes place during world war 2.

Going to the farm

I once had a dog, a Siberian Husky. It was my sisters dog, but she never took care of it. Instead, I inherited that role. His name was “Frisky”, and was a “good boy”. But the rest of the family thought of him as a burden. Which was bad. He was a good dog.

One day, my father came to the back yard, and asked me to get him.

So I did.

He told me that he was going to take Frisky to a farm “where he could run about freely”. I believed him.

But, you know, what did I know? I was only 16 at the time.

Frisky looked up at me. Very skiddish.

I comforted him. And he seemed to be ok. He believed me. It’s gonna be fine, I told him.

My dad got him. Loaded him into the car.

And that was the last time I saw him.

Unwilling participant.

Yet my brothers and sisters, many decades later, berated me. Arguing how I couldn’t possibly realize what was going on. They knew. Why didn’t I?

Sigh.

I have remorse.

Today…

What is something you absolutely despise about your country?

Look at these statistics, let them sink in for a moment.

image
image

I have seen countless times:

  • An obese parent in front of me at the grocery store, with an obese child under the age of 10. Their grocery cart is full of pure junk food.
  • An obese person in a wheel chair ordering fast food.
  • People eating candy bars for breakfast on a daily basis.
  • Coworkers, who complain about their diabetes, with a bowl of candy by their monitor that they pick at all day.
  • I know of at least 3 people with diabetes who had their foot (or other limb) amputated because they couldn’t control their eating.
  • Children, under the age of 10, who weigh over 150 lbs (68 kg). These children are stretching their skin out and effectively ruining their bodies.

Our health education is pathetic. Our Physical Education and Gym programs are skeletal at this point.

Our country literally subsidizes food that makes people fat. We are essentially paying people to get fat.

It bothers me because people’s lack of discipline (or caring) ramps up healthcare costs that I have to pay for in tax dollars.

It bothers me because people don’t care about the way they look. They are willing to just let go.

But more than anything I am concerned for people’s well-being. You don’t always get second chances on heart attacks and strokes.

We are a prosperous country. But the scourge of prosperity is obesity.

I don’t despise obese people but I do despise it as a health epidemic in our country.

What is one mistake you made that you would like to warn others not to make?

My business was failing and I couldn’t understand why.

Things were NOT looking good since day one.

My mind was spinning out of control day and night trying to understand what was wrong.

In 2014 I found what seemed a great opportunity. I managed to negotiate an unusual deal with one of the best “warehouse” retailers in the USA. I had a signed agreement to purchase their overstocks… at unbelievable prices.

This was my math:

  • Regular price of the item: $100
    Warehouse discounted price of the retailer: $90
    I could get their items at 10% to 20% of their price.
    My price would be between $9 to $18!
  • Yes, that’s over 90% OFF the retail price!
  • Reselling these items, even at huge discounts to my customers could easily double or triple my money. It seemed like a priceless opportunity.

So I rented this HUGE warehouse:

I called it the Red Barn Outlet.

Located in a very busy street, with huge traffic count, we opened the doors to our customers.

We had great products and unbeatable prices, yet, we didn’t had the expected volume of sales.

I did marketing — and found little to no improvement.

I even hired amazing helpers:

Nothing helped…


To answer your question: What is one mistake you made that you would like to warn others not to make?

The laws of work have changed!

I learned this lesson in a very painful way.

  • Retail has changed.
  • Our Economy has changed.
  • The world has changed.
  • We have changed.

Today we have retail on our fingertips!

There’s an app for that!”

I was competing with a disrupted business model and as a small business owner, there’s NO way to win.

I was playing on the OLD Economy and as a consequence suffered a slow painful death because of disruption.

Today I teach people and businesses how to anticipate disruptive trends because I understand how painful it is.

This is my warning:

Hard work is not good enough anymore.”

Tactics win battles; strategy wins wars.

Texas Roasted Potatoes

Serve this side dish at your next cookout.

2023 11 04 10 29
2023 11 04 10 29

Yield: 8

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds red potatoes, quartered
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Toss together all the ingredients in a large bowl.
  3. Place on a baking sheet.
  4. Bake for one hour (turning frequently) or until lightly browned.

Time-Slip Artifacts: Modern Objects in the Ancient World – Volume 1

I do love this show. Enjoy this fun show.

Is Hamas together with Hezbollah strong enough to beat Israel in a war?

Not a strictly conventional war

However they can ensure Israel never enjoys a minute peace.

They can ensure Israelis ultimately prefer to leave and migrate to other countries for a peaceful life

They can keep dying and keep replenishing their numbers and ensure money from sympathetic yet cowardly countries and their billionaires


It’s an effective strategy

Hezbollah attacks Israel, kills IDF Soldiers and occupied families

Israel bombs Lebanon blindly, kills mostly ordinary civilians

Hatred against Israel is reinforced

Arab Preachers will ensure hatred against Israel is maintained in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria

It keeps the Middle East divided and hostile and ensures it’s what the US wants


The only way to defeat Hezbollah and Hamas is the way Khalistan Or LTTE were defeated

BY THE PEOPLE

The way to do that is to give the Palestinians what should have been given decades ago to them

Development, money, prosperity etc

Today 99% of the Palestinian Youth pick up a gun because they have no other option

Tomorrow with prosperity and development, only 60% will pick up a gun

Then 40%

Then 20%

Same happened with the LTTE

Same with the ETA in Spain

Same with the Uyghur Separatists

Same with the Chechen Militia

The Chinese saying “Full bellies quell revolution, empty bellies forment it”


Why this isn’t happening is because of Democracy

Israeli politicians know they won’t win 10 votes if they hand over the original territories of Palestine back to the Palestinians

US Politicians will lose control in an area where they are already losing control by the day

Neither side think Long term and decide to kick the ball down the road for the future politicians

It’s why most countries that won against terrorism/rebels were Autocracies Or Dominant Party Democracies – China, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka

Josep Borell, EU foreign policy chief, accuses China of treating Europe as a US puppet. How can this perception on the part of the Chinese be changed?

Until you grow balls! Until you tell the U.S. if you blow Nord Stream pipeline Germany will blow away Alaskan pipeline!

Until you tell off the U.S. when it becomes a jerk. Ask them to fxxk off and say over your dead body will you listen to them. Get rid of your current leaders ASAP. They behaves shamefully.

China don’t hear words. China sees action. And the see a wimp and a weak government push around by Uncle Sam. So why talk to EU?

What steps should be taken to update and close the loopholes in the current set of rules on exporting advanced computing chips to China?

There are two parties here.

The American seller, and the Chinese buyer.

Absent of government policy, is the American seller willing and motivated to sell to the Chinese?

Why yes. Absolutely.

The Chinese are one of their biggest and best customers, and have helped prop up the stock price for decades, because the Chinese are not only volume shoppers of value, but also the high-margin cutting edge. That’s a significant STREAM of revenue on the table.

The American seller will try every trick in the book to preserve their bottomline, from lobbying the Congress and the White House, to tailoring specific products for the Chinese to circumvent sanctions. The quick and dirty will be to ship product to a subsidiary market, for example Korea, Japan or Taiwan, and re-export the chips through a third party. As a country, China isn’t being sanctioned like Iran or Cuba, so this will appear like normal trade flow.


That’s the seller. But what about the buyer? China has plenty of friends. Is Nvidia going to say no to a million-piece GPU order from Qatar, just because it’s destined for data server/AI farms within a Chinese-run business park? What if the Saudis make another million-chip order and ships it along to Shenzhen because they have a stake in a Chinese subsidiary’s AI project? The possibilities are endless. Nvidia can’t very well demand geolocation tracking of their sold product, can they? Chips can’t be repaired anyway and can be easily transported by air, so warranty claims can be easily dealt with.


The fundamental issue is this.

Does America want to continue doing business with the Chinese, the world’s biggest single market?

If the answer is a firm no, we can talk ironclad rules.

But the half-hearted “this is national security dual use tech” approach manned by a tiny office within the Department of Commerce won’t work, not when they are trying to fix corporations with more money than God, able to buy the services of legal teams that run rings around legislation and policy.

Such is the nature of American capitalism.

Singaporean PM warns danger in seeing one-China question as ‘democracy vs autocracy’

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday warned of dangerous consequences in framing the one-China question through the narrative of “democracy versus autocracy.”

Lee gave the warning at the closing dialogue of the Asia Future Summit in Singapore.

Recognized by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971, there is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.

Speaking during a Q&A session at the closing dialogue of the summit, Lee called for countries to make clear that they will not change this “very fundamental basis of the international understanding.”

“One China is the basis on which nearly every country in the world recognizes the PRC, and has informal, unofficial relations with Taiwan,” he said. “And I think that has to remain the fundamental basis on which the relationships are maintained and the status quo is justified.”

Lee continued by saying that to describe the question of one China as “a question of democracy versus autocracy” is “dangerous.”

The Asia Future Summit was jointly held by Singapore’s flagship media, The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao and The Business Times, on Wednesday and Thursday.

Speakers across the world shared their views on geopolitical hot spots, economic issues, and social governance during the event.

Millions Of Men Finally Get The Cheat Code To The Dating Game

I personally want to thank every modern girl that hopped online to tell us how much they want to be railed by Chad and Tyrone and after they hit the wall, look for guys they ignored for a decade to suddenly want him only for his money and free validation, because now us guys who have red pilled know exactly what play they wanna try the moment we see them and tell them” not interested”. All is becoming right in the world.”

Do you think China’s subsidies for electric vehicles are “distorting” the car market of the European Union as claimed by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen?

This claim or accusation about China subsidizing EV cars is just a loser’s speech.

We Chinese are already surprised about Chinese EV cars being sold in EU with twice of the prices than in China.

Meanwhile, Europeans (mostly Germans) are also surprised about VW EV cars being sold in China with half of the prices than in Germany.

Tesla cars made in China are also cheaper than anywhere else, because of China subsidizing Tesla?


If anything, China’s subsidy about EV cars is “after” the cars got purchased.

There is something in China called “car purchasing tax”, and it’s about 9% of what you pay to the dealer. EV and PHEV cars can enjoy deduction on purchasing tax.

Also, about 45% of gasoline price in China is all kinds of tax and fee. However, the government doesn’t charge car electricity for the same amount. The 45% includes road maintenance fee, which means that it’s now entirely afforded by gasoline and diesel vehicle owners.


Mercedes is still doing good in China, but not the EV part.

In August alone, Mercedes sold 70.8 thousand cars in China, and accumulated sale of over half million cars (527.7 thousand) from January to August in 2023.

However, for EV cars, like EQE, the sales numbers from Jan to Aug are: 289, 421, 730, 48, 1254, 613, 591, and 941.

Only 1 EQC was sold in August.

The 19th highest EV/PHEV sales brand in August is Arcfox, and it sold 1868.


Europeans were too arrogant to develop their EV technologies.

They spent very little in this field, and was convinced that their petrol and diesel cars would keep dominating the world.

It’s why they are left behind.


Plus, this time’s farce is proposed by France, rather than Germany.

Von der Leyen is being supportive to this because she’s an US dog, and would do anything to screw China.

Some Germans have waken up, put down their pride and chose to cooperate with Chinese.

Meanwhile in France, car manufacturers are dying. They need to find a way to stop Germans from getting stronger.


Just like many other topics in EU, this, according to my personal opinion, will not go anywhere.

They would not have a result within 2023, and they will keep arguing in 2024.

If not because of their low efficiency, they would not be in such an embarrassing situation at the first place.

What was the reason for the sudden attack on Israel by Hamas killing innocent people?

Sudden?

Please

This was planned for a long time

It’s execution was FLAWLESS

I repeat FLAWLESS

Military Style than Militant Style

Multiple Incursions, Hostages, Point attacks – coordinated to precision after distracting them by rocket strikes

The vaunted Israeli intelligence was caught off guard completely.

That means a lot of Planning

So it isn’t SUDDEN at all


Why?

Many possibilities

First, the US possibly knew about the attack and turned a blind eye and didn’t warn the Israelis to divert attention from Ukraine and the disaster unfolding out there

It worked. Yesterday the whole coverage was on Palestine and Israel and not on Ukraine or even Chaiyina (China)

Second, Hamas backed by someone powerful, possibly Iran with Hezbollah waiting, decided to take advantage of a West that was completely swamped with Ukraine and an Israel that was desperately short of munitions (Israel gave 360,000 Shells to Ukraine, forced by USA) and decided to launch a strike and escalate things

An Escalation would allow the Russians, Chinese and the Global South to raise hypocrisy slogans against the West comparing Palestinians to Ukranians

If Israel does march into Gaza, the UN would become a battleground of anger and rage

Third, the US plans major war in the Middle East. They plan to launch Israel against Syria & Iran. It could be why China invited Assad and maybe tipped him off


It’s a delicate place today for the world

Especially India

If India support Israel as our friend Achal Gautam says in invading and destroying Gaza, that’s a billion Muslims who will hate India

Many Oil and Gas Producers and the biggest and richest vendors for key projects like Ports or Bridges

Plus most Muslims including the Azeris & Kazakhs and Turkmens and Kyrgyz people will flock to Russia, China and the CSTO

Hell even Turkey will rage against NATO

It would be the worst thing for Israel to blindly attack Gaza in an act of war

It would be fantastic news for Russia and China if Israel invades Gaza

Huawei releases a disruptive quantum chip, disrupting the global semiconductor industry!

This shouldn’t be a surprise as Huawei has been continuously innovating, researching and improving its technology. It has thousands of researchers and scientists continuously doing their best. This undoubtedly will make US/EU to try to surpress and annihilate it.

Should China and Russia send the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to help Palestine overthrow the apartheid regime?

In the past 1900 years, in my impression, the Arabs have not failed the Jews. The destruction of ancient Israel was not caused by the Arabs, but by the Romans. It would be unfair for Israelis to blame the Arabs for the destruction of ancient Israel. The persecution of Jews before and after WWII came from the Nazis in Europe, not the Arabs.

However, the Jews have really done things that are sorry to the Arabs in half a century.

Palestinian Arabs are human beings and should enjoy equal human rights … You can’t go bullying them like that…

As for whether it will become the sixth Middle East war…it is too early to tell. The scale of armed conflict is not that large. This was just a raid, not a full-scale attack. China and Russia will be diplomatically concerned, but will not intervene by force.

And a military raid was not the outcome the Arabs wanted.

All this proves only one thing:

As long as Israel does not abandon its own national exclusionary ideology based on Zionism, and as long as it continues to defend its current policies throughout the Palestinian areas, Israel will always be a country that lives in the shadow of fear, betrayal and repentance.

Iran, from West Asia, and Saudi Arabia, from the Arabian Peninsula, are both large among Muslim countries.

After Iran and Saudi Arabia reconcile, and the Muslim countries put aside their previous infighting, there will be a strong and unified Middle East.

We can understand that the Muslims in the Arab world are most eager for China to raise the anti-American flag due to the continuous aggression and plunder of the Western world, but the demise of the United States will not happen overnight, nor will it happen only militarily, but also economically, culturally, politically, etc., and there will be a slow process.

Maya Angelou always advise the African-American elite to read The prince of Machiavelli, because, she said, without a proper understanding of this book, you won’t understand the western elite. The Prince is their bedside book. it contains the main principle all imperialist applies: “If you want to control the people, separate the people and you can rule them. Divide them and you can conquer them.” Simply put, “divide and conquer.”

If 1.3 billion Muslims were united, it would be a huge force in the world.

Gone are the days when Israel relied on the US to dominate the Middle East. A declining Uncle Sam will not be able to bless Israel for long.

Therefore, the Israelis, if they are smart enough, must be mentally prepared to negotiate peace with the Palestinians and return to the 1967 Palestinian-Israeli borders, otherwise they will not be able to survive in the Arab state crevasse.

Sad Looking Cat Gets Adopted And Purrs For The First Time Ever | The Dodo

Watch this really sad shelter cat become a purring kitten with his new mom after finally getting adopted.

Can the Mate 60 chip developed by Huawei prove the failure of the US technology blockade against China? Can the United States finally succeed in preventing China’s technological upgrade?

Huawei has just unveiled its Mate 60 chip, a stunning feat of technological innovation that shows how the US has failed to stifle China’s rise in the global arena. The US has been waging a relentless campaign of sanctions and restrictions against Huawei and other Chinese firms, hoping to cut them off from the vital resources, software, and markets they need to thrive. But instead of crippling China’s technological ambitions, the US has only spurred them to become more self-reliant and creative.

The Mate 60 chip is the crown jewel of Huawei’s HiSilicon division, which makes chips for smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets. The chip is based on the most advanced process technology in the industry, the 5-nanometer node. It boasts a powerful octa-core CPU, a Mali-G78 GPU, a dual-core neural processing unit (NPU), and a 5G modem. The chip also supports features that enhance the user experience, such as multi-screen collaboration, smart charging, and more.

The Mate 60 chip is a remarkable achievement for Huawei, especially considering the US technology blockade. Since 2019, the US has put Huawei on its Entity List, which bans US companies from supplying it with software and hardware without a license. The US has also pressured its allies to exclude Huawei from their 5G networks, citing security concerns. As a result, Huawei has lost access to Google’s Android operating system, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, and other essential components and services.

But Huawei has not given up. It has poured resources into its own research and development to overcome the challenges. It has developed its own operating system, HarmonyOS, which can run on various devices and platforms. It has also increased its self-sufficiency in chip design and production, relying on its HiSilicon division and other partners. Moreover, it has expanded its global presence and cooperation, especially with countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

The Mate 60 chip is not only a breakthrough for Huawei, but also for China’s overall technological development. The chip represents China’s progress in mastering the core technologies of the semiconductor industry, which is crucial for its economic growth and national security. The chip also demonstrates China’s ability to innovate and compete in the global market, despite the US attempts to contain and isolate it. Furthermore, the chip reflects China’s vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, as it seeks to provide high-quality products and services to consumers around the world.

The Mate 60 chip developed by Huawei proves that the US technology blockade against China is doomed to fail. The US cannot stop China’s technological upgrade by imposing unilateral sanctions and restrictions. On the contrary, these actions have only motivated China to enhance its self-reliance and innovation capabilities. The US should realize that cooperation is better than confrontation in the field of science and technology, and that both countries can benefit from mutual learning and exchange.

What is the oddest weather you’ve experienced?

One afternoon in 1985 on a nice sunny day when I was working outside about half an hour North of Toronto I felt a sudden hot gust of wind, a very strong gust.

I turned around and looked at where the wind came from and I saw the sky, it was swirling all around, kind of like waves hitting a beach.

But that’s not what surprised me, it was the colour of the sky that I’ll never forget. It was green! The clouds were literally forest green, swirling around with dark gray clouds, in a fluid way that I had never seen before.

The clouds were also very close to the ground and were coming towards me fast.

I called out to my coworkers who hadn’t noticed yet and said we had better take shelter. They turned around and the colour drained from their faces, we looked at each other and ran across the field to the main building which was made of brick.

Not two minutes later day turned to night and it started pouring rain. All we did was look out the window at the raw violence of the storm until it passed less than half an hour later.

Little did we know at the time that just a few miles North of us a category F4 tornado had just devastated the city of Barrie.

It was totally unprecedented at the time, none of us believed our ears when we heard it on the radio.

Canada doesn’t have tornadoes, and certainly not category F4 tornadoes!

We were all in disbelief, that is until we got home and saw the destruction with our own eyes on television.

It was the only thing everyone talked about for over a month.

Foxconn has repeatedly requested to OEM for Huawei Mate60, but Huawei has sternly rejected it.

Huawei is now no.1 mobile phone manufacturer and it doesn’t need Qualcomm anymore to supply the chips. Qualcomm has betrayed Huawei by giving up Its relationship with Huawei and Huawei doesn’t need Qualcomm as an OEM anymore as its quality is below Huawei’s standard. Now that Huawei can mass produce the Kirin 9000s chips it certainly doesn’t need Qualcomm but domestic China’s OEM instead.

US Deploys at least nine B-2 Stealth Bombers to Europe

World Hal Turner

The United States on Friday allegedly deployed at least nine (9) — and reportedly “dozens”–  of B-2, nuclear-capable, Stealth Bombers to Europe on Friday.  Those aircraft are specifically designed for a nuclear first-strike.

Video posted publicly, reportedly shows the deployment as it took place:

<video not available>

This deployment came just one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said publicly that if an enemy launches a nuclear attack upon Russia, “hundreds of our missiles will be in the air against ALL our enemies, in ALL directions — and there will be no survivors”

Surprise Attack Stuns Israel; WaPo: Ukraine Despair War Unwinnable; EU Granada Summit Shambles

Surprise Attack Stuns Israel; WaPo: Ukraine Despair War ‘Unwinnable’; EU Granada Summit ‘Shambles’; Huge Rus Missile Drone Strikes Topic 987

Palestine Is Striking Back

October 5 2023:

Over 800 Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa compound during Jewish Sukkot holiday

More than 800 Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday morning under the protection of Israeli forces.

Rabbis, heads of settlement associations, and far-right university lecturers were among 832 people who forced their way into the religious site compound, a source in the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem told The New Arab’s Arabic sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Israeli forces imposed severe restrictions on Muslim worshippers entering Al-Aqsa and those under 60 were prevented from accessing the site.

It comes during the Jewish religious holiday of Sukkot, which started on 29 September and ends on Friday. The holiday has seen thousands of Israeli extremists storm the Al-Aqsa compound, with almost 1,500 entering the site on Monday.

Israeli extremists also continued on Thursday to hold provocative marches both inside Jerusalem’s Old City and outside its walls, attacking Palestinians and their property.

They also beat and spat at journalists in a market area near Al-Aqsa, where shops were forced to close for the sixth day in a row.

The Old City is home to Al-Aqsa as well as the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Al-Aqsa compound is the third holiest site in Islam and the most important Muslim place in Palestine.

October 7 2023:

Escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

This morning, the Islamic Jihad group announced the start of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, igniting another local war against Israel. They formally cited regular oppression and attempts on Al-Aqsa as reasons, where local Arab worshippers have been repressed repeatedly (in addition, there have been raids against the Islamic Jihad in Jenin over the past few weeks).

The operation began quite dramatically: a naval landing was carried out in the north of the Gaza Strip, and there are also reports of airborne landings – someone parachuted into rear cities.

After three hours of fighting, the group successfully captured a military base in the town of Kerem Shalom: there are enough images on social media of killed IDF servicemen and captured equipment (there are also photos of a burnt “Merkava” tank). This is a huge base on the border with Egypt. To put it mildly, the trophy is very valuable.

▪️As of now, fighting is still ongoing in Netiv HaAsara, Berri, and Sderot. Panic has gripped the population of bordering villages, with footage of people fleeing on foot. The Israel Defense Forces began retaliatory strikes only after 10 in the morning. The Israeli Ministry of Defense has stated outright that Hamas has gone to war with them, and at 10:30, the official start of the Iron Swords counter-terrorism operation was announced.

This is likely to escalate. It is impossible to predict when or how this will end.

Posted by b on October 7, 2023 at 9:05 UTC | Permalink

Israel-Hamas War Update. Israeli General captured by Hamas. 200 Israelis and 232 Palestinians killed

Hamas coming in on hang-glider parachutes was pretty awesome not going to lie.

According to research, China leads the world in 37 out of 44 technologies and the gap is widening. Do you believe that the world is safe with future technology in the hands of China?

Yes.

A lot lot lot safer under the Chinese than the west.

What did the west did with technology for the last 400 years?

They use the technology to loot and plunder the entire world. Many of the loot are in the western museums today! Or worn on the crowns of western monarchs till today.

They use the technology to enslave Africans and coloured people to do menial task for the west. They snagged islands like collecting sea shells and corals. Hawaii, Guan, Falklands, Gibraltar and another hundreds of islands are still under the west.

They carry out genocides to steal continents such as the Americas and Australia. They abused, steal, raped and murder throughout the entire world. They colonised and destroyed the people living there and stole everything of value!

They continue virtual colonialism after physical colonisation is not possible through what they termed international rules based international order. They took control the entire worlds economy, and wealth. They continue to use the technology to threaten every nation and non Caucasian societies including Slavs and non European citizens.

And you question if China can be trusted with the technology? What kind of logic apart from racist rhetoric do you have?

Why did Hamas think attacking nuclear-armed and USA-allied Israel would be a good idea?

Desperation.

For years, the Arab states have been moving towards normalizing relations with Israel. Hamas counts upon the support of Arab states, both material and financial, to exist, since it has very limited means of its own.

Normalized Arab-Israeli relations would be the coup de grace for Hamas and the “Palestinian liberation” movement. Because a precondition of normalized relations with Israel would be ceasing support to Hamas.

Part of the reason why Arab states were warming up to Israel was that Arab leaders have been losing faith in the Palestinian forces for decades now and an improvement for the Palestinians was nowhere in sight.

Regardless of where you stand on this conflict, it’s hard to argue that Palestinian forces have had much in the way of success recently (or ever, for that matter), having lost land to Israel almost continously since Israel’s inception. The reasons for this are not surprising. Palestine isn’t really even a nation, at this point, it’s two paltry strips of impoverished land run by a corrupt elite and barely educated militants with no resources of their own. They are facing a prosperous, well-organized nation state with a highly competent military and the direct support of the world’s premier powers. It was never going to turn out well for them.

And I suppose the Arabs were tired of tying their money up in so clearly a lost cause. Oh sure, they still outwardly broadcast support for Palestine for religious reasons and internal appeasement (most Arab Muslims are extremely against any reproachment with Israel), but I suspect they have been planning a move away from being active stakeholders in the Israel-Palestine conflict for a while.

So why the attack from Hamas now? Well it’s an obvious attempt to sabotage the normalization of relations across the ME, which would have sounded the death knell for them. I cannot imagine the Hamas leadership were going to stand idle and let the war coffers they plunder empty out. So they attacked Israel, performing the attack in a way that would cause the most severe reaction from the Israelis. Massacring Jews, abducting Jews, the whole shabang. They were trying to force Israel into the largest possible retaliation against them (they might have succeeded), and thereby force the Arab powers into taking a stance against said Israeli retaliation. That’s my only explanation for this attack. Otherwise, the immediate tactical value of killing a few hundred Israeli civilians eludes me.

And it seems to have worked…for now.

Many of the Arab nations previously moving towards normalized relations with Israel have now performed a sudden U-turn, mostly for reasons of posturing (and possibly gaining leverage out of the situation). But I don’t think this will last long. Some of the Gulf states didn’t even openly side with Palestine this time, the UAE came out with this statement;

“The UAE calls for the exercise of maximum restraint and an immediate ceasefire to avoid serious repercussions,”

I imagine most of the Arab powers see that the writing is on the wall for Hamas. There is no possible way that having poked the Israeli bear, Hamas is going to be able to effectively resist any Israeli-counter operation. Afterall, the Israeli army is a world-class professional fighting force, and Hamas is a glorified militia at best, fighting on very little land, completely trapped and encircled. Or to be brief, they’re f*cked.

I suppose once the Arab countries can extract some personal benefit/concession out of the situation, they will perform another U-turn and go back to ditching Palestine. I can see Saudi Arabia’s shallow declaration of support for Hamas disappearing once the Saudi’s can get some sort of security deal with the US in exchange for re-normalizing relations with Israel.

Regardless, the long-term outlook for Hamas is poor. This was a desperate, flailing attempt to gain some short-term ground in “reuniting the Ummah” and gain an [im]moral victory against Israel.

But in time, I think, they will come to regret it.

HE’S BASED !! Oliver Anthony – Rich Mans Gold | REACTION

Thanks for a great video and reaction! I love the message, and you wound it up wonderfully! God bless you, and yours!

World should be prepared for sustained high inflation in US — Global Times

The outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has driven up oil prices again, while a potential oil crisis could risk putting the Fed’s inflation fight in jeopardy, adding uncertainties to the global economic recovery.

The US and Venezuela have progressed in talks that could provide sanctions relief to Caracas by allowing at least one additional foreign oil firm to take Venezuelan crude oil for debt repayment, Reuters reported on Monday, citing five anonymous sources.

The timing of the news seems delicate, as it comes at a time when oil prices keep rising on market fears of the Middle East conflict exacerbating supply tightness. On Monday, global benchmark Brent Crude rose 4.2 percent to $88.15 a barrel, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 4.3 percent to $86.38 per barrel.

Both Brent Crude and WTI remained around their Monday closing levels during Tuesday’s trading. The regained upward momentum contrasted with a drop of more than 8 percent in global oil prices over the previous week.

Apparently, the US releasing information through media outlets over potential sanctions relief on oil-exporting country Venezuela serves as a reminder to the market that even if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict brings uncertainty to crude oil supply in the Middle East, the US may be able to affect oil prices in other ways.

If the US does ease sanctions on Venezuelan crude oil, then an immediate effect would be an increase in supply to the world oil market and a fall in oil prices.

However, even though it is not clear how oil prices will unfold, US anxiety about high oil prices triggering high inflation is almost certain. At a time when the Fed’s monetary tightening policy has approached its limit, if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict leads to a sustained rebound in global crude prices, then it will certainly disrupt the interest rate hiking cycle of the Fed.

If the Fed continues to hike interest rates to curb inflation, the US economy will likely slip into a recession. A worse scenario for the Fed could be that the economy falls into a recession with the inflation rate still high.

While some may argue that since neither Palestine nor Israel is a major oil-producing country, the impact on the oil market is limited, and the conflict may not last long. Yet, market fears about the Middle East situation are not unfounded. There are no reliable indications of whether the conflict will end soon or lead to wider regional instability. If it escalates to involve more Middle East nations, it could threaten crude supply by the surrounding major oil-producing countries. The Middle East is home to some of the world’s biggest oil producers, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as key transit routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, which is known as the world’s most important “oil chokepoint.”

The US will try its best to avoid the worst-case scenario. Diplomatic efforts may convince Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela to increase their oil production to relieve its inflation pressure. But it needs to be reminded that given the past oil crises in the Middle East that caused great volatility in the global crude market, the psychological impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the crude market shouldn’t be underestimated. As long as the conflict remains unresolved, the impact will remain.

Also, since the Biden administration has already released several batches of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for the purpose of reining in high inflation, the remaining stocks may not be as sufficient as they were during previous oil crises. It is disturbing to think how few tools the US has left to affect inflation.

Can the Fed’s monetary policy withstand the test of this round of oil market volatility? If the Fed changes the pace of rate hikes because of the Middle East situation, then the risk of a US recession will increase significantly.

At that point, even the world economic recovery will face greater difficulties. That will also create more challenges for the Chinese economy, especially in terms of the spillover effect of US rate hikes and China’s cooperation with the Middle East. In this sense, essential preparations are needed for the potential shocks.

King Abdullah II of Jordan Orders Humanitarian Aid to Gaza; IDF Says “no”

World Hal Turner

King Abdullah II of Jordan, in coordination with the Egyptian Government, has reportedly ordered the Delivery of Humanitarian Aid to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Border Crossing.

However the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is continuing to state that any Supply Trucks that attempt to enter the Gaza Strip through Egypt will be Destroyed.

The government of Israel needs to remind it IDF that THEY do not make policy; the civilian government makes policy.   The government of Israel also needs to remind the IDF that THEY do not get to starve people to death, which, now that Israel has formally declared “War” would be a war crime.  A crime against Humanity.

Hal Turner Editorial Opinion: We all see and know the ferocious and horrifying situation that now exists in Israel with the ongoing war.  Israel absolutely, positively, has a right to defend itself and its people.   On this, there is no disagreement.  None.   At all.

Israel does NOT, however, get to throw out all the rules of war — or humanity — and starve 2.3 Million people to death in Gaza.  That’s not a tactic, that’s Genocide – and it is not allowed. Period. Full stop.

What were the worst two minutes of your life?

I was 20. I was going to college and working.

It was late one night after a summer rain. I came upon a light truck that had slid off the road and flipped.

I stopped and ran to the truck and found a 16 year old kid impaled on a fence post and bleeding out. He was dying and he knew it. He was crying, calling for his mother and saying I don’t want to die over and over.

I told him I was going for help and he said please don’t let me die alone. I stayed with that kid, held him as he died.

It really messed me up. The cops thought I was a victim too because I had his blood all over me.

The paramedics gave me a shot and took me to hospital. They told me that’s the only way I’d let him go. Maybe I thought if I’d hung onto him he’d be all right.

I’d never met the kid but I would have given my life if he could have lived.

They kept me in the hospital a few days. Cops and paramedics came to see me. We talked a lot. The first time you come across a scene like that is a horror. If you aren’t ready for it, it’ll mess you up. I went down the drain in a haze of booze and drugs.

I had a bad case of PTSD. Every time I closed my eyes, that kid was there. In his eyes was the plea don’t let me die and there was nothing I could do.

Six months later I was in rehab.

I worked with a shrink. For another six months. I haven’t had a drink or drug since.

The nightmares are rare now. I learned how fragile and precious life is and, how quickly that can change in a matter of seconds.

How did Amazon fail in China?

Thanks for the A2A.


Answer: The Chinese market and regulations were vastly different. Amazon’s business operations worldwide were essentially stripped downed clones of their American operations. In the early days (early 2000s), Amazon China either didn’t have the authority, or simply arrogance prevented them to adapt-and-improve to the local reality. By the time Amazon China wanted to adapt-and-improve in the early 2010s, it was already too late. AWS is a different case, thou.

Just give an example:

Amazon and eBay arrived on China’s e-commerce scene in its formative years in the early 2000s. Amazon and eBay started off with absolute dominance. However, in the early 2000s, e-commerce in China was tiny, especially outside B2B. One common obstacle was the lack of credit cards. Buyers had to submit payments via wire transfers from their nearest post offices. In case of a fraud, it was nearly impossible to recover the losses.

Then, Alibaba/Taobao, a minor player at the time, launched Alipay, an online payment escrow service. Very soon, Taobao wiped eBay out who also happened to be in online auction business.

Why did eBay or Amazon not preempt AliPal? After all, eBay owned PayPal.

There were a whole bunch of missed opportunities for Amazon China in the following years.

China is Decoupling From the US

Damn! This is great.

If there is one video that you MUST watch from start to finish, this is it!

Carl Zha talks to @TheRedPillDiariesOfficial about how the US attempt to decouple from China has actually led to China decoupling from the US which only results in more isolation of the West from the rest of the World. US money printing and financial sanctions also led to acceleration of de-dollarization in the rest of the world.

How did you get revenge on your boss?

I was the editor for a small daily newspaper in texas. I had four reporters and a photographer on my team.

Newspapers are notorious for not paying overtime, even though it is the law in most cases.

They forced the employees to work 50–60 hours a week and to turn in a 40-hour time card, so they got paid no overtime. The bad thing was, I was the one who had to tell them to work. The only option was to work without pay or get fired, and people needed a job so they stayed.

I secretly kept meticulous records. I had each employee fill out their real hours on a time card and give it to me. I took notes of every conversation.

I eventually got fired because a story that I didn’t know about didn’t get in the paper. Should not have been that big of a deal, but I was relieved.

My first order of business was to contact the labor board in the state. I gave them all the actual hours, and copies of the time cards the employees were forced to sign. Along with notes about conversations I had.

A few weeks later the paper was fined several thousand dollars, had to pay every employee, including me, backpay with overtime. The company fired my boss as well. That was a good piece of revenge

What are things men have to go through that women either do not understand or have empathy for?

Today, I took my dog to the dog park. It’s his favorite place in the world. I sat there and was watching him run around with the other dogs.

A young girl, maybe six years old, walked up to me. She said hi and asked if I wanted to see something.

I said “sure.” There were maybe six other adults there, so I knew I was somewhat protected by witnesses. She said she could “run as fast as a velociraptor.” It was really cute. She took off about 20 yards and ran back.

I said that was really cool and asked where she learned about velociraptors. She said “school.” I thought it was nice to hear a kid talk about something they learned in school.

I asked which school she goes to. But before she could answer, I stopped her. I interrupted “never mind. Don’t answer that.” I immediately got up and walked to another bench.


I don’t think most women could understand how nervous I was for that minute. I was terrified of being labeled, had she told her adult supervisor that I asked her that question.

I think any woman would feel perfectly comfortable having a conversation like that with a six year old boy. But no man is completely safe in a situation like that.

How do I respectfully and tactfully tell someone that I can’t split the bill at a restaurant when their portion is way more than mine?

I got caught once at a dinner out with people from work. I heard one check and thought we’ll we can do the math, and I ordered according to my means. I don’t drink alcohol, and watched evryone else had a pre-dinner cocktail, then several bottles of wine with dinner, plus they each ordered dessert. So I knew what I owed plus 20% of my own tab. But the lead of tne event, a little tipsy announces “let’s divide the check 11 ways”. I took a deep breath, and said but Mary Kate, I didn’t have any cocktails or wine, or dessert. I was surprised when a waiter stepped forward and supported that he kept jote that I had NOT had any of those extras. So therexwas silence and eye rolling, but I gave my amount including tip. Then they equally divided the rest. I saved myself 65.00. Tvwas awkward but I offered some folks rides home for free. I was never invited to another girls night out, but others did approach me at work quietly saying they didn’t drink more than one cocktail and felt stuck paying the big excess. So for the rest of my life I Che k before going out, how are we splitting the bill tonight? Then I can decline in advance. I’m not cheap, but careful with my money I work hard for, and when the money is to cover everyone else’s booze, no thanks.

UK Rail Thoughts

Expensive high speed railway farce of UK shows it isn’t a competitor to China

In the 19th century, Britain was the nation which invented the railway. The landmark invention of the steam engine, known as “Stephenson’s Rocket,” was a creation which revolutionized the world and became a pinnacle of building the modern, industrialized world, connecting nations and enabling trade like never before. It was through the genius of this innovation that Britain excelled against its competitors and established itself as a global empire, a scientific, technological and military giant which allowed it to dominate and subjugate countless countries, including China.

Yet, Britain today pales in comparison to its historical achievements, as it struggles to even muster the organization, funding and political will to build a second high speed railway. This project, known as High Speed 2 (HS2), has proven to be one of the most controversial, politically contested and expensive infrastructure projects in British history, with a report from Channel 4 stating its costs could spiral upward to 108 billion pounds ($131.6 billion). The railway was designed to connect Britain’s largest two cities, London and Birmingham, cutting transportation time to just an hour, but it was also envisioned to extend to other major cities including Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh, connecting all the economic centres of the country.

That isn’t happening. As the costs of construction continue to grow, and as the date of completion continues to get pushed back, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has lost the political will to pursue it and decided to effectively scrap the northern link, instead proposing to shoehorn the trains onto existing lines.

There are several factors which have contributed to this scaling back, but all are the government’s fault. This includes disastrous policy choices including full-throttle escalation of the war in Ukraine, which the government has devoted billions to, and the subsequent onslaught of inflation and economic stagnation, mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also more subtly, the government’s decision to, at the behest of the US, pursue an antagonistic foreign policy toward China against its national interests.

How are China and HS2 linked? First of all, at the end of 2019, the Boris Johnson government proposed to the press that China Railway Corp be used as the contractor for HS2. This was the most effective, reliable and cheapest option available. Not only would the project have been completed far earlier, but it would have also been far less expensive. The following year, Britain reset its foreign policy on China at the influence of the US, and the whole thing went out the window. With that policy shift, Britain began effectively sabotaging its own infrastructure development to suit US preferences. The costs of Britain banning Huawei from its 5G network, to take just one example, have been astronomical.

China’s high speed railway record speaks for itself. Meanwhile, Britain is struggling to connect just two major cities just 117 miles (188 kilometres) apart, China has built a comprehensive high speed railway network within the scope of just 15 years, which as of 2022, spans 42,000 kilometres and is still growing. It is possible to travel across the entire country in just seven hours from Shenzhen to Beijing. In 25 years, Britain has only managed to complete one high speed network (HS1), which is in fact a transnational route which goes to France, the Netherlands and Belgium, making it a joint collaboration rather than a distinctly “British” achievement.

The fundamental reason behind Britain’s failure to move ahead with high speed railway is that its infrastructure is a series of privately owned, for-profit franchises, without any subsidies, which substantially drives up the costs and also limits investment in the infrastructure simultaneously. Even without considering the High Speed Rail, the quality of British railways is astonishingly poor and behind most of its European counterparts. This model has also been bad for the workers, which has led to routine industrial action and strikes throughout the year of 2022-23, making services unreliable. This contrasts sharply to China’s state-led model of development which is superior to the British railway system in every single way.

This makes the comparison ironic given that Britain sees China as a “competitor” and a “threat to its economic security.” Britain is a stagnating, declining country while China is the world’s second largest economy, and rather than learning from China’s development successes and courting Chinese investment, the UK has made the bizarre choice to “cut its nose off to spite its face” and antagonise Beijing to suit US interests.

But what have they got to show for it? The answer is a single high speed rail route spanning into the cost of more than 100 billion pounds which has taken decades to build and has to be scaled back from its original plans. This is the country which invented the railway, but now finds itself falling behind at an alarming rate. This means shunning Chinese companies was one of the most expensive and short-sighted decisions taken by politicians in recent years, among many other things.

Saudi Arabia Rejects US, Gives $70 Billion Order To China!

“I like watching the US suffer it’s like seeing a bully get punished, it’s amazing.”

https://youtu.be/tEWQ61LaIkw

What was the most British thing anyone ever said?

My wife and I were walking with our youngest over the old bridge between Lichfield Cathedral and the market place. A lovely spring day. I’m British, my wife isn’t.

A young man came dashing past the end of the bridge, a police officer in hot pursuit. They both vanished from view rapidly.

We stopped to read the information board about the historic bridge. A few minutes later, the suspect and the copper came walking back, a little out of breath. We overheard their conversation.

Copper: “Sorry for running after you like that, mate. But you were running away.”

Suspect: “Yeah, sorry about that, mate. I shouldn’t have run, but I didn’t want to get caught.”

My wife stood open-jawed. I didn’t quite see why it was so unusual. I mean, just because they’re trying to arrest you doesn’t mean police officers should be rude or unsympathetic. Just because they may have done something the law may forbid doesn’t mean someone has to be abusive.

We continued to eavesdrop.

Copper, leading suspect to a park bench, where they both sat down, “Are you ready to give me your name and address, or do you want a bit of a breather first?”

Suspect, “You don’t have a cigarette, do you?”

Copper, pulling a packet of fags from his breast pocket and handing it to the suspect, “Here you go.”

As he lit the man’s cigarette, the police van arrived. Copper: “Just finish your smoke and we’ll finish the details at the station.”

I told my wife there was a good chance the cop didnt smoke, but kept a handy packet to help put people at ease.

She’s told friends and family in several countries about that. It is, she says, absolutely the most British thing she’s witnessed: a cop apologising for arresting someone who apologised for trying to run away.

If this story has failed to entertain or amuse, all I can say is sorry. And what could be more British than that?

What are the biggest lessons you have learned in the corporate world?

Going Anonymous, because most of my colleagues are my followers and vice-versa.

I’m a male professional. I have had only 2+ years of experience in one of the fortune 500 companies.

Sharing my top 6 learning so far, being honest:)

1. To ensure that your peers, immediate supervisor, or your manager don’t take your effort and time for granted.

2. I have learnt to document, I mean, putting everything on emails, which is a must!! Trust, team work, and other fancy words come next. This is one of the most important lessons I have learnt, after many betrayals from my peers.

3. Don’t expect your supervisor or lead to talk for you, say for example: nominating you for awards or acknowledging your efforts in front of the team. Instead, if you really expect awards,remember you have tongue!

4. I have good relationship with many female co-workers. But, if something goes wrong, say for example an argument regarding work or something. If they want to take it further and make your life miserable, you’ll be the victim for sure, trust me.

5. Whenever I have had discussions with my manager, I have gotten very angry because of her bad review comments. FYI, I have not received any negating feedback from the stakeholders (Also, not any appreciation) . But, after each discussion, I have worked on my skills and added them to my resume. Remember, at last, only that matters is what is in it for you and am hoping to get a new job with a good hike.

6. Don’t show that you badly want to be in the job, although you have debts to pay, pretend to be confident. Otherwise, you’ll end up doing loads of work, which you are not supposed to do.

Rich Men North Of Richmond [ @TheMarineRapper Remix]

Nice remix.

UKRAINE SOLD WEAPONS TO HAMAS – USED AGAINST ISRAEL

World Hal Turner

During the intense fighting which broke out yesterday between HAMAS and Israel, astonishing things took place.  Despite the most advanced intelligence and surveillance systems in the world, Palestinians allegedly broke through into Israel — somehow un-noticed by all the surveillance gear.

One Israeli Border Guard told me “Our systems could see if a Bird was flying-in; yet authorities would have us believe they couldn’t see dozens of Palestinians on motorized para-gliders in the air?  It’s simply not possible.  They let this happen on purpose.”

Another Israeli told me “MOSSAD knows when these people, HAMAS, take a dump in the bathroom, yet we’re supposed to believe MOSSAD had no idea this gigantic operation was being planned?”

Israel has the best intelligence on its neighbors of any nation on earth. Israel has lots of “assets” embedded in these various “terrorist” organizations, as well as SIGINT (including U.S. satellite data) which allows Israel to always have a finger on the pulse of these organizations.

There is no way in hell that a coordinated, major attack involving about 1,000 Hamas fighters, sea-based/ land-based/ aerial attacks could have been planned, coordinated, and executed without Israeli intelligence getting wind of it. 0% chance.

Others had similar statements of anger and disbelief.  One IDF soldier who saw Palestinians use a Drone to destroy an Israeli Merkava Tank said “Where did the Palestinians get drones with armor-piercing explosives?  That technology is being used in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.  How did it suddenly appear here, in Israel?” 

Other IDF soldiers pointed to Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) being used against Israeli Security Forces.  He said “These are weapons being seen on the Ukraine battlefields, how did they get into the Gaza Strip?”

Then, in the midst of the fighting, this video came out: HAMAS thanking Ukraine for selling them weapons to be used against Israel:

The most raging questions had to do with alleged “electronic jamming” that was said to have taken place as the Palestinians with para-gliders flew across the border into Israel.  According to numerous sources on both sides, “electronic warfare” technology was allegedly used to jam Israeli radar and other surveillance gear.  Said one Israeli “Only the Russians have gear to carry out such effective jamming – how did the Palestinians get it?”

That seems to be the most burning question right now since videos are also out showing armed Palestinian fighters para-glding into a massive “RAVE” party inside Israel:

The answers all see to point to yesterday’s outbreak of violence as “payback” to Israel, from Russia, over Israel’s support of Ukraine, and over Israel’s supplying of weapons and technology to Azerbaijan, which used it against Armenia again over the past two weeks, to seize Nagorno-Karaback and send 100,000 Armenians fleeing for their lives.

If this conclusion about Russia is correct, then one might ask, how much farther all this fighting in Israel may go?  Will Israel still exist when this is over?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

One official with whom I spoke overnight told me “Israel is suffering from Desertification of its land; the ground water table is receding 25 meters a year and soon, there won’t be enough arable land to support the continued existence of Israel.  But . . . quite coincidentally . . . there is now rich, arable land, in the center of Europe, where half its population has either fled or been killed, that would suit a relocation of Israel:   Ukraine.   Maybe they’ll all move there.” 

Gee.  What a coincidence.

As for those asking “Why are the Palestinians so violent towards Israel?”  the answer has been on maps for years, right in front of everyone’s eyes.  Below is the reality from the time “Israel” was created in 1949, until today.   The White areas are “Israel” and the Green are “Palestinian.”  Look at what has happened to the Palestinians in their own land, since 1949:

The Palestinians have been systematically purged from their land, their homes, and their freedom.   THAT is the root of this hatred.  It’s not going away.

They never show you this map on the news. That’s because it provides the crucial context necessary to anyone wanting to understand the Israel/Palestine situation.

How do I become very successful in my early twenties?

A young man with mental health problems just walked into the coffee shop while I was writing on Quora.

He’s strong and looks normal, but he can’t stop talking to himself.

He’s talking continuously to himself, and every few steps he takes, he does a quick ‘Michael-Jackson-turn’ and then continues walking forward.

Witnessing this individual with no self control helped me not only to feel grateful but also helped give me the answer to this question.

I have written several times about my own mind-battles. I’ve always struggled with ADD and possibly dyslexia. The consequences of this “lack of brain control” made me a terrible student academically.

Failing classes at school killed my self-confidence. These struggles shaped my childhood.

So, where am I going with all of this?

There’s a hidden secret to success, but it demands an open mind to understand it and humility to implement it.


So, to answer your question, how can you become very successful in your early twenties?

I could answer this with a huge list of “best practices,” but as I’ve learned NONE of those work if you don’t first master yourself.

What do I mean?

Some examples:

  • Are YOU in control of yourself, or are your fears controlling you?
  • Are YOU in control of your life, or is your need to please other people controlling you?
  • Do you know your strengths and your weaknesses, or are you hiding and ignoring your weaknesses with distractions or numbing addictions?
  • Do you struggle with depression, anxieties or other emotional issues?

But hold on!

Remember what I said before?

There’s a hidden secret to success which demands an OPEN mind to understand, and HUMILITY to implement it.”

Open: Learn to listen!

Humility: Stop hiding and being defensive!

That’s the fastest road to success!

It wasn’t until I stopped running and hiding who I really was that change started to happen in my life. Over the years, I had developed the strength to fit into this competitive world, but I was fooling myself, not everyone else.

Maturing and accepting who I was, and starting to work on those strengths and weaknesses is when I started to grow to my fullest potential!

There’s still a long journey ahead…


Whether we recognize it or not, we’re all imperfect human beings. There’s NO person on earth who doesn’t struggle with some kind of mental/emotional issue.

Well, excuse me… except you!

If you are or feel “perfect,” go on and keep doing what you’re doing… good luck!

For those of us who have been humbled by the battlefield of life, this is your way to success:

Self-Awareness is your best friend!


Like a wild horse — you may be the fastest “horse” in the world, but if you are not ‘tamed’ you will NEVER win the race!

The Uncomfortable Study That Ended Affirmative Action | 𝘋𝘳. 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸

Interesting stuff. I remember reading a few years ago about some other work this professor was involved in. It had to do with the etymological implications of contemporary media figures and their pseudonyms, and ended up concluding that Destiny was a woman’s name.

How would a 1950s-style American cheeseburger and fries stand up to todays? Were the milkshakes real back then?

My Father, Grandfather and Uncle were partners in a restaurant business in the 1950–70’s. This was before fast food existed. My grandfather had started teaching me how to cook when I was 4-5 years old. This is around 1960. When I was 10, I started going there on Sunday and did some bits of work. A year or two later I was working there evenings and weekends, peeling potatoes and making fries, food prep, waiting tables, washing dishes and floors.

I learned how to make milkshakes and all the desserts. Milkshakes were one scoop of ice cream, fill to the line in the metal cup with homogenized milk (no 2% in those days) and two squirts of syrup. The ice cream flavor and the syrup matched the flavor the customer ordered. We had Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla and that was typical of the selection in those days. The contents of the metal cup was usually larger than the glass that we served it in, so after we filled the glass, we took both the glass and the remaining in the metal cup to the customer’s table.

I also cooked and ate hamburgers regularly. My father ground the meat and he put some seasoning and egg into the mixture. When he was done, we manually made balls of meat, flattened them into hamburger size and put them in a stack, first a burger, then a small sheet of wax paper. I think the size was about 7 inches diameter and 1/4 inch thick. These would shrink when cooked to about 5 inches diameter and 1/2 inch thick. We put these stacks of burgers in the freezer. Each time someone ordered a burger, we would take one out and fry it up. The buns were simple buns like hamburger buns you’d buy at the grocers. I think the meat tasted much better than any fast food we have today. It tasted like a hamburger you’d buy in a good restaurant, you could taste the meat. The cheese was also real cheese, not the processed stuff you have today. It came with a slice of onion and tomato, 2 slices of real bacon was extra. Condiments were mustard, relish and ketchup.

Historically, what are some of the strangest and most absurd military plans that actually worked?

I think this has got to be the story of the Dutch minesweeper HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen. It was 1941, when the Japanese suddenly attacked Dutch East Indies, as well as other colonies in southeast Asia. The minesweeper found itself suddenly in danger of the sophisticated Japanese aircraft and patrolling ships.

The remaining Dutch Navy was ordered to link up with the Australian navy, but Abraham Crijnssen was stuck all alone in Indonesia, armed with a single 76mm gun turret and two 20mm auto cannons. It had no chance to fight off really anything. So the crew decided to camouflage the entire ship, as an island. They cut down a bunch of jungle foliage, and painted what they couldn’t cover as sand or rock.

They only sailed at night, because during the day, the water ripples would have been visible from the air. During the day they simply anchored close to shore appearing as a small island – one of many along the Indonesian shore.

She arrived in Australia in March 1942, without being detected by the Japanese.

Iran President warns Israel against warmongering

October 8, 2023 – 23:24

TEHRAN – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned the Israeli regime against making warmongering steps, saying that equations in the region have changed.

President Raisi also spoke over the phone with Esmail Haniyeh, the chief of Hamas political bureau, and Ziyad Nakhala, the secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad Movement.

The Iranian president also issued a message on the situation in Palestine. He welcomed the Palestinian operation against the Zionist regime of Israel, saying that the operation frightened and startled the world of oppression.

He said the Palestinians took the initiative and showed that the steely determination prevails over all kinds of weaponry.

The Iranian president underlined that the Islamic Republic of Iran invites all the world to observe the truth that the accumulation of oppression and injustice against the Palestinian people, the continuation of insults to the women and prisoners, and sacrilege to Al-Aqsa Mosque cannot last forever and will be met with resistance by nations.

“Undoubtedly, the Zionist regime and its supporters are responsible for endangering the security of the nations of the region and must be held accountable. The Islamic Republic defends the legitimate defense of the Palestinian nation,” he said, according to IRNA.

Raisi asserted, “The honor of the nations is not obtained in reconciliation with oppression; And it is impossible to normalize the captivity of the free nation of Palestine.”

President Raisi also asked the Muslim governments to join the Islamic Ummah in supporting the Palestinian nation honestly.

Underlining that belligerence is detrimental to the Zionists, Raisi warned, “The Zionist enemy should also know that the equation has changed; Warmongering is detrimental to the Zionists. The Palestinian nation is the winner of this field.”

Palestinian attack turned the collapse nightmare into certainty: General

A senior Iranian general has said that the Saturday attack by Palestinian resistance groups against Israel turned the nightmare of collapse of Israel into a reality for the leaders of the Israeli regime.

In a message about the Palestinian attack, General Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of joint staff of Iran’s armed forces, said, “Al-Aqsa Storm turned the nightmare of collapse of the Zionist regime into a certainty for the leaders of this regime, and proved that some desperate efforts like the normalization charade will not be able to slow down or postpone the process of the decline and collapse of the spider web.”

General Bagheri was referring the Palestinian attack, code-named Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, which caught the Israeli regime off guard.

The Iranian general described the operation as “hybrid and proud” that took down the false redoubtable image and power of the occupying regime of Israel.

“The Palestinian resistance fighters, in this surprise operation that they prepared from the air, sea and land against the positions of the Zionist army, brought to the fore brilliant scenes of the resistance and standing of a suffering and oppressed nation,” General Bagheri said in the message.

He added, “A nation that, after several decades of imposed oppression, now with the support of the young motivated generation relying on Islam and under the shadow of trust in the divine promise, has achieved such a power that it has astonished the analysts and military strategists of the world.”

He pointed out that at some point, the defenseless nation of Palestine used to defend themselves with stones, but today they reached a point where they are able to pull off complex hybrid operations using thousands of rockets and missiles to denigrate the Israeli missile defense system Iron Dome.

“These defense weapons, when combined with the spirit of martyrdom of motivated Palestinian youth, produce such a power that it brings the Zionist regime to a collapse like a devastating deluge,” the Iranian general said.
He said, “The stormy movement of the Al-Aqsa Storm is the product of the holy anger that the Zionist enemy has planted in the oppressed Palestinian nation and must now reap.”

General Bagheri congratulated the Palestinian resistance fighters on their “proud victory,” expressing hope that the Al-Aqsa Mosque will soon be liberated from Israeli captivity.

“It is a divine promise that oppression won’t last long and the will of the oppressed people of Palestine will defeat the oppressors,” he concluded.

Spontaneous” move.

Iran has said that the Palestinian operation against Israel is a “spontaneous” move.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani reacted to the current developments in occupied Palestine and the attack by the Palestinian resistance groups against the Zionist occupiers, saying Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was a spontaneous move by the resistance groups and the oppressed Palestinian people in defense of their inalienable and undeniable rights.

He added that the operation was the Palestinians’ natural reaction to the war-mongering, provocative and incendiary policies of the Zionists, especially the usurping regime’s extremist and adventurous prime minister, according to a statement by the Iranian foreign ministry.

Kanaani said the oppressed Palestinian people’s inalienable right to defend themselves, their land and their sanctities against occupation, aggression, daily violations and organized terror on part of the Zionist regime is a natural and legitimate right in line with all recognized international standards and the fundamental principles of international law.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman added that on the one hand, the continuation of the desecration of Islam’s holy sites and the first Qibla of Muslims by extremist and racist Zionists in recent months and weeks, and the persistence of the Zionist regime’s policy of killing, committing crimes and doing acts of aggression against the oppressed Palestinian people, especially women, children and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails amid the silence and inaction of the international community and the fake human rights defenders have left the Palestinian nation and resistance no way but to resist and rely on their inherent strength in the face of the Zionists.

Kanani noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms the inherent and legal right of Palestinians to defend themselves vis-à-vis the crimes of the usurpers of Palestine that have been going on for 75 years. He said Iran also holds the Zionist occupiers and its supporters responsible for the continuation and escalation of violence and atrocities against the Palestinians. He underlined that Iran calls on Muslim countries to support al-Aqsa Mosque and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

Small portion of Resistance Power

Ali Akbar Velayati, the secretary general of the global assembly of Islamic awakening, has reacted to the Palestinian operation against Israel, saying that the operation showed only small portion of the power accumulated by the Resistance Axis.

In a message to Esmail Haniyeh, the chief of Hamas political bureau, and Ziyad Nakhala, the secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Velayati hailed the Palestinian operation against the military positions of the Israeli regime.

He said that the photos coming out of the operation showed a great conquest that startled and astonished the enemies and stratified Muslims all over the world, especially in the West Asia region.

“The era of domination and tyranny of the Zionist terrorist regime is over and what is happening today in the occupied territories is a small manifestation of the accumulated power and authority of the Islamic Resistance Front in Palestine,” Velayati said.

He added, “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, which is a response to the ongoing crimes of the Zionist regime in the occupied territories, will definitely fundamentally change the balance of power in the occupied Palestine and will put the Zionist regime in a more vulnerable position.”

He noted, “This victorious operation, which will definitely facilitate and accelerate the collapse of the Zionist regime, promises the impending destruction of the Zionist regime.”

Velayati also said that “this great and strategic victory is a serious warning” to all those who seek to normalize relations with Israel.

Iran FM speaks with Turkish counterpart

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian spoke with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, about the situation in Palestine.

The reviewed the situation in Palestine and underlined the importance of respecting the rights of the Palestinian people.

In this call, Amir Abdollahian called the resistance movement spontaneous and the result of the continuous crimes of the Zionist regime against Palestine, according to a separate statement by the Iranian foreign ministry.

The Iranian foreign ministry emphasized the necessity of solidarity and cohesion of Islamic countries in supporting the Holy Quds and supporting the oppressed and resistant Palestinian nation.

New rules for war

A member of the Political Council of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement hailed the Palestinian forces’ recent military operation against Israel as a monumental milestone that has defined new regulations on the struggle with the Israeli enemy.

In an interview with Tasnim, Mahmoud Qamati paid tribute to the Hamas fighters for their bravery after launching the Al-Aqsa Storm operation against the Zionist regime outside the Gaza Strip.

“Today, we are witnessing a new chapter, a qualitative leap, a military upheaval, and a change in the war patterns and in the rules of military battle against the Zionist enemy,” he said.

Hailing the Palestinian resistance forces for “stabilizing their military power” by infiltrating into the Zionist settlements and the areas occupied by the Israeli regime, Qamati said the major development has marked a new, monumental and historical model in the history of confrontation with the Zionist enemy.

The Zionist regime’s army is neither capable of defense nor offense, is absent in the battlefield, and has practically fallen into a state of passiveness, the Hezbollah official stated, noting that the Zionist settlers are in panic because there is no army to take care of them.

Qamati also said the unprecedented surprise operation by the Palestinian forces has dealt a crushing blow not only to Israel, but also to the United States and the West, the staunch supporters of the Zionist regime.

Why don’t Chinese people use chopsticks made of steel? It would save lots of trees. Are there forks, knives, and spoons in China?

What’s this 1942?

Today less than 6% Chopsticks in China are made of wood and bamboo

Plastic Chopsticks are most commonly used and form around 53% of Chopsticks used in China

Stainless Steel Chopsticks come next. Around 24% of Chopsticks in China are Stainless Steel

Porcelain Chopsticks are typically used in Chinese Homes and upscale restaurants and form around 17% of the Chopsticks used in China

‘Others’ count for a mere 6% and that includes Wood, Bamboo, Jade and a variety of other materials


Another fun fact

Almost 70% Wooden Chopsticks made in China are EXPORTED

Guess who uses them?

J A P A N

Japanese use almost 37% wooden Chopsticks

Texas Tra$h

2023 11 04 10 32
2023 11 04 10 32

Yield: 9 cups

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 cups Rice Chex
  • 2 cups Wheat Chex
  • 4 ounces shoestring potatoes
  • 2 cups pretzel sticks
  • 1 cup salted nuts

Instructions

  1. Combine butter, Worcestershire sauce, salt and garlic powder. Blend well in skillet.
  2. Add remaining ingredients.
  3. Put into a baking dish.
  4. Bake at 250 degrees F for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Col Douglas Macgregor – “Their Army Is No More!…”

https://youtu.be/on6cgx-QQ1c

What major mistake did the Confederates make to lose the war?

The Union made a number of unforced errors that drastically prolonged the war and still won anyway. The Confederacy did surprisingly well and still lost anyway. That should tell you everything you need to know.

Seriously, no bullshit, the South had no path to victory from the start. An impoverished, agrarian nation with poor logistics declaring war on a far more industrialized, cohesive nation just starting to come into its own as an industrial power? Here’s your sign.

From the South’s perspective, the only winning move was not to play. The moment they commenced hostilities (and boy, the way they commenced hostilities was a barrel full of stupid), the end was preordained. They had this weird idea that Europe, who they believe could not survive without their textiles, would intervene on their behalf, and that’s a miscalculation you could write entire books about.

Turns out the English hated slavery more than they loved cheap cotton, much to the surprise of folks who basically made white supremacy into their equivalent of a state religion, and without a patron it wasn’t whether the South would lose, but when.

All of this should have been obvious. But like one of my high school teachers said, though he didn’t put it quite this succinctly: Slavery makes you lazy, and racism makes you stupid. (He contended that laziness and stupidity, directly traceable to the institution of chattel slavery, still persist in the South to this day.)

Americans get poorer as Washington throws cash at Ukraine and migrants

US families are undergoing a third-straight year of falling income, but politicians think taxpayer money is better spent elsewhere

As Uncle Sam continues to pump billions of dollars into Kiev’s flagging fight against Russia and provide tempting handouts to illegal migrants, why is the average American worker forced to live paycheck to paycheck?

Here’s a question that most people have considered at least once in their lives, and probably a lot recently: How much annual income would you need to feel financially secure? For the average American, the magic number comes out to be $233,000 a year, according to a survey by Bankrate.

To bring the ’99 percent’ back down to Earth, the US Census Bureau released some sobering data that dashed those elusive six-digit dreams. Inflation-adjusted median household income fell to $74,580 in 2022 – a 2.3% decline from the 2021 average of $76,330. This marks the third-straight annual decrease since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, taking a wrecking ball to the heart of the economy.

The bad news doesn’t end there for US consumers, who are now struggling with the consequences of a foreign conflict in a distant land and a wide-open border. Those factors have prompted the cost of living to surge higher than it has in over four decades amid runaway inflation. In June 2022, the year-over-year inflation rate, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, hit a jaw-dropping 9.1%, the highest it’s been since the administration of former President Ronald Reagan.

A significant reason for the increase in inflation happened on March 3, 2022, when President Joe Biden signed an executive order to ban the import of Russian oil, liquefied natural gas, and coal to the US. This decision has had disastrous results for the local economy. Since Biden’s inauguration, the cost of gasoline alone had jumped at one point by 100% (as of September 27, the average price of regular gas was $3.832 per gallon, according to the AAA , while gas prices were an average of $2.3 per gallon when Biden entered office), forcing just about everything else to skyrocket, including the number of poor people.

The poverty rate in the US exploded last year, the first increase in 13 years, according to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the rate was 12.4%, up 4.6 percentage points from 2021, according to the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), a method for tallying government welfare programs and tax credits designed to assist low-income families.

Meanwhile, the Expectations Index, determined by consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions, sunk to 73.7 in September. That follows a drop to 83.3 in August. The worrisome part is that an Expectations Index below 80 generally indicates an impending recession.

An economic tragedy is already quietly happening for millions of American consumers who are now living paycheck to paycheck precariously and who have been forced to use the payment method of last resort to make ends meet: the almighty credit card, with its exorbitant interest fees. On this score, the US economy has broken yet another record, although not in a way that could be considered something to cheer about.

US credit card debt rose by $45 billion to $1.03 trillion in the second quarter from the first quarter, a 4.6% quarterly increase,” The Street reported . “It’s the first time in US history that household credit card balances topped the $1 trillion mark as the number of credit card accounts expanded by 5.48 million to 578.35 million in the quarter.” When consumer debt suddenly equals the amount the US spends on its military-industrial complex, you know there’s a problem.

Clearly, the US has some serious domestic issues that need to be resolved, but instead, it would rather fund a totally senseless proxy war against a nuclear power halfway around the world.

Washington has given Ukraine close to $100 billion in aid, with more in the pipeline, since Moscow launched its military operation in February 2022. The cash, however, has not only been used to fund Ukraine’s military. Billions of dollars have subsidized participants of the Ukrainian economy, like farmers and small business owners, market players whose counterparts in the US desperately need help, too. A recent study conducted by the Council on Foreign Relations shows that more than $30 billion – around 40% of total US aid to Ukraine as of July 31 – has been financial or humanitarian assistance that is not directly connected to military support. Military funding comes out to around $50 billion.

As if that were not enough, the Biden administration continues to welcome illegal migrants at a price that is more than what is being spent fighting a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. Yes, you read that right; the annual cost of providing care for the millions of illegal migrants entering the US is $150.7 billion, according to the Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers (FAIR).

In August, US Border Patrol recorded 232,972 migrant encounters along the southwestern border, a jump from 183,494 in July. The number of crossings for September is predicted to be higher than the previous month.

So here we have two concurrent events – a disastrous military conflict in Ukraine and a leaky US border – that are sucking away precious funds from the American taxpayer. It’s important to note that the king’s ransom that is being handed over to support these deranged Democratic agendas will never be returned, not in our lifetime. Instead, it will just be added to the unsustainable US national debt load, which is currently at $33 trillion, according to the US Debt Clock . That is an astronomical sum of money that we or future generations will someday be forced to deal with, and probably sooner rather than later.

What American citizen could possibly believe that any of this government funding has been a good investment for the American people? Well, they’re representatives in Washington, DC, for one. In May, ‘conservative’ US Senator Lindsey Graham, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev, pronounced joyfully that “the Russians are dying” and aid to Ukraine is “the best money we’ve ever spent.” Aside from discounting the chances that such an “investment” could have towards unleashing World War III, Graham never thought for a second that such funds could have gone far at rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure, like that non-existent wall on the US-Mexico border. It would have been a wonderful work program for the US economy.

In short, it’s just another day in the discombobulated American empire, which, much like its ancient Roman precursor, could learn the lesson of overexpansion and overspending in the most brutal way imaginable – with its total and complete dissolution.

Israel long war. Saudi-US deal in jeopardy. Breaking BRICS+. $100B to Ukraine, one-and-done. U/1

Tits up in American Samoa

Today I want to relate the events leading to why my wife and I left American Samoa.

American Samoa is an American territory in the South Pacific. It is a very beautiful island, but is way off the shipping lanes, and is really difficult to get to, thus it is not really a tourist destination.

American Samoa
American Samoa

I had an opportunity to build a hospital there.

Anyways, the social and societal organization there is very, very different from what I, as an American, realized.

Here’s a short recap.

  • Families are in the wife’s name.
  • Ownership is by the wife, the men own nothing.
  • Each village has a “pecking order” of hierarchy, all woman led.
  • If the leading female in a village dies, the next ranking female takes over.

Now, my “Boss” was a man in the leading family in the local village. And he provided me an apartment to live in and a car.

Pago Pago harbour utulei south american samoa 1
Pago Pago harbour utulei south american samoa 1

Then one day, there was a death in the village and the leading woman died.

Immediately, the next week was a reshuffle of power, and ownership changed hands. My “boss” was no longer in control.

We lost our apartment, and our car, and had to find a place to live. And it sucked!

No answers, but my “boss” gave me a place for free. He told me where to go, and later on that day I went to see it.

Ugh!

It was a open-air cinder-block room beneath a backyard chicken-coop/garage. And seriously, I wouldn’t even consider to have my dogs live there. No windows. Just an open square. The “door” was a piece of plywood with a hasp. The “bed” was a ancient well-worn hospital bed. One electrical outlet, and a century old fan.

Mold everywhere.

Moist. Damp. Dirty. Filty.

Something like this…

341D35D800000578 0 image a 72 1463138700608
341D35D800000578 0 image a 72 1463138700608

I looked around. Said “nope”.

She started to go to the building. I sad NO!

My wife who was trailing me as I entered the hovel was confused. But I spun her around. There was no way in Hell would I subject her to the indignity that I had just been exposed to.

I just left from the site, hopped in the car. Told my wife “we are leaving”, and then made the necessary arrangements.

We were out of there within 24 hours.

Do not; never expect the same levels of social norms, respect or allowances that you have grown up with. You might end up with one Hell of a surprise.

This was a “close one”, for once trapped there, we might never had gotten the opportunity to leave.

Today.

How was the Chinese Communist Party able to control the army and ensure that it would not carry out any military coup?

Sanwan’s adaptation (1937), Mao’s purge of “three gulfs” after the Boxer uprising

After the failure of the Autumn Harvest Uprising, Mao Zedong led the remnants of the army to the south, retreating towards the Xiang-Gan border. After the clear transfer to the Jing-Gang Mountain area, the troops arrived at the village of Sanwan, Yong-Xin County, Jiangxi Province on 29th September, 1927, when the commanding group of the Front Committee at that time decided to integrate the remnants of the army.

At the time of integration, there were less than 1,000 troops left in the remnants of the army, and there was no CPC organisation at the grassroots level of the army, so the army’s culture was no different from that of the warlords’ troops, and the soldiers’ ideology was chaotic, and they did not have any absolute sense of affiliation to the CPC.

The contents of the integration included the following:

  • Dispatch some of those who did not want to stay in the army, reduce the army to one regiment and rename it as the First Regiment of the First Division of the First Army of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army;
  • Establishing CPC party organisations in the troops, so that there were company branches (CPC party branches were built on the company), battalion and regiment party committees, and CPC party representatives above the company level;
  • To stipulate that officers and chiefs should not beat up soldiers, that officers and soldiers should be treated equally, and to establish soldiers’ committees to take part in the management of the unit and to assist in political and mass work. The troops were united under the leadership of the CPC Front Enemy Committee, of which Mao Zedong was the secretary, and a democratic system was carried out internally.

The Sanwan’s adaptation clarified the absolute leadership of the CPC over the army, and at the same time became a guarantee of the CPC’s armed seizure of power.

https://www.laitimes.com/en/article/61whs_6ia97.html

A PLA tradition: the democratic life meeting.

Within the PLA, officers and enlisted men are completely equal, and at company meetings, ordinary soldiers criticise their officers, who are mortified.

In the U.S. Army, it is unthinkable for the average soldier to criticise his commanding officer.


KMT army vs. CPC army in the Chinese Civil War:

1. The American-backed KMT army of Chiang Kai-shek was entirely a warlord army.

In the case of Chiang Kai-shek’s direct subordinate Hu Zongnan’s Seventh Corps, for example, some of the KMT officers mistreated and brutalised their soldiers to an appalling degree, as reflected by the regiment’s insurgent officers and soldiers:

  • its 430 regiment’s deputy battalion commander Chen × × when the machine company commander, soldier Liu Yanchun desertion was captured back, Chen × × Liu Yanchun hung up and beaten to death, the body was thrown into the field to feed the dogs, and then cut off the ears of the dead, hanging on the wall, and then gathered the company announced: “You see what this is? Whoever escapes again in the future will be dealt with in this way”.
  • its 351st regiment soldier Yue Quanfu disclosed: he was 16 years old, was captured by the head of the security force, the village with him at the same time to be captured as a soldier of 10 people. The 10 people, two were shot, one was beaten to death and fell off a cliff, and one was flayed alive by an officer because he didn’t ask for leave to relieve himself!
  • its 473rd regiment deputy battalion commander Wang × × pick up new recruits, met a few sick people can not walk, so they deceived them and said: “Who can not walk, say, I let you go home”. Four soldiers just turned their heads to go back, was called by Wang × ×, he let the four sick kneel on the edge of a cliff four or five feet high, copied a stick, a stick one, all beat them to the bottom of the ditch, then, long gone.
  • Its 158th Division officer Deng x x revealed that when he was a platoon leader, he once followed the mortar company commander to Sichuan to pick up new recruits, and saw with his own eyes that this company commander killed more than 20 recruits who deserted. Most of them were killed with guillotines, and others were killed by “splitting the bodies of five horses”. When one of the recruits ran away, he led men to the recruit’s house to catch him, and when he didn’t catch him, he set fire to the recruit’s house. Another time, when he failed to catch a deserter, he ordered four soldiers to carry the deserter’s family and put them on fire until they were burned to death.
  • Zhu x, chief of staff of his 55th Division, once ordered the commander of the company directly under him to “bury alive any soldier who makes a mistake”. This man once dug out a soldier’s heart on the spot during a punishment and hung two large bunches of them. Soldiers revealed that “he dug out the hearts of many soldiers”.
  • 349 regiment 2 battalion platoon commander Shi × × to sodomise a soldier, was rejected by the soldier, Shi × × even get a carrot to the soldier’s anus hard stuffing!
  • A division of a deputy division commander is a big sex maniac, his subordinates in the past only know that he often use his authority to force sodomy subordinates, who knows, through the denunciation of the revelation, by his sodomy of the subordinates was as many as 89 people, the anger of the uprising of the officers and soldiers have demanded that the deputy division commander’s crotch penis will be cut off!
  • According to statistics, of the 2,451 soldiers in the 144th Nationalist Division, 107 soldiers’ mothers were raped by their officers, 21 soldiers’ mothers were abused by their officers, and 185 soldiers’ mothers were forced to remarry; 57 soldiers’ wives were raped by their officers, 53 soldiers’ wives were abused by their officers, and 93 soldiers’ wives were forced to remarry; 159 soldiers’ sisters were raped and abused by their officers, and 175 soldiers’ sisters-in-law were raped and abused by their officers, and were forced to remarry; and a total of 850 soldiers’ mothers, sisters, and sisters-in-law were raped, abused, and forced to remarry by their officers.
  • Of the 2,451 soldiers in the division, 345 were hung up and beaten by officers, 289 were tied up and beaten by officers, 1,238 were clubbed by officers, 13 were stabbed with bayonets, 677 were beaten with rifle butts by officers, 1,362 were slapped by officers, 945 were beaten with belts by officers, 991 were kicked by officers, 53 were beaten to death, 20 were beaten to vomit blood, 22 were crippled, 1,298 were made to kneel, 535 were made to freeze, 1298 were made to dry in the sun, and 53 were made to faint. The number of people who were beaten to death by officers was 53, 20 were beaten by officers and spat out blood, 22 were beaten and crippled by officers, 1,298 were punished to kneel by officers, 535 were punished to freeze outside by officers, 128 were punished to be exposed to the sun, 1,302 were punished to starve by officers, one was punished to drink urine by an officer, one was punished to eat an officer’s sputum by an officer, 33 were shot and buried alive by officers, and one was shot and buried alive by an officer, but not dead. 33 people, 24 people buried alive by officers ……
image 117
image 117
image 118
image 118
image 119
image 119

You tell me, how does such a warlord army get the support of its soldiers? How can such a warlord army gain the support of the Chinese people?

If this reactionary, inhumane Kuomintang army can win the Chinese Civil War, it will not be unless the days and nights are turned upside down and the Pacific Ocean dries up!

2. Mao’s army was an army of equal officers and soldiers.

First, on the way to catch up with the enemy. Mao Zedong asked CPC officers to grasp the ideological education of captured soldiers and new recruits.

For example: Mao Zedong knew that most of the captured Nationalist soldiers were from poor families, some of them were forced to be arrested by the Nationalists, some of them were here for money, and they had no idea why they were fighting the war. In response to this background of origin of the captured soldiers, CPC officers were required to provide one-on-one ideological education to recruits and captured soldiers.

CPC officers talked to the recruits and captive soldiers on foot and when they had the opportunity, talking about their family history and finally blaming it on the KMT, which was caused by the exploitation of the poor by the landlords and rich peasants they supported. If the KMT’s Chiang Kai-shek continued to exist, the poor would never be able to turn over a new leaf and would have to live in poverty for generations.

Every day, CPC officers had to report to the CPC Party Leader on the ideological work they had done with the masses, the reaction of the masses, and the ideological sentiments of the masses, before accepting the task for the next day’s work. The CPC party group leader then reports to the CPC party branch, and the CPC party branch then reports to the CPC party committee. The ideological situation of the fighters was firmly in the hands of the CPC Party leaders.

The thoughts of the captured soldiers were quickly transformed through the ideological education of the CPC officers.

Secondly, during the march of the army, the CPC officers set an example by carrying the luggage of the captured soldiers and new recruits. When resting at the end of the line, the CPC officers burned foot-washing water for the captives and recruits, and cooked food for the sick for those who were not in good health, so the CPC officers really treated the captives and recruits as their own brothers.

Thirdly, the captive soldiers also saw that the officers and soldiers in PLA were united, all of them had no salary, ate, wore and slept together without any special treatment, united with each other, and took care of each other as if they were brothers, like a big family.

Fourthly, in order to comfort the KMT captive soldiers and stabilise their minds, the CPC branch sent an official letter to the captive soldiers’ hometowns, stating that they had joined the PLA and that their hometowns should treat them as military families. This moved the captive soldiers and made them settle down; turning their guns to fight the KMT.

At the beginning of the Chinese Civil War, the KMT had 5 million soldiers and the CPC had 1 million; when the Chinese Civil War ended, the KMT was left with only 1 million soldiers, 4 million of whom surrendered to the CPC and joined the PLA.

image 120
image 120
image 122
image 122
image 121
image 121

There is a detailed account of Mao’s army in “Red Star Over China” written by the American journalist Edgar Snow.Red star over China by Edgar Snow | Open LibraryRed Star Over China by Edgar Snow, unknown edition,

https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1774434W/Red_Star_Over_China


Xi walked into the dormitories of ordinary soldiers to see if their blankets were warm enough, and Xi ate a pot of rice with ordinary soldiers; has the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States ever done this? These are PLA traditions and have been so since Mao Zedong.

image 75
image 75
image 76
image 76
image 77
image 77

7

Bisquick Cranberry-Apple Cobbler

2023 10 15 09 53
2023 10 15 09 53

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 2 1/2 cups Bisquick or Biscuit Baking Mix
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
  • 1 cup chunky applesauce
  • 1 apple, cored and thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Heat butter in 9 x 13 inch pan in oven until melted.
  3. Mix Bisquick, sugar and milk with wire whisk until smooth.
  4. Pour Bisquick batter evenly into prepared pan.
  5. Mix cranberry sauce and applesauce. Spoon evenly over Bisquick batter.
  6. Place apple slices on sauce.
  7. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown.
  8. Serve warm with whipped cream or rum raisin or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

What work secret did you accidentally find out that changed everything?

My best friend/co-worker Larry was the IT guy in the training department for a large computer corporation where we both worked. I was a course designer/instructor. The company had been doing quarterly layoffs for almost two years. When it was your turn to be laid off, security watched you pack your personal items then escorted you off the property.

One night during a software update Larry discovered the next layoff list on the boss’s computer (she hadn’t even bothered to password-protect it, but her incompetence is good for another story). Both he and I were on the list. The date was a week away.

In the bookcase of my cubicle were copies of every technical manual and instructor’s guide I’d written for this company. They were my proof of ability. I would need them when I went on interviews and was asked “can you show me something you’ve done?” I spent the next week slowly replacing each binder with an empty one. By the time we were laid off, my entire collection of authored books was safely at home.

Bonus, Larry called the local news to expose how the company was using layoffs as a quick boost to their quarterly earnings numbers (fewer employee expenses improved the net bottom line). They’d often lay off the most critical employees right before end of quarter and then hire them back as “consultants” a few weeks later. We were both interviewed on the news the afternoon we were laid off. Screwed our chances for being rehired but I wouldn’t have gone back anyway.

Oh yeah, and the company? Failed a year later after an even bigger scandal surfaced. They had sales reps creating huge fake sales orders, then right before end of quarter all that equipment would be “shipped” to a large storage facility. They were caught with millions of dollars of fake earnings from falsified sales.

Passport Bros Meet Filipina In The Provinces

No need to be nervous in the small towns in the Philippines. Almost everywhere I go, the Filipino people are the nicest, friendliest people I have ever met. Moved here from So. Calif. in 2010, found my sweet wife here, the Philippines is HOME for me now.

Why do some people tell the victim to “just leave” the abuser without providing a plan to leave, money and emotional support? Doesn’t “just leave” contribute to her going back?

Back in 1999, my then husband began to threaten to harm our children. I set in motion actions with only one thought-to protect my children.

January: I filed a complaint at his precinct (he was a police officer). They took away his guns-he had 10 (he told me 3) and enough ammunition to fight a battle (they told his brother in law that). He filed a complaint with them, saying he threatened to kill us. They told him “we know, he’s a psycho cop. But he’s ok. He loves his kids.” They had zero clue what went on in our home. His brother in law called Child Protection because he saw the police were not taking this seriously. Child protection came, saw it was a clean house with food in the cabinets and he was polite and calm. They never spoke to me or the kids. He told me if I said anything he will make our children orphans. I filed for an order of protection to get him out-his buddies faxed inletters swearing he was a nice guy, loves his kids-she was the bad one. I got denied. He refused to give me money for groceries, mortgage, utilities.

February: I went to put the child on welfare and food stamps. Why are you staying there, they asked. Take your children and leave. I had two sons with asthma and they all had special needs. Why should WE leave? He was the menace-take him out!! So the welfare people called child protection on ME. That’s right-because I didn’t want to take my asthmatic and special needs children to a homeless shelter 3 trains away in the Bronx! My parents didn’t want anything to do with my problems. We went to their home for two days and they threw us. You married him and had his children-now live there. Child protection came to my home at 11:30 at night. They saw the children and me living in the basement. We had a clean home and food (I told them my parents bought them food sincevhe gave me no money). The next day I called my therapist in tears-they will take my children away from me! All because I won’t leave the house! I can’t understand it-we have no where to go or any money. Why should we leave? He’s the threat!! She calmed me down. She made calls all day. By the end of the day, they closed my case-she had the faxes on her desk because I trusted no one.

March: I told my parents there was no more choices. I was getting a lawyer and divorcing him. My parents were horrified. They couldn’t believe he was starving his children. I showed them my temporary support which was running out. Their grandchildren were getting food stamps because their father wasn’t buying them food. My father called our rabbi to talk to him while we stayed in their house. Two hours later, the rabbi came to my father’s house. “It’s a terrible thing to see people change from human into something monstrous. I tried to talk to him about a man’s responsibility to his family.” “Rabbi, he doesn’t like you since Fort Dover, when he was in the hospital for a week and you saw him only once for 5 minutes.” “He told me. He spat on me for it.” My father and I lowered our heads in embarrassment. “I never advocate for divorce unless there is nothing left. Benny, I’ve known you for many years. Get your daughter a good lawyer, she’s going to need one.” I started to cry and the Rabbi put a business card in my father’s hands-it was my lawyer to be. My father and I went the next day and hired him. I told him everything that happened. My lawyer gave me his phone number-call him after 911 in an emergency. And get the children on as much welfare and food stamps as you can. I had to hire 3 servers at $200 a piece to wait at each exit of his precinct to serve him with the order to appear in court. On that day, I went to social services and gave the title of my home as a guarantee so the city can put a lien on my house against any financial support we got from welfare and food stamps. The children and me were finger printed and got ID cards that day. I got formal letters stating we were in need and were getting food stamps and money. The date was March 10-My then husband’s birthday. I chose the date. I wanted everything to have his birthday on it -the court papers, the welfare papers. It was my last happy birthday to him.

April: when the Jewish community and our friends found out about the pending divorce, we were ostracized. I went to Jewish agencies for help. I had no money for Passover. I got a $25 food voucher from an agency that helped the poor and aged. I went to another place that gave me such bad smelling food my father was outraged. He made me take him and the food back. He screamed at them in Yiddish how shameful this was to a poor girl with children. The man shrugged and said “she’s your daughter, you take care of her.” My father said “if only I had back the charity money I gave to places like yours” He put the box on the floor at the man’s feet and he ordered it thrown away. I asked my brother for money, and he gave me $200. But he always reminded me I owed him the money and anytime he needed a favor, he reminded me of the money.

May and June: I finally got approved to work at the Department of Education as a substitute. I accepted any job I could get, no matter where it was or what it was. Getting my money was harder. Sometimes I got my check in the mail. Sometimes I had to go back to the school. Sometimes it was at a district office. I had to drive to the payroll center to make sure all my checks were processed. Meanwhile, the city demanded I worked for their workfare program. No one gets welfare for nothing. I tried again and again to explain how subs worked. I had to wait for them to call me. I told my counselor she can call 65 Court Street to confirm how they call subs. I was told “no problem, you can go there and clean their toilets and wash floors.” Didn’t you want me off welfare? I can get hired by the Dept of Ed if I keep accepting jobs. If I’m washing floors somewhere else I won’t get hired. My counselor took it to mean I was too good to wash floors (if I had no prospects of a job I would have done it gladly). I was thrown off welfare.

July-September: I had been going to court, but he kept putting it off. I couldn’t miss a single court date, but he could show up and say he’s not ready, no lawyer-he fires his lawyer right there in court once! I was getting worried because I needed to keep getting called in to work-30 straight days in any school and I could get hired. I had 20 days and they stopped calling me. It was frustrating as can be.

October: the bank sent over two big guys to serve us with foreclosure papers on the house. The first met my husband who threw him bodily off the premises. I agreed to sign off on the papers if I could get 48 hours to pack our things and leave before they came to lock up the house. They saw what a bad spot I was in and that the idiot didn’t tell me the house was being foreclosed because he didn’t pay the bill in months. They gave me the 48 hours. I called a friend who had s vacant apartment. He didn’t clean it yet. I’ll clean it. I need it in 48 hours. He was ok with it. I called a moving company that specialized in last minute moving-especially in domestic situations. They sent over big guys in case he cane by to interfere. I threw clothes and toys in bags and boxes. I grabbed whatever I could that day. My father and I cried-my marriage was dead. I never told my father-this wasn’t a parole from prison, where I got timevoff for good behavior. It was a pardon-I was freed because of a terrible mistake that shouldn’t have happened. The next day I called Sub Central with my new address and phone number. We were trying to find you! I had to move suddenly. We have a job for you-and it could be permanent. Can you go there tomorrow? I cried with joy. Thanks to God-we had a safe place and I got a chance for a permanent job. It was the School I’m still working at-18 years later. I hung up and my children and I all hugged each other. I moved to this apartment with no job and borrowed money for the first months rent. I didn’t have anything for security. Now, I had a place and a job to take care of my children.

November: Family court once again. The case had been moved to another judge who refused to delay the hearings. She asked him “what did you do to support your children?” “I’m having a problem with their mother-“ “that’s not what I asked you. Did you buy groceries? Pay the phone? Electricity? Gas? Mortgage?” All the answers were no. The judge turned to me. “What did you do to support your children? I turned over all my papers from welfare, food stamps, my pay stubs, and a joint bank book stuffed with grocery slips and utility payments. His lawyer turned pale. The judge went through everything very carefully. “So, your wife put your children on welfare and food stamps while you didn’t do a thing?” “She didn’t put the kids on welfare (chuckling).” The Judge has him look at the papers. Yes I did – and they were all dates on his birthday. “You put my children on welfare-on my birthday?” “Yes, the same day you were served to come to court.” The judge flipped back pages. “You mean to tell me that you have been screwing around all this time while you had no idea how your children were living? You’ve been putting this off from March to now?” She threw her hands on her table. “I’m done talking to you. Let me see your pay stubs.” She reviewed his stubs and was about to order support of $400 a month. I asked to see his stubs first. I pointed out to my lawyer 3 pension loans he took out which come out of his gross pay check, thus reducing the net check to look less. My attorney stood up and said “why should the children have to have their money reduced because of his pension loans? We request you add those amounts in.” The Judge looks over the stubs and screamed “you think you’re so smart huh. I had someone from Sanitation do this last week. Know what I did? I threw the book at him. Like I’m going to do to you.” She reworked the figures. $636 semi monthly-and give me a list of expenses you borrowed-moving, apartment, clothes-anything you had to borrow. He’s going to pay you back for 1999. Every penny!” My husband jumped up out of his chair and yelled “you can’t do that to me! We’re on the same team! All the judges love me.” “The other judges don’t know you-but don’t worry. I’ll make sure they do.” The bailiff had to stand behind him and keep his hands in idiot’s shoulders. My lawyer stood up “your honor, we realize this had been quite a shock to the defendant. We know how hard it is to support a sexy sport car instead of a family (he showed pictures of him in the car). How about if the defendant pays my client $50 semi monthly until his debt is paid?” The other lawyer said ”yes, please!” So the idiot wound up paying me $50 twice a month for two and a half years! These $50 checks were in addition to the child support the court ordered.

December: I was formally hired by my School to work there full time. I paid back my father the money I borrowed. I caught up on my rent and paid security. My children were removed from welfare and food stamps. I bought my children clothes for the first time in nearly two years. We had a real holiday as a family that we didn’t have for so long. And their father told them that I was a bad mother because I took them away from him. It would be years before they saw the truth. I also got back into my house that had been locked up. He set fire to our wedding pictures, most of my old photos from School, books, whatever he could throw in. There was a huge black circle in the middle of the living room. I grabbed more of the children’s things, whatever I could salvage-and his grandmother’s silver items. He left all of them in the China cabinet. I took the Jewish books he left, anything I could throw in a box or bag. He broke my dishes in the kitchen sink. I took a few pots and pans I found. I took all the children’s pictures I found still hanging up. Oddly enough-he never opened my nightstand. I had, shall we say, personal items that a lonely woman keeps in a nightstand drawer. I decided to throw them out instead of bringing them home. I don’t know why. I stopped at the doorway. I looked inside for a last time. This horrible nightmare was finally ending. I knew I had more-the foreclosure sale, the divorce. But this prison that I loved because I raised my children in it, that I cared for, was finally closed. I saw the mezuzah still on the door post. I took it off-my father bought that for us. I gave it back to him.

Yes I know-I wrote a novel. I did it with a time line and great detail for a reason. Any moron who says just leave without a plan or money or support is just that-a moron!!! It’s easy to say “just leave”. And go where?????? If parents turn you out, your family and friends shun you-where do you go? The only person who helped me was HIS sister and her husband. She kept my important documents safe and $300 of emergency money for me. It was her husband who filed the complaint back then saying he heard their father say we were better off dead-and because he was a cop, he would get a slap on the wrist. No one-NO ONE stood up for me. Even my parents told me openly they were ashamed of me. My father gave me money for the sake of his grandchildren. The next person who says just leave and has no plan or idea on how to accomplish that action should be slapped. Because they were never standing at that black pit as I did. Just leave. Why not just say “jump into that black hole?”

Im sorry for writing a long answer. As you see, nearly 20 years later, I can recall it in great detail. Thank you for reading all the way through. If my story can help just one person-then it was all worth it.

No one wanted this cat, so I adopted him.

This is very interesting.

I adopted a cat and realized everything I thought I knew about them was wrong. In this video, I’m sharing my whole journey from the first week to what I’ve learned, and how Bepo is doing now.”

What hilariously stupid thing did a Trump supporter say that made you think, “Wow! I completely underestimated your stupidity!”?

One of the many encounters I’ve had with a Trump supporter was the time a woman commented on a local news station’s Facebook post with a picture of what she claimed was the 1938 Time Magazine Man of the Year cover. It was clearly photoshopped and had Hitler in an heroic pose with a caption calling him a great leader. She gave her own opinion that Time was a liberal hate rag that supported Hitler.

I knew it was fake because I’ve seen the real cover. It’s hard to forget. It’s a macabre illustration of a tiny little Hitler sitting at the bench of a giant pipe organ. Above him is a wheel with several naked corpses hanging from it. The caption reads, “From the unholy organist, a hymn of hate.”

I replied to her with a link to the official Time website archive page showing the real cover and the story calling Hitler evil.

You may have already guessed this, but she used the laugh reaction to my comment, called me an idiot and then said there was no way to know my cover wasn’t fake and hers was real.

Again, it was a link to the actual Time archives. She could have also done 10 seconds of research on Google, but no. She was more willing to believe this random, poorly edited JPG she found on Facebook was real and that Time Magazine in 1939 praised Hitler and somehow got away with it.

Her husband joined the conversation and attempted to prove his wife was right by telling me I have a woman’s name.

This encounter really drove home for me that we are in a lot of trouble as a country because a lot of people are completely stupid and unwilling to believe facts. A month or two later COVID hit.

Americans React To “When Americans Realise The Entire World DOESN’T Revolve Around Them”

In this video, we react to moments shared on Tiktok when Americans realize the whole world doesn’t revolve around them. These are hilarious but also somewhat eye-opening.

What are the reasons why people can’t access foreign websites freely in China? Does the Chinese government always block some foreign websites for no reason?

Oh, there are always reasons.

For example, up to 2009, Facebook was fully accessible in China. Then in July that year, a group called ETIM (which the UN categorises as a terrorist group) used Facebook to organise and instigate a riot in China. 197 people died and more than 1,000 people were injured.

The Chinese government asked Facebook to cooperate by identifying the ETIM members who had used Facebook to instigate the riot. Facebook refused. So the Chinese government banned Facebook, saying that otherwise Facebook might be used to instigate violence and organise riots.

As the years passed, it became clear that the Chinese government was not wrong. I say this, because of events in other countries make this clear and obvious.

What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

Well, the fight was with me, and I sort of picked it. Just wait for it, you’ll understand as I go.

If I recall correctly it was 2018 and I was at a bus stop, there was a young girl, I would say about 13 years old. It was pretty late at night, I had just finished a routine commute from the city I trained in to the city I lived. I’m standing outside of the bus stop, gym bag over my shoulder while in the distance I saw a person kind of walking all over the sidewalk. Not unusual, there were a few bars around, I had even popped into one for a drink before waiting for the city bus home.

As the person got closer, my assumption was confirmed that they were in fact a bit drunk. Not a big deal, being drunk in public isn’t necessarily a crime unless you go overboard with it. So I ignore it. He comes up to the bus stop, stops for a second and then notices the girl. He starts banging on the glass, asking her questions and telling her to smile for him. I think to myself “Well, he’s an asshat”, and then asked some advice on my phone (facebook) of what to do. I got a few responses right away, mixed, but overwhelmingly saying I shouldn’t do anything.

Here is where it got dicey, instead of just being on the outside of the bus stop continuing his belligerent ways, he proceeds to walk to the entrance of the shelter and continues to tell her to smile and she should talk to him. I see the girl is visibly upset, and now it’s getting to a confinement issue. So I said to the guy to leave her alone, she’s too young and that’s you are making her uncomfortable. He turns around in a rage, swearing at me, telling me he used to race cars and she clearly wanted him. I repeated what I had said, he starts approaching me so I backed up a couple of steps, put my gym bag down and tried to descale it. He said he was going to smoke me. He starts trying to get in my face and I put my hand on his chest and asked him “what are you doing? I don’t want to fight but you have to leave her alone.”

Anyways, he tried to push through my hand and by that point I had enough. I grabbed the back of his neck, pivoted and shucked him to the ground. I didn’t follow up with anything because at that point it was done. He got up, realized he was outmatched and left her alone.

I looked over at her after to see if she was okay, and she mouthed thank you. So I asked her if she wanted me to sit with her on the bus so he wouldn’t try anything else.

It sounds like a lame “fight”, but I’m not going to let a young girl get sexually harassed and potentially assaulted by some drunk guy.

Getting to the point of picking a fight with the wrong person. At that point I had been training in mixed martial arts for 8 years, had 3 fights against opponents that were supposed to be way better than me, and was training 6 days a week. I wasn’t worried about what could have happened because at our gym we are more self defence oriented and I knew to keep an eye out for weapons.

Biden Beg China for Xi Jinping Visit to America For Talks!

Today’s geopolitical landscape is vibrant and ever-changing. In this video, we explore the tense dynamics between the United States, China, and their respective allies. Engage with us as we unravel the threads of trade conflicts, technological competitions, territorial disputes, and the subtle, strategic game of international influence in the 21st century. Biden Beg China for Xi Jinping Visit to America For Talks!

What was the biggest coincidence ever?

In the late 1990s my then-husband, also a firefighter, became ill from a chemical exposure in a fire. We had just built a vacation home in a tiny town (population 231) in the Colorado Rockies. He retired and chose to live there full time because he didn’t know how much longer he had. (Firefighters can retire earlier because of a typically shortened life span. He passed away a few years later.)

I wasn’t ready to retire so I stayed in Bay Area and continued working for my fire dept as well as a safety trainer for a large semiconductor company. Every two weeks I went to Colorado for a week to spend time with hubby.

While in the mountains I made friends with our nearest neighbors. They told me their brother was retiring soon from the Navy and planned a wedding at their house upon his return. We were invited.

About a week later I was in California teaching a safety class at the company. One of the new hires had just gotten out of the Navy and when I introduced myself as living in Colorado, he said his family lived there, too! In fact, the following month he would be having his wedding at his sister’s house in the mountains.

Yep! He was my neighbor’s brother! AND when I showed up to the wedding in a new dress I bought in California, his sister was wearing the exact same dress!

We remained friends for years.

How To Reduce Stress For Passport Bros | Floyd Gets A Filipina | Philippines Vlog

Honestly the Philippines has over 7000 Islands so not very hard to discover a place like this off the beaten path. Most of the named products are copies but still provide good quality for a lower price. Once you discover the lower cost of living you never want go back home.

Always have ways to relieve stress creating a peaceful mind. Try to find a way to keep yourself cool in a hotter climate that can also stress people out. If you are overweight the heat will help lose weight fast in the first few months.

This is the time to try maintaining a healthy body. Don’t fall in love with the first women you meet having plenty of options available. When meeting women make sure your intentions clear at the beginning never misleading them.

No matter where you live each person has their preferences that attracts them to others. Don’t stress over this since there are plenty of people you can vibe with.

Remember you are a guest in another country so show respect at all times. I agree Thailand suits younger men better who enjoy the night life.

A positive attitude is key to having a wonderful time. Remember you are responsible for your own happiness. I wish all who visit or move overseas to enjoy a happy life for less money.

Why does China spend so much money to host the Asian Games?

For soft power purposes.

Athletes come, bring their coaches, family and support staff. So 12000 athletes maybe bring 50,000 people

They get a look into China the real one not the Washington version.

We can see how western media isn’t even acknowledging it at all.

Look at the BBC link it’s right at the bottom.

Add on bloggers and private people traveling to have a look? There’s potentially half a million people who get to see what it’s REALLY like.

These people will return home. These people will hear the usual propaganda garbage spouted against China

These people might decide to push back, at which they have a great thing to say.

I’ve been there. I’ve seen China up front and close, yet YOU know more than I do?”

I often say this to westerners who claim to know everything about China despite never visiting, not understanding the language or being able to read our media. They literally have no response to it other than I know better than you because (racist) reasons.

US And TSMC In Pain, As China’s SMIC Becomes World’s Best Chip Manufacturing Company!

Congratulations China and SMIC. Many of us around the world have been waiting for this day. Both the US and TSMC had been arrogant and thought no one could shake them.

https://youtu.be/c75Wwu0_IK0

What work secret did you accidentally find out that changed everything?

This is how I learned how crooked employers can be, right at the start of my career. 1984, first job out of university. Five young women were hired by Sperry Corp. We were working on a contract for the State of Texas which involved a lot of traveling and overtime to install and look after a new computer system.

We had to fill out two timesheets, one for our employer (single copy) and one for the State of Texas (triplicate). We were told to put eight hours per day on the employer timesheet but our real work hours on the State’s timesheet, because we were not going to get overtime pay from our employer. So, 40 hours per week for Sperry, 50+ for the State usually, since we often started by leaving on Sunday night and didn’t get back until Friday night. Travel hours were considered work hours. It was no fun, especially since we weren’t allowed any vacation time the first year.

If you’ve ever worked in IT, you know you get stuck working weekends and holidays when fewer people mind if the system is down. Thus we were working on Thanksgiving weekend doing testing, along with some seasoned employees, all male. It was boring and we had lots of time to chat. One of them said “at least you are getting overtime for this”. We wryly laughed – “ha ha NO.” Two of them replied, “Well you should be, you’ve been here less than six months and they automatically classify you as non-exempt for six months when you are new.” Then some comments about the bosses probably not telling us this and figuring we wouldn’t complain because we were female.

We quickly realized we had one copy of the triplicate time sheets for each week we’d been working, because we kept part of the State’s timesheet. Of the four of us ladies remaining, two did not want to make a fuss about it, and two of us decided to confront the bosses. We added up our overtime and had a plan going in.

Our supervisor and his boss and his boss’s boss actually admitted they hadn’t paid us on purpose! Because “the project didn’t have the budget.” Really brazen and condescending attempt at deflecting us. I pointed out this was still illegal and I’d go to the EEOC if they didn’t make good on what they owed. We said we wanted a paid week off at Christmas and cash to make up for the overtime, which they gave us. Our two colleagues who were afraid to complain got nothing. My friend and I had a nice ski vacation together with the proceeds.

I immediately found another job and moved away within a few weeks. Later I got to be an agent of karma: I rose to a position in my company where I had influence on decisions around large contract awards. When Unisys (formerly Sperry Corp) was competing for our business, I made sure my fellow decision-makers knew about my story. It’s bad business to cheat your employees!

stone knives and bearskins

Given Huawei’s chip break thru with the Mate 60 pro, would it make any difference to the future outlook of American chip manufacturers if the US was to abandon the high tech sanctions against China?

The United States will not give up its high-tech sanctions against China.

Not only the United States, but also Japan, South Korea and even Taiwan Province of China are the same. As soon as there is an election season, all kinds of stupid anti-China remarks will come out one after another.

Normally, they create rumours and smear China every day to brainwash their own citizens:

How China steals their technology? How China has taken away their jobs? How China threatens their national security ? Even rumours of genocide are created, so in the eyes of most American rednecks, China is “unforgivable”.

  • You see, there is such an evil country in the world, and it is righteous for us to be tough on it!
  • If you give up high-tech sanctions, you are pro-China and treasonous!
  • Every chip sold to Huawei will become a bullet that hits us!

If you’ve watched too many Western-style elections, you’ll know that it’s the same as a TV talent show.

Whether it’s Trump or Biden, they shout “CHINA” from the podium like a tenor voice, and the voters under the podium feel like they’ve been stimulated by a egg-vibrators in their G-spot, and they instantly orgasm, their minds going blank.

Inflation, health care, and Gun violence and drug-infested are not important, they just want to hear more “CHINA”, and keep on having orgasms, and keep on being happy, and descent into madness.

After enjoying the orgasm calm down and think about it, in the past, the United States to the Soviet Union, to Japan is not also such sanctions? The United States has already achieved success, there are success stories, and as long as the United States increases the sanctions against Huawei, the United States will not fail, and they will keep reassuring themselves in this way.. 🤣

Their election is a race to see who is more anti-China, so the White House will continue to impose technology restrictions on Huawei.

In any case, Biden must take a tough stance to avoid being labelled a “pro-China traitor” by Trump.

Reaction To Jimmy Dore’s TRUTH At The United Nations

On Tuesday the United Nations Security Council welcomed a very surprising speaker — comedian and political commentator Jimmy Dore! Jimmy explained about how the United States was behind the Nord Stream bombing and the western media all fell in line to push the lie that Russia or Ukraine or someone else was responsible. Guest host Craig “Pasta” Jardula and Americans’ Comedian Kurt Metzger discuss Jimmy’s UN appearance and Seymour Hersh’s startling revelation that the Nord Stream bombing wasn’t actually about the Ukraine War at all.

What’s something that you can teach me?

My mom was on welfare when I was ten years old. She had been taking a bus (public transportation) to school every day to become a dental technician. Her goal, which she worked towards and accomplished, was to get her family off of welfare.

On the day she was scheduled to graduate, her unemployed boyfriend was supposed to watch my brother and me. The plan was for him to pick us up and take us on a hunting trip with him and his friends. Not that we would have been allowed to shoot anything, but we were really excited.

He never showed up.

Mom called the neighbor and asked her to watch me and my brother, to which the neighbor agreed. I was really upset and disappointed that we weren’t going hunting.

As my mom was leaving for her graduation, I was crying and begging her to stay. She said she loved us and left.

When she got back, she asked me how my day was. I told her I hated her. That was it. That was all I said. “I hate you.”

I can only imagine the strength it took for her to hold back the tears as she got my brother and me ready to go for a walk.

Right outside the door, there was a brand-new bb gun sitting on the porch. We lived in Cherry Ridge Terrace which is located on a mountain in the woods of Barnesboro, Pennsylvania. There are tons of wooded trails around those parts.

She took my brother and me down a trail.

Located in almost every tree, shrub and plant, were empty aluminum cans. One by one, we switched off possession of the bb gun and shot cans out of those trees and shrubs the whole way down the trail.

It was so fun for us.

As it turned out, my mom had gotten a $50 graduation gift from her father and bought a bb gun before she came home from her graduation.

She walked that trail and put those cans all around before she came in the apartment, so she could take us hunting. And right before she did that, I told her that I hated her.

That was the last time I told my mom I hated her.

And when I saw this question, I called her and apologized for saying that I hated her, thirty years ago.

What I can teach you right now is something I learned ten minutes ago.

It is never too late to apologize for something.

Leon

What is the most satisfying passive-aggressive thing you have ever done to a really mean or rude person?

When I was 17, I went camping at a beach one day, and decided to make a sand throne, to relax in, except… it wasn’t made entirely of sand, because it would collapse the moment I sat on it. So, I gathered some large stones nearby, arranged them neatly to form a chair, and then covered it with sand to even out the gaps so that it would be comfortable to sit in.

After 2 hours of toiling under the hot sun, the job was done, and I sat in my throne with a great sense of fulfilment. After a while, I retreated back to my tent nearby to rest.

As I stared out of my tent to enjoy the view of the beach and admire my handiwork, a young boy, around 10 of age, went to my throne and walked around it, inspecting it curiously. For a moment, I thought he was going to sit on it. But then, a mischievous glint shone in his eye and he backed away from it a few steps. Then, he dashed and swung a mighty kick! And… collapsed, clasping his foot and crying for his mom.

I stayed in my tent, with tears in my eyes trying to hold back the laughter, thinking “Served you right! “. It wasn’t intentional, but making a “sand” structure with stones was definitely the most satisfying passive aggressive thing I did to a troll who goes around kicking sand structures.

Star Trek – I Have the Phaser, Captain

What do you, as a Marxist ideologue, actually do for the poor, except preaching revolution?

  1. I sponsor poor children in Thailand through an accredited international relief fund. I have been doing this for 15 years.
  2. I do pro-bono law work for the poor. I have saved single mothers from eviction, saved a person’s life, helped someone wrongly arrested and charged from going to jail and being away from his children, and others.
  3. I rebuild and repair computers and donate them to impoverished families.
  4. A socialist society would require less of me having to deal with evictions for poor mothers because the mother would be given her own place, free from that concern. There would not be the systemic injustices that cause so many legal problems for people. Most poor people would make a living wage so they wouldn’t be destitute. An equitable economic and legal system is far superior to charity. Until the beautiful day of communism, we all need to do what we can.

Is the Huawei Mate 60 Pro chip equal to the latest iPhone chip or even better?

In terms of raw flops for the CPU and GPU?

No.

But in terms of aggregate function, it is arguably THE smartphone SOC of 2023.

Why?

Well, it is the first mobile device with Bluetooth 6.x that can deliver lossless high fidelity audio at lower power than the current industry standard, Bluetooth 5.x. Huawei calls it Nearlink, and it is 100% Huawei controlled.

It is also the first mobile device that can make satellite calls, courtesy of a sophisticated antennae design that, according to my friend who has done a partial teardown, is the most complex he has ever seen. There are 9 separate segments on the frame of the mate 60.

The WiFi 6 speed can hit several Gbps, while the 5G mobile connectivity has been demoed above 1Gbps. These are class-leading numbers, with the signal processing improved through AI.

Wired/wireless charging at 88/50W are way better than what Apple offers, as does the battery capacity.

There is also a large language AI model built into the OS, making Hongmeng stand out among the 3 mobile ecosystems. The AI also enables the nifty camera, which takes some of the best mobile photography in 2023.

There is nothing like the features enabled by the Kirin 9000s chipset, even if we combine the best features of the Android and iOS universe into a hypothetical superphone.

Is that better?

You decide.

Nvida Shocked! Huawei’s Secret Weapons: Ai Chip Ascend 310 Explained

Huawei is becoming the company Apple wants to be… building its own modern ecosystem for the internet of things and huawei car integration. Let’s see who gets there first.

What do the Americans want from China in the end? What is their end game? When will they leave China alone?

I thought about this for a long time , a very long time

Yes it’s true that the West led by the US has become unusually harsh towards China. In fact the US is destroying it’s entire reputation in front of the world through it’s actions against China & Russia

So why?

First let’s get rid of the obvious NONSENSE theories here

Theory 1:-

That US doesn’t want China to be a threat in the future and become a Rival

This is ridiculous. It’s also highly improbable. US doesn’t think long term at all. US thinks only short term, typically from Election to Election Or Boom to Recession to Boom

That the US is doing all this , to throttle Chinas Growth seems foolish to me because the US gains nothing at all

If the US simply and quietly did it’s work without any threat of sanctions, the USD would remain a global currency for a century perhaps

So US destroying it’s own reputation by the day, it’s reputation as a free country, as a country of laws, as a country of responsible media and as a country promoting free trade – just to ensure China doesn’t grow to be as big as the US is downright foolish

Theory 2:-

That US wants to protect it’s Companies from Patent infringement

Again Nonsense

That’s not how the US works

These Companies, they have for several decades run their own businesses and have never come crying to the US Government for help

That the US doesn’t want China to become technologically advanced and sell more smartphones and laptops is illogical

Theory 3:-

That the US are doing this for National Security

Again foolish. US have Nukes. China has Nukes. In any struggle between two nuclear powers, the power heading for defeat will try to balance the equation by using nuclear weaponry

This US will never fight China in a major war and vice versa

The US has no conflict with China and the Sphere of Influence for the US is in the Atlantic & Pacific not the South China Sea or Africa

And for gods sake if you tell me this is because US cares about the Taiwanese people, I would tell you the chances of Netanyahu being a Hamas agent is higher than that

Plus nobody uses 3 nm Chips for Missiles or Space

Theory 4:-

That US wants to break up China and destroy the CPC

Again nonsense.

Why?

China is an economic and trade ally and helps make $ 2.3 Trillion a year to the US Economy by value addition. Why destroy that with breaking up China and destroying Status Quo?

image 133
image 133

Sure you do have a handful of faggots like Lindsey or De Santis who are demented enough to have this illogical ideology

Yet they represent maybe 3–4% of the US collective of Politics, Press & Big Businesses

Theory 5:-

Politics & Elections

Again doesn’t make sense

US voters vote on various issues and Anti Chinese Rhetoric isn’t one of them. Hell, both sides make Anti Chinese Rhetoric don’t they?


This brings me to the real reason in my opinion

The US NEEDS CHINA to do something very badly and is using all these measures as bargaining chips

  • Taiwan
  • Tech barriers
  • Tarriffs
  • Propaganda

The US wants something from China in return for which the US is ready to go back to removing all of the above

That’s the only logical explanation of why US keeps threatening China and it’s businesses

It hopes these businesses and people will put pressure on China to somehow do what the US expects

This also explains why China isn’t reacting at all to all these provocations but quietly making firm statements

Its ECONOMIC

The US Economy is a time bomb waiting to explode. When it does it will take the economy of the entire world with it.

It will cause huge blows to every nation including China

Yet it will also finish the US as a global power completely

Unless China steps in

image 132
image 132

China can invest $ 770 Billion today without needing a signature or getting into debt

China has $ 18 Trillion in savings alone

A Huge Swathe of Chinese Investments into USA , especially PUBLIC MONEY belonging to the Chinese People will allow the US to either delay this time bomb from exploding immediately (7–12 years) to around 40 years

It’s why so many US higher ups are visiting China again and again

It’s why no top ranked Chinese is visiting the US

image 134
image 134

The US keep telling China, it’s in their own interest to prevent the US from the great economic collapse

Otherwise China would be badly burnt

Yet China may feel that it’s best to let US collapse even at great personal loss. This may be why China is busy with alternative settlements and alternative currency routes

I somehow seriously doubt Xi Jingping wants to be the Global Hegemon

All his moves are to secure Fuel, Energy and Food and Independence from the Dollar

I thought this was because the US is insane enough to sanction China but maybe it’s because China wants to put distance between the US Economic time bomb & themselves and their clients

I believe it’s why US have enmeshed the EU into this quagmire and also the UK and Japan and S Korea

If US experiences this Economic Collapse, these nations would be gutted completely. Hence they sink or swim with the US. That’s why they too put pressure on China yet have some major visit to China almost every month

image 131
image 131
image 130
image 130
image 129
image 129
image 128
image 128

This is my hypothesis

Nothing else makes sense

Politicians have their ideology

Media Channels have their ideology

Businessmen may have their own issues with China

But a full concerted effort to target China and that too announcing everything months in advance all the time , looks stupid and completely ineffective

It looks like the US is desperately putting hook after hook into China and saying “If I go down, you go down”

China still doesn’t believe that and feels that if the US goes down, and if China survives – it would be a better world altogether


I am firmly convinced the US is having an economic nuclear bomb within itself and needs China to prevent the collapse which will damage the Global Economy heavily

All these moves are completely Anti Chinese but intended as bargaining Chips

Nothing else makes sense to me.

Have you ever encountered a lawyer who was so good that you were lost for words?

Originally Answered: Have you ever encountered a lawyer who was so good that your jaw dropped?

I had been the victim of a road rage incident when I was in my 20s. Long story short, I was in a left-turn-only lane; the perp was in the right-turn-only lane, and she wanted to go left. I made my turn, without ever noticing her, as there weren’t very many cars on the road, and went into a restaurant to pick up my dad’s dinner. She followed me in, kicked the chair out from under me, and kicked the crap out of me while screaming, “Do you know who I am?” Luckily, one of the waiters got her license plate number.

I had eight broken ribs, a fractured cheekbone, and she had ruptured all of my stitches from my gallbladder surgery that I’d had two weeks prior. She tried to have me arrested for assault, saying that I threw her against her car. I’ll come back to that.

At my first court appearance, the prosecutor took me into a room and wanted me to drop the charges against this woman. I obviously refused. The prosecutor said, “You are 22, you work as a hairdresser, and you live with your parents. You are nothing. Marjorie (the perp) is a pillar of the community, and is the child psychologist for the county, so I’d think real hard over this (let’s not forget that I had been the victim here).”

I did point out that I had brought a witness (the waiter), as well as notarized affidavits from several people who were in the restaurant at the time, and CCTV footage from the restaurant, too. She refused to allow them to be admitted. Wasn’t she supposed to help me?

The judge wanted me to let the perp have my car fixed (she broke a window and keyed the door) by some unlicensed guy, whom she had treated when he was in school. I agreed to an estimate, but I was going to get my own estimate as well.

My sister used to work as a legal secretary, and she took me to one of her old bosses. We went over all of the evidence, and he agreed to come with me for the second court date.

So, at the next date, the prosecutor called me back to a private room, before going into the courtroom, again trying to force me to drop the charges, but still wanted me for assault. My lawyer, Mark, said, “So you say that my client threw Marjorie over the hood of her own car and held her against a wall with her right arm, correct?”

The prosecutor said, “That’s what Marjorie told me.”

Mark: “Marjorie, how tall are you?”

Marjorie: “5’10”

Mark: Chole, how tall are you?

Me: “5’3″

Mark: “Marjorie, you are a big woman, easily close to 200 pounds, while Chole weighs 92 pounds, so how could she throw you?

Prosecutor: “That’s not important.”

Mark: “I disagree. Marjorie, you said in your sworn statement that Chole held you up against the wall with her right arm. Are you certain that you want to say that?”

Marjorie: “That girl is a wild animal; who knows what those people are capable of?”

Mark: “Well, Chole had emergency surgery two weeks prior to the incident, on her right side, and still cannot lift that arm past shoulder level, no thanks to you. Also, she’s left-handed.” Checkmate.

Marjorie, at this point, jumped up and started screaming about how important she was and I was just white trash, when Mark stood up, looked down at her (he’s 6’9) and said, “Lady, you might have convinced this prosecutor that you’re somebody special, but I have, in my briefcase, a filing, ready to go to the state board, along with all the evidence from this case, as well as sworn observations about your general behavior from your fellow psychologists and some of your neighbors. You will never be able to work again once I’m through with you, so I suggest that you sit the f**k down and admit that you lied and that you beat this ‘white trash girl’ for no g*****n reason.” Then, he turned to the prosecutor and said, “How dare you assume that someone is guilty because they’re not from this s****y town? What does that prove, or are you just bored and lazy?”

Marjorie had to pay for all of the damage done to my car, as well as the ambulance service, medical costs relating to everything that she did to me, and the damage she did to the chair in the restaurant. All of my charges were dropped and expunged.

Mark usually handled divorce cases, but he had way too much fun that night!

Flash-forward a few years, when I was at a luncheon with my mom. We ran into a friend of hers, who is also a child psychologist for another district. My mom mentioned my case, and the woman said, “We’ve all been waiting for that b***h to get knocked down a few pegs for years! She’s a nightmare to deal with, but she did lose her job shortly after your case was resolved.” The district didn’t want to have to pay out a small fortune if and when this woman blew her top again, so they forced her into early retirement.

Eliminate Apple Android compatibility! Huawei’s independent operating system shocks the West!

“”In today’s episode, we dive into the latest developments in the Huawei vs. United States tech competition. Huawei has made a groundbreaking announcement – its HarmonyOS will no longer be compatible with Android. HarmonyOS 4.0 has sparked intense discussions, with industry experts suggesting it could challenge iOS and Android. Huawei’s move to disconnect HarmonyOS from Android is a strategic maneuver in the global tech arena, countering U.S. dominance. We explore the implications and Huawei’s plan to create opportunities for global tech enterprises.

https://youtu.be/blnnMPkTITs

Russia ditches US Dollar and Indian Rupee, accepts Only Local Currency and Yuan

Russia is still sitting on 40 billion dollars worth of trapped Indian Rupees.

BRICS member Russia is evading US sanctions by accepting local currencies as payment for exports and not the US dollar. Russia’s third-biggest oil producer, ‘Gazprom Neft announced that the company has completely stopped accepting the US dollar as payment.

The oil exporter has ditched the US dollar and switched to accepting local currencies for cross-border transactions. This is the first oil-producing firm to completely switch from the US dollar to local currencies in 2023.

The development comes on the heels of the de-dollarization efforts initiated by the BRICS alliance. Saudi Arabia also confirmed recently that it is open to accepting local currencies for oil trade across the world.

Alexander Dyukov, the CEO of Gazprom Neft, said that the company has completely moved away from the U.S. dollar. He added that the firm will not be accepting Euros, which will eventually put pressure on the countries of the European Union. “We have virtually moved away from payments in dollars and euros,” he said to Tass.

Dyukov revealed that the oil firm will accept the Chinese Yuan and the Russian Ruble as payment moving forward. “We mainly use Yuan and Rubles,” he said. A spokesperson said that the company has no issues accepting and withdrawing foreign currencies from across the world.

However, the CEO stressed that the company is not open to accepting the Indian Rupee as payment. “No. We don’t use Rupees,” he said without citing why the INR is left out as a payment option. If many other oil companies follow suit, the US dollar could be in jeopardy. The means to fund the dollar’s deficit will narrow, leading to economic turmoil in the US.

ASEAN Rejects US As Biden Tried Disrupting Summit And Made These Silly Requests!

im from the Philippines and i firmly believe that without U.S. hegemony, the world will be at peace.”

https://youtu.be/qhI3NtjeKI4

When have you fired someone on the spot?

Quite a few years ago I worked for a large insurance company. I had an office on the fifth floor. In that office I had a decorative ceramic eagle worth about $200 sitting on my bookcase. One Friday afternoon it was there when I went home for the weekend. When I returned on Monday it was gone!

I trotted down to Building Security and explained the issue. They smiled and said, “Give us an hour.” I said, “Why?” They said, “Very few people know about the hidden cameras in the elevators!”

An hour later they called me. They showed me a video of one of my employees carrying out my eagle at 11:00 PM on a Sunday night! They happily printed out a hard copy of a frame that showed the theft.

On Monday morning I called my thief into my office. I had a little fun. I told him how shocked I was that my eagle was missing. He said all the right things about how terrible this was!

“Who would do such a thing?” I inquired. He quickly threw two other employees under the bus. Then I laid the picture out of this SOB doing the deed!

“I guess I’m fired” he said! “You guessed right,” I said.

Footnote- My superiors were not satisfied with that. They called the police and had him charged & convicted for theft!

It FINALLY happened (mask off moment)…

Thanks, Canada, for confirming what Mr. Putin has been saying all along.

https://youtu.be/8BhRpSTJklA

Why is Japan so safe?

“Remember, don’t talk to the hostesses, and don’t start a fight. Got it?” I asked my friends, making sure everyone also had a drink in hand.

image 124
image 124

Girls holding signs, where sometimes a man may come in to “persuade” you to try it

“What happens if we lose you?” one of my friends asked.

“Look, you’re not carrying shrooms or weed. Don’t start a fight, and worst case they put you in a cell until you sober up. Then call me.” I grinned back. The Neon lights with the words “Kabuki-cho” illuminated behind me. Farther ahead, many girls with signs.

image 123
image 123

Sorta like this now

They all nodded, some coming from downtown LA, some former military members, and some just like you, traveling Japan for the first time.

As a preamble, they wanted me to take them to the sketchiest part of Tokyo, which I find to be a contradiction.

After seeing a beer cans and some trash on the floor, I looked back at my group, shaking my head. “I’m so sorry guys. This area is not as clean as Japan, and it can get pretty bad.” Then I looked back up and winked at them.

The reason why it’s so safe is because of the culture.

People in Japan from a younger age are taught to think of the community first, and not themselves. There are pros and cons of this, which I’ll reserve for another post, but it starts from school as the students are expected to clean everything. If you do a bad job, you will be socially ostracized until you put in “your part”. Everywhere you go it’s pretty much handicap friendly, so if you have any disabilities people make sure you can go about your day.

The reason why it’s so safe is because there’s no incentive

It didn’t used to be this way. Japan has organized crime like any other country (Yakuza ring a bell?) but even they realized it wasn’t profitable to do violence so they pretty much resort to financial racketeering or money laundering and other “services”, but never violence.

The reason why it’s so safe is because of the police culture.

Japan has what some in the West would be almost a too trusting culture with the police. Kid is lost? Go to the local police station. Harassed? Local police station. Followed? Local police station. You get the idea.

You also don’t really have to worry about being injured going to the police. The police are liable if they do physically hurt you, so they have come up with ways to restain you without harming you.

The reason why it’s so safe is because the population is older and busy

If you look at Japan, the average age is almost 50. People don’t need to prove themselves when they’re older, and have it stable. Likewise, the younger generation are almost too busy with school, work, or other societal aspect that there’s almost no free time to do anything else. This obviously has major cons, but it does make it so that most people follow the rules and are rewarded on the “successful” pathway.

By age 40, you should be smart enough to realize this:

1. Stay silent. Not everything needs to be said.

2. Silence is better than unnecessary drama.

3. If you find someone smarter than you, work with them, don’t compete. Competition is a weakness.

4. The family you create is more important than the family you come from.

5. Your current job doesn’t care about you. They only pay you enough to kill your dreams.

6. Free yourself from society’s advice, most of them have no idea of what they’re doing.

7. It’s better to have 1 friend who’s;

• Happy for you

• Supports your win

• Encourages your dreams

Than a bunch of acquittance who are

• Lazy

• Self-centered

• Jealous of your success

8. You’ll be 10x happier if you forgive your parents and stop blaming them.

9. If you continue waiting for the “right time ”, you’ll waste your whole life and nothing will happen.

10. No one will ever come save you. Your life is 100% your responsibility.

11. Your inner circle should be more focused on money, success, and starting a family.

12. You don’t need 100 self-help books. All you need is actions and self-discipline.

What is normal in your country but weird in the rest of the world?

Iceland here.

  • If it’s 10degrees or hotter outside [50 degrees Fahrenheit, for Americans] we will go out in bikinis and sunbathe
  • Almost every family owns at least one summer cabin that is frequently visited
  • We say ‘good morning’ or ‘good evening’ to everyone we pass on the street, depending on the time of day
  • We will often have long discussions (*hem* arguments) of what type of snow is snowing at the moment
  • The first real day of summer was three days ago and almost everyone took a break from work to go and enjoy it (it was around 14 degrees or something)
  • It snows from August to June
  • All the houses are built like fortresses so they can withstand the frequent earthquakes
  • We await the next volcanic eruption with excitement
image 140
image 140

(Eyjafjallajökull, 2010)

  • Most of us watch football religiously
  • Dried fish is a delicacy
image 139
image 139
  • We loudly announce when we go to the toilet and ask if we have permission to do so
  • Going on dates is a formal and a rare experience, not standard at all
  • Blind dates is something that doesn’t happen
  • In swimming pools we wash without clothes with everyone else of the same gender, no stalls
  • We drink a lot of milk —it goes with everything
  • We leave our babies outside in their prams -of cafes, our homes, in the garden, in our unlocked cars
  • We love sauces; we probably have hundreds of different types, also ice cream shops normally have about six different sauces
  • We will have barbecues in any weather
  • We drink lots of alcohol: beer, wine, you name it
  • It’s never cold inside our houses, ever
  • We party until way after midnight —if you are camping and want to sleep, don’t camp next to Icelanders
  • Believing in elves and trolls is normal and we have tons of stories that we’ve been told about them since we were young
  • We have 13 Santa Clauses
image 141
image 141

edit : some more for y’all + pics on the original answer

  • We have a Christmas Cat that, if you don’t get new clothes for christmas, will come and eat you (particularly children)
image 138
image 138
  • The christmas cat is owned by a pair of trolls called Grýla and Leppalúði. they are the Santa Clauses’ parents, who are also trolls.
  • Grýla kidnaps, cooks and eats misbehaving children.
image 137
image 137
  • We have a day dedicates to eating these delicious balls of air
image 136
image 136
  • The water quality is 500% and so when we visit other countries we are dying because the water tastes so bad there
  • We are taught from a young age that we should never ever ever step on the moss and if you do then u deserve to burn in hell (ok maybe not but that’s the idea)
  • Everyone hates Justin Bieber for that music video he did. (+We had to close down the park a part of it was shot in because the tourists were tearing up the moss.)
  • In winter we all wear the thickest coats you’ll see while still trying to stay fashionable and we all look giant
  • Conjugation is a thing so a noun has 16 different variations of itself.
  • Tourism is the top industry of Iceland
  • Ice cream is enjoyed whenever; in a snow storm or on a rare hot day; doesn’t matter
image 135
image 135

What is the most clever way you have seen someone respond to road rage?

I was proud of myself for this…you be the judge.

While waiting to turn left into a busy street, the person behind me grew impatient and honked. Not wanting to be the person to face death by oncoming traffic so he could hurry, I put my car into park and got out.

I pasted a look of quizzical concern on my face, and slowly walked to the back of my car. I inspected the back and could find nothing wrong, so I turned to the guy who honked and said, “What is it? Is one of my lights out? Is one of my tires flat?”

He shouted, “I just want you to go!”, but it was busy, so I pretended not to hear him, so I cupped my hand to my ear and walked towards him.

“I JUST WANT YOU TO GO!!!!” he shouted.

“Oh, well, I’m turning left, and it’s kind of busy, so I’m waiting for a break. I’ll go then. I thought you were honking because you saw something wrong with my car. Thanks!” I cheerily shared.

I went back to my car, put it in drive, and waited for a safe time to pull out.

Why People Are Moving to Mexico City

Under-reporting trend.

Why don’t American teachers break up school fights anymore?

I used to until I was sued and faced legal action against my credential that was filed by my principal. The principal also convinced the boy’s father to file a criminal complaint and tried to get me arrested. It cost over $150,000 in attorney’s fees to fight the administrative actions and criminal actions. I ended up prevailing and in the end, after spending another $100,000 in attorney’s fees, I recouped my fees by filing suit against the parent of the student and the school district.

The back story was this male student who suffers from schizophrenia and has other learning disabilities was assigned to my science class. I was never informed about his medical diagnosis. He was enrolled in the intensive intervention program at our school that was for students who had behavioral issues. These students were supposed to have an aide with them in the mainstream classroom or they were supposed to be in the II room doing their work. They had a behavioral intervention plan for each student.

I was not given this student’s BIP because his mother, a teacher in the district and at another site, did not want his medical diagnosis shared with his teachers. She also did not agree with it and refused to administer his medication at home. To be allowed at school, he had to take his meds. The year prior, he had beaten two students so severely, they were hospitalized for several weeks and one almost died. So his meds were administered at school. He did not take them on the weekends so on Mondays he was always exhibiting extreme behavior. It also turns out that at times the voices he heard told him the meds were poison so he would pretend to take them and then spit them out when the school nurse was not looking.

I knew he was supposed to have a BIP and I made several requests for it by email. I cced the requests to the vice-principal and the principal and never received a response. By state and federal law, I was supposed to be given the BIP and made aware of anything that could possibly endanger myself or my students. I was supposed to be informed that the previous year he went into a psychotic rage and nearly killed two students in his PE class and it took 4 PE teachers to pull him off of the student both times. It was after the second attack that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and placed in the II program and assigned an aide to be with him at all times.

Well, his case carrier let him go to his classes without an aide because none of the aides would deal with him. He had assaulted all of the aides that were available and so they refused to work with him. He was confined to the II room for the first 5 periods of the day. She sent him to my class 6th period because it was her prep period and she wanted a break. Since no aide would work with him, she did not send an aide with him, so I had to deal with him on my own. Of course I had no idea about the schizophrenia or that his constant talking was due to his talking to the voices of his imaginary friends that were real to him and that were telling him what to do.

One day those friends told him to beat the crap out of a female student that was half his size because she had disrespected him because she was looking at him funny. Of course she was at the back of the room and he was at the front and she wanted nothing to do with him. Nobody wanted to even talk to this kid. So he got up and walked back to her, and pulled her out of her seat and started beating her. When I got to her, he had her on the floor and she was in the fetal position. He was kicking her head repeatedly. I grabbed him in a bear hug from behind and walked him to the door. He was continuing to kick and so he and I went down. I just continued dragging him to the door and pulled him out the room. I left him outside and returned to the room and shut the door behind me. He was locked out side.

I called the office to come and get him and to send for paramedics for the girl. He spent the next 30 minutes pounding on the door and windows with his bare fists. He actually shattered several windows to the classroom. It took administrators 10 minutes to get to my classroom. They spent 20 minutes asking him to calm down and walk with them to the office. He charged them several times and hit and kicked them but they would not use any physical force to restrain him. Even after he broke the windows with his fists and cut his hands, they refused to restrain him. I finally had enough and called the police. They came and took him down and cuffed him. My principal was upset. But the paramedics were able to stop his bleeding before he bled out. Then they were able to treat the student he had kicked in the head several times. She had a severe concussion and needed medical attention now, not 30 minutes from now.

Of course in this day and age of cell phones, a few of my students filmed this. As allowed by state law, I confiscated the cell phones because filming inside of a classroom is a violation of state law, and filming fights is a suspendible behavior. I handed the phones to the admin and wrote the appropriate referrals.

The district policy is the admin is supposed to review all photos and videos with a parent present, copy any thing taken in a classroom then delete those images from the phone. Those copies are then saved as evidence for the basis of the suspension and depending on the severity of the offense and the number of previous offenses the student gets from 1 to 5 days of suspension. The phones do not get handed back under any circumstances until the videos are erased.

Well, the principal just handed them back immediately. I still wrote the referrals. I documented everything.

The next day. I get called to the office. I find the SRO wanting to interview me. I respectfully declined. I invoked my right to have an attorney present before answering any questions. I have attorneys for relatives and friends. When a police officer asks you a question about a situation you were involved in, they are not your friend. Anything you say can be used against you. You do not say anything without an attorney. What the officer did not say that I learned later was the father had filed a criminal complaint against me. The principal had encouraged him to do so. The problem was, he did not have custody of his son nor did he have legal educational rights. In fact, there was a restraining order prohibiting him from being on school grounds or within 1,000 feet of his son. Mom did not want to file a criminal complaint because she knew what would happen, absolutely nothing. She was a teacher and knew what the education code was.

In CA, a teacher may intervene to protect the safety of a student. So if it is mutual combat, I could legally intervene to prevent both students from harming each other. I am not legally required to but I can if I feel I can do so. If I am injured, I am covered by workman’s comp for injuries sustained in performing my duties. The top duty of any teacher is to ensure student safety. That takes a higher priority over teaching students. I have broken up fights before and have been injured and they have always been covered. I do it because I am a teacher and student safety is first.

The principal then filed an administrative action against me for violating the rights of a special education student. I did not follow his behavioral intervention plan. Had this been successful, I would have lost my job and my credential. This was made worse by the fact that the video taken by a student was posted to social media. It then made the local news.

Of course the story was one sided. I could not provide my side of the story. Anything I said would violate the student’s privacy rights under state and federal law. So, I was the teacher that assaults students for no reason. Nothing was said about the student that was on the floor, in the fetal position, having her head repeatedly kicked. Nothing was said about her traumatic brain injuries or the induced coma she was in for two weeks or her overwhelming fear of returning to the same school this monster of a student was at so she ended up transferring to a private school. By the way, this student who was the aggressor was never suspended because his special education rights were violated. He did this to at least 6 other students after this incident over the next 2 years and the district ended up paying out several millions to the parents of his victims. They finally got rid of the student by moving the program off of my campus to another one. This allowed them to fire this inept teacher. At the new campus, this student is confined to his II room and not allowed into any general education room. That principal has made sure of it. He has signed one school security officer to be with the student at all times.

My union would help pay for the legal defense, but only if I prevailed. So I did what was best for me, I hired the best attorney in the field of Education Administrative law. She has earned several awards and has won many cases that went all the way to the CA Supreme Court. I mortgaged my house and paid the retainer. I then shut up and let her talk for me.

My district told my principal to back down, she would lose. Since this was a legal action, I got a copy of all emails and I got this email. My principal did not realize I got this email and her response was she was not going to because I hurt a student and she needed to make an example of me. Their response was they would not pay for her legal costs, she was on her own and she had to pay for all of her attorney fees. They would not provide an attorney for her. She decided she did not need one. She went it alone. If you are dealing with a legal issue, never, ever appear before a judge without a competent attorney. If your boss tells you to drop it and you insist on following through on the legal action, it is a sign you are going to lose.

After 3 months, she lost. Then I took all the documentation of where she went wrong and filed suit. Then she realized she screwed up big time because the district told her to get her own attorney. She refused to settle out of court and so her costs went up and she lost. The district also lost because I went after them because she was their employee. I also went dad for his defamation and libel and filing a false police report. Because of the deep pockets law, I won an enforceable judgement against the district and the principal.

Now, as a teacher, I really do not want to take money from the education of students. So, I negotiated with the district. Since I won against the original criminal and administrative complaints against me, my union will cover much of the attorney’s fees for that. I also had to hire a criminal defense attorney. His bill was only $10,000 because he only had to file some paperwork with the DA to get the DA to make a decision to either charge me or drop it. The DA decided that at worse I was guilty of an infraction, and since I was protecting another student and had a strong defense that I was protecting her from certain death or permanent harm, what I did was legal, he would never consider filing charges because the case would be too weak and I would never be convicted. The district negotiated with the principal to cover my administrative attorney’s fee not covered by the union. This meant they told her they would withhold the money from her paycheck to pay my attorney or the principal would no longer have a job.

Then, the principal would buy 10 years of credit into my retirement plan with the state. This would come from her paycheck rather than from the district so students do not suffer. If she did not agree, she would not longer be working for the district. This will allow me to retire early and leave the state and seek employment outside of CA where education has not become so bad that the schools are run by the lowest common denominator and the students who want to learn and get an education are being left behind and whose safety is in danger every day.

In exchange, I signed a contract that I will never intervene in a fight. I will call the office and report it to an administrator. Last year, I had 8 fights in my classroom. Administrators are trained to not run to fights. They are supposed to walk because it demonstrates a calm response. My classroom is at the back of campus and it takes a minimum of 5 minutes to walk from the front to my room. The average administrative response time from the time I call to inform them there is a fight in my room to them actually arriving is 15 minutes. During that time I am supposed to evacuate the classroom of all students who are not participating and who will follow my directions. I have to supervise those students outside. The defiant students stay inside. Since I have done my duty, I am good. The students inside can hurt and maim each other all they want and they do. After the administrators arrive, a few ambulances are required.

The result, last May a police officer attempted to do CPR on a student that collapsed at lunch time. Other nearby students assumed the officer was assaulting the student or arresting the student and started a riot. They threw trash cans at that officer and the other responding officers that arrived within two minutes. The 4 administrators that arrived and told the students to disperse were ignored. The administrators sounded a lock-down and the students ignored it. They continue to attack the officer attempting CPR. The student died.

That student had tapped a mixture of pentyl and THC and she stopped breathing. It took 20 minutes for the police to to control the students, including arresting 30 of them, clearing the area enough to get the paramedics to the girl. They could not perform CPR during that time. The officer that tried to do CPR was taken to the hospital with a concussion after having two garbage cans slammed over his head.

Students learned if they fight the adults back down.

If I see a fight or a student assaulting another, I walk the other way. I am legal safe if I just call the office. If I intervene, I can lose everything. I can be sued, I can lose my job, I can lose my life savings. If I do nothing but just call the office, I am protected from all legal consequences. The worst that can happen is I get called to answer the questions from a few attorneys. I spend a few days at the district office with pay while talking to attorneys. I did that two months ago.

It went something like this. Did you see the fight. Yes. What did you do? I called the office to report it. Who did you report it to? I reported it to the attendance secretary who answered the phone and she said she would call security. I then waited in my room because I feared for my safety. I watched the fight through my classroom window. It took security 15 minutes to arrive.

Why did you not break up the fight? I did not feel I had the physical strength to do so without incurring injury to myself and I have a written contract with the school district stating I will not break up fights but will only report them to the administration because it is their job to break them up. Here is a copy of that contract.

The district hated that I brought that up but it gave me 100% legal cover. It was proof I did exactly what I was directed to do by a superior so they were 100% on the hook for my actions.

The truth is, your students are not as safe at school as district administrators want you to think.

Banana Custard Cobblers

2023 10 15 09 54
2023 10 15 09 54

Yield: 8 servingsIngredients

Custard

1 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup cornstarch8 large egg yolks3 cups whole milk1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise6 tablespoons (34 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature1/4 cup dark rum

Topping

3/4 cup all-purpose flour1/2 cup almonds6 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces3 bananas, thinly slicedInstructions

Custard
  • Whisk sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks in large bowl to blend.Bring milk and vanilla bean to boil in heavy large saucepan.Gradually whisk hot milk into egg yolk mixture; return mixture to saucepan. Whisk over medium-low heat until custard boils and thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.Whisk in butter and rum. Cool slightly.Discard vanilla bean. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until cold. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
  • Topping
  • Blend flour, almonds and brown sugar in processor to mix.
  • Add butter and process, using on/off turns, until coarse crumbs form. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to bowl; cover and chill.)Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.Place eight 1 cup ramekins or custard cups on baking sheet.Divide custard equally among ramekins, using about cup for each.Top each dessert with about 8 banana slices.Spoon topping over banana slices, dividing equally.Bake cobblers until topping is golden brown, about 15 minutes.Remove from oven and cool slightly, about 15 minutes.Serve warm.
  • What was a big mistake in WW2?

    Originally Answered: What was big mistake in WW2?

    image 127
    image 127

    This is the Lorenz cipher.

    Unlike its better known relative, the Enigma machine which was infamously deciphered by code-breakers at Bletchley Park throughout the war, the Lorenz cipher posed a much greater challenge. Utilising 12 wheels to scramble up the message being sent as opposed to the 3 or 4 rotors found in the Enigma machine, the Lorenz cipher was incredibly secure. As a result, unlike the Enigma that was used by the German standard armed forces, the Lorenz cipher was used only by high command with messages coming from Hitler himself. As a result, to crack the Lorenz cipher (or Tunny as it was code named by the British) would have the potential to change the course of the war.

    Not much headway had been made in breaking the Lorenz cipher through the war until a German operator made a catastrophic mistake on 30 August 1941. When a German receiving operator did not receive a message correctly, he asked the transmitter to resend the information and despite clear protocol against it, the two operators resent the message without changing their key settings (the settings that determine how the text is scrambled up). However since the message in question was 4000 characters long, the lazy German operator abbreviated several words, thus changing the length of the message. Since their key settings were both the same, the two messages had the same scrambling pattern of characters. Thus by comparing the locations where the message text changed, details of the way the rotors worked could be determined.

    These two messages were intercepted by the British who soon realised the importance of what they had discovered. This task of cracking Tunny was given to W T (Bill) Tutte who began to find repetitions in the cipher which allowed him to reverse engineer the Lorenz machine’s logical structure in what would be later described as “one of the greatest intellectual feats of World War II”. In order to support the painstaking decryption of German messages, the British Colossus was built in 1943 by Tommy Flowers, the first ever modern computer.

    image 126
    image 126

    The Colossus Machine

    The impact of the decryption of Tunny was enormous. It gave the British intimate details of Hitler’s most secret communications which was most notably vital in D Day where the Allies were able to deceive the Germans that they were going to attack at Calais as opposed to Normandy and at the Battle of Kursk in 1943, Germany’s last ditch attempt to reverse their fortunes on the Eastern Front and one of the largest battles in history. Involving 3 million men, without foreknowledge of German planning provided by the British, the Soviets would have been badly prepared defensively and could have lost this crucial battle and as a result, the war would’ve been prolonged. In fact, historians estimate that the breaking of the Lorenz cipher shortened the war by two years and thus saved millions of lives all due to the careless mistake of two lazy German operators.

    However this pivotal event is not well known due to the Official Secrets Act keeping the nature of the code breakers working to break the Lorenz cipher secret until 1974 and some former staff even today still refuse to break their vow of secrecy, preferring to take their knowledge to the grave.

    image 125
    image 125

    W T (Bill) Tutte, the man responsible for cracking the Lorenz Cipher

    Sweet cat is trying desperately to fit in, find a home

    Worthless scrap of paper

    Prior to my “retirement” I had opened a number of bank accounts in China. I did this, at that time unknowing of my future, as a “good thing” to do, “just in case”.

    Talk about foresight! Eh?

    I had two bank accounts.

    I opened up an account at BOC in Shanghai and placed $40,000 in it. I deposited a cashier’s check in it, and used a “passbook savings account”. I was told that it would take three months to clear, and that I had to keep the receipt in the book to “lock” the exchange rate of 9.5 RMB to USD. This brought me (the potential of) 380,000 RMB. Ah. Enough to buy property in China.

    The other account was in Shenzhen and much smaller; being only $5000.

    Well…

    BOOM! I am “retired” and stuck in Arkansas.

    My father needed to hire an attorney to get me out of the mess, and tried to extract the money from BOC. Good luck! No one could take it out except myself.

    He needed my thumb print.

    When he held the BOC passbook, he discarded the receipt. He thought it was a “worthless scrap of paper”.

    So, even though I couldn’t hire an attorney, and my bank was frozen, no one else could seize the money.

    Good going China!

    So I still have money in China; a life in China…and hope in China.

    Meanwhile, everything else was gone; stolen and discarded.

    All of this while my properties, and belongings were systematically looted, stolen and acquired by all the “friends” and “family” surrounding me.

    Jackals.

    Seriously.

    Now, eventually I get out of the USA. I am in China, and I use the $5000 to start a new! Fantastic, and I related this story to youse guys earlier.

    But of the $40,000 in Shanghai?

    Well, my well meaning father, discarded that little receipt in the passbook as unimportant. And when I opened up my bank account, I discovered that it only had 220,000 RMB in it. Not the 380,000 RMB I was expecting.

    Why?

    That little “junk” slip of paper was my proof of a 9.5 conversion rate. Not the 5.5 conversion rate at the time of retrieval.

    I lost one FUCK of a lot of money in the process.

    The point in this little story is that …

    …”if you are handling other people’s affairs, keep everything. Do not discard even the most trivial item. You probably are understating its importance.”

    Today…

    Are Huawei phones now a real challenge to Apple’s iPhone?

    Have you ever wondered why we don’t have too many commercial operating systems outside of Windows and MacOS?

    I don’t include Linux which is by no means a commercial operating system despite its many advantages

    Have you wondered why China and India are unable to make a PC Operating system despite so many skilled students and so much of a software base

    Its because a commercial OS needs to be compatible with your processor

    The Processor is INTEL Or AMD and they need to ensure your OS is compatible with their processor

    This was a huge argument in an ANTITRUST case against Microsoft that the plaintiffs lost

    Without that compatibility , you can never control an ecosystem or have an OS that controls the entire ecosystem

    You can have secondary systems that can never replace MS Windows or MacOS

    Tomorrow if India develops an OS on par with Windows, India will be throttled by Intel and AMD

    They will cite security concerns, backdoor etc and simply prevent the Indian OS from freely competing

    Thus India needs to develop a processor as well

    This processor better be on par with the Intel or AMD or people simply won’t buy the processor and thus by association, the Indian made operating system

    Say India develops a cutting edge web browser

    The same has to be integrated & compatible with your search engine for maximum efficiency

    Google and Bing both have maximum integrated compatibility with Chrome and IE, so your browser will not be able to host these search engines efficiently

    That’s goodbye to a good technology right there

    Thus you need a search engine of similar standard and a web browser of efficiency plus an Operating System plus your Hardware

    THE WEST CONTROLS IT ALL

    Rather US controls most of it


    Let’s say India develops an App that can beat Facebook

    Or an app that can beat Twitter

    Android and iOS can simply refuse to give a bundling agreement for that App citing security reasons or other reasons

    Tik Tok got a bundling deal with IoS and Android in 2014 for 25 years until 2039 along with WeChat and Alipay and other apps

    Telegram got a similar deal until 2033 (15 year deal)

    It’s why both Android and iOS cannot remove these apps from their playstores

    Today both Android and iOS no longer do bundling deals for long term periods, but only for 12 month periods and renew them (Since 1/1/2020)

    So Indian Twitter and Indian Facebook could be throttled simply by refusing to bundle them or integrate them into the Android or iOS ecosystem

    If indeed these apps became a threat to the US equivalents, India would become a major security threat in 20 minutes


    The Whole world accepted this dominance of the West and their complete control over the Information and Communications Ecosystems

    Including many Chinese companies

    Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo all happily kowtowed to the Western dominance and slogged hard to make 8% and hand over 92% to the west

    Thousands of excellent apps and games are unable to leave China because they can’t get bundling deals with Android and iOS outside the mainland

    Then ONE MAN CAME ALONG who said THIS IS RIDICULOUS

    He dared to envision his own ecosystem

    • The Chip – the Kirin designed entirely by Mainland China
    • The OS – The Harmony
    • The 5G Modem – To deliver highest speeds
    • The Networks – To ensure the lowest latents

    Once the Huawei ecosystem was in place, a flood of competition would be unleashed

    Chinese Apps would roar into the global market where they had been throttled before

    Baidu would finally compete with Google on a one on one platform and combat MSM propaganda in neutral nations

    Chinese Digital Payment systems would soar across and surge through the Global South


    They throttled Huawei

    They simply cut off the source of chips

    Huawei had the design but they couldn’t get the chips made because the world’s only makers TSMC and Samsung wouldnt due to sanctions

    The excuse was Huawei had business with the Govt of China. So did Oppo but Oppo was a meek obedient boy

    Then Huawei tried to get the chips made in SMIC

    They retaliated by cutting off access to EUV machines

    Yet Huawei managed to mass produce 5 nm Chips with the 7 nm process using very innovative stacking using DUVs

    Now Huawei has the Chip and the OS

    The US and the West couldn’t succeed in throttling Huawei

    Now the next step is probably to stop DUVs

    It’s why SMIC is stockpiling and also accelarating it’s own lithography progress


    So it’s not the phones

    It was never the phones

    Tomorrow if Huawei dropped their Chip idea, signed a 20 year deal with Qualcomm and dropped their OS idea and modem idea – US would lift the sanctions in 10 seconds

    It’s the ECOSYSTEM that Huawei brings with it that will finally break the US (Western) dominance and bring in a new player and country after virtually 30 years of control

    If Huawei triumphs, the world as we know it changes

    India could take inspiration and proceed on our own path to develop our own Ecosystem

    So could other players


    That TERRIFIES THEM

    Is the Chinese government determined to have Chinese technology replacements available for all US technologies so China-made products can become completely technologically independent of the US?

    In the industries of yesterday, there will eventually come a time when China isn’t affected by American sanctions. That will happen within the next 10-20 years, as Chinese manufacturing go from the current 30+ percent to over 50 percent of global output, and the Chinese patent portfolio matures.

    Now, turn the coin on its head and ask yourself a simple question.

    What happens in a world where the Chinese option is the cutting edge?


    Tesla entered into partnership with panasonic just a decade or so ago to build its first gigafactory. Panasonic, a Japanese company, had the best and most mature battery tech then. Similarly, yuasa, another Japanese company, was chosen by Boeing for the 787.

    Today, the best batteries using novel chemistries and materials are Chinese, promising unbeatable energy densities at great prices. Many ev makers have entered into partnership with a variety of Chinese battery makers, and that includes Tesla. China will become the go-to for batteries in the coming decade, driven by economy of scale.

    Shocking change in just 10 years no?


    In nuclear fission, China has leadership in gen 3 reactors, with the indigenous hualong in mass production and a steady stream of projects in the works. More importantly, China has the world’s first and only gen 4 gas cooled demonstrator online and plugged into the grid, promising even greater safety and reliability.

    Expect commercial availability within the decade.


    Same story in photovoltaics. China is already the biggest maker of solar panels and related modules, with leading edge options. My friend in the industry says it’s practically impossible to make a project viable without Chinese panels, not without massive subsidies or tariff walls. That’s how good the Chinese are.


    The best hsr system is Chinese, despite China being 50 years late to the game. Better than the Germans and Japanese? Yes, because the installed length is already greater than the rest of the world combined, and serve a broader range of conditions and latitudes. The ride comfort and stability is second to none. Try it yourself if you don’t believe the claim.


    Make a guess how many containers Chinese ports handled last year.

    300m.

    That’s 3, followed by 8 (eight) zeros.

    America just about crumbled with a modest 5–10 percent increase above the 50m they usually deal with, as a direct result of covid induced changes in lifestyle.

    Rates for China-US TEU went up more than 10x, an order of magnitude, at its peak. Ships were returned SANS empty containers, just to beat the logjam in American ports.

    Imagine first world American ports and infrastructure being unable to handle domestic demand, while China happily fulfilled GLOBAL demand with a future-proof, scalable automated port system.


    The Chinese are already leaders in digital payment, facial recognition, aspects of ai and big data, quantum computing, and many other technologies of the future. Some of the most exciting breakthroughs of tomorrow will happen in china, and revolutionize the world.

    Is the world prepared for that, especially served by a media that’s reluctant to report China in the slightest factual, and positive light?

    The first world may very well be caught unawares.

    Huawei 6G is coming, 100Gb per second transfer speed

    Good news that more and more Chinese researchers are leaving the States for China. It will help China.

    Have you, while repairing a computer, ever found anything that made your jaw drop?

    Back in 1996, I worked as a Field Technician for Lanier Business Systems in Houston, Texas. Specifically, I handled recording devices and systems, though on occasion I also handled copiers, printers, and fax machines. My territory was into the 610 loop and all overlapping zip codes. This included all the hospitals in the Houston Medical Center. Those that are technical people will figure out what is going on with this before I finish the explanation.

    So, for one of the hospitals, they had one of our dictation systems and one day, I get a call from the hospital administrator complaining that they haven’t had backups running on their system for six months. So, I head to the hospital, walk into the admin office, and begin working on the system. I go through the settings, and confirm it is setup to backup changes to the 3.5 in floppy drive. I checked the logs and confirmed the backups ran with no errors, or where there were errors is was able to resolve them and move on.

    I checked the disk, and it was blank. Completely blank, In fact, the disk wasn’t even formatted. Assuming that was the problem, I formatted the disk with Lanier’s proprietary encryption protocols, and confirmed I could copy data to the drive. I left the disk in the drive, and explained to the admin what I thought the problem was, and that I had fixed it.

    The next morning, she registered the same problem so I head back to the hospital, with a new disk drive. I pull the old drive install a new one, then proceed to run a few tests on the old drive with my testing equipment. Everything checks out, no problems on the drive, but I leave the new drive in just in case. Again, I explain to her what did, and felt fairly certain the problem was resolved.

    Next morning, I get another call. Same problem. At this point, I am scratching my head. I know the system is working, I was able to confirm the doctors are making recordings, i confirmed the backup are configured properly, so I talk to the admin and explain that I will come by this evening and confirm that the backups are running tonight.

    That evening, I head to the hospital and sit down at the monitor. She pulls the disk off the side of the system hands it so me and I insert it into the drive. ten minutes later the backup runs, I watch it, and after about fifteen minutes it completes with no errors. I sit down go through the logs, check the data on the disk. I confirm the backups are there, verify the data integrity. I even make certain that I can restore the data to the system. Everything looks great, I think the problem is solved. I hand the backup disk back to the administrator, and we talk for a few minutes. As, I am leaving, she puts the disk in a clip and slaps it onto the side of the system.

    I stop, and I stare at her for a moment, She looks at me, and asks what I’m waiting for. I look from her to the disk stuck to the side of the computer, back to her.

    I had spent three days troubleshooting this problem. I had confirmed that the equipment was completely in working order, and I knew for a fact that backups were running properly. I literally just confirmed that the backup was run, and the data was right there on the disk.

    Her actions had just made all those efforts pointless. She just erased everything off the disk and wasted all of my effort. Heck, she has been wasting her own efforts for six months and was getting frustrated because of what she just did.

    That clip is a magnetic refrigerator magnet. That magnet wiped the data from the magnetic disc in the floppy disk. She was the cause of all these problems, and has been doing it for six months. I had walked over, removed the disk and put it back in the drive. She looks at me confused. I pull up the floppy disk and it needs to be formatted. She asks me where the data went. I looked at her and handed her the refrigerator magnet.

    “Is it on here?”

    “No.”

    “Then where it is?”

    “Gone, you erased the disk.”

    She stares at me, dumbstruck, “What…what…what to you mean, I erased it. she mumbles curiously.

    I then explain to her that floppy disks are magnetic and are very sensitive to magnetic fields. That refrigerator magnet was strong enough when attached to metal object to erase the disk. She felt horrible.

    However, I spent the next several hours, backing up changes for six months of data onto a box of 3.5 inch floppy drives.

    I then explained proper disk storage, and told her to keep magnets away from the backups.

    After I was done, she was extremely appreciative, and apologetic.

    Additionally, I got 3 hours of overtime pay, and because the problem wasn’t caused by our equipment, which meant it wasn’t covered under contract. I made the company a nice profit. The base charges for such failures was $300 per hour, which easily covered my overtime pay.

    HE DID IT AGAIN! (OLIVER ANTHONY – I WANT TO GO HOME REACTION)

    What is the likelihood Xi Jinping will never meet with President Biden during Biden’s term?

    I watched a recent speech by Biden in Asia. It was a press conference in Vietnam. Biden was so bad that while he was still talking, his own US press secretary cut him off halfway by muting his microphone, declaring abruptly that the conference was over; and turning on jazz music in the room so that Biden’s voice could not be heard anymore. This was damage control. The US press secretary did it, to stop Biden from continuing to ramble on spouting nonsense in front of a roomful of journalists and media crews.

    The poor man is senile. He is still President, of course. But surely he is no longer making the real decisions for the USA. He is just the front, the puppet on stage – the people in charge are the ones behind the curtains pulling on the strings.

    It’s pointless for Xi to meet Biden. Xi probably knows it already. Any meeting with Biden would just be for ceremonial purposes and publicity reasons. Nothing will actually come out of such a meeting, because Biden doesn’t make decisions anymore.

    Xi is a busy man and I wouldn’t be too surprised if he decides never to meet Biden again. There’s not much point in such a meeting.

    I ADOPTED A CAT (because i’m lonely)

    In Chinese tradition, the emperor is seen as a model for all citizens. Did Puyi ever become that model citizen?

    Puyi has been seen in history as a villain of sorts. He was the last vestige of the Qing dynasty, a living testament to imperialism. He was called effeminate by many and impotent by some. He was selfish, shallow, and childish in his early years. He was also rumored to be cruel to others for his pleasure.

    However, we must view him with nuance and remember the time period he was born into. He was groomed from birth to be ineffective by the women in his family who wanted to hold onto their power to rule through him as their proxy. He was born into a family where opulence and excess was considered normal and expected even. But it was also a time where the peasants were deeply unhappy with an ineffectual government and orchestrated a revolution that toppled his world as he knew it.

    He united with the Japanese which made him a traitor in the eyes of the Chinese; but Japan had promised him the opportunity to return to a throne and that was the only life he knew. His early wives would tell you he was self centered and downright nasty when he wanted to be.

    While he was not a good man in many ways, he was not irredeemable either. Mao allowed him to be the gardener of the Beijing Botanical Gardens. Puyi sought, with his last years, to redeem himself and to become a better man. He once said that the Puyi of his youth was the enemy to the Puyi of his latter years. He often wept when shown examples of his past damage to China. He was overwhelmed when shown the horrors of Unit 731 and cried that those atrocities had been done in his name. His transformation so complete that he became a man of humility. He was reported to have accidentally knocked an elderly woman over with his bicycle and visited her in the hospital every day until she was released.

    In the end he found love with his last wife, Li Shuxian, being “all he had in the world,” and she reported in an interview that his love for her was such that when she was sick he would sit by her bedside all night, seeing to her every need.” He had come to be a man who took pleasure in simple things and in his love for his wife. He had indeed become the model citizen and died at the age of 61 of kidney cancer. His widow had his ashes placed with nine other emperors that had come before him. In death he had been returned to his family.

    China shocks Europe by canceling ASML’s $580 billion lithography order!

    https://youtu.be/s6gPPjQt4RE

    What’s it like to be one of the 55 ethnic minorities living in China?

    I am the Tujia nationality, and I belong to the eighth largest ethnic minority in China. We have 8 million people.

    1. Add points in the most important exam in China-the college entrance examination;(It used to be 20 points, but now it has been reduced to 5 points due to the improvement of educational facilities and standards.)

    2. To study for master’s and doctorate with a score lower than Han people, the tuition fee is exempt.

    3. Before the “one-child policy” was abolished, ethnic minorities (the ethnic minorities who joined the Communist Party of China are only allowed to have one child) can have 2 or more children, and the Han can only have one;

    4. Use and develop the spoken and written languages ​​of ethnic minorities. Most ethnic minorities only have languages ​​without a writing system. The GOV has developed a writing system for us;

    Orange-Chipotle Skirt Steaks

    orange chipotle skirt steaks
    orange chipotle skirt steaks

    Marinate: 6 hr to overnight | Yield: 4 to 6 servings

    Ingredients

    Marinade

    • Juice of 1 medium orange
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from chipotle peppers)
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

    Steaks

    • 1 1/2 pounds beef skirt steak, cut into 4 to 6 inch pieces

    Tomatillo Salsa

    • 2 medium oranges, divided
    • 2 cups chopped tomatillos (4 to 5 small to medium)
    • 1/2 cup chopped red onion
    • 2 to 3 teaspoons minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1/8 teaspoon salt

    Instructions

    Marinade

    1. Combine ingredients in a small bowl.

    Steaks

    1. Place beef steaks in food-safe plastic bag; turn steaks to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning occasionally.

    Tomatillo Salsa

    1. Grate 1/2 teaspoon peel from 1 orange. Cut this orange and half of remaining orange into segments. Chop segments into 1/2 inch pieces.
    2. Combine orange peel and segments, tomatillos, onion, chipotle peppers, cumin and salt in medium bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
    3. Cut remaining 1/2 orange into wedges; reserve for garnish.
    4. Remove steaks from marinade; discard marinade.
    5. Place steaks on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, uncovered, 10 to 13 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, covered, 8 to 12 minutes) for medium rare (145 degrees F) to medium (160 degrees F) doneness, turning occasionally.
    6. Carve steaks diagonally across the grain into thin slices; season with salt, as desired.
    7. Serve with tomatillo salsa. Garnish with reserved orange wedges.

    Oliver Anthony ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ Intense Listening Sesh/Reaction – POWERFUL!

    What is the most touching act of kindness you have ever witnessed or experienced?

    I will try to make this brief. My husband and I are a “multicultural” pair; he was brought up in Scotland and I was brought up in Cleveland, Ohio. Some of the time during our marriage we have lived in Ohio, some of the time in Glasgow.

    Somewhere in the mid ’90s we decided to move again from Ohio back to Glasgow. I had three little children at that time — three girls, 7, 3, and 1. We had practically all our worldly possessions with us in 13 metal trunks and the usual baby paraphernalia. We flew from Florida to Glasgow, after flying from Ohio to Florida. The leg from Florida to Glasgow was a direct flight but lasted 10 hours. Needless to say we were very tired, stiff and sleep deprived.

    We saddled the family onto an airport bus to take us “home” after such an exhausting trip. After loading our 13 trunks into the hold of this huge bus our bus driver let everyone else off at the usual stop. Before letting our family deboard, he asked us, “Hey, where do you folks live?” We told him the exact location where our small house was located. He laughed and said, “Stay on the bus, I’ll take you to your door. No taxi I know of will fit all this stuff.”

    So that’s what this hero did. He pulled his massive 88-seater bus right into our cul-de-sac, right up to our door, and also helped unload the 13 trunks and our very tired family.

    It was an act of kindness I have never forgotten. Oh and I forgot to mention, it was 4am.

    What’s a rule your employer implemented that backfired terribly?

    I was working as the assistant accountant at a company and had to leave early one day as I was sick. My boss insisted on a doctor certificate to cover that half day so I managed to see my gp the next morning who gave me a certificate for 3 days off plus the half day. I objected but the doc said if you’re feeling better in a few days just go back to work.

    So 2 days later I’m feeling better and return to work. My boss was annoyed because instead of a few hours I’m now out 2 days so she says I need to go back to same dr to get a clearance to return to work.

    By this time it’s midmorning of the last day of the certificate. I’m fine. It’s the last week of month and we’re super busy and she wants me to drive 40 minutes each way to the dr to get a certificate and the chances of an appointment with the same dr is unlikely. And it’s going to cost me $80 for appointment.

    I had lots of sick leave accrued and it’s also November.

    I explained that we’d lose 1/2 to 3/4 of the day and I’d be out of pocket but nope she wanted me to go back to the dr.

    Previously no one had ever enforced a dr certificate if anyone came back early (unless it was workers comp). She told me that this was my “punishment” for leaving early when I was sick a few days before!

    When she said that, I made a decision. I said I wasn’t prepared to spend the money for the dr to reassess me for 1/2 day work. She said in that case you can’t work today.

    No problems I said. I’ll go do my Christmas shopping and I grabbed my handbag and sauntered out.

    I’m told her face just dropped and she bitched to the GM after I’d left and he laughed and told her she was the one who forced the issue.

    ”What Do You Have To Offer A Man?”

    I think this is THE fundamental question both men AND women should be asking… if you have a long list of demands, you better have a long list of qualities to offer.

    What’s a rule your employer implemented that backfired terribly?

    Employees will pay for personal calls on the company’s cell phone.

    This happened about 2003. The developer team took turns being “on-call” and carrying the company phone. Most of us had cell phones but we did not use them as much as we do now. My plan was expensive even though it was the minimum number of minutes, I think 60, per month. In any case, I rarely went over the number of minutes per month. The company phone, on the other hand, had an unlimited plan so there would be no overage charges. The business use of the phone required a lot of minutes.

    When it was my turn to carry the phone, I did not carry my personal cell phone at the same time. If I needed to make a call, I would just use the company phone. Most of us did the same thing. Cell phones were bulky and it did not cost the company anything extra. Also, we only made a few short calls on the work phone.

    Well our boss, the CTO, called a meeting and showed a new form for us to record our personal calls when we carried the company phone. He told us that it did not matter that the company’s unlimited plan made the calls free. It was the company’s phone and the company’s money. However, he appreciated that it was inconvenient to carry two phones so he was implementing a new policy that the person using the on-call phone for a personal call would log the call and reimburse the company the going rate. It was something like 20 cents per minute which was the normal per minute cost at the time. We were to use the form to pay the company for personal calls on the work phone.

    Most of us thought it was a little petty because the company’s plan was unlimited and a few short calls did not cost the company anything. However, we acknowledged it was a reasonable policy and we would just have to pay a little for convenience or carry two phones. Not really a big deal. Then I thought of something.

    I asked the boss, “Can we use the same form for the company to reimburse us for work calls on our personal phones?” He asked if we used our personal cells for work. “Of course, whoever is on-call often calls his colleagues for advice about a problem or how a system was configured. If we are not home, we take the call on our cell. As a matter of fact, twice this year I went over my monthly minutes and had to pay overage charges.” He replied that I would not pay extra if I was more careful to not go over my minutes. “Well, as you explained, it does not matter if I pay extra or not. It’s about keeping personal calls and work calls separate. So, can we use the same form or should we use a different form?” Without answering the question, he ended the meeting shortly thereafter.

    He never said anything more about the form, and the policy never went into effect.

    I admit that I did not like the guy because he viewed us as commodities instead of employees. The feeling was mutual and he fired me the next year. Oh well, I got a better job after that.

    China Tests New Laser Weapon That Destroys Planes In Seconds!

    Will China’s economic problems become a financial crisis for the rest of the world?

    No

    It won’t

    image 8
    image 8

    The Debt crisis in China isn’t a shock to the global economy

    Evergrande crisis happened in 2021 and it’s 2 years old and yet Evergrande hasn’t fallen

    The Debt crisis is two years old, maybe three years old now

    So even if the big names begin failing, the systemic shocks to Chinas Economy Or the Global Economy will be much milder than a sudden unexpected shock


    The difference between US and China, is that in US, the Institutions which are privately owned and have very little regulations, lie and cheat and bury the information deep and keeps allowing more and more trouble to accumulate

    Lehman Brothers crisis in 2008 is an example as is the 1929 depression or the recent Silicon Valley Bank failures

    They pretend nothing is wrong, they pretend everything is hunky dory, they even manipulate the system like they did in 2008 with Moodys and S&P

    Then THERE IS ALWAYS A SUDDEN COLLAPSE AND A MASSIVE SYSTEMIC SHOCK

    image 7
    image 7
    image 6
    image 6
    https://www.khilafah.com/the-2008-financial-crisis-cost-every-american-70000/

    Like in 2008 when there was a downward swing in investment indices by a whopping 60% across 2 years

    People lost homes, savings everything and plunged into poverty


    China is entirely different

    China has lots of regulations and State has a huge control which means no pretension, no burying of information

    The Chinese in fact start openly publishing info from Day 1 about such problems

    Evergrande problems were published 30 days before their first default while the real estate debt crisis problems were openly revealed yuan for yuan almost 3 months before Evergrande (which is how the West knew about it in the first place)

    As a result the system gets a DULL SHOCK rather than a SUDDEN SHOCK AND COLLAPSE

    This Dull Shock is absorbed slowly into the economy of China and by the investors, then smaller shocks happen and they too get absorbed

    Thus Indices will fall maybe 6–8% in China , maybe 10% over 5–6 years and then stabilize and recover

    The Impact will probably be 10% of the 2008 Crisis at the most

    Lehman collapsed in 14 days, Lehman Bros when it collapses will do so after almost 825 days to 900 days

    Lot of time to absorb the shock


    Experts gauge China will absorb it’s debt crisis at a cost of around 1.2% a year in it’s economic growth for around 5 years and 0.7% a year for the next five

    That’s around 13.5 Trillion Yuan

    Worst case, that’s more than double of the estimated value of impact of the debt crisis (6 Trillion Yuan)


    Chinas past growth and surging development will keep China protected from the debt crisis and get China off safely and with a nice soft landing

    image 5
    image 5

    Another 5 years if Xi had buried this and kept up illusions and kept seeing debt rollovers and price rise rapidly

    China would have had 6–6.5% growth for the next 5 years or so but then the impact would have been maybe 30–35 Trillion after a decade or so

    An example of the astute leadership of China which cares about long term prospects

    Unlike a problem with democracies which bury all the problems hoping the next party will deal with them

    How much of everything is made in China now? If so, how did this happen, and why do they make things there instead of here in the USA?

    Ask you CEOs why they think they are entitled to earn 100 times more that Chinese CEOs? Ask your employees and your unions what the push their salary to 5 times that of China? Ask your employees why they expects 10 times their benefits compared to Chinese counterparts? Ask why they are willing to work 25% less hours compared to the Chinese workers? Ask why are your education system turning out lawyers and bull shit artiste instead of stem engineers?

    Ask your government why your infrastructure is dilapidated and why are there no trainings and retraining of workers sufficient to meet today’s manufacturing needs? Those question get you real answers and make the U.S. face realities?

    China did not put a gun on the heads on 330 million Americans to buy Chinese products! The 330 million Americans chosed value for money like everyone on earth. The U.S. government and the U.S. people made wrong choices. They choose wars and war mongering rather than helping their manufacturers and factories. The citizens chose those leaders! If the U.S. citizens were to turn around and kicked out any politicians that prioritise wars over work kick them out of office they can make the difference.

    There are so many Americans here in QUORA who champion wars and worship power but ask why China makes everything? You need to choose wisely. You go around telling everyone you have a freedom to chose and are so proud of that freedom but you blow it every 4 years for 250 years long.

    You chose leaders that don’t care about you and in fact destroy you!

    Do Cats Miss Us When We Leave the House?

    What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

    At my wife’s father’s wake, we told her uncle he wasn’t welcome.

    We had texted him and asked him not to show up early , as he wasn’t welcome but said that we would be leaving early so he could come later, but he came early anyway with his two sons and his screaming Harpy of a wife.

    We had rented the hall and paid for the food and bar.

    I stopped them at the door, expecting trouble. I asked him to leave and come back in a few hours when we would be gone.

    They tried to push past me and called my wife a c##t

    I reacted without thinking.

    I shattered his and his two sons noses with three strikes in about two seconds.

    They know I am a Wing Chun Gung Fu stylist who is also a 6′ 200 lb pro renovation contractor.

    They called the police.

    The police called them white trash and suggested they didn’t want to go in front of a judge considering their conduct.

    They backed down and left.

    One of the cops was Irish , he said he would buy me a whiskey right in front of the jack ass’s if he wasn’t on duty while they were holding their noses.

    P. S. I don’t advocate violence, but I have no regrets at this time.

    Love some, trust few, and do no great harm.

    Baby Wasn’t Able To Tell Parents About Cruel Sitter — But His Dog Could

    This is Vesna Vulović.

    She holds the Guinness World Record for the highest fall without a parachute and surviving. She is reported to have fallen 6.3 miles (33,330 ft; 10,160 m) from the sky when a briefcase bomb exploded onboard JAT Flight 367 and crashed into what was then Czechoslovakia in 1972.

    So, how exactly did she survive the fall? When the bomb exploded during mid-flight, almost all the passengers were sucked out of the airplane into subfreezing temperatures and fell to their deaths. Vulović was trapped inside the fuselage and pinned down by a food cart. She landed in a heavily wooded area with snow, which helped cushion her fall. Interestingly enough, Vulović’s low blood pressure allowed her to pass out quickly when the cabin depressurized and prevented her heart from bursting on impact. When applying to become a flight attendant, Vulović had concealed her low blood pressure from the medical examiners by drinking several cups of coffee.

    Vulović was the only survivor, and upon impact, had broken both her legs, parts of her vertebrae, and several ribs. She also fractured her skull and pelvis. After spending several days in a coma, Vulović awoke and asked for a cigarette. She had no recollection of the explosion or the crash. Her recuperation took a total of 16 months.

    BREAKING! China and U.S. headed for all out war, and Putin knows it

    What’s a rule your employer implemented that backfired terribly?

    “Any hotel expense over $XX must be approved by your Supervisor unless previously authorized (Daytona during Bike Week, going into hurricane devastated areas, or other known high cost areas, etc.)”.

    Sure, I’m on the road for 3–6 weeks at a time and only after working the planned for 8–10 hours a day (yes 50+work hours a week were the norm) would I be on the road to the next job which was often 100 or more miles away. Needless to say, there were many, Many nights where I arrived at a hotel at around midnight.

    Guess who went home at 5 PM back in the office? Yep, our supervisor. So, someone found his home phone number and we all began calling it when we arrived somewhere that wasn’t within the price range they expected.

    So they changed the rule to say “Don’t call your Supervisor, but you are responsible for finding a hotel within per diem limits”.

    Sure, but since it’s something you told me to do then I’m still at work. Do you Really think its worthwhile to pay me an extra hour’s pay just to save $10 for a night? Do you Really want me to add the two hours travel time to my pay-sheet because the only hotel in the price range was that far away?

    I just remembered another prime example backfiring: the company had a policy that if we screwed up a job then it was our responsibility to go back and fix it on our own time. (If we didn’t want to then we’d mysteriously find our services weren’t in such high demand for the next week or three). So, one fine Saturday morning after I’d finished installing the computer system for a well-known coffee chain, I got a phone call that said I had to travel 400 miles to Memphis and fix a problem with a printer that didn’t work. Obviously it not working must have been my fault. It didn’t help much to say that part of my checkout procedure was to get a number from a document the help desk printed to their new POS system’s laser printer.

    So, yeah, I’ll go back to Memphis on my own dime, BUT if it’s not my fault then I get paid. Traveled 6.5 hours to Memphis and walked into the coffee shop to hear the manager complain that his printer wasn’t working. I asked him what the help desk had him do. Turns out he didn’t call his help desk but just his contact at the company I worked for. I walked into the office, took a quick look and flipped the “ON” switch to the printer. Then I handed him the work order and told him he was going to be charged for 8 hours of travel to Memphis (400 miles at 50 MPH) 4 hours of overtime (our minimum charge and it was Saturday) and 8 hours of travel back to my house.

    “B-But it didn’t work, you installed it wrong!” Nope, here’s the printout and the confirmation number from your help desk printed to that computer saying everything worked. Your help desk would have asked you what lights were on the printer, IF you had called them first.

    A terrible day, so I spent the afternoon on Beale St. before heading home to pack up for the next Monday’s job in Charlotte or somewhere, who knows?

    Tucker Carlson ‘ You’ve No Idea What is Coming, start Preparing Now

    https://youtu.be/iiaU43WmfL8

    What classic car has the most available parts?

    When my daughter was 15 (2000) I asked her what kind of car she wanted. Her answer stunned me: an old VW Beetle. We decided rather than looking for a good one to buy we would buy a beat up old junker and restore it together. I acquired the catalogs from suppliers and was shocked at how cheap the parts were and could not find a single thing that was not available new. We stripped that old junker down, did the body work and painted it. Bought all new chrome and stainless steel trim, all new upholstery, head liner, carpet and replaced every piece of rubber on the car.

    When it came time to rebuild the engine I took a list of the parts I thought I would need to a local shop that specialized in VWs. He looked at the list and ask if I was planning on rebuilding the engine. When I said “yes” he responded that I was not going to do it, I was going to pay them to do it. I ask why? He said because this list of part is going to cost you 800 dollars and we will rebuild it for 875 dollars. Thinking it was a scam, I asked what if the crank is bad? His response was we are not going to use anything but the block, everything else is new including the heads . We picked up the engine and, as he said, it was 875 dollars.

    When she turned 16 I gave her driving lessons in her VW. She drove it through high school and well after college. she didn’t stop using it until she had her first child.

    Rather than let it sit we gave it to a friend who, 20 years after our rebuild, is still using it.

    Total cost of the junk car, parts, and materials, including the engine rebuild: $3,300. Never had a part that we couldn’t get within a couple of days (side note; for several years she claimed she could not drive an automatic [or any other car] because she only knew how to drive a VW.)

    Digging Dollar’s Grave! ASEAN Nations To Use Yuan As Their New Single Currency!

    https://youtu.be/lvsZlBlfvW8

    Anti-China Rhetoric Is Off the Charts in Western Media 

    The mass hysteria reflects the biases inherent in the world’s most powerful media outlets. 

    By Chandran Nair

    February 21, 2023

    A key feature of mainstream Western media today is the relentless China-bashing. It is off the charts and tiring, often involving regurgitated trivia or fabricated stories with no evidence to support callous statements about the country, demonstrating a deep lack of understanding. But such stories continue to be churned out with no end in sight.

    Countering this in international media by offering more balanced views for a global audience is near impossible as censorship is rife. There almost seems to be a global compact to control the narrative, a propaganda war powered by today’s digital technology.

    Just try looking for a positive story on China any day of the week in any of the leading global media outlets. Apart from reports in January about the Lunar New Year, there will hardly be any, and these too are likely to have a negative spin. It would appear there is a confidential memo circulating within Western media groups that guides reporters and editors to ensure there cannot be any positive news arising from a country with 1.3 billion people.

    Typically, the negative stories adhere to three core ideas, which inform the unspoken guidelines within these press rooms when it comes to reporting on China.

    First is the belief that China is a threat to the world and that this belief must be relentlessly reinforced at every available opportunity. How and why China is a threat is never explored; such is the deep-rooted and almost religious nature of the belief. Sound arguments do not matter. The basic tenets of good journalism are ignored when it comes to a China story. There is no need to explain or give evidence of why China is a global threat.

    Left ignored is the plentiful evidence that shows China is not a global threat – even if one can point to mistakes and overreach in certain areas. China has not invaded any country in decades, or imposed sanctions that have devasted the lives of millions in poor countries, unlike the West, led by the United States.

    Second is that China must be linked to every possible global event that affects the West. This provides an opportunity for the West to bash China while simultaneously burnishing its own credentials as the supposed arbiters of what is right and wrong in international relations. From the pandemic to the Russia-Ukraine war to carbon emissions; from rising sea levels to the scramble for rare earths; from the building of infrastructure in Africa to the production of vaccines – there must be an angle to demonize the country and instill fear in Western nations (and beyond).

    Indeed, media outlets are reverting to the “yellow peril” of the late 1800s. There is no subtle and nuanced approach to instilling fear like this. It is full-on and very often blatantly racist – but it is now acceptable for one to be racist about the Chinese in Western media, despite the fact that Black-White relations are very carefully described.

    The third part of this phenomenon, which is surprisingly not challenged by liberal readers of mainstream media, is the sentiment that everything must be done – even illegal and unfair methods – to arrest the rise of China. Never mind the rights of hundreds of millions of Chinese to have a better life after a century of poverty and deprivation.

    Headline after headline that capture this sentiment have normalized the view that there is a need to curb the rise of China, and that this is a legitimate geopolitical objective. There is no explanation about why or if it is even morally acceptable. It has become a feature of Western commentary on China to say that its rise is a concern and a threat. With this assumption unassailably in place, the West has the right to galvanize – and even bully – its allies and ask the absurd question, “what should be done about China’s rise?” – as if China does not have the right to carve its own place in the new world.

    There is even a school of thought in the United States that it was America that magnanimously allowed China its first baby steps into the globalized economy, and that in hindsight the U.S. was too nice to China. This view betrays everything that is imperial about the West and why it is unable to come to terms with the legitimate rights of other nations to grow and become powers in their own right. The assumption is that the rise of others is a gift from the West, and accordingly they must never challenge its supremacy. The deeply entrenched view in the West from centuries of domination is that it will decide which nations will be permitted to be participants in the global economy according to its self-serving “rules-based order.”

    Indeed, Western media seem wholly tied to the hegemonic competition view of geopolitics, constantly referencing the “Thucydides Trap” and being stuck in the Western canon as if there are no other ways of looking at geopolitics and world order. This view assumes conflict is inevitable and helps to demonize China while justifying the hegemonic position of the West – and the United States in particular – as a globally stabilizing force.

    Needless to say, this is an extremely belligerent position to take, and not something media should be egging on. Whatever happened to promoting multilateralism? And why are people who speak to multilateralism side-lined as idealists or China apologists? This flies in the face of fair reporting.

    So, how to fix this?

    First, people in China and the non-Western world must realize that when it comes to the workings of the mainstream media we are in a new era – a propaganda war the likes of which the world has never seen before, powered by today’s digital technology. The media war is real, and tech-driven, and it is not a fight for eyeballs to deliver fair, honest, and educational news. It is almost everything else but that, especially when it comes to China or enemies of the West.

    On one side is sheer propaganda aimed at the preservation of Western power. Participants include the most well-known brands in the Western media world, which are household names across the world.

    The idea that Western media is run by fair-minded people who are independent, driven only by a desire to talk truth to power, is a mirage. It is a myth, and it is a bitter pill that needs to be swallowed. The idea that the Western journalist is a paragon of virtue also needs to be banished from the minds of consumers of media.

    That is the first stage in enabling one to step out of the propaganda mist we are engulfed in on a daily basis, so that one can examine different viewpoints as news is consumed. This is not easy, given the current dominance of Western media outlets and their apparently collective mission.

    The next step is to dismantle the dominance of Western media.

    This too will be a long, hard fight. Mainstream Western media are the most powerful in the world and for close to a century, Western media have had a stranglehold on the dissemination of international news and viewpoints across the world. Many had their origins in colonialism, the preservation of empire and later the spread of Western ideas about how the world should be run. These outlets are a powerful economic force and dislodging them will require investments.

    Across the world there is an opportunity to contribute to this effort, not necessarily by building large media companies but by investing in media companies that are committed to fair and objective analysis, so that local audiences in the first instance have choices and are not inundated by the propaganda of mainstream Western media. This too will not be an easy task and there are many hurdles to overcome, but this is not the space to dive into those details. Ultimately, it is all about readers becoming more aware of global issues by having more non-Western sources to rely on, so they are not victims of the current propaganda war. This is beginning to happen as more alternatives flourish.

    It is an urgent need in the West too so that the mass hysteria generated by mainstream media is prevented from creating fear and pitting Western societies against the rest of the world. Today the target is China; tomorrow India and then maybe Africa.

    Merkules – ”Rich Men North Of Richmond” Remix (Reaction)

    Young Boy Looks Out The Window And Sees Sister Bring Dragged Into The Woods

    image 11
    image 11

    At some point or another in most of our lives, we will have an opportunity to be a hero. Some people will take that opportunity and run with it, and that includes Owen Burns.

    Owen was coming home from school in the afternoon when he heard screaming. It was his sister, and at first, he didn’t feel that it was anything serious.

    image 10
    image 10

    Eventually, he did turn and look out the window and what he saw on the outside was enough to make his blood run cold. It was a frightening issue but one that he decided to put out of his mind and do the right thing.

    Owen was getting ready to play Call of Duty on his PlayStation when his sister started screaming from the backyard. As any 13-year-old brother would do, he got irritated because he thought she was overreacting and just being annoying.

    When he looked out the bedroom window, however, he saw that his sister was being dragged away by a stranger. His sister was only eight years old and they were headed for the woods behind the house.

    Immediately, the teenage boy grabbed a slingshot and anything he could use as ammunition, including a rock and a marble. He took aim and got off a shot, hitting his sister’s abductor right between the eyes.

    He got off a second shot, hitting the man in the chest, and at that point, the man was swearing and cursing.

    This wasn’t something that was hidden from view, it happened in broad daylight at their home in Michigan. The mother, Maggie Burns, said that it is not common for kidnappings to occur in the neighborhood.

    Fortunately, the abductor was scared away and the 8-year-old girl was unharmed. They were able to capture the would-be kidnapper, a 17-year-old. They didn’t release his identity but they did say he would face charges as an adult.

    image 9
    image 9

    According to John Grimshaw, a Lieut. with the police force, Owen saved his sister’s life, or from something seriously bad happening to her. They called his actions extraordinary.

    He also said that the young man should be commended for what he did. He used a regular slingshot that was purchased for three dollars on sale. He did practice shooting on occasion at old orange juice cans, and that helped him to improve his aim.

    Owen said that he only had one thing on his mind when he saw someone trying to kidnap his sister. He was afraid that the kidnapper would either kill her or use her as a sex slave.

    He said that the abductor had come behind his sister and grabbed her just like you would see in the movies, putting his hand over her mouth and his arm around her waist. He was trying to get her into the woods.

    That is when Owen grabbed his slingshot and started shooting at him. When the kidnapper finally let his grip on the little girl go, she ran into the house crying and said that she had almost been killed.

    Owen was angry at that point and ran outside to curse at the kidnapper. He threw a baseball in his direction but it missed.

    At that point, he tried to shoot him again with a slingshot but the rubber band broke.

    They then called the mother who had been at a relative’s house to help as she was on her way from work. She ran home, called the police, and it all stems from hearing her kids on the phone. The only thing she heard was the word, kidnapper.

    They found the 17-year-old kidnapper hiding at a gas station nearby. He was indicted in the County Court on charges of kidnapping and attempted criminal assault. They will also charge him with misdemeanor assault and battery.

    The police said that: “He had obvious signs of an injury consistent with those that would have been sustained from the slingshot strikes to his head and chest.”

    The mother was skeptical at first that Owen had hit the kidnapper in the face and chest from 200 feet away. When the police confirmed the injuries, they even said that the goose egg on his head continued to get bigger while they were speaking with him.

    Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and I would say Owen and is as close to a superhero as you can get.

    Office of Naval Intelligence Leak: China Building Naval Ships 232 Times faster than USA – “Lift to Invade North America”

    Nation Hal Turner

    The United States office of Naval Intelligence suffered a leak of an intel briefing slide, showing China now has naval ship building capacity 232 times greater than the USA.  This capacity can be used to build enough ships to “lift” an army to invade North America – successfully.

    This amazingly oversized capacity to build naval vessels has caused some analysts to raise the alarm that the United States cannot even hope to catch-up . . . for years.

    Other analysts have a more dire view: China is building this enormous amount of “lift” to be able to field a 200 million man army to invade and conquer North America, which it needs for food production and for its gigantic and growing population.

    The seeds for this dire analysis began under the Trudeau government in Canada, when it signed a Treaty with the China Communist Party (CCP) in Beijing to allow Chinese Troops into Canada – to “protect Chinese investments.” The Treaty made it explicitly clear that local governments in Canada would not be notified and could not do anything about the presence of such troops.

    By using Canada as a beachhead, giving China a foothold on north American, China can now pre-position armor and troops along the US northern border until they reach such mass that an invasion of the US would be almost a fait accompli!

    US Military in Recruiting Shambles

    In the meantime, the armed forces of the United States are in a Recruiting shambles.  EVERY branch of US Armed Forces have been missing their recruiting goals for the all-volunteer force, and have been missing those goals for years.

    The troubles plaguing recruiting do not come from lack of available people but rather a whole host of issues with those people.  For instance, a very large portion of American young people are “morbidly obese” to such a degree, that the physical strength and stamina simply cannot be restored to make them fit for military service.

    Other potential recruits suffer from a  host of disqualifying psychiatric issues: Men who think they’re actually women trapped in the wrong body . . . . women who think they’re men . . . . candidates with a history of suicidal ideation and/or actual suicide attempts and more.

    Also plaguing the pool of potential recruits is the mental inability to think critically; to make judgements, and act on immediate information.

    As if all of this wasn’t bad enough, a sizeable portion of the potential recruits are so physically weak and effeminate, they simply cannot be brought to military strength.

    Drug use is also a major factor in disqualifying potential recruits.  Psychiatric drugs for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), addiction to Adderall, on top of others who are using illicit drugs like Cocaine, Heroin, or a

    plethora of other, exotic “designer drugs,” has disqualified very many potential recruits because withdrawal from such drugs can lead to long-term violent outbursts and unstable mental states.

    DEFENSE INDUSTRY IN SHAMBLES

    Adding fuel to the fire is the Defense Industry itself.  At present, the US Defense Industry is UNABLE to re-supply the most basic war-fighting products like Ammunition and artillery shells in sufficient quantities to re-stock what the US has already given away to Ukraine, never mind to fight an active war with a near-peer rival.

    Instead of hiring new employees to increase defense production, many defense contractors are having to LAY OFF workers because they simply cannot get the parts necessary to assemble replacement weaponry like Javelin Missiles!  American manufacturer’s “out-sourced” many jobs to overseas locations, and, in the case of China, that is now coming back to bit the US in its ass.

    For instance, China recently imposed economic Sanctions on Lockheed Martin and other American Defense Contractors, for supplying weapons to Taiwan. This means that Chinese manufacturers can no longer sell certain electronics to those companies; electronics  necessary to build and re-supply US military weapon systems!

    Not only is this affecting the US ability to continue providing weaponry to Ukraine, it is also affecting our ability to make weapons to defend . . . OURSELVES.  With the vast array and quantities of weaponry being “given” to Ukraine, it appears to some Defense Analysts that the US is being INTENTIONALLY DISARMED by its own federal government.

    COMMERCIAL ENTITIES UNABLE TO SERVICE or CUTTING-OFF US MILITARY

    Reverting back to the subject of ships for a moment, it became known this week that Danish shipping giant, MAERSK, is “backing away” from providing shipping services to the Department of Defense. 

    With most of US Ship-building gone from environmental regulations and Union Labor contract demands, the few shipbuilders the US still has, simply cannot meet the demand for new vessels or to timely repair existing vessels.

    The US has to rely on foreign shipbuilders for Hulls and for shipping services.

    MAERSK has not said why they are “backing away” from providing services to the Department of Defense, but they are, in fact, doing so.

    Are these companies being pressured by China or other foreign governments to cripple the US?   Are these companies being threatened with losing the ability to provide shipping services to foreign countries if they continue helping the US?  The answer to those questions is not known, but it __may__ be a possibility.

    Which brings up the issue of future US ship building and moving men and materiel.

    With China having 232 times the US ship building capacity, and with commercial ventures in the US unable to re-supply or even timely service existing ships, and now commercial entitities “backing away” from providing services to the US, it is starting to look as though we are being set up to be invaded and conquered.

    MILITARY-AGE MEN SOUTHERN BORDER INVASION

    All of the above brings us to the US Southern Border.   There has been an over Nine-hundred percent (900%+) increase in young, fit, military-age, Chinese men crossing illegally into the US via the southern border.  This is confirmed by FOX NEWS.

    Why the sudden surge of Chinese men?   Some analysts think they are a fifth column; wolves in sheep’s clothing, entering our country at the behest of the China Communist Party to lay in wait for an order to attack the US from within.

    And the US federal Government is making it EASIER for people to enter the country illegally!   The Biden regime has ordered gates in former President Trump’s border wall . . . . to be welded open!  YEs, you read that correctly, the gates are being welded open so even US citizens, concerned about illegals entering the country, can’t simply close and lock the gates.

    STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE, DRAINED

    The United States established the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) after the Arab Oil Embargo of the 1970’s.   The SPR can hold a little over seven-hundred-million barrels of oil in giant caverns in Louisiana and Texas.   Yet the Biden regime has ordered the SPR to sell-off much of that reserve to artificially reduce gasoline prices in the USA.

    As of today, more than two-thirds of that 700 million barrel SPR, have been sold off and are gone.  There are presently no plans (and no money) to refill it.

    If the US is invaded, and we cannot import foreign oil because we’re a war zone where ships cannot safely come and go, we won’t have more than a month or two of fuel with which to fight and defend our own land.

    TREACHERY?

    This appears to be deliberate treachery on the part of the federal government, some of whom may simply have been bribed by China, or other countries, to sell-out our nation and prime us for invasion.

    This week, Congress beings Impeachment Hearings into President Joe Biden, who allegedly received potentially millions in bribes from China and elsewhere.  Congress has already revealed that Bank Wire Transfers to Hunter Biden, showing Joe Biden’s home address in Wilmington, Delaware as the recipient’s address, have been confirmed as having taken place.   At least $250,000 of such wire transfers are said to have come from Beijing.

    Also this week, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was Indicted and Arraigned in federal court, after being caught with some $458,000 cash stuffed into envelopes hidden in clothing in a closet, and in a safe, in his Englewood Cliffs home, along with 81.5 ounces of gold bullion in bars, allegedly for making military deals with and for, Egypt.

    Menendez is charged with Bribery.

    If Menendez took Bribes from Egypt to sell out US weapons, one has to wonder if he also took money from China to sell us out?   Or if he also took money from other countries?

    One also has to wonder if any OTHER Senators or Congressmen took such Bribes?

    It appears the United States of America is suffering a level of treachery from within, that may actually cause our nation to cease to exist.

    China Exposes New G20 Summit Hypocrisy and lies

    You won’t believe what Biden just said after all the sanctions the US imposed on China. Biden gave a statement thinking that he is trying to create good relations with China after the G20 meeting with China’s Premier League Biden said we don’t want to contain China instead we want to make sure we have a relationship that is on the up and up squared away but don’t be misled by this statement before you know the actual truth According to Forbes, the US has imposed a list of sanctions on China, and its motive is simply to contain China, so when it comes to words, the US has a lot to say to impress you, but when it comes to actions, you won’t find anyone more brutal in the world than the US, so the question is why is there such a big difference between the US’s actions and its words, let’s find out in this video we will discuss the reality behind the US’s claims to not contain China We will also analyze the impact of Biden and Lee’s G20 summit on US-China relations. Watch the video until the conclusion to find out if the US is being honest this time or if this is just another tactic to attain ulterior aims.

    https://youtu.be/w0MMrKvJZLQ

    COVERT INTEL: CLOSEST PUTIN ADVISOR SAYS “NUKE U.K. OFF THE MAP” TO STOP UKRAINE WAR AND WW3

    World Hal Turner

    One of the closest and most trusted Advisors to Russian President Vladimir Putin has formally told his boss that a “massive” use of nuclear weapons is necessary to actually “prevent” World War 3 and save humanity.  He urges the complete destruction of the United Kingdom as a warning to others to stop.

    Mediterranean Steak and Pasta
    with Tomato-Olive Sauce

    Whole-wheat pasta is served with beef Sirloin Tip Center Steaks and a tomato and olive sauce. This one will please the adults and the kids in your family.

    mediterranean steak pasta
    mediterranean steak pasta

    Yield: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    • 8 ounces uncooked whole grain fettuccine
    • 4 beef Sirloin Tip Center Steaks, cut 3/4 inch thick (about 4 ounces each)
    • 1 (26 ounce) jar pasta sauce with olives*
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
    • 1/4 cup finely shredded Italian cheese blend or mozzarella cheese
    • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

    Instructions

    1. Cook fettuccine according to package directions; drain and keep warm.
    2. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Place beef steaks in skillet; cook for 11 to 13 minutes for medium rare (145 degrees F) doneness, turning occasionally. (Do not overcook.) Remove from skillet; keep warm.
    3. Combine pasta sauce and oregano in same skillet; heat until hot. Return steaks to skillet; turn to coat with sauce.
    4. Place steaks on fettuccine; spoon sauce over all.
    5. Sprinkle steaks with cheese, allowing cheese to melt. Sprinkle with parsley.

    Notes

    * You may substitute 1 (26 ounce) jar pasta sauce with olives for 1 (26 ounce) pasta sauce plus 1/4 cup chopped olives.

    What advice do you have for people who have been called weird?

    I used to coach swimming in the early 2000’s. It probably won’t surprise you that my most challenging group was the middle school boys.

    But where a few of them were difficult, others were in need of help. They were “different”. Consequently, they were bullied frequently at school. They would come in upset about how their day had gone.

    I identified with them on so many levels as I’ve spent my entire life having people tell me, “You are one weird guy.”

    I would reassure them that they were simply misunderstood and that they were in good company: some of the greatest people who ever lived were treated as weirdos.

    Frederick Nietzsche, another mega genius, was in this camp at one point too. He was, by very definition, different than his peers. People tend to attack things they don’t understand.

    image 12
    image 12

    Throughout his life, he proposed many wild and brilliant ideas, faced his own share of critics, and endured his own moments of social isolation.

    One line he wrote, that I encourage any who feel misunderstood to remember:

    And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.

    Humanity is filled with wild and shimmering variety. Those who see “different” and attack are afraid of their own authenticity.

    Don’t shy away from living your own truth.

    If you haven’t been told “You’re weird.” a few times along the way, you aren’t doing it right.

    Watermelon

    As a boy growing up we ate a lot of watermelon. It seemed that it was everywhere throughout my young boyhood. Get-together’s, cookouts, camp-outs, family parties, and long slow hot Summers… the watermelon was there for us to eat.

    When I got married, and worked in the corporate world, the amount of watermelon in my life really dropped substantially. We might be exposed to it once a year; at a family gathering or on a holiday. Other than that; nope. The Watermelon was too big for us to eat, and we didn’t have kids… our cats didn’t like it, so any watermelon would be a waste.

    So… I went around 30 years without having watermelon in my life.

    Long time.

    You know, I didn’t notice the loss. It just never occurred to me the role that this fruit played in my life. So I didn’t miss it.

    Then I moved to China.

    Watermelon everywhere. After every meal. Free on the streets. Low prices in the grocery store. Trucks selling it on the roads, the highways, in front of the plaza… it’s ubiquitous.

    And so I eat it.

    Again.

    And I love it.

    And you know what? Now, my bowel movements are more regular. My skin is clearer, and my attitude is better. All because of…

    Watermelon access.

    Do not deny yourself the joys of a good slice of watermelon.

    Truth.

    Todays…

    What are some crazy accidents that were fatal?

    2023 09 09 20 11
    2023 09 09 20 11

    In 1998, during a soccer match in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a bolt of lightning hit the pitch and killed 11 people.

    The two opposing soccer teams from the eastern Kasai province of the Congo were drawing 1–1 when suddenly a bolt of lighting struck the pitch. The lightning strike killed 11 members of one team, leaving the home team unharmed.

    2023 09 09 20 10
    2023 09 09 20 10

    The Congo is steeped in Voodoo and ritual magic practices, and soccer rivalry between local teams is brutal. It is known for teams to be blessed or cursed by opposing teams to give themselves an upper hand. The curious way only one team managed to walk away unharmed led many to believe the home team cursed the other team with voodoo.

    These beliefs are embedded in their culture and go deep to the bone, but in this case, it came down to simple footwear. One of the teams had screw-in metal studs on their boots, while the other team had moulded studs.

    Tex-Mex Fajitas

    Fajitas are pure Tex-Mex food. They originated along the Rio Grande River on the Texas-Mexico border and were eaten by cattle wranglers. The skirt steak is the traditional cut used and was reserved primarily for the chief cowboy. Other cuts of beef can be substituted, such as flank steak or sirloin, but the skirt is by far the most tender, flavorful and authentic.

    You’ll find no cast iron griddle with the sizzling bell peppers and onions in this recipe. This was developed mainly by chain restaurants and is in no way a part of true Tex-Mex fajitas. You can add them if you wish. This recipe is authentic.

    Only use the soy sauce and Liquid Smoke if you are cooking on the stovetop with cast iron or under the broiler. The soy sauce helps brown the steak, and the Liquid Smoke gives the fajitas that grilled flavor.

    Be sure to use chile powder, not chili powder. Chili powder is a mixture of spices, and chile powder is pure ground chile.

    Traditional Tex Mex Fajitas Thumbnail
    Traditional Tex Mex Fajitas Thumbnail

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds beef skirt steak
    • 1/2 onion, halved and sliced thin
    • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
    • 2 teaspoons powdered red chiles
    • 3 pickled jalapenos, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
    • 1/4 cup lime juice
    • 2 tablespoons jalapeno pickling liquid *
    • 1 tablespoon corn oil
    • 1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional – if grilling on cast iron or under the broiler)
    • 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke (optional – if grilling on cast iron or under the broiler)

    * This is the liquid used to pickle and flavor the jalapenos. It is basically white vinegar with added spices, and there is always ample liquid in the jar or can to use in this, without leaving the remaining jalapenos dry.

    Instructions

    1. Place half of the onions in the bottom of a nonreactive dish.
    2. Mix the cumin, powdered red chiles, chopped jalapenos and garlic together in a small bowl, then rub on all sides of the meat. Put the skirt steak into the dish on top of the onions. Pour the lime juice and the jalapeno liquid over all areas to coat. Sprinkle the remaining onions on top of the meat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight, turning once.
    3. Heat the grill or broiler until hot. Fajitas need to cook close to a very high heat source, in order to sear the outside but still leave the interior medium rare.
    4. Mix together the oil and, if you are using them, the soy sauce and Liquid Smoke. Brush or spoon the oil mixture onto the meat surfaces. Grill or broil about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until the outside is brown and slightly charred, and the inside is still slightly pink.
    5. Remove the meat to a cutting board. Let sit 5 minutes before slicing to rest.
    6. Cut the meat into thin strips that can be easily rolled into tortillas.
    7. Serve with warm, soft flour tortillas and fresh pico de gallo or salsa fresca.

    Why doesn’t China demand the world to start calling it “Zhongguo” instead of “China”? The word “China” is obsolete, imperialistic, and doesn’t correspond to anything meaningful in Chinese after all.

    Oh Dear Lord why on earth?

    China doesn’t think like India

    They don’t change names randomly

    Their Airports are still called “Beijing International” and “Shanghai International” Airports

    Their roads are NUMBERED or NAMED as Wukang, Nanjing, Luoshan etc

    They don’t have a Deng Xiaoping Road or Mao Tse Tung Road

    Even their Sports Stadiums are mostly named after the locations like Hangzhou Station

    Even the renaming of PEKING to BEIJING had little to do with Purging Colonial History but to do with establishing the PINYIN MANDARIN system over the ANGLO CANTONESE system

    Mao, the greatest leader according to 7 in 10 Chinese only has a Library named after him in China and a Memorial where he rests

    It’s how the Chinese do things

    It’s how they always have been doing

    Even Singapore’s Airport is called SINGAPORE CHANGI

    Most of the roads are not named after anyone

    Things like Ayer Rajah (Not a name, a word), Pioneer Expressway, Jalan Bahar, Paya Lebar, Jurong are all old history

    Same in HK

    Names like Kai Tak, Kowloon, Aberdeen, Mong Kok etc are old history

    They won’t change the names from Aberdeen to some Chinese name Or from the Peak to some Chinese name


    If they name it Zhongguo, they may as well join the BJP and start talking about their greatness in the 6th Century BCE

    Come on!!!!!!

    This is China here

    They like winning and finding real solutions

    Not changing names

    “They’re blocking you from seeing the truth in Maui”

    It’s been 22 days since a massive fire destroyed the town of Lahaina on Maui… 2,000 homes incinerated, hundreds of people killed and all in an area largely owned and lived in by long time native islanders. What is really going on here? Why are drones being blocked, residents arrested when they try to return home? Why are 2,000 kids missing? If you want to donate to help the people of Maui you can do so by texting the word “mahalo” to 53-555 and 100% of the money will go to help the victims.

    The Glowing wounds

    In 1862, two Union forces came together to defeat the Confederate Mississippi Army, which was led by General Albert Sydney Johnston. Don Carlos Buell and Major General Ulysses S. Grant had joined their units to meet the 40,000-strong Confederate Army camped between the Shiloh Church and the Tennessee River.

    What became known as the Battle for Shiloh or the Battle for Pittsburgh Landing was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, with over 23,000 casualties, and it was among these casualties that a strange occurrence took place.

    A lot of the wounded men fared better during this battle than any other battle during the Civil War. Thousands of men lay wounded in a field after one of the battles had ended. They waited for hours in the blood-soaked mud to be picked up and brought to the field hospital to have their wounds looked after.

    As night fell, the men started to notice their wounds glowing. The men’s wounds glowed a bright greenish, blue colour. It was described as a heavenly glow and something the men had never seen before.

    When it was reported that the men who had experienced the glow healed faster and there was a lower infection rate amongst the men, it was given the name Angel Glow.

    The reason for this strange phenomenon was finally figured out over 139 years later by a high school student. In 2001, High school student Bill Martin was visiting the battlefield in Shiloh and became fascinated by the story. Bill teamed up with his microbiologist mother and solved the riddle.

    They discovered Nematodes in the soil that carry a bacterium called “Photorhabdus luminescence. When the Nematodes were feasting on the flesh of the wounded soldiers, they regurgitated the glowing bacteria into the wounds, which acted as an ani-septic, killing off all the bad germs.

    Africa Shocks the World as it Breaks Free From Western Exploitation After China Did This!

    https://youtu.be/6UJWuAB4rEY

    Joke Time

    A woman has an affair while her husband is at work. While she’s in bed with her lover, her 13-year-old son walks in, sees them both, and hides in the closet to watch. Then the man comes home and the woman puts her lover in the closet too without noticing that her son is already in there.

    Son: “Dark in here.”
    Man: “Yes.”
    Son: “I have a baseball.”
    Man: “Nice.”
    Son: “Do you want to buy it?”
    Man: “No thanks.”
    Son: “My father is standing out there…”
    Man: “Okay, alright, how much?”
    Son: “$250”
    Man: “Okay.”

    Now the boy hides in the closet whenever the bell is ringing. After three weeks the same thing happens again, again the son and the lover are together in the closet.

    Son: “Dark in here.”
    Man: “Yes.”
    Son: “I have a baseball glove.”
    The man remembers the game from last time and annoyedly asks, “How much this time?”
    Son: “$750”
    Man: “Fine.”

    A few days later, the father says to the son: “Let’s play baseball, get your ball and glove.”

    Boy: “I can’t, I sold the stuff.”
    Father: “For how much?”
    Boy: “$1000.”
    Father: “That’s outrageous, ripping off your friends like that! That’s a lot more than the things are worth. You’re coming to church now and confessing your sins.”

    Both go to church and the father puts the boy in the confessional.

    Boy: “Dark in here.”
    Pastor: “Don’t start that shit again!”

    No more USD use!

    Non-BRICS nations are no longer using the USD.

    Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand sign Memorandum of Understanding to use own currency to settle transactions. No more US$. Dedollarisation is here!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hjyfwyXMYo

    Suffering through bullies

    “Our beautiful girl has been subjected to some awful bullying at school. It’s been a very private 7 months for us, dealing with this, immediate family only.

    In this age of social media, children (because they are children) think it’s ok to send hateful messages (to me also along with their parents who won’t take responsibility) without consequences. I’ve had calls from these children calling me an old hag because I’ve defended our daughter, approached parents and pleaded with them to talk with their children and ask them to stop. I’ve even approached the children themselves, but been threatened by parents with harassment.

    The WA department of education doesn’t expel children from schools for bullying, as they say: ‘Every child is entitled to an education.’

    What about our child’s entitlement?

    She’s been sent home numerous times after self harming at school. She’s not allowed a pencil sharpener as she takes the blade out and cuts herself.

    The WA department of education also told me: ‘You should teach your child how to be resilient against bullies.’ Yes, they said that.

    Our girl has had a video taken of her sitting at her desk at school, legs slightly open, with a lovely caption about the smell. It was posted to snapchat. I spent 90 mins with the police as they tried to determine if it was photographing and distribution of pornographic material. Yes, a 12 year old can be prosecuted if the content breaches certain criteria. Sadly our daughter’s didn’t, but she was subjected to weeks of ridicule. Repercussions? The girl who posted the video lost her playtime. The person who took the video? Nothing, because no one would tell who it was.

    It’s ok to verbally attack at school because they can get away with it via a screen; so think the same will happen in the real world.

    Last week, we spent over 5 hours in A&E with psychiatrists, doctors and nurses, because our girl ‘had a plan to commit suicide’. On Tuesday, I am in court applying for a VRO against a 12 year old to keep her (the bully) away from our beautiful girl—all because parents don’t accept responsibility for their children and schools can only do so much.

    The school has a safety plan for the bullied child, our daughter. And the bully? She only loses recess and lunch privileges. This is infant school punishment!

    Please, in this awful age of social media (or anti social media as we call it) check your children’s messages. Their devices are a privilege, nothing more, nothing less, so please make sure they are being polite and respectful in their messages. Teach the children to ‘talk’ not use text or social media to air their differences.

    Bullying affects the whole family, not just the bullied. It needs to stop and it needs to stop now! Please feel free to share.”

    China warns the Dutch’s ASML: Either buy back EUV for 500 billion or give up patent rights!

    China is not bothered whether ASML wants to continue selling or not. But it is indeed obligated under th contract to service what she has sold or refund the money back. ASML cannot be expected to sell these bunch of scrap metal for USD150 million per piece without servicing them. Otherwise these companies will applied and seek a ruling in Chinese courts to make the IPR for all these components in these machines invalid. Once the court granted these requests, ASML might as well give up China’s market. A very GOOD strategy and it is legal and it works .

    https://youtu.be/AapTz7KAvW0,

    What’s the hardest thing about being a guy?

    A few years ago, 22-year-old Nick Olivas discovered he was the father of an eight year old child, born when he was 14. The woman who gave birth to his child at the time, had been in her twenties. Olivas wasn’t aware the lady had gotten pregnant.

    Technically speaking, since Olivas was 14 when the child was born, he was a victim of statutory rape by an adult. Olivas was shocked. And his shock increased when the state informed he owed around $15,000 in back child support and medical bills going back to the child’s birth, plus an additional 10 percent interest… legally speaking, this man was still a child when the child was conceived and therefore unable to consent to sexual intercourse, let alone capable of overseeing the enormous consequences of potential fatherhood…

    Instead of being persecuted as a rapist, the woman who got pregnant by a 14-year-old boy was paid for what legally was a crime. If an adult man had sex with a 14-year-old girl and impregnated her, he wouldn’t have been paid a dime, and he’d be in jail before he could count to ten. People would be outraged, and the law would go after him without skipping a beat. When it’s a boy victim, however, he “just got lucky” and people make it into a joke.

    The hardest thing about being a guy? You’re always seen as the responsible party. Even if you’re fourteen, below the age of consent and therefore legally incapable of being responsible… you’re still responsible.

    China kicked this U.S. giant out! It once monopolized the Chinese market for 30 years.

    Hahaha Oracle is hated by everyone including their own employees. Pretty much no one has any good words for Oracle.

    Why did Russia stop the gas supply to Poland?

    Poland and Russia have a 25 day Payment contract

    Russia specified on 1st April 2022 that the next payment due would have to be made in Rubles. This Payment was due on 26th April 2022

    Poland had to open a Gazprom Bank Account in Warsaw and credit Zlotys to the Account in question and subsequently open a Second Gazprom Bank Account in Moscow where based on this Zloty Credit – Gazprom would issue a corresponding credit in Rubles which would be paid to GAZPROM

    Some Countries requested for more time

    Some Countries began paying in Rubles like Hungary, Armenia, Slovakia

    Two Countries simply said – We wont pay in Rubles

    Putin called their Bluff and Cut off their Gas and Oil supply

    They were Poland and Bulgaria


    Another reason here is that – Putin had to show that he meant business

    He could not keep threatening and have these minnow countries constantly defying him. So he decided to Cut off Gas and Oil to show that He meant Business.

    EDIT:-

    Austria has also paid Rubles today

    The world’s first 3nm chip was born? Chinese chip giant officially announced!

    Actually having better abilities in chip testing of cost-inefficient processes like the current immature 3nm can be exploited seriously by China.

    So- if TSMC and Samsung want their 3nm chips successfully tested and not for an unreasonable price, they’ll have no other choice but to go to China, also meaning it ties the hands of Uncle Sam.

    Washington may currently have monopoly on EUV technology and invoke sanctions on China, but China in response may limit the countries to which chips tested by Chinese companies can be exported – meaning that the puppet countries of South Korea and Taiwan won’t be able to produce 3nm chips, and the collective West won’t have access to such.

    Thanks to the suppression tactics of the USA now the West is locked with China in the suppression room, and China is the one with the human potential to develop full chip industry, not the West even if you combine them all, with their youth pursuing careers in economics or as “influencers” nowadays (both “jobs” are quite literally modern read on slavery knowing the social model they force).

    Not to mention the population of the West can be shrinked seriously during WW3, on top of that add the expensive and insufficient electricity, which will be needed for them to produce their own base materials for chip manufacturing…

    China’s counter sanctions already spelled doom on the Western industry, and with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran and Egypt (oil exporting countries) joining BRICS in January things are going to get even worse in the previously beautiful Western garden.

    Stories of intelligent cephalopods

    When an octopus experiences an injury to one of its tentacles, whether through natural wear and tear or as a result of territorial disputes and fights, a fascinating phenomenon known as “over-regeneration” can occur during the healing process. Octopuses are renowned for their remarkable regenerative abilities, and this extends to their limbs.

    Normally, when an octopus loses a tentacle, it will start the process of regenerating a new one. However, in some cases, especially when injuries occur frequently or in quick succession, the regrowth process can become quite robust. This means that instead of simply replacing the lost limb, an octopus might end up with more tentacles than it originally had.

    One notable case of this intriguing phenomenon was documented in Matoya Bay, Japan, in 1998. Researchers discovered an octopus with an astounding 96 tentacles. This astonishing number was far more than the typical eight that octopuses are known for. It was a testament to the incredible regenerative capabilities of these intelligent cephalopods.

    This over-regeneration showcases just how adaptable and resilient these creatures are. Octopuses are known for their remarkable problem-solving skills, camouflage abilities, and complex behaviors. The ability to not only regrow lost limbs but potentially even surpass their original number of appendages is another testament to their biological versatility.

    It’s important to note that while octopuses are capable of over-regeneration, this is not a common occurrence. In most cases, when a tentacle is lost, the octopus will regenerate it to restore its usual eight-armed form. However, when circumstances push the limits of their regenerative abilities, we get to witness the awe-inspiring and rare phenomenon of an octopus with dozens of tentacles.

    Africa Shocks the World as it Breaks Free From Western Exploitation After China Did This!

    Africa Shocks the World as it Breaks Free From Western Exploitation After China Did This!

    https://youtu.be/6UJWuAB4rEY

    What is one remarkable thing you’ve witnessed at a funeral?

    A few years ago I attended an accountant’s funeral. I was a bit worried it would be poorly attended, to be honest. He had never married, worked long hours, was overweight, and didn’t have much of a social life. It was midday, midweek, the week before Thanksgiving, on short notice.

    First his brothers spoke, which was encouraging. They talked about their own families and what he meant to his teenaged nieces and nephews. He had a pet name which the children uttered with affection — “Dude.”

    But there seemed to be many more teenagers than a couple of brothers could account for.

    The music played. It was awkward. A pianist took care of the accompaniment, but no one knew the songs, and nobody was leading the singing. Finally Amazing Grace came along, and the group could sing.

    I was feeling disappointed. This man may not have been rich or famous, but he was kind. He remembered my kids’ names. He smiled. “Dude” didn’t deserve a let-down.

    Then something much better happened.

    One of the kids trudged up to the mic. He was not happy. Tears. But he also couldn’t not smile.

    This accountant did, indeed, love his nieces and nephews. So much that he attended their basketball games. All of them. And, being an accountant, what did he do with his time? Kept stats. Very detailed stats. For every player on the court.

    “Dude” would tally up the totals and rank the performances. The most-coveted statistic was “heart,” his own gauge of how hard a player worked to win. As an accountant, he was notoriously tough in his grading. The boy spoke of the time he received an 8.5/10 in “heart” with wonder and awe.

    At the end of each game, every player would crowd around the accountant’s notebook, eager to see those stats. “Dude” didn’t just show up to clock in for simple parental responsibilities. “Dude” was the most loved man on the court.

    Sometimes people would stick around to ask him about this or that. The pudgy number-cruncher had an adult’s experience, but a friend’s heart. Apparently he had helped various children through parents’ divorces, the terminal illness of a sibling, and more.

    At the end of his eulogy, the boy showed us a scorecard that he himself had written up, not for basketball but for a whole life, not the man’s judgment of the boy but the boy’s judgment of the man.

    The other kids started to walk up. One after another. I couldn’t believe how many. On a Wednesday. At midday. During the school year. On short notice.

    They wanted to see the final tally.

    He was tough but fair, as would only be right. And in the final column, he gave the first ever perfect 10 for “heart.”

    Rest in peace, “Dude.”

    Tucker Carlson: US Troops WILL Be Deployed To Europe After Russia SLAUGHTERS Rest Of Ukraine Army

    How does BRICS attract the “global south” countries to join?

    BRICS doesn’t need to attract the Global South because the US with its economic sanctions have made governments look for alternative ways to protect the value of their foreign exchange earnings.

    By weaponizing the US dollar through sanctions because of the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the US signaled to the rest of the world that they were not safe keeping their national reserves in US dollars. Through sanctions, the US could seize their foreign exchange earnings any time, just as it did with Russia.

    This made BRICS an attractive alternative since it promoted trade using national currencies.

    Why is the US doing such a bad job countering China’s rise?

    Thanks for request.

    If you are American, you may not agree with me.

    Start with look at who the US has elected over the last 20 years :

    • GW Bush was over his head as a national leader leaving Cheney (and Bush senior) to focus even more on bombing Muslims and the Middle East. This lead to another decade of focusing on one thing the US enjoys, war with countries with small professional armies.
    • Obama was elected on the hope for change. But Obama had no experience in leadership of the scale required for the role. Obama fumbled through continuing the wars and trying to Pivot East, with a long term strategy.
    • Then we there was the election of the two least attractive presidential candidates, Clinton and Trump. Trump being Trump displayed how Dunning-Kruger worked with people in power. Trump blew-up anything Obama did and largely ended US wars. IMO, overall he his ideas were not bad, he just did not know who to achieve them. Unfortunately, he hired some bozo advisors and took their advise.
      • However, overall Trump was on a good track with China. He did not do anything overly stupid and he kept the dialogue open which enables inroads to be made.
      • Has Clinton been elected, we might be much closer to WW3.
    • Then the US elected Biden, an old cold war warrior who thinks it is still 1970, and whose administration seems to have ADHD. Which bring us to the old axiom – “if you always choose the hammer from the toolbox then everything looks like a nail”.
      • Pounding nails does not require thinking, it is all about swinging the hammer.

    In summary, since 1990, the US has been vary arrogant and self absorbed; while China has been thinking about the future.

    Something Very EVIL Is Going on In Maui | We Have The Proof…

    Very interesting. Damn! Strange. Odd.

    How is a grass fire capable of the kind of damage that was being filmed?

    Did the US do this on it’s own island, or perhaps a message from China. Hum?

    How significant is the symbolic value of Bakhmut for Russian forces in the ongoing war?

    Bakhmut was called a MEAT GRINDER

    The reason was Ukraine had 30,000 men and could have preserved their men and equipment and could have contributed at least 7 full brigades to the Counter offensive

    Instead just for appearances and illusion,Ukraine kept sending men against an artillery inferiority of 8:1 (8 Russian Shells to 1 Ukrainian Shell)

    Bakhmut had to fall

    Russians had too much air power and artillery

    Yet Ukraine’s continued sending of people into Bakhmut showed how much their military was dominated by their stupid politicians

    CNN estimated between 460 pieces of equipment and around 11000–14000 men killed or wounded in Bakhmut

    That’s seasoned men, blooded fighters, trained men

    That’s good reliable Soviet equipment that Ukrainians have trained on for two decades instead of new hotchpotch of Western equipment on which Ukrainians haven’t had more than 6 months hands on

    Frankly Putin made it clear that this was a War of Attrition

    For Russia, territory is not important

    They know that any territory they take is under threat of being attacked by Ukraine through terror tactics & civilian attacks

    Russia aimed to kill as many Ukrainians as possible and thin the rank and file before the counter offensive

    Russia aimed to destroy as many Guns and Artillery pieces as possible to once again thin the offensive

    It worked

    Adding Bakhmut and the last 30 days, Ukraine has collectively lost around 33000 combat trained soldiers

    It would take 30 months minimum for NATO to train and ready another 33000 to take their place

    That’s the significance of Bakhmut or Ugledar

    Ukraine stupidly ignored their military leaders and went deeper into the Quagmire

    Zaluzhny to his credit was a good military man who repeatedly advised withdrawal from Bakhmut intact

    That would have caused Russia to keep looking over it’s shoulders in Bakhmut

    Why does Tucker Carlson warn that politicians are going to a hot war with Russia to maintain power and unite the population?

    Because America is collapsing economically. It is de-dollarizing. BRICS is on the rise, challenging the Ghouls-Based Order. Civil unrest and crime are increasing. By starting a hot war with Russia, the cynical Biden and friends can call for “national unity” against the “threat” of Russia. It is using fear and manipulation to distract the public from what is actually going on.

    It also enriches the US defense contractors further. Only by destroying Russia and China can the US maintain its hegemony. And even this would only be temporary. The goal is to balkanize Russia and plunder its vast natural resources. But this would only last so long. The US needs to make fundamental changes to its economic system, because its current rent-seeking, mafia-style tactics can only last so long before they fail.

    If the public was smart it would recognize that fighting a war against Russia would be foolish. Why should the working classes go fight and die for the interests of Blackrock and US defense contractors? Or financial elites? Killing Russians would do them no good. The workers of America need to unite to fight against the bourgeoise who are plundering the planet, exploiting their labor, and ruining their lives. There is no useful war but class war. The only unity is class unity.

    Tex-Mex Deviled Eggs

    Tex Mex Deviled Eggs
    Tex Mex Deviled Eggs

    Ingredients

    • 6 hardboiled eggs, peeled
    • 1 tablespoon minced scallion
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
    • 1 small jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
    • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
    • 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
    • 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
    • Chili powder

    Instructions

    1. Cut a small slice from the tips at both ends of the eggs to create a flat surface for them to stand upon. Slice each egg in half crosswise. Remove yolks; place in a small bowl and mash.
    2. Add scallion, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, mayonnaise, and mustard; blend well.
    3. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the yolk mixture into each egg half. Top each with cheese; sprinkle with chili powder.
    4. Cover; store in the refrigerator.

    Yield: 12 appetizers

    Here’s Why U.S. Wants To Invade Mexico – Yes MEXICO!

    Republican lawmakers, as well as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have frequently mentioned a desire to invade Mexico, typically as an alleged means of taking on the drug cartels flooding the U.S. with fentanyl. But the real reason may be more mercenary and have to do with Mexico’s recent decision to nationalize the country’s lithium supply, as well as to refuse to allow certain genetically modified foods into the country.

    Datura tales

    When I was in my “lost in the wilderness” period in my life (After I joined MAJestic, but not yet trained at China Lake, I wandered about.) we were living on a farm in Yanciville, NC. (I don’t know if I spelled that name right.)

    And there was a guy (named Holt) who introduced us to the Datura plant.

    Datura is a genus of nine species of highly poisonous, vespertineflowering plants belonging to the nightshade family (Solanaceae).[1] They are commonly known as thornapples or jimsonweeds, but are also known as devil’s trumpets[2] (not to be confused with angel’s trumpets, which are placed in the closely related genus Brugmansia). Other English common names include moonflower, devil’s weed, and hell’s bells.

    All species of Datura are extremely poisonous and potentially psychoactive, especially their seeds and flowers, which can cause respiratory depression, arrhythmias, fever, delirium, hallucinations, anticholinergic syndrome, psychosis, and even death if taken internally.[3]

    Due to their effects and symptoms, Datura species have occasionally been used not only as poisons, but also as hallucinogens by various groups throughout history.[4][5]

    Traditionally, their psychoactive administration has often been associated with witchcraft and sorcery or similar practices in many cultures, including the Western world.[5][6][7] Certain common Datura species have also been used ritualistically as entheogens by some Native American groups.[8][9]

    Non-psychoactive use of plants in the genus is usually done for medicinal purposes, and the alkaloids present in some species have long been considered traditional medicines in both the New and Old Worlds due to the presence of the alkaloids scopolamine and atropine, which are also produced by Old World plants such as Hyoscyamus niger, Atropa belladonna, and Mandragora officinarum.

    And we all tried this old fashioned remedy using this dangerous plant.

    We soaked the roots of the plant in water for a week, and then drank the water.

    I know it was terribly stupid, but we were young and in our 20’s and we believed Holt.

    The effect was that every thing turned very blue and soft to us. We heard the twinkling of soft bells, and when we went to sleep later on the night, had very vivid dreams.

    I would NEVER do that again. And I DO NOT suggest anyone duplicate our stupidity.

    But the point of this story is that …

    • Well-meaning friends can put you in life threatening situations.
    • When you are in your 20s you can do very stupid things.
    • Whatever the experience was, it was not worth the risk of death.

    And so, I ask everyone to heed my story and pay attention to what might transpire in your own lives.

    Today…

    Huawei unveiled their new smartphone, which is undeniably impressive and packed with numerous technological breakthroughs. How many of you are keeping tabs on this development, and what are your thoughts on Huawei’s achievements with this phone?

    I am following it closely; the Mate 60 Pro is just the first step.

    Over the next decade, I expect China to launch many new products based on new technologies. Most of these products will be launched in BRICS markets instead of the G7 nations.

    The West is poised to feel what it is like to live in a a “banana republic.”

    Granny’s Old-Fashioned Bread Pudding
    with Vanilla Sauce

    grannys old fashioned bread pudding
    grannys old fashioned bread pudding

    Ingredients

    Bread Pudding

    • 1 pound French bread, cubed
    • 1/2 cup raisins
    • 2 cups milk
    • 1/4 cup butter
    • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
    • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

    Sauce

    • 1/2 cup butter
    • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

    Instructions

    1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

    Bread Pudding

    1. Combine bread and raisins in a large bowl.
    2. Combine milk and 1/4 cup butter in a 1 quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted.
    3. Pour milk mixture over bread; let stand for 10 minutes.
    4. Stir in all remaining pudding ingredients. Pour into greased 1 1/2 quart casserole.
    5. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until set in center.

    Vanilla Sauce

    1. Combine all sauce ingredients except vanilla in 1-quart saucepan.Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil (5 to 8 minutes).
    2. Stir in vanilla extract and walnuts*, if using.

    To serve

    1. Spoon warm pudding into individual dessert dishes; serve with sauce.
    2. Store refrigerated.

    Notes

    I usually serve this without the walnuts, but sprinkle them over individual servings if anyone likes walnuts.

    Niger Raises Uranium Price From €0.80/kg to €200/kg

    Niger Raises Uranium Price From €0.80/kg to €200/kg – In a groundbreaking development that signals a seismic shift in the global resource market, Niger, a prominent player in the uranium industry, has reportedly taken a bold step towards securing fair compensation for its invaluable natural resource, uranium.

    Multiple reports suggest that Niger has substantially increased the price of its uranium, skyrocketing it from a mere €0.80 per kilogram to €200 per kilogram.

    This remarkable decision underscores a burgeoning determination among African nations to break free from historical imbalances and demand equitable remuneration for their vital contributions to the global economy.

    According to the World Nuclear Association (WNA), Niger is the world’s seventh-largest uranium producer.

    The radioactive metal is the most widely used fuel for nuclear energy. It is also utilised in cancer treatment, naval propulsion, and nuclear weapons.

    Uranium prices increased slightly in the aftermath of the military coup in Niger that saw the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum, with many analysts forecasting larger gains in the future. For instance, Ben Godwin, head of analysis at London-based Prism Political Risk Management, said that current events in Niger, which produces about 4 percent of the world’s uranium supply, could be critical to Europe.

    “It is certainly a topic of great interest in the moment, particularly as uranium markets are very, very tight at the moment,” he said.

    “Demand has been going up over the last few years, and this year, we’ve seen the uranium spot price go up by nearly 40 percent year to date.”

    Does the US believe that China is powerless to attack the US mainland if it attacks China first?

    The Pentagon understands the true and real abilities that China possess.

    There is absolutely no questions regarding whether or not China can attack the United States mainland. The answer is affirmative. China has numerous weapon systems designed to acquire, target, stealthy evade and strike with great accuracy targets within the United States geographical landmass.

    This has been proved. Demonstrated beyond any question of doubt, and is known to be stockpiled in enormous quantities.

    The Pentagon believes that China is capable of destroying targets within the United States without problem or interference.

    That being said. What does the “government” think?

    I’m sure that President Biden has his own points of view…

    main qimg a7e1345fe6e7b99031320bb423d4606a
    main qimg a7e1345fe6e7b99031320bb423d4606a

    I’m sure that key and influential members of the US Senate has their ideas as well…

    main qimg 31abfa22c7712659717f74bcead91cce
    main qimg 31abfa22c7712659717f74bcead91cce

    And since they will be the ones who will decide whether China shall use these weapons systems on American cities, perhaps we need to listen to what their thoughts are.

    One way is to go though the people that elected them to office, and ask those people what they think.

    main qimg c6c7f321775e90046cb10509a2a3b34d
    main qimg c6c7f321775e90046cb10509a2a3b34d

    But, you know, most are going through the “trials” of being an American. So perhaps the smarter thing to do is ask a more diverse cross section of the American population and see what they think…

    main qimg ec46b35a182640dbd43e3faba5aa261f
    main qimg ec46b35a182640dbd43e3faba5aa261f

    My guess is that these people would have a diverse opinion that would be heavily influenced by their social media of choice. So, if you want some real unbiased opinion of what Americans think, perhaps you should visit the more rural areas…

    main qimg eaea341906732b762833d5c79479a093
    main qimg eaea341906732b762833d5c79479a093

    And their opinion is “China ain’t gonna do shit. We’ll kick their ass!”.

    And so, to answer the question…

    • Yes. China is fully capable of attacking the United States.
    • But Americans are not worried because…

    IRAN’S VICTORY! China Takes Over Iran’s $2.7 Billion Strategic Project | Break US Sanctions!

    The United States has long imposed a series of sanctions on Iran, including restricting oil exports and cutting Iran off from the international financial system.

    This has greatly affected Iran’s economy and international status. In order to break through US sanctions, Iran has been working hard. Recently, Iran became a member of the BRICS as it wished.

    In order to express its sincere desire to its Eastern partners, Iran signed an infrastructure agreement with China immediately after the BRICS summit ended. According to the agreement, Iran will invest at least US$2.7 billion in the expansion of the international airport, and Chinese companies have successfully become the sole builders of the project.

    However, what is most concerning is that this time Iran’s $2.7 billion infrastructure cooperation with China will use a special payment method.

    From an analysis point of view, the payment method reached by Iran and China not only effectively got rid of the sanctions of the United States, but may even accelerate the process of “de-dollarization”, which made President Biden feel very panicked.

    So, what exactly happened?

    https://youtu.be/XMoWgo4jUVQ

    Why does Elon Musk blame a Los Angeles-based school for turning his transgender “woke” and making her hate him?

    It’s kind of a crazy story.

    One of those stories that seem almost surreal.

    But essentially, Elon Musk sent his children to the finest schools money could buy. Only to discover, much to his chagrin, that such schools are rather progressive.

    [1] Now his oldest son suddenly isn’t his son anymore, but his daughter. And she self-identifies as a “communist” and hates Musk for “being rich”.

    main qimg 58e59ff552016cd136f71523a814d6b0
    main qimg 58e59ff552016cd136f71523a814d6b0

    This is where the whole “campaign against wokeness” comes from, for Musk — it’s a personal vendetta of sorts. This is why he bought up Twitter in the first place; because ‘the woke’ have gotten to his own family, and he resents it. I’m not entirely sure it’s this school in particular that turned his child transgender, however — the school boasts several famous alumni, among them Jack Black. And Jack Black is pretty much the bloke-iest bloke to ever bloke around.

    main qimg 192310e5ba870d220813b1e09d1eb4fb
    main qimg 192310e5ba870d220813b1e09d1eb4fb

    Either way, Elon Musk decided that schools pushing woke narratives turned his own child against him, brainwashing her. He’s upset. I kind of get it. I would be, too. Change is scary. And when someone hates you to the point of legally petitioning for a name change (from Musk to Wilson, the last name of his ex-wife), that’s rather awful.

    Anyway, it’s the school’s fault, not Musk’s. And now, the wider issue Musk identified, is the the type of policies peddled at schools and campuses in general. The left-wing ideologies, the gender-bending, the overly progressive attitude towards pretty much everything. I’ve never given much thuoight to what started Elon’s crusade against wokeness… but now we know the answer. Now we know what started it all.

    The Death of Disney – Narrated by A.I David Attenborough

    Sir David Attenborough narrates the rise and fall of Mickey Mouse (A.I parody).

    As a police officer, have you ever received an unusual ‘thank you’ for taking care of someone?

    Around 6 months after I finished field training, I was working a night shift and was dispatched to an animal cruelty call. Arriving at the home,I was met by a woman and her 4 year old son,both in tears. In this line of work, you quickly become accustomed to dealing with upset people, it’s just a part of the job. I introduced myself to both of them and listened as the mother explained the situation to me.

    Arriving home from work, she and her son had parked in the driveway and walked to the side door of the house where they found the little boy’s 4 month old kitten lying on the steps. The kitten had been skinned by someone, and carefully placed on the steps to be noticed immediately. Being a cat person myself, my heart ached for this little boy. Not only was his kitten dead, it had been killed on purpose by someone and carefully skinned then left on display for maximum shock value! I took a report on the incident and then I helped the little boy bury his dead kitten in his back yard, fashioning a little cross out of some sticks.

    There were really no leads of any kind on who may have perpetrated this horrible crime. I had the 911 telecommunicator search for any similar crimes in the area that had been reported recently and had no luck. I knew that the chance of finding out who did this was slim to none, but promised the little boy that I would do everything in my power to find and punish those responsible. Before clearing the call, I gave the little fella a tour of my patrol car, letting him play with the lights and siren. I always kept some stickers and stuffed animals in my trunk for situations just like this, and I let him choose a couple stickers and an animal.

    About two weeks later, my Lieutenant called me in to his office after shift briefing. On his desk was a thank you card and a picture of a kitten that had been colored for me. My Lieutenant explained that the lady and little boy from the animal cruelty call had visited the office and left the items for me earlier that afternoon. It warmed my heart to receive this heartfelt thanks from them.

    Maybe a month or so later, I answered a call about someone throwing a kitten out of a car window. Arriving on that scene, I found the kitten on the side of the road amazingly uninjured. Normally on a call like this we would turn the animal over to animal control, but I had an idea. I put the kitten in my patrol car and drove towards the little boy’s house, hoping that since it was a Saturday I would find them at home. I was in luck! Before showing the kitten to the little boy, I spoke with his mother to make sure she was OK with it. She agreed, so I got the kitten out of the car and presented it to the little boy. His eyes were the size of dinner plates when he saw the kitten! Both mother and son thanked me profusely and I left knowing that I had made that little boy happy.

    It is situations like this that made being a law enforcement officer one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

    “Nuclear war between U.S. and Russia is inevitable” – Russian General | Redacted with Clayton Morris

    Retired Major General Alexander Vladimirov, who wrote Russia’s three volume book called the ‘General Theory of War,’ says the moment war broke out in Ukraine is the moment that nuclear war with the West became inevitable.

    Why is everyone talking about the G20 Summit?

    The biggest point on every media outlet outside India is

    WHY IS XI JINGPING BOYCOTTING THE G20?

    That’s the only thing that has made the G20 summit newsworthy so far

    In India locally – the G20 Summit isnt even the top news

    It’s the renaming of India to BHARAT and Modi hiding slums with green posters or something like that


    Every major outlet is only discussing that one thing on the G20

    Why is Xi Jingping not attending?

    Some say he has kidney ailments, Some say he fears CPC revolt, Some say Putin and he plan a major meeting and some others say something else

    All of it nonsense of course


    The G20 Summit will not make a splash unless it becomes G21 which means inclusion of the African Union

    Li Qiang will support the proposal wholeheartedly as will Lavrov and i am sure so shall Modi

    Then the G20 may draw some traction

    Right now nobody is talking about it at all

    Douglas Macgregor: What A Deep Penetration!

    https://youtu.be/0ibt2nrh0IQ

    What are the gayest things I should avoid?

    According to my homophobic father?

    There was an entire list.

    • Shorts. Invented by gay men so that they could check out men’s legs.
    • Football. All that back slapping and hugging when they score a goal. They’re all closet <insert homophobic slur here>.
    • Rugby. The scrum? Closet <insert homophobic slur here>, the lot of ‘em.
    • Art. They’re all <insert homophobic slur here>.
    • Actors. They’re all <insert homophobic slur here>. Putting on wigs and make-up – sends them “funny”.
    • Having female friends. Women are for looking at and for having sex with, not being friends with.
    • Wearing your watch on the right wrist. I never learned why.
    • Anything pink.
    • Looking at your nails “funny”. (This translated to holing your hand out, flat palm facing away from you, fingers straight).
    • Cooking.
    • Baking.
    • Garlic. The French use it a lot, and we all know the French are all <insert homophobic slur here>.
    • The French. A special rung of gay was reserved for the French (yes, the entire population) in his head. Apparently the women were gay and the men were gay. He never did elaborate as to how France has managed to still exist generation after generation. The “womanizing” Frenchman was a cover to hide his gayness.
    • Thai men. Yes. Every man from Thailand is a homosexual… apparently.
    • The Navy.
    • Glam Rock.
    • ABBA’s music. But only the one’s in which Bjorn sings lead in. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    Do you want to know what my homophobic father regarded as the most macho, manliest-man, hetero thing in the world?

    Wrestling.

    Wasn’t regarded as gay, but eating garlic and hanging around with French girls was.

    The Sopranos ( best ending scene ) season 6

    When Phil says “no more Butchie. No more of this” and the music starts rolling, you know the war is about to start.

    What was the moment you cancelled the friendship with your best friend?

    My best friend spent most weekends with my husband and I, we had lots of fun cooking, going places, etc. She would get a guy, get serious, then find some awful thing wrong with him, call him names, and had to change her number numerous times.

    When I got pregnant she seemed off. I know she always wanted a family and was jealous. She gave me an IOU for an expensive breast pump and bragged about it at my shower. 5 months after, no breast pump, whatever. But not even a pair of socks to welcome my child into the world. Yest she got a mani- pedi every two weeks, like clockwork. I am the type of person who yses the same old bargain pur for years, never get manicures or pedicures, and i get my hair cut twice per year. I shop at goodwill for clothes. I summoned up the courage to tell her I felt insulted that she never acknowledged my child, not even a pair of socks. She went of the deep end and called me materialistic! And all sorts of swear words. I never spoke with her again. Been 16 years. I couldn’t wrap my head around what she said to me.

    Crunchy Taco Wraps

    This taco wrap gets its crunch from a tostada in the middle of delicious taco fillings; and of course wrapped up in a delicious Rhodes grilled flatbread.

    crunchy taco wrap
    crunchy taco wrap

    Prep: 15 min | Bake: 15 min | Yield: 6 servings

    Ingredients

    • 12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed
    • 6 tostada shells
    • 1 pound lean ground beef
    • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
    • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
    • 1/4 cup water
    • 1 teaspoon garlic
    • 1 jar nacho cheese or Queso cheese dip
    • 1 cup sour cream (optional)
    • 2 cups shredded lettuce
    • 1 cup salsa
    • 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

    Instructions

    1. Lightly spray counter or table with nonstick spray. Combine two dinner rolls and roll into an 8 inch circle. Repeat with remaining rolls. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rest.
    2. In a large skillet or griddle, over medium-high heat, brown ground beef and. Stir in taco seasoning, water and garlic. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 more minutes.
    3. Heat griddle to medium heat. Carefully remove plastic wrap from dough. Grill dough for 20 to 30 seconds on each side or until cooked through.
    4. Lay one grilled flatbread on a flat surface. Spread 1/2 cup of taco meat onto the center of the flatbread. Spread queso over one side of the tostada and place it cheese side down on the meat.
    5. Spread a thin layer of sour cream or more queso on top of the tostada shell. Top with lettuce, tomato and cheese.
    6. To fold the taco wrap, start with the bottom of the tortilla and fold the edge up over the center. Continue to work your way around, folding the tortilla over the center fillings. There will be an open spot on the top in the center.
    7. Repeat with all remaining flatbreads, tostadas and toppings.

    every store is CLOSED in San Jose

    San Jose the Bay Area’s largest city has dropped out of the top 10 largest cities in the US by population and stores are closing left and right in this city tour I am exploring downtown San Jose, and what I found was shocking, blocks after blocks of empty storefronts.

    Why don’t the Western countries “peacefully evolve” China by breaking the Chinese Great Firewall?

    Has it ever occurred to you that the Great Fire Wall protects you? Yes, you!

    main qimg c2d5fcb2380564a20ec56de57213a704
    main qimg c2d5fcb2380564a20ec56de57213a704

    Imagine if suddenly 1.4 billion people flooded the internet with pro-China content. Okay, some are dissidents so make that one billion instead. My point is, in the Western world where “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings” abound, unleashing the mainlanders into that environment en masse would have a profoundly negative impact for Westerners. I’m not sure they (the “outside” world) could handle it. Fun to think about though.

    Spumoni and you

    Snuffy.

    When I was out of university, I visited home and checked in with my High School friends. The smartest kid in our class: John E. had dropped out of college and was working in the local lumber yard, and getting high on marijuana every single day.

    Being old friends we talked about life and work and he told me about “snuffy”.

    Now Snuffy was a co-worker of his. And also (as I tell you all now) an old co-worker of my father. And Snuffy loved to eat. In fact, he would eat anything given to him.

    So one day…

    (I know youse guys know what’s coming…)

    My friend John E. offered him a sandwich. But it was conditional. He had to eat the entire thing. Lock, stock and barrel or else he need to pay him $20 (big money in those days).

    Now, John E. put an entire container of “chew” in the sandwich between the lettuce, tomatoes, peanut butter and turkey. ‘Chew” is a chewable form of tobacco that is popular in Western Pennsylvania. And a full container is about 100ml. Sizable. Big. Large.

    Sure as shit, he ate it all.

    Burped.

    Said it was delicious, but a bit “spicy”.

    Life lessons.

    Don’t you know.

    Today’s post…

    Was the Interstate Highway System a mistake in view of its long-term environmental consequences?

    So, let’s talk about “Good Interstate” and “Bad Interstate”

    It’s not like the United States didn’t have highways pretty much everywhere when World War II ended in 1945. Route 66, for example, went all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles. If there had been no interstate system, cars and trucks would still be using those roads today. Heck, back in the 1970s, my family drove from Toronto to Orlando via Detroit, taking I-75 all the way. The problem was that I-75 hadn’t been completed yet so, through a couple of very long stretches, we were on crowded 4 lane highways. People still took them.

    So, when Eisenhower becomes president, American highways haven’t improved much since he led a road expedition across the country in 1919, a trip that took 62 days and destroyed many of the vehicles they used. Highway standards were wildly different from state to state, with many highways barely having room for two standard cars to pass. Bridges and tunnels were rare to non-existent. Some highways were impassible in winter because they simply couldn’t be maintained. Others were closed during times of heavy rain. Through the numerous mountainous regions in the country, they went back and forth through the mountains hugging the terrain, often for dear life.

    Now, Canada currently has a national highway system that is only slightly better than what the United States had in the 1950s, but at least it’s all paved and open all year (at least the main routes). However, a lot of key highways are still two lanes. They all get heavy use.

    So let’s take a look at a basic interstate map

    There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. It joins most of America’s major cities and forms the backbone of the road transportation system. These roads are safe and open year round. One runs through the Donner Pass, which killed most of the people who first attempted to cross it when they didn’t reach it before ten feet of snow blocked it. Now, it’s merely an inconvenience for the California Department of Highways, which keeps a fleet of plows ready. Yes, several portions of it are crowded, and that’s a problem that can’t be addressed with “more highways” but part of it is due to another problem.

    So, let’s look at the real problem. “Bad Interstates”. Interstates that join large population centers to other large population centers are crucial. What are not crucial are these.

    This is Detroit, Michigan. Motor City. The place that made automobiles a normal thing to own. Starting in the 1940s, the federal government, state of Michigan and local leaders felt that the way to go was to build lots of freeways to keep cars moving.

    But it was a trap. It was one of the reasons for the city’s decline as cars started to displace offices and people. The highways cut neighbourhoods in half. People used to walk in downtown Detroit, and only recently started to do it again. However, the interstates that go right through the city, like I-75 and I-94, plus their spurs, plus local ones like the Davison and the Lodge and stroads like 8-Mile and Telegraph Road, while great for tooling around the city by car, make navigating it in any other way impossible.

    During the 1989 earthquake in San Francisco, one of their freeways collapsed. They didn’t bother to rebuild it. Traffic actually improved, and the waterfront is now a thriving neighbourhood. Rochester, New York is in the process of removing the “Inner Loop”, a small freeway that joined the three urban interstates that came downtown, and completely destroyed the area. It’s now starting to thrive again.

    Freeways just don’t have any place in an urban environment. They automatically turn it into a car-dependent suburban environment, increase parking requirements, displace transit, and don’t really do anything to make traffic more than marginally better.

    Brocato’s Spumoni

    brocatos spumoni
    brocatos spumoni

    Yield: 8 to 10 servings

    Ingredients

    • 3 pints pistachio ice cream
    • 3 pints strawberry ice cream
    • 1 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
    • 1/2 cup candied cherries, chopped

    Instructions

    1. Put a 2 1/2 quart ice cream mold in freezer.
    2. In a large bowl, beat the pistachio ice cream with electric mixer until smooth but not melted. Evenly spread the pistachio ice cream in the chilled mold. Freeze until firm.
    3. In another bowl, beat the strawberry ice cream with electric mixer until smooth but not melted. Then spread the strawberry ice cream over the pistachio ice cream. Freeze until firm.
    4. Mix the chopped cherries into the whipped cream and spread as the final layer in the mold. Freeze until firm.

    Niger forces have attacked a French military base

    This is part of a much larger video. Important section begins at this clip.

    https://youtu.be/hwI6laaj2xA?t=4040

    Sergey Karaganov: By using its nuclear weapons, Russia could save humanity from a global catastrophe

    A tough but necessary decision would likely force the West to back off, enabling an earlier end to the Ukraine crisis and preventing it from expanding to other states

    By Professor Sergey Karaganov, honorary chairman of Russia’s Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, and academic supervisor at the School of International Economics and Foreign Affairs Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow

    This article

    has sparked major debate among experts in Russia about nuclear weapons, their role and the conditions of their use.

    This is especially the case given Sergey Karaganov’s status as a former presidential adviser to both Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin, and his position as head of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, a noted Moscow think tank.

    Some prominent figures have reacted with dismay, while others have been less critical.

    RT has decided it would be beneficial for our readers to read it in full. The following piece has been translated and lightly edited.

    ***

    Our country, and its leadership, seems to me to be facing a difficult choice. It is becoming increasingly clear that our clash with the West will not end even if we achieve a partial – let alone a crushing – victory in Ukraine.

    Even if we completely liberate the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, it will be a minimal victory. A slightly greater success would be to liberate the whole of eastern and southern Ukraine within a year or two. But it would still leave part of the country with an even more embittered ultra-nationalist population pumped full of weapons – a bleeding wound that threatens inevitable complications, such as another war.

    The situation could be worse if we liberate the whole of Ukraine at the cost of monstrous sacrifices and are left with ruins and a population that mostly hates us. It would take more than a decade to “re-educate” them.

    Any of these options, especially the last one, will distract Russia from the much-needed shift of its spiritual, economic, military and political center to the East of Eurasia. We will be stuck with a wasteful focus on the West. And the territories of today’s Ukraine, especially the central and western ones, will attract resources – both human and financial. These regions were heavily subsidised even in Soviet times.

    Meanwhile, hostility from the West will continue; it will support a slow-burning guerrilla civil war.

    A more attractive option is the liberation and reunification of the east and south, and the imposition of capitulation on the remnants of Ukraine with complete demilitarization, creating a buffer, friendly state. But such an outcome would only be possible if we are able to break the West’s will to support the Kiev junta, and use it against us, forcing the US-led bloc into a strategic retreat.

    And here I come to a crucial but hardly discussed issue. The root cause of – and indeed the main reason for – the Ukrainian crisis, as well as many other conflicts in the world, and the general increase in military threats, is the accelerating failure of the contemporary Western ruling elites.

    This crisis is accompanied by an unprecedentedly rapid shift in the balance of power in the world in favor of the global majority, driven economically by China and partly by India, with Russia as the military and strategic anchor. This weakening not only infuriates the imperial-cosmopolitan elites (US President Joe Biden and his ilk) but also frightens the imperial-national elites (such as his predecessor Donald Trump). The West is losing the advantage it has held for five centuries to siphon off the wealth of the entire world by imposing its political and economic order and establishing its cultural dominance, mainly by brute force. So there is no quick end to the defensive, but aggressive, confrontation that the West has unleashed.

    This moral, political and economic collapse has been brewing since the mid-1960s, was interrupted by the collapse of the USSR, but resumed with renewed vigour in the 2000s (the defeats of the Americans and their allies in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the crisis of the Western economic model in 2008 were milestones).

    In order to slow down this seismic shift, the West has temporarily consolidated itself. The US has turned Ukraine into a punching bag to tie the hands of Russia, the politico-military lynchpin of a non-Western world freed from the shackles of neocolonialism. Ideally, of course, the Americans would simply like to blow up our country and thus radically weaken the emerging alternative superpower, China. We, either not realizing the inevitability of the clash or hoarding our strength, have been slow to act preemptively. Moreover, in line with modern, mainly Western, political and military thinking, we were rash in raising the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, inaccurate in assessing the situation in Ukraine, and not entirely successful in launching the current military operation.

    By failing internally, Western elites have actively fed the weeds that have taken root in the soil of 70 years of prosperity, satiation and peace. These comprise of anti-human ideologies: the denial of family, homeland, history, love between men and women, faith, service to higher ideals, everything that is human. Their philosophy is to weed out those who resist. The aim is to neuter people in order to reduce their ability to resist modern “globalist” capitalism, which is becoming more and more obviously unjust and harmful to man and humanity.

    Meanwhile, a weakened US is destroying Western Europe and other countries dependent on it, trying to push them into a confrontation that will follow Ukraine. The elites in most of these countries have lost their bearings and, panicked by the crisis in their own positions at home and abroad, are dutifully leading their countries to the slaughter. At the same time, because of greater failure, a sense of powerlessness, centuries of Russophobia, intellectual degradation and a loss of strategic culture, their hatred is almost more intense than that of the US.

    Thus, the trajectory of most Western countries clearly points towards a new fascism, which could be called “liberal” totalitarianism.

    In the future, and this is the most important thing, it will only get worse. Truces are possible, but reconciliation is not. Anger and despair will continue to grow in waves and waves. This vector of Western movement is a clear sign of the drift towards the outbreak of World War Three. It has already begun and could erupt into a full-blown conflagration either by accident, or due to the growing incompetence and irresponsibility of the ruling circles of the West.

    The introduction of artificial intelligence and the robotization of war increase the risk of unintended escalation. Machines can act outside the control of confused elites.

    The situation is aggravated by “strategic parasitism” – in 75 years of relative peace, people have forgotten the horrors of war, have stopped fearing even nuclear weapons. Everywhere, but especially in the West, the instinct for self-preservation has weakened.

    I have spent many years studying the history of nuclear strategy and have come to an unequivocal, if unscientific, conclusion. The advent of nuclear weapons is the result of the intervention of the Almighty, who, appalled that mankind had unleashed two world wars within a generation, costing tens of millions of lives, gave us the weapons of Armageddon to show those who had lost their fear of hell that it existed. On that fear rested the relative peace of the last three-quarters of a century.

    But now that fear is gone. The unthinkable in terms of previous notions of nuclear deterrence is happening – a group of ruling elites, in a fit of desperate rage, have unleashed a full-scale war in the underbelly of a nuclear superpower.

    The fear of atomic escalation must be restored. Otherwise humanity is doomed.

    It is not only, and not even so much, what the future world order will look like that is being decided in the fields of Ukraine right now. But rather whether the world we are used to will be preserved at all, or if all will be left is radioactive ruins, poisoning the remnants of humanity.

    By breaking the West’s will in imposing its aggression, we will not only save ourselves and finally free the world from the Western yoke of five centuries, but we will also salvage the whole of humanity. By pushing the West towards catharsis and the abandonment of the hegemony of its elites, we will force it to retreat before a global catastrophe. Humanity will be given a new chance to develop.

    Proposed solution

    Of course, there is an uphill struggle ahead. It is also necessary to solve our own internal problems – to finally get rid of the mindset of Western-centrism and of the Westernizers in the administrative class. Especially the compradors and their peculiar way of thinking. Of course, in this area, the NATO bloc is helping us, unwittingly.

    Our 300-year journey around Europe has given us a lot of useful lessons and it has helped us to form our great culture. Let us cherish our European heritage. But it is time to return home, to ourselves. Let us begin, with the baggage we have accumulated, to live in our own way. Our friends in the Foreign Ministry have recently made a real breakthrough by referring to Russia as a civilizational state in their foreign policy concept. I would add – a civilization of civilizations, open to the North as well as to the South, to the West as well as to the East. Now the main direction of development is to the South, to the North and, above all, to the East.

    The confrontation with the West in Ukraine, however it ends, should not distract us from the strategic internal movement – spiritual, cultural, economic, political, military and political – towards the Urals, Siberia and the Pacific Ocean. A new Ural-Siberian strategy is needed, one that includes several powerful spiritually uplifting projects, including, of course, the creation of a third capital in Siberia. This movement should become part of the much-needed formulation of the “Russian Dream” – the image of the Russia and the world to which one aspires.

    I have often written, and I am not alone in this, that great states without a great idea cease to be such or simply disappear into the void. History is littered with the graves of powers that lost their way. This idea should be created from above and not rely, as fools or lazy people do, on what comes from below. It must correspond to the deepest values and aspirations of the people and, above all, it must take us all forward. But it is the responsibility of the elite and the leadership of the country to formulate it. The delay in putting forward such a vision is unacceptably long.

    But for the future to come to pass, the resistance of the forces of the past – i.e. the West – must be overcome. If this is not achieved, there will almost certainly be a full-scale world war. Which will probably be the last of its kind.

    And here I come to the most difficult part of this article. We can keep fighting for another year or two, or even three, sacrificing thousands and thousands of our best men and grinding up hundreds of thousands more who are unfortunate enough to fall into the tragic historical trap of what is now called Ukraine. But this military operation cannot end in a decisive victory without forcing the West into a strategic retreat or even capitulation. We must force the West to abandon its attempts to turn back history, to abandon its attempts at global domination, and to force it to deal with its own problems, to manage its current multifaceted crisis. To put it crudely, it is necessary for the West to simply “piss off” and end its interference in the direction of Russia and the rest of the world.

    However, for this to happen, Western elites need to rediscover their own lost sense of self-preservation by understanding that attempts to wear down Russia by playing the Ukrainians against it are counterproductive for the West itself.

    The credibility of nuclear deterrence must be restored by lowering the unacceptably high threshold for the use of atomic weapons and by moving cautiously but quickly up the ladder of deterrence-escalation. The first steps have already been taken through statements to this effect by the president and other leaders, by beginning to deploy nuclear weapons and their delivery vehicles in Belarus, and by increasing the combat effectiveness of the strategic deterrent forces. There are quite a few steps on this ladder. I count about two dozen. It could even go as far as warning our compatriots and all people of good will about the need to leave their homes near the objects of possible nuclear strikes in countries directly supporting the Kiev regime. The enemy must know that we are ready to launch a preemptive retaliatory strike in response to its current and past aggression in order to prevent a slide into a global thermonuclear war.

    I have often said and written that with the right strategy of deterrence and even use, the risk of a ‘retaliatory’ nuclear or other strike on our territory can be minimized. Only if there is a madman in the White House who also hates his own country will the US decide to strike in ‘defense’ of the Europeans and invite retaliation by sacrificing a hypothetical Boston for a notional Poznan. The Americans and the Western Europeans are well aware of this, they just prefer not to think about it. We, too, have contributed to this recklessness with our peace-loving pronouncements. Having studied the history of US nuclear strategy, I know that after the USSR acquired a credible nuclear retaliatory capability, Washington never seriously considered using nuclear weapons on Soviet territory, even though it publicly bluffed. When nuclear weapons were considered, it was only against “advancing” Soviet forces in Western Europe. I know that the late Chancellors Helmut Kohl and Helmut Schmidt fled from their bunkers as soon as the question of such use came up in an exercise.

    Movement down the ladder of containment-escalation should be fairly quick. Given the current direction of the West – and the degradation of most of its elites – each successive decision it makes is more incompetent and ideologically veiled than the last. And, at present, we cannot expect these elites to be replaced by more responsible and reasonable ones. This will only happen after a catharsis, leading to the abandonment of much ambition.

    We cannot repeat the ‘Ukrainian scenario’. For a quarter of a century we were not listened to when we warned that NATO enlargement would lead to war; we tried to delay, to “negotiate”. As a result, we ended up in a serious armed conflict. Now the price of indecision is an order of magnitude higher than it would have been earlier.

    But what if the present Western leaders refuse to back down? Perhaps they have lost all sense of self-preservation? Then we will have to hit a group of targets in a number of countries to bring those who have lost their senses back to their senses.

    It’s a morally frightening choice – we would be using God’s weapon and condemning ourselves to great spiritual loss. But if this is not done, not only may Russia perish, but most likely the whole of human civilization will end.

    We will have to make this choice ourselves. Even friends and sympathizers will not support it at first. If I were Chinese, I would not want an abrupt and decisive end to the conflict, because it will draw back US forces and allow them to gather forces for a decisive battle – either directly or, in the best Sun Tzu tradition, by forcing the enemy to retreat without a fight. As a Chinese person, I would also oppose the use of nuclear weapons because taking the confrontation to the nuclear level means moving to an area where my country is still weak.

    Also, decisive action is not in line with the Chinese foreign policy philosophy, which emphasizes economic factors (with the accumulation of military power) and avoids direct confrontation. I would support an ally by providing him with rear cover, but I would go behind his back and not enter the fray. (In this case, perhaps I don’t understand this philosophy well enough and am attributing motives to my Chinese friends that are not their own.) If Russia uses nuclear weapons, Beijing would condemn it. But Chinese hearts would also rejoice knowing that the reputation and position of the US had been dealt a severe blow.

    How would we react if (God forbid!) Pakistan attacked India, or vice versa? We’d be horrified. Upset that the nuclear taboo has been broken. Then let us help the victims and change our nuclear doctrine accordingly.

    For India and other countries of the world majority, including nuclear weapon states (Pakistan, Israel), the use of nuclear weapons is unacceptable, both for moral and geostrategic reasons. If they are used “successfully”, the nuclear taboo – the notion that such weapons should never be used and that their use is a direct route to nuclear Armageddon – will be devalued. We are unlikely to win support quickly, even if many in the Global South would feel satisfaction at the defeat of their former oppressors who plundered them, carried out genocides and imposed an alien culture.

    But in the end, the victors are not judged. And the saviors are thanked. Western European political culture does not remember, but the rest of the world does (and with gratitude) how we helped the Chinese to free themselves from the brutal Japanese occupation, and many Western colonies to throw off the colonial yoke.

    Of course, if they do not understand us at first, they will have all the more incentive to educate themselves. Still, it is very likely that we can win, and focus the minds enemy states without extreme measures, and force them to retreat. And after a few years, we take take up a position as China’s rear, as it is now performing for us, supporting it in its struggle with the US. Then this fight can be avoided without a big war. And we will win together for the good of all, including the people of the Western countries.

    At that stage, Russia and the rest of humanity will pass through all the thorns and traumas into the future, which I see as bright – multipolar, multicultural, multicolored – and giving countries and peoples the opportunity to build their own destinies in addition to the common one, which should unite worldwide.

    Americans Can’t Believe What China is Doing to US Farms

    (IP)- With 6 new countries joining the BRICS, these 11 countries will create a new grouping at the global level.

    Iran Press

    The 15th BRICS summit was held last week in the Sandton district of Johannesburg in South Africa. In a joint press conference with the leaders of Russia, China, Brazil, and India, the President of South Africa announced the agreement of the BRICS with Iran, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Ethiopia joining this group. 6 new members will officially join this group at the beginning of 2024. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, and United Arab Emirates. After this event, various comments regarding the position of BRICS at the global level were raised.

    One of the views is that with the joining of 6 new countries, each of which is of great economic and political importance, the BRICS can create a new polarization at the level of the global system. The main reason for such a view is that the old and new BRICS members have a large share of the world economy on the one hand and are against the unilateralist political order in the world system on the other hand. Salem Nasser, an international law expert at Brazil’s FGV Direito SP University, says the requests to join BRICS show that there are constant changes in the global balance of power.

    BRICS is a new pole of economic and political power that will compete with the hegemony of North America. Mehmet Ali Guller, a Turkish analyst, also believes that BRICS is one of the most important pillars of the new world order and has dealt a heavy blow to the US energy-political powerhouse.

    Another issue is that BRICS members, both former and new members, can make important decisions in the economic field at the global level. This influence will be especially high in the field of energy because Saudi Arabia, Russia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the UAE are among the largest oil-producing countries in the world. The alignment or shared opinion of these countries in the field of energy can have many consequences for Western countries and affect the global economy as well. Also, the expansion of BRICS will increase the share of this group in global exports from 20.2% to 25.1%. Global banking group “Goldman Sachs” believes that by 2050 the economy of the BRICS countries will compete with the economies of the richest countries in the world.

    Another important point is that BRICS can be a serious competitor for the Group of 7 (including the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom). With 6 new countries joining the BRICS group, Russian news agencies wrote in a statistical analysis that the total gross domestic product (GDP) of developed BRICS will be approximately 65 trillion dollars in terms of purchasing power parity. In this way, the share of this group in the global GDP will increase from the current 31.5% to 37%. Meanwhile, the share of the Group of Seven advanced economies is currently around 29.9%. Meanwhile, the 11 countries of the BRICS will have an area of 48.5 million square kilometers, which is 36% of the world’s area, and this figure is more than double that of the Group of Seven. Their total population will reach 3.6 billion people, which is 45% of the entire world and more than four times higher than the group of seven.

    By: Seyed Razi Emadi

    The Sopranos – Ralph Gets Passed Over

    Ralph Cifaretto gets passed over as capo of the Aprile crew. Tony makes less qualified solider Gigi Cestone the new captain. One of the reasons being Ralph took Jackie Jr on a pick up that turned violent.

    The Chinese’s arrogance frequently works well on South East Asians in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand. Why can’t the Chinese’s arrogance work in South Korea and Japan?

    It’s you again, Charlotte, that sick puppy.

    I am from Taiwan, so I am observing you and your masturbative questions more from the sideline in amusement, but I can’t help providing some insight here to address all your diarrhea at a fundamental level. Given the intelligence, or lack thereof, displayed in your questions, I am not sure you would understand what I have to say below. In any case, this answer is for whatever audience can understand it.

    All your questions amount to a basic theme, namely, some aspect of China deemed unappealing to your personal bias, which translates into inferiority of China vis-à-vis Japan or South Korea, which you consider yourself a proud member of, despite dubious credential to claim either ownership of or contribution toward such credentials.

    I would like to crush your pitiful self-loathing complex with the bottom line, independent of whether your personal bias is justified, or whether you yourself are entitled to such sense of superiority as a member of the group you are hiding under.

    Let’s assume all your personal biases are justified, a Big IF, and let’s assume you yourself indeed are entitled to your claims. Under these Big IFs, that would amount to the following picture.

    • China is like a wolf in the wild, being its own Master. It may be dirty (your personal bias) and rude (your bias) and ugly (your bias) and uncivilized (your bias), and it may not know a lot of fancy tricks to hunt and eat its catch elegantly (your bias). It nonetheless goes wherever it pleases whenever it pleases, and does whatever it pleases, beholden to no one. It is nobody’s slave.
    • Japan and South Korea are like two pedigree dogs groomed in the most fancy and elegant (your bias) beauty parlors and having the most advanced suite of plastic surgery done on them like the wife of the South Korean president. They look totally beautiful (your bias) and well-mannered (your bias). But they are two slave dogs kneeling under their Master’s feet, living off the craps thrown at them, with their necks held in leash in the hands of their Master. The Master can kick the shit out of their face whenever the Master feels like it, make them eat shit whenever the Master is not in a good mood, and make them lick the Master’s ass whenever the Master wants to remind them who the Boss is.

    So this is the real picture of China vis-à-vis Japan and South Korea.

    And it is based on facts, with no room for personal bias, because this is in plain sight for everyone to see.

    Some people prefer to be the dirty, ugly wolf of the wild, and some people prefer to be the beautiful, elegant slave dog in chains, and be proud of it. It is a matter of personal choice. Everyone is free to choose according to his own personal inclination and character. We know what your choice is and what you are proud of.

    See, I am from Taiwan, and I am never as presumptuous and audacious as you are to make similar remarks as you do about China vs Taiwan, maybe because I have more savvy, because Taiwan is just another slave dog like Japan and South Korea, and I don’t want to make stupid remarks to make a fool of myself as you did.

    That’s all. Now go on brandishing your diamond studded dog chain to taunt that ugly wolf of the wild.

    A Significant Turning Point in History | Paul Craig Roberts

    I am puzzled how such a rational and humane person as Dr Paul Craig Roberts is allowed to publicly express his rational, non-propagandized opinions so openly without facing all the usual impediments. A very fine spokesman for international and economic affairs.”

    What 10 things have you stopped doing in your life?

    1. I stopped trying to convince others of joining activities I want to do but they don’t and rather do them by myself. If they want to join, that’s fantastic but I am not using up energy to get others out of their own inertia.
    2. I stopped buying snacks because realized that if I don’t have them at home, the inconvenience of having to go out and buy them when I get the cravings often prevents me from eating stuff that isn’t good for me.
    3. I stopped badmouthing others because I realized that even though it is a quick emotional relief, it undermines my relationships in the long run.
    4. I stopped smoking because I realized I only did it to deal with boredom and so when I fixed boredom I fixed my urge for cigarettes. Now, instead of a pack of cigarettes, I grab my guitar.
    5. I stopped trying to hide my flaws because I realized that if there is nothing to hide there is nothing to be insecure about.
    6. I stopped worrying about what strangers think of me because I realized that they are busy thinking about themselves and their own problems. Now I just worry about what my friends and family think of me.
    7. I stopped eating meals hot and fast because my digestion deals better with lukewarm and slow.
    8. I stopped judging others for having different views on how to live life because I realized all our experiences of life are different we are all just trying to get by as best as we can.
    9. I stopped watching porn regularly because I realized that it warped my expectations of what healthy and fulfilling sexuality means in real life.
    10. I stopped being so sure I’m right in an argument because in the past, it often turned out I was wrong no matter how convinced I was of being right.

    And I feel like I’m a much happier and better person because I stopped all that stuff.

    An Empty World, A Time Traveler, Another Dimension | Liminal Spaces: The Reality In-between

    In the past year or so, three internet mysteries popped up that really got my attention.

    They may seem very different, but trust me, they’re connected.

    The first one is about a girl who found a door in the basement of her AirBnB. She opened it and inside was an abandoned shopping mall. The second story is about Javier aka Unico Sobreviviente, who woke up in a hospital in the year 2027, in an alternate universe.

    In his version of the future — everyone on earth has vanished. He’s the only one left, and he has video to prove it. The third mystery is known as the Backdoors. A reality adjacent to ours that, if the conditions are just right, you can accidentally slip into.

    Then you find yourself lost in an endless maze of dingy carpet, fluorescent light, and yellow wallpaper.

    And around every corner–

    Has the launch of the Huawei Mate 60 Pro with a 5G Kirin 9000s processor signified a failure on the part of the US in its trade war against China?

    Bill Chen

    Worse.

    If the specs are confirmed, it spells a huge downturn for one name.

    QUALCOMM.

    There are many firsts in the Mate 60 Pro, selling for less than $1,000 dollars, a bargain in the premium handset segment today.

    First, there is a custom GPU in the SOC, and that means the Kirin is even more inhouse than Apple’s A-series chipset.

    Why?

    It has an inhouse 5G modem. Apple with its hundreds billion war-chest has been unable to crack Qualcomm’s patent wall on this particular piece of technology, but it appears Huawei has.

    If Huawei makes the design available to Chinese handset makers, we can say goodbye to Qualcomm and Snapdragon, where volume sale is concerned. That or a fierce price war ensue. We will see.

    Second, the Mate 60 Pro can make satellite calls, while industry leaders external to China are only adding texting/emergency signals via satellite. That’s a killer feature for blindspot coverage in China’s vast countryside.

    As a reminder, a modern satellite phone looks like a “walkie talkie”. Yup, walkie-talkie size, only with an unsightly antennae.

    But the Mate 60 pro, all of 9mm thick and looking like it came out of the future.

    Three, this runs Hongmeng 4.0, a mature OS that’s designed from the ground up to take full advantage of the IOT ecosystem. For example, Android auto exists as an app, but Hongmeng’s vehicular integration is baked in. Chinese handset makers will increasingly jump onto the Hongmeng bandwagon to hedge against a repeat of Huawei’s booting by Google on “national security concerns”.

    My mainland friends have high praise for Huawei’s OS, and these are guys who own multiple handsets, including Apple.

    Four, it is AI-assisted, with Huawei’s own large language model Pangu built in. That’s a step (or several) ahead of Android and iOS.

    I expect this phone to sell out.


    This phone runs with the best in class. But it cannot be sanctioned.

    Let me repeat.

    THIS PHONE IS SANCTION-PROOF.

    Not by Google.

    Not by TSMC.

    Not by any western semiconductor toolermaker.

    Not by any Taiwanese/Korean/Japanese/American component or materials supplier.

    Not through application of American patent rights.

    No other handset manufacturer can boast such an achievement. American IP-Free at the cutting edge is a historic first.


    I’ll end with a short note on the significance of the Mate 60 Pro’s announcement, an earth-shattering injection into the news cycle around Gina’s visit.

    Let me explain.

    The comprehensive sanctions on Huawei severed its dependence on foreign suppliers vulnerable to US sanction, and forced Huawei to create a domestic-only supply chain that could afford sanction without losing their livelihood.

    The existence of this completely independent supply chain (not yet complete), which includes Swift-free financing, is a nightmare for Gina and Co., because she won’t have birds-eye view data on Huawei developments, other than resorting to humint and hacking.

    American corporations in a completely separate eco-system will be similarly disadvantaged.

    China though, remains fully in the game, since all players are represented in the domestic supply chain.

    Gina and American corporations will have to fight Huawei (and Chinese high-tech) with the fog of war turned on.

    Best of all, this is a problem created by America, for America.

    Suck on it…idiots.

    Tony contemplates ‘whacking’ Paulie

    Paulie repeatedly denies telling Johnny Sack about Ralph Ciparetto’s joke about Ginny Sack.

    Have you ever found out your kid wasn’t yours by getting a paternity test? If so, what did you do and did you stay in the child’s life?

    Happened to a guy I worked with. There was a rocky period in his marriage prior to the pregnancy and the wife had an affair. At some point afterwards it became obvious that the child was not his.

    His take on it? He told me, “There is an old English saying, ‘Whosoever bulleth my cow, the calf is mine’”.

    He gave it a lot of thought, realized both he and his wife had been at fault, but if they broke up over this situation he’d lose his biological children and his life would be a mess. So he left his name on the birth certificate as the father and he said he would raise the little boy as his own, no different than his other kids. His older kids had no idea what the situation was. He’d made up with his wife and he wasn’t going to destroy everyone’s life over the DNA of this one little child. He said to him it was no different than if they had adopted or had use donor sperm, they were family and the little boy was his son. He kept his ego out of it and moved on.

    I was left wondering how many men would do that. I suspect not many.

    Huawei’s Astonishing News Breaks: 310.9 Billion Yuan Revenue, 700 Million Devices

    Huawei has firmly confronted the four rounds of regulations imposed by the United States and fully engaged in independent research and development.

    It has successively created the HarmonyOS, EulerOS, and MateERP systems, among others, to meet Huawei’s business development needs.

    Amidst great anticipation, Huawei suddenly released news and announced the long-awaited results.

    In the first half of the year, Huawei achieved a revenue of 310.9 billion yuan, and the number of devices in the HarmonyOS ecosystem exceeded 700 million.

    With cutting-edge core technologies and leading advantages in the industry, Huawei possesses top-notch expertise in communication, chips, operating systems, artificial intelligence, and other fields.

    https://youtu.be/yC2-I1UCZ-8

    What should I do if my neighbor’s driveway is blocked so she decides to park her car in front of my driveway & blocks it? She does this so her car will stay close to her home.

    I did actually walk over to her house and asked for the car to be removed. I also told her I had to go to a doctor’s appointment. This is actually what happened and the vehicle was not moved. I called the local deputy station and for a tow truck. She got her vehicle towed and a ticket. Two days later she came over to my house cursing me and making threats. Congratulations, I called a deputy again to come out and explained to him and a friend of mine witnessed what she did. She was taken away in his vehicle.

    She was a very entitled person that thought she could do just anything she wanted to do. Keeping me away from my chemotherapy appointment really was the last straw for me.

    Jimmy Meets Gus | Better Call Saul

    As Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) is helping Mike (Jonathan Banks) to discover who is following him, he bumps into the iconic owner of Los Pollos Hermanos, Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito).

    Why does Modi look uncomfortable at the BRICS summit?

    Things are moving very fast as far as BRICS is concerned

    Modi had a good US visit and showed his friend Biden that he was a friend of democracy and the rules based order

    Yet this summit literally saw Russia and China go on a full flow against Western Hegemony and in favor of Expansion

    They spoke of a literal alternate system to protect and counter western hegemony

    Russia, China were fully on board and South Africa who were already pretty pissed off about the ICJ warrant against Putin and being forced to look weak, jumped on the bandwagon

    Brazil shrugged and decided to change their mind

    So Modi had to watch as BRICS expanded openly and set a tone that would slowly involve an escape from western hegemony

    He looked very uncomfortable during this summit

    Like in a Hypnotic Daze

    Modi is caught between a rock and a hard place

    He needs Russia badly. If he is asked to pay market price for Oil which is rising now and could reach $ 115 by December, that would cause economic issues and high inflation right at the time of elections

    He needs the West of course because all of Indias reserves and exports depend on their markets

    He needs China crucially for his Make in India initiative for the value enhancement of $ 300 Billion of retail value

    So like a volleyball, he has to keep being bounced from place to place

    China busted another CIA spy, the second arrest in 2 weeks | China Currents

    In this episode of China Currents: China busted another CIA spy; BRICS welcomed 6 new members; Japan released nuclear contaminated water into the Pacific.

    How was Russia able to destroy a Challenger 2? This is a tank that once tanked (pun intended) 70 RPG’s in one battle.

    During the souther Ukraine, near Robotino, a Challenger 2 was destroyed while spear heading an assault. The tank burned out due to being penetrated by a Kornet ATGM according to the Russians in the area. Judging from the video which has already circulated in which the internal fire is visible through the side of the tank. It appears that an ATGM hit the front right side of the hull, and also the side of the turret.

    The kornet is 152mm tandem warhead ATGM, developed in the 1990s, it has previously penetrated M1 Abrams tanks in Iraq and Israeli Merkerva in Lebanon. It seems highly likely that this is the responsible ATGM. Though, if the hits as I suspect are on the side of the Challenger 2, basically any ATGM could achieve it.

    The idea that the Challenger 2 survives 70 hits from RPGs of any kind anywhere other than a small area on the front, is of course fantasy. Tanks tends to have quite weak side armour, certainly incapable of protecting against direct hits unless the warhead is defective or incredibly old.

    “The U.S. & Russia Will Go To War Within A Year!” – Tucker Carlson

    During a recent visit to Hungary, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson explained to an audience of Hungarians that the American people are being fed a steady narrative by the mainstream media that Ukraine is winning the war with Russia and all it will take to put the Ukrainians over the top is a few more F-16s. The truth, he noted, is quite the opposite. Guest host Craig “Pasta” Jardula, along with Jimmy Dore and Americans’ Comedian Kurt Metzger, discuss another video in which Carlson predicts the U.S. and Russia will be engaged in a “hot” war within 12 months.

    I own my home and I let a friend rent from me for one month and now she won’t leave. She put a restraining order on me. Who gets to stay in my home, me or the roommate?

    This happened to me when I let an old friend live in my spare room “just until he could find a job and a place “ of his own.

    After ten days it was obvious that he was “secretly” drinking vodka every day and had no intention of finding a job or another place to live.

    When he began to verbally abuse me and physically intimidate me ( never hit me, but would block my access to my room, come sit in whatever room I was in and glare at me, bust into my bedroom and lay on my bed and refuse to leave)it got so bad I called the cops to make him leave.

    Come to find out, he had been in my house just long enough to claim legal residence.

    Which, in Arkansas, where I live, is not very long.

    My only recourse, the police said, was to go pay $168 for and eviction notice that would be served by the sheriff.

    The whole experience has made me feel very weary of ever letting anyone stay here more than a few days ever again. So, my advice is to look into whether the state you live in will allow for you to have them evicted.

    NIGER: MILITARY ORDERS POLICE TO EXPEL FRENCH AMBASSADOR

    What’s wrong with these people do they think that they own Africa?

    What’s the biggest misconception about getting good at things?

    Around age 10, one of my friends suddenly had this new passion for surfing.

    We lived in Florida where that was a big thing. His walls were covered in posters. He could name every surfer, as well as the many types of waves. His encyclopedic knowledge of surfing was immensely impressive — until he actually surfed.

    I was surprised. He couldn’t even stand up on his board for more than two seconds. And to be fair, neither could I. But I hadn’t spent a mountain of time studying and talking about surfing.

    This speaks to a common issue in self-improvement. People read self-help books for hours. They listen to podcasts and attend seminars.

    They do all the things except the actual work. Yet by being near the problem, they feel like they are getting things done. This is why blogs with titles such as “tiny habits” are so popular — they imply massive change comes from small increments of effort.

    The easiest way to get better is to focus on one simple framework or set of advice. Put that reading time directly into the effort instead. Our brain can’t focus on twenty self-help priorities at once.

    It is focused efforts protracted across stretches of time that produce lasting change. In other words, dedication.

    China Just SHOCKED Australia With This $100 Billion MEGA Project!

    Prepare to be astonished as China unveils its mind-boggling $100 billion MEGA project that has left Australia in awe. Join us in exploring the staggering scale, innovation, and potential impacts of this monumental endeavor. Discover how this project is redefining the landscape of collaboration and development in the region. Subscribe now to witness how China’s audacious vision is making waves on a global scale.

    https://youtu.be/sMDnv2BSdrI

    Why do you think parents are leaving public schools?

    I can only speak for the situation here in Chicago, where I teach at a private school that has seen an influx of new students in the last five years. Here are the reasons parents here take their children out of public schools and put them into private schools:

    • Student discipline. Student behaviors in public schools are out of control. This is, by far, the main reason parents pull their children out of public schools. This is also one of the primary reasons for the teacher shortage in some public schools. Adults don’t want to deal with out of control kids all day, and they especially don’t want their own children in that environment. This is also why people move out of neighborhoods, businesses close, etc… Everyone is just trying to avoid people with anti-social behaviors as much as possible. Prices for real estate and schools both fall in tandem with how much riff-raff you have to deal with in that place. The more you’re paying to be in a place, the less likely you have to deal with shitty behavior from others.
    • Smaller class sizes. My largest class this year has 15 students in it. One of my new students told us that her public school class last year had 33 students in it. That’s par for the public schools around here.
    • Academic rigor. Because private schools have smaller classes full of relatively well-behaved students, it’s easier for the teachers to challenge each child to their personal level. I’m starting novel groups next week. Some students will be reading a tenth-grade-level novel, while others will be reading an eighth- or sixth- grade level novel. I have the time and experience to teach all three novels at the same time.
    • Traditional curriculum. One of the common comments from parents, during our open house, when they see my class sets of novels, is that they appreciate that they recognize most of the titles. I have about 50 novel sets to select from for my novel groups, and about 35 of those are “classics.” That’s what the parents want to see. The other 15 are newer, more high-interest novels, but nothing too edgy.
    • Inclusion of religion/morality in the curriculum. Honestly, not too many Catholic school parents care too much about this. It’s just a nice bonus for them. They want their children to be taught the same general morality that the parents have or, at the very least, not be taught something that directly contradicts the parents’ morality or religion.
    • Geographical convenience. Sometimes, parents want their child to attend a school that’s closer to the parent’s workplace, or a caretaker’s house, or some place that’s just more convenient logistically. If the public school requires an hour bus ride each direction, and the private school is right across the street from your house, then maybe it’s worth the price, simply for the convenience.

    Vinegar Grilled Chicken

    vinegar grilled chicken
    vinegar grilled chicken

    Prep: 10 min | Marinate: 4 hr | Cook: 10 min | Yield: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    • 2/3 cup water
    • 1 1/3 cups white wine vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon fresh-ground black pepper
    • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
    • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon hot sauce
    • 3 tablespoons butter, melted, or sesame oil
    • 4 (10 ounce) bone-in chicken breast halves

    Instructions

    1. Place the water, vinegar, pepper, salt, Worcestershire or soy sauce, hot sauce and butter or sesame oil into a large, resealable plastic bag. Shake to combine ingredients, then add chicken, seal and shake to coat. Place in refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours.
    2. Heat an outdoor grill* for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
    3. Remove chicken from marinade, and shake off excess. Discard remaining marinade.
    4. Cook on preheated grill until no longer pink in the center; about 10 minutes per side.

    Notes

    * This cooks beautifully on a George Foreman Grill also.

    To make this chicken roadside-style, use boneless chicken tenderloins and brush with barbecue sauce the final minutes of grilling.

    Huawei Mate 60 Pro: Game over for US chip sanctions?!

    The Washington Post, usually a pretty good barometer of the sentiment on Capitol Hill, opined: “New phone sparks worry China has found a way around U.S. tech limits,” which one analyst described as a slap in the face to Washington.

    Much deserved, I say!

    Today I will break the situation down in layman’s terms, and we’ll also catch up with US geopolitical analyst Thomas Pauken the Second. This is Reports on China, I’m Andy Boreham in Shanghai. Let’s get reporting!

    I can play dirty, but you can’t, it’s in the rule book

    “I can play dirty, but you can't, it's in the rule book”
    
    -From HERE. United States administrator when asked why China cannot adopt the same policies that the United States routinely uses.

    You know, I like Ron Unz. His site “UNZ” often has stuff; opinion and news that you will not find anywhere else. But Lordy! Is it full of racism! It drives me insane, and it’s really bothersome. I get it, you know. I understand the why. But I really don’t want to read about Jews this, and blacks that! Please.

    I HATE it!

    When The Garden of the Saker was up, I enjoyed it as well. But the comments were so filled with racism and hate that I just stopped reading them. Then Andre quit. He left the stage, and the Saker is no longer.

    Sigh.

    Life moves on…

    Call me a wimp, if you will. But I want to live a sheltered life. One free of racism, and harsh opinions about broad brush-strokes about someones culture, society, color of skin, or tattoos. I don’t want to read that junk.

    It gives me a headache. Ugh!

    Especially if it is a ‘Bot, a mindless 11-year old, or a government paid troll. The United States is too fucked up right now.

    Ugh!

    Now… on to bigger and better things. You all know that I have been trying to hunt down this mysterious movie about a girl who starts work at a software campus, only to discover that she is a computer program. I’m still looking. Haven’t found it yet.

    Here’s my list so far.

    THE LIST

    1954 — Tobor the Great — This science fiction film tells the story of a young boy, his grandfather, and his best friend — who just so happens to be a robot — as they work together to stay safe from the group of communist agents on their tail. Starring Charles Drake and Karin Booth.

    1956 — 1984 — In a dystopian world, society is closely monitored by Big Brother, an omnipotent force for government surveillance. One man breaks the rules by falling in love and must pay a heavy price. Based on the novel by George Orwell.

    1965 — Alphaville — A secret agent goes to the futuristic city of Alphaville to find a missing person and eventually stop the ruling dictator, professor von Braun, and his sentient computer system, Alpha 60.

    1967 — Billion Dollar Brain — In this espionage thriller, Michael Caine stars as Harry Palmer, a former secret agent who unexpectedly becomes involved with a frenzied Texas oil baron (Ed Begley) working to eradicate Communism with a supercomputer.

    1968 —  2001: A Space Odyssey — A group of astronauts is sent on a mysterious mission alongside the AI supercomputer H.A.L. 9000. What follows is an intense battle between man and machine, resulting in a mystifying journey through space and time.

    1968 — Hot Millions — Peter Ustinov plays an embezzler who bypasses a mainframe computer’s security system to pay invoices from his fictitious companies.

    1969 — The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes — Dexter Reilly (Kurt Russell) fixes a computer during an electrical storm and gets shocked. The computer’s brain has fused with his, and he’s a genius.

    1969 — The Italian Job — A robber (Michael Caine) recently released from prison gets help from a group of Britain’s most infamous computer hackers to steal gold bullion from underneath the noses of the Italian police and mafia. One of the film’s most famous scenes is a massive traffic jam caused by hacking the city’s traffic control computer.

    1970 — Colossus: The Forbin Project — Massive computer systems from the U.S. — “Colossus” — and Russia — “Guardian” — connect to each other. Nuclear war is threatened.

    1971 — Paper Man — Five bored college students take advantage of a computer glitch and create a fictitious person, but the prank backfires.

    1971 — THX 1138 — Set in a futuristic, state-controlled environment, this film follows a man and a woman, named THX 1138 and LUH 3417, respectively, as they instill a revolution upon their strictly-governed and closely-watched society.

    1973 — Westworld — For one thousand dollars a day, guests of a futuristic theme park can visit recreations of different time periods and experience their wildest fantasies with lifelike androids. Pals Blane (James Brolin) and Martin (Richard Benjamin) have chosen to visit Westworld and walk the lawless streets of the American frontier. Their fantasies turn to terror, however, when a duel with a robotic gunslinger (Yul Brynner) goes terribly wrong.

    1974 — The Conversation — Gene Hackman plays a surveillance expert using high-tech equipment (back in the day) to spy on a couple he fears may be in danger. Nominated for three Oscars.

    1975 — Three Days of the Condor — CIA codebreaker Robert Redford tries to figure out why his own agency wants him dead.

    1977 — Demon Seed — This science fiction horror film tells the story of Proteus IV, a sentient supercomputer made from artificial intelligence, who goes to incredible and dangerous lengths to attempt to become human.

    1982 — Tron — One of the earliest hacking films. A computer engineer learns an executive at his company has been stealing his work and is launched into the world of virtual reality.

    1983 — Brainstorm — Researchers Michael Brace (Christopher Walken) and Lillian Reynolds (Louise Fletcher) develop a system that allows the recording and playback of a person’s thoughts onto videotape. The project spins out of control when the technology is used to explore intense sexual and near-death experiences.

    1983 — Superman III — Richard Pryor plays Gus Gorman, a hacker who is caught skimming from his company’s payroll through a program he developed and is then blackmailed to help turn Superman evil.

    1983 — WarGames — High school student (Matthew Broderick) hacks into a military supercomputer in this classic and activates the U.S. nuclear arsenal, at a time when most people didn’t know what hacking was.

    1984 — Cloak and Dagger — When 11-year-old Davey sees the murder of an FBI agent, the dying man hands him an Atari video game cartridge with military secrets. With Dabney Coleman.

    1984 — Electric Dreams — Set in San Francisco, this science fiction romantic comedy is about a love triangle between an architect, a cellist, and a personal computer.

    1984 — Hide and Seek — A young computer enthusiast develops a kind of artificial intelligence program named “Gregory P1.” To ensure its survival, the computer contacts other computers and begins to fight the humans. It also hooks into the mainframe computer of a nuclear power plant.

    1985 — Brazil — When Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) gets involved in a case of mistaken identity, he’s labeled as an enemy of the state by the powerful, technology-dependent bureaucracy controlling his society. On a quest to rectify the wrong, Sam meets the woman of his dreams, but, unbeknownst to him, she may be a terrorist.

    1985 — Hackers: Wizards of the Electronic Age — This documentary about the hacker community includes footage of interviews with some of the programmers that created the PC revolution, including Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple. Filmed at a hacker conference held in Sausalito, Calif.

    1985 — Max Headroom — This science fiction drama tells the origin story of its eponymous character, Max Headroom, an artificially intelligent, computer-generated television host. This film was later repurposed to serve as the pilot for a British series of the same name.

    1985 — Prime Risk — Computer-savvy lovers scam Automated Teller Machines and plot to sink the Federal Reserve.

    1985 — Real Genius — Two teenagers working on a laser project at a prestigious engineering college begin to question the true purpose of their work when the government steps in with intentions to use their project as a military-grade weapon. Starring Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret.

    1985 — Weird Science — Teenagers Gary and Wyatt design their ideal woman on a computer, and a freak electrical accident brings her to life in the form of the lovely, superhuman Lisa.

    1986 — Ferris Bueller’s Day Off — A high school student (Matthew Broderick) who wants the day off breaks into his school’s computer system and changes grades and attendance records.

    1987 — Bellman and True — Computer expert Hiller (Bernard Hill) finds himself unemployed and is bribed into stealing confidential computer information for a group of bank robbers. He gets the job done but makes the mistake of thinking he’s seen the last of the criminals; little does Hiller know they’ve tracked him and his son to London.

    1987 — Terminal Entry — Picking up where War Games left off, this film tells the story of a group of high school students who unknowingly hack into the network of a dangerous terrorist organization under the impression they’re simply playing a game — but the acts of terror caused by their actions are no joke.

    1988 — Defense Play — After her father is mysteriously killed while working on a project for the U.S. Air Force, Karen (Susan Ursitti) joins forces with Scott (David Oliver), and together, the two computer-savvy students open their own investigation into the murder.

    1990 — Circuitry Man — In a dystopian society, narcotics come in the form of a microchip, heavily sought after by Earth’s remaining inhabitants — two of whom are a bio-android and a female bodyguard who, after stealing said microchips, find themselves being tracked by a dangerous criminal.

    1990 — Demolition Man — The year is 2032 in San Angeles, a utopian city created by the citizens of Southern California. When a violent criminal breaks out and threatens the societal peace, John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) is awoken from 36 years spent cryogenically frozen in ice to capture the fugitive, but he becomes distracted when forced to adapt to the future society made up of voice-controlled devices, autonomous connected cars, and more.

    1990 — Hardware — Starring Dylan McDermott, this film — set in a post-apocalyptic America — follows a former soldier who unknowingly gifts his girlfriend spare parts from a self-rebuilding, murderous cyborg.

    1990 — The KGB, The Computer and Me — In 1986, Clifford Stoll, an astronomer turned computer scientist, began working on a computer system at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. At the time, two accounting programs were responsible for charging people for machine use. When Stoll discovered a 75-cent discrepancy in the normally flawless programs, he began to investigate and eventually uncovered an undocumented user named “Hunter.” As he dug deeper, he realized that Hunter had hacked into the system and installed new programs. His investigation eventually led him and U.S. intelligence to the realization that Hunter was a computer programmer who worked for the KGB.

    1991 — Terminator 2: Judgment Day — A cyborg protects Sarah Connor’s teenage son John from another cyborg intent on killing him.

    1992 — The Lawnmower Man —Resembling “Frankenstein,” this science fiction horror film tells the story of a scientist (Pierce Brosnan) and his experiment: a once-simple man (Jeff Fahey) who, through the power of mind-enhancing medication and computer-simulated training sessions, becomes a genius. But it isn’t long before this experiment spirals out of control.

    1992 — Single White Female — A woman (played by Bridget Fonda) advertises for a roommate. She soon discovers that her new roommate is a hacker (Jennifer Jason Leigh) intent on stealing her identity.

    1992 — Sneakers — A Hacker (Robert Redford) leads a team of experts who test the security of San Francisco companies. They discover a black box that can crack any encryption, posing a huge threat if it lands in the wrong hands… including rogue NSA agents.

    1993 — American Cyborg: Steel Warrior — When a fleet of murderous cyborgs threatens the remaining life on Earth after a nuclear war, two of the last humans join forces to save the future of their race. A nail-biting battle ensues.

    1993 — Frauds — An insurance investigator (Phil Collins) uses games and gimmicks to manipulate the lives of others, including a couple who make an unusual insurance claim. He approves the claim but makes bizarre demands as ransom.

    1993 — Ghost in the Machine — A computer-powered MRI machine extracts a serial murderer’s soul, and becomes a deadly technological weapon.

    1993 — Jurassic Park — Seinfeld’s nemesis “Newman” (Dennis Nery) plays an IT guy who hacks his way into a coup that involves him stealing dinosaur DNA to sell to the highest bidder.

    1993 — Knights — Set in a futuristic world devastated by war, this science fiction thriller tells the story of Gabriel (Kris Kristofferson), a cyborg, and Nea (Kathy Long), a young girl, who — despite being an unlikely duo — team up against their planet’s dominant, blood-thirsty army of cyborgs to save the human race.

    1994 — Disclosure — Starring Demi Moore and Michael Douglas, this thriller balances both the virtual and physical worlds, telling the story of a senior executive at a technology company who’s on track for a big promotion — that is, until his fate falls into the hands of his ex-girlfriend, who is determined to revive their relationship … with or without consent.  

    1994 — Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II — The sequel to 1990’s Circuitry Man follows a female FBI agent and an android named Danner as they track down Plughead — a notorious criminal known for making and selling microchips that promise an extended life to those who take them.

    1995 — Ghost in the Shell — In this animated Japanese sci-fi epic, a cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a cybercriminal called the Puppet Master, who hacks into the brains of cyborgs to get information and use it to commit crimes.  (Scarlett Johansson stars in a 2017 live-action remake.)

    1995 — GoldenEye — James Bond tries to stop a Russian crime syndicate from using a stolen space-based weapons program and falls into the clutches of an evil genius who plans to rule Earth from cyberspace.

    1995 — Hackers —A teenage hacker is back on the scene seven years after being banned from computers for writing a virus that caused the biggest stock exchange crash in history. He and his friends must prove that a sinister superhacker is framing them for a plot to embezzle funds from a large oil company with a computer worm. With Angelina Jolie.

    1995 — Johnny Mnemonic — A computer chip implanted in his brain allows a human data trafficker (Keanu Reeves) to securely store and transport data too sensitive for regular computer networks. When he gets a valuable package that exceeds the chip’s storage capacity, the mnemonic courier must deliver the data within 24 hours or die. Assassins are intent on helping him do just that.

    1995 — Judge Dredd — Judge Dredd (Sylvester Stallone) is sent to a penal colony for a murder he didn’t commit. On his way there, he gets an unexpected sidekick when he reunites with Herman “Fergee” Ferguson (Rob Schneider), a hacker he previously busted for destruction of property.

    1995 — The Net — A computer programmer (Sandra Bullock) who lives a reclusive life is looking forward to time off when she becomes aware of a conspiracy. Her vacation turns into a nightmare when someone tries to kill her and her identity is stolen. She must prove who she is while trying to figure out why someone wants her dead.

    1995 — Under Siege 2: Dark Territory — Steven Seagal returns as ex-Navy SEAL Casey Ryback in this sequel to Under Siege, which finds Ryback and his niece Sarah (Katherine Heigl) on a train headed from Denver to Los Angeles. When the train is hijacked by a psychotic computer genius and his fellow terrorist, who need it for their plot to take control of a top-secret satellite, Ryback enlists the help of a train porter (Morris Chestnut) to foil their plan.

    1996 — Independence Day — In an epic fight against an alien race, computer expert David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) achieves a crucial win when he hacks into the fleet of spaceships coming toward Earth, infecting them with a virus and putting a stop to the looming alien invasion.

    1996 — Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace — On a mission for world domination, Jobe (Matt Frewer), a virtual reality-based consciousness, is determined to hack into all the world’s computers, but his plans are thwarted by Peter (Austin O’Brien) and Benjamin (Patrick Bergin), whose unfaltering passion to save the world — and cyberspace — inspires an all-out war.

    1996 — Omega Doom — In a world dominated by violent cyborgs, there is little-to-no hope for what’s left of humanity … that is, until one such cyborg — Omega Doom — is struck in the head, causing his wires to short and recircut, leading to a newfound interest in defeating his own kind.

    1997 — Masterminds — The new security chief at a prestigious private school plans to even a score by kidnapping several of the wealthy students and holding them for ransom. A teenage computer hacker, expelled from the school for pulling pranks, thwarts his plans.

    1998 — 23 — After an orphan invests some of his inheritance in a home computer, he begins discussing conspiracy theories inspired by a novel on bulletin boards. He’s soon hacking military and government computers with a friend. Based on a true story.

    1998 — Enemy of the State — A lawyer (Will Smith) isn’t aware that a videotape in his possession proves a congressman was murdered for opposing surveillance legislation. When he becomes the target of a corrupt NSA official and his life begins to fall apart, he enlists the help of an ex-intelligence operative (Gene Hackman).

    1998 — Mercury Rising (Code Mercury) — A renegade FBI agent (Bruce Willis) must protect a 9-year-old autistic boy who has cracked encrypted government code that was supposed to be unbreakable.

    1998 — Pi — Is there a mathematical key that can unlock the universal patterns in nature? If found, can that key predict anything — even the stock market? A brilliant, obsessed, and paranoid mathematician who barricades himself in a room filled with computer equipment intends to find that key, but might go mad while doing so.

    1998 — Webmaster — In this Danish sci-fi thriller, a powerful crime leader hires a hacker to monitor the security of his computer operations. When someone else hacks into the database, the webmaster must go to extremes to find him, or die within 35 hours.

    1999 — Entrapment — An undercover art investigator (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is intent on tracking down and capturing a renowned thief (Sean Connery). They end up attempting a heist together.

    1999 — eXistenZ — Computer programmer Allegra Geller’s (Jennifer Jason Leigh) latest creation, the hyper-realistic virtual reality game eXistenZ, takes a dangerous turn when a crazed assassin becomes intent on destroying it. With help from Ted Pikul (Jude Law), Allegra sets out to save the game, and her life.

    1999 — The Matrix — In a dystopian future, humanity is unknowingly trapped inside the Matrix, a simulated reality created by intelligent machines to distract humans while they use their bodies as an energy source. A computer programmer / hacker known as Neo (Keanu Reeves) discovers the truth and joins forces with other rebels to free humankind.

    1999 — Office Space —They’re supposed to be part of one big happy family, but three computer programmers hate their jobs and their boss. They concoct a scheme to embezzle small amounts of money from the high-tech company that employs them, but a mistake results in a bigger theft than planned. With Jennifer Anniston.

    1999 — NetForce — In the year 2005, NetForce, a division of the FBI, is tasked with protecting the Net from terrorism. A loophole in a browser allows someone to gain control of the Internet and all the information it holds. Now the commander of NetForce must stop him, as he also tracks down a killer.

    1999 — Pirates of Silicon Valley — This biographical drama about the development of the personal computer and the rivalry between Apple Computer and Microsoft spans the years 1971 – 1997. Noah Wyle portrays Steve Jobs and Anthony Michael Hall stars as Bill Gates.

    1999 — The Thirteenth Floor — This science-fiction neo-noir film begins in 1999 in Los Angeles when the inventor of a newly completed virtual reality simulation of the city in 1937 is murdered. A computer scientist he has mentored (played by Craig Bierko) becomes the primary suspect and begins to doubt his own innocence because of the evidence against him. He eventually enters the simulation to unravel the truth and realizes nothing is as it seems.

    2000 — Takedown — Also known as “Track Down,” the controversial movie version of the manhunt for legendary hacker Kevin Mitnick is based on the book by Tsutomu Shimomura, “Takedown: The Pursuit and Capture of Kevin Mitnick, America’s Most Wanted Computer Outlaw – By The Man Who Did It.”

    2001 — A.I. Artificial Intelligence —  In this Pinocchio-esque tale, David (Haley Joel Osment) — a sentient, artificially-created robot — wishes to become a real boy, longing for a stronger connection with his human mother.

    2001 — Antitrust — When a college graduate (Ryan Phillippe) gets a job writing software at a multi-billion dollar computer company, he has no idea that the founder (Tim Robbins) and new mentor is hiding dark secrets. Is there anyone he can trust?

    2001 — The Code — This documentary covers the first decade of GNU/Linux and features some of the most influential people of the free software (FOSS) movement.

    2001 — Freedom Downtime — This documentary covers the plight of convicted computer hacker Kevin Mitnick, from the standpoint that Miramax misrepresented him in the film “Takedown.” It includes the story of several computer enthusiasts who confront Miramax reps about their discontent with aspects of the script, including the film’s ending.

    2001 — Revolution OS — The history of GNU, Linux, and the open source and free software movements is traced in this documentary. It features several interviews with prominent hackers and entrepreneurs.

    2001 — The Score — An aging safecracker (Robert De Niro) plans to retire, but his fence (Marlon Brando) talks him into one final score, stealing one of Canada’s natural treasures hidden in the basement of a Customs House. He joins forces with another thief (Edward Norton) who hires someone to hack into the Custom House’s security system, but things go wrong.

    2001 — Secret History of Hacking — The focus of this documentary is phreaking, computer hacking, and social engineering occurring from the 1970s through the 1990s. John Draper, Steve Wozniak, and Kevin Mitnick are prominently featured.

    2001 — Swordfish — A spy named Gabriel (John Travolta) plots to steal a large fortune. He enlists Ginger (Halle Berry) to persuade Stanley (Hugh Jackman), who spent two years in prison for hacking an FBI program, to help. But what is Gabriel really up to, and who or what is really behind the plot?

    2002 — Catch Me if You CanFrank Abagnale is one of the world’s most respected authorities on forgery, embezzlement, and secure documents. His riveting story provided the inspiration for Steven Spielberg’s film starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Abagnale and Tom Hanks as the FBI agent fast on his heels.

    2002 — Cypher — Morgan Sullivan (Jeremy Northam) is an accountant turned corporate spy working for a global computer corporation.  When a mysterious woman suggests his job isn’t what it seems, Morgan ascends into a complicated world of brainwashing, where he struggles to maintain his true identity.

    2002 — Half the Rent — Otherwise known as Halbe Miete, this film follows a computer hacker (Stephan Kampwirth) who, after the sudden death of his girlfriend, breaks into — and camps out at — other people’s apartments when they’re not home. But when what started as a temporary solution to homelessness becomes a dangerous obsession, will the risk outweigh the reward?

    2002 — Minority Report — It’s 2054 and a specialized Pre-Crime police department in D.C. stops crimes before they are committed based on information from Pre-Cogs, three psychic beings who channel their visions into a computer. When they accuse the unit chief (Tom Cruise) of a future murder, he becomes a fugitive, hunted by his own department.

    2002 — Storm Watch — A champion player of virtual reality games must suddenly race against time to stop a criminal mastermind who has stolen his identify from destroying the world with a weather satellite. Also known as “Code Hunter.”

    2002 — Terminal Error — A former employee of a major software company gets even with the president by planting a computer virus on an MP3 and giving it to his son. His plan is to crash the computer terminals, but the virus has a mind of its own and begins to take out large portions of the city. Father and son must create their own virus to stop the chaos.

    2003 — Code 46 — In a dystopian world, citizens are forbidden to travel outside their cities without special permits from the totalitarian government. When forged permits start to circulate, William Gold (Tim Robbins) is tasked with investigating, finding, and taking down the individual responsible, though he never expects to fall in love with her.

    2003 — The Core — After several bizarre incidents across the globe, a geophysicist and scientists determine that the planet’s molten core has stopped rotating and that the magnetic field will collapse within a year. They devise a plan to bore down to the core and set off nuclear explosions to restart the rotation and enlist a hacker to scour the internet and eliminate all traces of the pending disaster to prevent worldwide panic.

    2003 — Foolproof — Kevin (Ryan Reynolds) is part of a friend group with an odd hobby: they plan heists, yet never carry them out despite being perfectly able to do so. But when their plans fall into the wrong hands, the friends are thrust into the criminal world as they’re forced to carry out a jewelry warehouse heist that was never supposed to see the light of day.

    2003 — In the Realm of the Hackers — This documentary reveals how and why two Australian teenager computer hackers, Electron and Phoenix, stole a restructured computer security list in the late 1980s and used it to break into some of the world’s most classified and secure computer systems.

    2003 — The Italian Job — After a thief (Edward Norton) turns on his partners and gets away with the gold they’ve stolen in a heist, his former team seeks revenge.

    2003 — The Matrix Reloaded — With the help of Neo (Keanu Reeves), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and other freedom fighters, more and more humans have been freed from the Matrix and brought to Zion. But 250,000 machines are digging towards the stronghold and will reach them in 72 hours, so they must prepare for war.

    2003 — Paycheck — Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) makes good money working on top-secret projects and then agreeing to have his memory erased, until a payment of $92 million for a three-year assignment is canceled. With his life in danger, he must get help from a scientist (Uma Thurman) he doesn’t remember dating to figure out the importance of seemingly random items.

    2004 — One Point O — Simon (Jeremy Sisto), a young, paranoid computer programmer, finds himself on the receiving end of a series of mysteriously empty packages. Little does he know these deliveries are only the tip of a reality-bending iceberg that will change his life forever.

    2004 — Paranoia 1.0 — A computer programmer receives mysterious empty packages inside his apartment and tries to find out who’s sending them, why, and who he can trust. Also known as “One Point O.”

    2005 — V for Vendetta — In a dystopian future, a tyrannical British government imposes a strict curfew following the outbreak of a virus. An anarchist in a smiling Guy Fawkes mask seeks revenge with the help of a young woman and hacks into the television network to urge others to revolt against tyranny.

    2006 — Deja Vu — Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) is an ATF agent working to capture the terrorist responsible for a ferry bombing that killed hundreds. Using an advanced form of surveillance technology, Doug travels back in time, on a mission to prevent the crime, but his newfound obsession with one of the victims puts everything at risk.

    2006 — The Departed — Boston police officer Billy (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes undercover to infiltrate — and take down — the dangerous Irish gang tearing up his city, led by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Becoming consumed by his secret life, Billy loses sight of his mission, though everything comes back into perspective when a career criminal infiltrates and begins threatening the police department.

    2006 — Firewall — When his family is taken hostage, a security specialist (Harrison Ford) who designs theft-proof computer systems for financial institutions must break into his own system and steal millions of dollars to pay off their ransom.

    2006 — Hacking Democracy — This documentary investigates allegations of election fraud during the 2004 U.S. presidential election. It follows Bev Harris, the founder of Black Box Voting, a nonprofit consumer-protection group, and other citizen activists who set out to uncover flaws in the voting system.

    2006 — In Ascolto — Also known as The Listening, this film takes inspiration from the mass surveillance operations of the National Security Agency (NSA), chronicling the experience of a spy (Michael Parks) working undercover to get on the inside of a counter-listening station in the Italian Alps.

    2006 — Man of the Year — A satirical political talk show host (Robin Williams) runs for president and gets elected with the help of fans who begin a grassroots campaign. It’s later revealed that his presidency was the result of a computerized voting machine malfunction.

    2006 — The Net 2.0 — A young computer systems analyst arrives in Istanbul to start a new job, but finds out her identity has been stolen. She must catch who did it to get her life back.

    2006 — Pulse — In this remake of a Japanese horror film, a student is shocked when her boyfriend, a computer hacker, commits suicide. Then she and her friends receive online messages from him, asking for help. Another computer hacker must help her stop a supernatural plague traveling through the network.

    2006 — A Scanner Darkly — This computer-animated adaptation of Philip K Dick’s 1977 sci-fi novel is set in the near-future. The U.S.’s war on drugs, particularly a hyper-addictive substance called D (for Death), prompts the enforcement of a police state that uses numberless surveillance scanners.

    2007 — Bourne Ultimatum — Operative Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) teams up with an investigative reporter to find the people who betrayed him, while a ruthless CIA official and his team continue to track him down in the hopes of assassinating him before he gets his memory back.

    2007 — Breach – This docudrama is based on the events leading up to the capture of FBI Agent Robert Hanssen, convicted of selling secrets to the Soviet Union. A low-level surveillance expert gets promoted and assigned to work with Hanssen, unaware that he is to find proof that he is a traitor.

    2007 — Every Step You Take — This documentary is an in-depth look at modern-day Britain and its Orwell-esque levels of government surveillance. It explores the pros and cons of CCTV, highlighted by commentary from notable experts in the field.

    2007 — Live Free or Die Hard — As the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day, a disgruntled government security agent launches an attack on America’s computer infrastructure. Veteran cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) and a young hacker must help the F.B.I.’s cyber division take him down.

    2008 — 21 — Six Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) students hack their way to success — and millions of dollars — in Las Vegas casinos by counting cards until casino enforcer Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) thwarts their plans. Based on a true story.

    2008 — Download: The True Story of the Internet — Told through personal accounts from the founders of Yahoo, eBay, Google, Amazon, and many others, this documentary tells the story of how the internet became what it is today.

    2008 — Eagle Eye — Two strangers, Jerry and Rachel, come together after receiving mysterious calls from a woman they never met. She threatens their lives and family to push them into a series of dangerous situations, controlling their actions using cellphones and other technology.

    2008 — Hackers are People Too — Hackers created this documentary to portray their community and break down negative stereotypes. It describes what hacking is, how hackers think, and discusses women in the field.

    2008 — Untraceable — Agent Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) of the Cyber Crimes Division of the FBI in Portland tries to track down a psychopathic hacker killing people online in live streaming video. As his site gets more hits, victims die faster.

    2008 — WarGames: The Dead Code 2008 — Is an American teen hacker playing a terrorist-attack simulator game online a real terrorist intent on destroying the United States? That’s what Homeland Security believes and they set out to apprehend him.

    2009 — Echelon Conspiracy — When tech whiz Max Peterson (Shane West) gets sent a mysterious cell phone in the mail, he’s unsure of where it came from or what it is — until it starts sending instructions on how to win at the local casino. But it isn’t long before Max’s newfound luck puts him at the center of a dangerous government conspiracy dealing with the world’s security cameras. Will he make it out alive?

    2009 — Eyeborgs — In the aftermath of a major terrorist attack, government surveillance in the U.S. is taken to the next level via robotic cameras called “Eyeborgs,” which track and monitor all citizens for suspicious behavior. But when photographic evidence from the Eyeborgs doesn’t line up with the facts in an ongoing murder investigation, a federal agent starts to wonder, who’s really controlling these cameras and what do they want?

    2009 — Gamer — Controlled by a teenage gamer’s remote device, death-row inmate Kable must battle fellow prisoners every week in a violent online game. Can he survive enough sessions to gain his freedom, free his wife from avatar slavery, and take down the game’s inventor?

    2009 — The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — A journalist searches for the killer of a woman who has been dead for forty years, with the help of a young female hacker. When they unravel dark family secrets, they must protect themselves. This Swedish language film was remade in English in 2011.

    2009 — Hackers Wanted — This unreleased American documentary originally named “Can You Hack It?” follows the adventures of Adrian Lamo, a famous hacker, and explores the origins of hacking and nature of hackers.

    2009 — Shadow Government — What impact does the technological landscape have on our daily lives? This documentary, led by Grant Jeffrey, explores exactly how much of our lives are being digitized and observed in the modern era.

    2009 — Transcendent Man — The subject of this documentary from filmmaker Robert Barry Ptolemy is Ray Kurzweil, inventor, futurist and author, and his predictions about the future of technology, presented in his 2005 book, The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. Ptolemy follows Kurzweil on his world speaking tour, where he discusses his thoughts on the technological singularity, a proposed advancement that will occur sometime in the 21st century due to progress in artificial intelligence, genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics.

    2009 — We Live in Public — Directed by Ondi Timoner, this documentary profiles Josh Harris, “the greatest Internet pioneer you’ve never heard of.” An early dot.com entrepreneur, Harris founded Psuedo.com, an early streaming content service. In 1999, he began an experiment called “Quiet,” in which 100 men and women agreed to give up their privacy to live together under constant video surveillance, so their lives could be streamed online.

    2010 — Inception — A thief (Leonardo DiCaprio) who can enter people’s dreams and steal their secrets begins using his gift for corporate espionage. Can he also plant an idea into someone’s mind? The film won four Oscars.

    2010 — The Social Network — Jesse Eisenberg portrays Harvard student and computer genius Mark Zuckerberg in this drama about the creation of a social networking site that would become Facebook.

    2010 — Tron Legacy — In this revamped Tron continuation, Sam (Garrett Hedlund) searches in and out of the computer world for his father, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a brilliant computer programmer.

    2011 — Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol — When mega-spy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is blamed for a terrorist attack on the Kremlin, he and others from his agency, the Impossible Missions Force (IMF), must prove their innocence.

    2011 — StuxNet: Cyberwar — First discovered in 2010, the StuxNet computer worm marked the beginning of a new era in cybercrime, attacking — and causing substantial damage to — an Iranian nuclear program. This documentary explores the malware’s origins alongside its contributions to the advancement of cyber warfare technology.

    2012 — Code 2600 — This documentary explores the rise of the Information Technology Age through the eyes of the people who helped build it and the events that shaped it.

    2012 — Genius on Hold — The downfall of Walter L. Shaw, a telecommunications genius who became destitute, and his disillusioned son, who became a notorious jewel thief, are the subjects of this documentary.

    2012 — Owned & Operated —  Using the lens of the internet, this documentary proves just how much we matter … as consumers, that is. Society today practically lives for privileged individuals — celebrities and politicians, among others — unknowingly adhering to their wicked ways of gaining control, but there is an awakening on the horizon, and it’s going to change everything.

    2012 – Panopticon – Living in the digital age, do we really have privacy? This documentary examines how much our daily lives are controlled and watched by omnipresent surveillance, which — as technology advances — has only become harder to avoid.

    2012 — Reboot — A young female hacker can’t remember a traumatic event that leaves her with an iPhone glued to her hand. The phone’s timer is counting down to zero and fellow hackers must help her solve the puzzle.

    2012 — Shadows of Liberty — Should we trust the media? This documentary examines the five big for-profit conglomerates that control 90 percent of U.S.-based media, raising questions of who to believe in today’s political, economical, and social world.

    2012 — Skyfall — James Bond (Daniel Craig) must prove he still has what it takes as he tracks down the source of a cyber-terror attack at M16 headquarters and goes up against a genius hacker.

    2012 — Tracked Down — Directed by Paul Moreira, this documentary explains how governments around the world monitor their citizens through advanced electronic warfare equipment — equipment that has fallen into the hands of repressive dictatorial regimes in Libya, Syria and Bahrain. Moreira reveals how the technology can be traded in stealth and traces these deals to their source.

    2012 — Underground: The Julian Assange Story — This Australian film follows the early career of the WikiLeaks founder, from his start as a teenage computer hacker in Melbourne.

    2012 — We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists — Filmmaker Brian Knappenberger documents the hacking group Anonymous, including interviews from group members.

    2013 — The Assange Agenda: Surveillance, Democracy and You — At what point does government surveillance put democracy at risk? According to Julian Assange — founder of Wikileaks — we’re already there. This documentary explores what may lay ahead for today’s digital world if we don’t gain control over the various agencies spying on us.

    2013 — Big Data: The Shell Investigation — In the digital age, a journalist’s sources are endless — when consulting big data, that is. This documentary showcases how a team of journalists used easily accessible channels, such as LinkedIn and Wikipedia, to piece together the truth about Royal Dutch Shell’s two-billion-dollar debt to the Iranian government.

    2013 — The Bling Ring — Nicki (Emma Watson) and her fame-obsessed group of friends will do anything to make a name for themselves in Hollywood, including breaking into — and robbing — the homes of elite celebrities, which, if not for the internet, would never have been possible.

    2013 — DEFCON: The Documentary — The world’s largest hacking conference, DEFCON, has long since had a strict no-camera policy … until now. This documentary follows the four days of DEFCON’s 20th-anniversary event, highlighted by commentary from attendees and staff.

    2013 — Disconnect — Three intersecting stories center around the impact of the Internet on people’s lives. The characters include a victim of cyberbullying, a lawyer who communicates constantly through his cell phone but can’t find time to connect with his family, and a couple whose secrets are exposed online.

    2013 — DSKNECTD — Do electronic devices bring people together or pull them apart? This documentary examines how human interaction has changed in light of the rise of technologies such as cell phones, social media, and the internet.

    2013 — 

    2013 — The Fifth Estate — Based on real events, the film begins as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Daniel Domscheit-Berg join forces as underground watchdogs and create a platform for whistleblowers to leak covert data to expose government secrets and corporate crimes.

    2013 — Goodbye World — More than one million cellphones simultaneously receive a two-word message, followed by the collapse of the power grid and widespread panic. A group of people who find shelter in a cabin soon find out what it’s like to live in a post-apocalyptic world.

    2013 — Google and the World Brain —   The Google Books Library Project is certainly ambitious, but is it feasible? This documentary examines Google’s plan to open the world’s largest virtual library, as well as the many issues that may stem from it, such as copyright infringement and lack of online privacy.

    2013 — Her — In this futuristic story, a lonely writer ( Joaquin Phoenix ) develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.

    2013 — Identity Thief — When a woman (Melissa McCarthy) steals the identity of Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman), a financial firm account executive, and wrecks his credit rating, he sets out to confront her.

    2013 — In Google We Trust — Who’s keeping tabs on your data? This revealing documentary gives viewers an inside look into how — and why — our digital interactions are tracked and recorded. If you’re worried about the consequences, watch this now.

    2013 — Mickey Virus — In this Bollywood hacker comedy, Delhi Police must seek the help of a lazy hacker to solve a case.

    2013 — Terms and Conditions May Apply — This documentary exposes how much the Internet and cellphone usage allows corporations and governments to learn about people.

    2013 — TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay Away from Keyboard —This Swedish documentary film, directed and produced by Simon Klose, focuses on the lives of the three founders of The Pirate Bay — Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, and Gottfrid Svartholm — and the Pirate Bay trial.

    2013 — The Value of Your Personal Data — Produced by the acclaimed VPRO series, this documentary discusses the companies that collect your personal data, who buys it from them, how it is used, and who owns it. It also gives advice on how you can gain back control of it and stop being targeted and manipulated.

    2013 — War on Whistleblowers: Free Press and the National Security State — This documentary by Robert Greenwald highlights four cases — Michael DeKort, Thomas Drake, Franz Gayl and Thomas Tamm — where American government employees and contractors exposed fraud and abuse through the media at the risk of their personal and professional lives.

    2014 — Algorithm — A computer hacker who specializes in breaking into secure systems, including the telephone company and people’s personal accounts, hacks a government contractor and discovers a mysterious computer program, thrusting him into a revolution.

    2014 — The Bureau of Digital Sabotage — What is privacy? This documentary argues it is nonexistent in today’s digital age, delving into our new reality and its most crucial issues by asking citizens to stand up when mass surveillance crosses the line.

    2014 — Citizenfour — This documentary by Laura Poitras about whistleblower Edward Snowden and the NSA spying scandal includes interviews of Snowden in Hong Kong in 2013 and features work by journalist Glenn Greenwald.

    2014 — Digital Amnesia — An in-depth investigation into the shelf life of digital data and the vulnerable nature in which we store information today, featuring commentary from organizations such as Internet Archive and The Archive Team.

    2014 — Ex Machina — A young programmer wins a competition that makes him the human component in a groundbreaking experiment where he must evaluate the capabilities and consciousness of Ava, a breathtaking A.I.

    2014 — The Hackers Wars — This documentary discusses hacktivism in the United States, including the government’s surveillance and persecution of hackers and journalists.

    2014 — The Human Face of Big Data — This documentary, directed by Sandy Smolan and narrated by Joel McHale, initially focuses on Big Data’s positive aspects, such as how the massive gathering and analyzing of data in real-time through a multitude of digital devices allows us to address some of humanity’s biggest challenges and improve lives globally. It also highlights how the accessibility of this data comes at a steep price.

    2014 — The Imitation Game — M16, the newly created British intelligence agency, recruits mathematician Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his team to crack the Germany’s Enigma code during World War II. Nominated for 8 Oscars.

    2014 — Inside The Dark Web — Internet surveillance takes center stage in this documentary that details the pros and cons of the World Wide Web. With all types of surveillance taking place globally — government, commercial, and more — what does the future look like for those living in the digital age?

    2014 — The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz — Filmmaker Brian Knappenberger explores the life and work of Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz, a programming prodigy and information activist who committed suicide at the age of 26.

    2014 — Killswitch — In a world where we rely so heavily on the internet, what happens if it comes under attack? This award-winning documentary centers on the threat of internet censorship and what we risk losing if we don’t fight back, such as free speech, democracy, and innovation.

    2014 — Men, Women and Children — What does it mean to be a parent in the age of social media? This film follows multiple families, each with their own relationships to the internet, as they overcome various challenges, including eating disorders and video game culture.

    2014 — Open Windows — A blogger finds out he’s won a dinner with an actress he devotes his website to and is disappointed when she cancels. When he gets a chance to spy on her every move with his laptop, his life gets crazy.

    2014 — The Signal — Nic, who is a student at MIT, is on a road trip with two companions when an annoying computer hacker distracts them. They track him to an abandoned shack. After strange occurrences, Nik wakes up wounded and disoriented, wondering what has happened to his friends, and who are these people in space suits?

    2014 — Transcendence — Dr. Will Caster, renowned artificial intelligence researcher, is on a controversial quest to create a fully sentient machine, but are the dangerous consequences that follow worth it? This science-fiction thriller stars Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, and Paul Bettany, among others.

    2014 — Unfriended — a mysterious, supernatural force haunts a group of online chat room friends using the account of their dead friend.

    2014 — Who Am I — A subversive hacker group intent on gaining global fame invites a young German computer whiz to join them.

    2015 — Big Data: Unlocking Success — Experts from Berkeley Research Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Microsoft look into the use of data science and its allied fields in this documentary, noting several real-life examples, including events at Johns Hopkins University and MGM Resorts International.

    2015 — Blackhat — Convicted hacker Nicholas Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth) joins a team of American and Chinese technical experts to track down a Balkan cyberterrorist operating in Southeast Asia.

    2015 — Cyberbully — In this made-for-TV movie, A British teenage girl (Emily Osment) retreats from family and friends when a computer hacker forces her to do his bidding, threatening to leak compromising photos of her if she doesn’t do what he asks.

    2015 — Cybertopia: Dreams of Silicon Valley — A technological revolution is looming in Silicon Valley. This documentary explores the future of digitized reality, as well as how daily life has already changed as a result of the dedicated individuals residing in California’s tech headquarters.

    2015 — Debug — Six young hackers assigned to fix the computer system on a vessel drifting in deep space become prey to an artificial intelligence source intent on becoming human.

    2015 — Deep Web — Filmmaker Alex Winter interviews the people behind the Deep Web and bitcoin and follows the arrest and trial of Ross Ulbricht (“Dread Pirate Roberts”), founder of online black market Silk Road.

    2015 — Democracy: Im Rausch der Daten — From Swiss director David Bernet, this documentary tells the story of how politicians in the EU are working to protect society from the dangers of Big Data and mass surveillance.

    2015 — Digitale Dissidenten — What price do whistleblowers pay? Interviews with David Ellsberg, Edward Snowden, William Binney, Thomas Drake, Annie Machon, and Julian Assange shed light on the cost of having a conscience in the dark world of government surveillance.

    2015 — Furious 7 —Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), a government operative, enlists Dominic Toretto to find a hacker who has created God’s Eye, a device that can hack any technology that uses a camera. In return, they can use the device to find and stop Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), who is seeking revenge against Toretto and his crew for his comatose brother.

    2015 — A Good American — This documentary film tells the story of Bill Binney, former technical director of the NSA, a group of exceptional code-breakers, and a program called ThinThread, which, if not dumped three weeks prior to 9/11, would’ve been able to stop the terrorist attacks that took almost 3,000 lives.

    2015 — Hacker’s Game — A cyber-detective working for a human rights organization and a hacking expert with shady connections meet on a rooftop and bond over a game of virtual chess. Will their romance survive deception?

    2015 — Jobs vs. Gates: The Hippie and The Nerd — This documentary tells the story of two of the biggest men in tech, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, and the spectacular rivalry between them. Despite landing on two different sides of the battle between Mac and PC, Jobs and Gates’ mutual respect for one another endured the test of time.

    2015 — Mapping the Future — Are our lives predictable? If you take the internet’s overflowing amount of data into consideration, the answer is yes. This documentary explores how the abundance of data gathered on the internet in recent years led to a mathematical algorithm for human life.

    2015 — Terminal F/Chasing Edward Snowden — This documentary discusses what motivated Edward Snowden, an NSA analyst-turned whistleblower, to leak classified information about global surveillance programs used by the American government, leading him to flee to Hong Kong and later to Russia to evade authorities.

    2015 — The Throwaways — Drew (Sam Huntington) is an infamous hacker who is captured by the CIA for a slew of cybercrimes. However, his impending jail sentence is renounced after the CIA gives him an alternate option — work for them. Sam agrees, but on one condition: he gets to build his own team.

    2015 — War for the Web — Directed by J. C. Cameron Brueckner, this documentary demystifies the physical infrastructure of the internet and explores the issues of ownership and competition in the broadband marketplace, privacy, and security.

    2016 — Anonymous — A young Ukrainian immigrant turns to hacking and identity theft to support his parents, with help from a friend who is a black-market dealer. Petty crimes soon escalate. The film is also known as “Hacker.”

    2016 — Backlight: Cyberjihad — Can social media become a weapon? This documentary examines jihadism and its online presence, which, without any hindrance, has only grown larger over the past fifteen years.

    2016 — Cyber War — Hackers pose a universal threat; how can we defend ourselves? This documentary explores how governments are building up protection against the ever-growing number of digital threats, including by recruiting those with the brains to wage cyberwar and espionage when necessary.

    2016 — Data Center: The True Cost of the Internet — Every day, 247 billion emails are sent through the web. Have you ever wondered what powers them? This eye-opening, high-tech documentary takes viewers inside the digital warehouses that run the internet, otherwise known as data centers.

    2016 — Down the Deep, Dark Web — Venture down the internet’s rabbit hole into the secretive world of the dark web, guided by crypto-anarchists, cypherpunks, and hackers. This documentary will make you question everything you thought you knew about the darknet.

    2016 — Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee — Complex antivirus pioneer John McAfee made millions before leaving the U.S. to live in a compound in the jungle in Belize. This Showtime documentary, which he calls fiction, portrays his life in Belize and 2012 departure after a neighbor was murdered.

    2016 — The Haystack — Due to sophisticated hacking techniques and the terrorist organizations that often use them, the British Parliament began reviewing the Investigatory Powers Bill, legislation that would provide more leniency in the interception of private email and phone communications. Prior to the bill passing in 2016, this documentary examined how effective it would be, if it was necessary, and what citizens would have to give up once the bill was implemented.

    2016 — I.T. — Aviation tycoon Mike Regan (Pierce Brosnan) hires an I.T. consultant on a temporary basis to do some work at his house and is so impressed he gives him a full-time job. He’s fired when he oversteps boundaries and seeks revenge against the businessman and his family.

    2016 — Jason Bourne — Former CIA agent Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is drawn out of hiding to uncover more about his past while fighting cyberterrorism.

    2016 — Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World — Filmmaker Werner Herzog examines the Internet and how it affects human interaction and modern society.

    2016 — National Bird — A chilling documentary in which three military veterans blow the whistle on the secret U.S. drone war, highlighting America’s modern warfare program through the harrowing experiences of those involved.

    2016 — Nerve — Friends pressure a high school senior to join the popular online game Nerve. She becomes caught up in the thrill of the adrenaline-fueled competition, partnered with a mysterious stranger, but the game takes a sinister turn.

    2016 — Offline is the New Luxury — Since the dawn of the internet, humanity has slowly but surely become increasingly dependent on various smart devices — phones, tablets, and laptops alike. This documentary asks one poignant question: what would the world be without them?

    2016 — Rise of the Trolls — Is being anonymous a blessing or a curse? In this documentary, filmmakers Jonathan Baltrusaitis and Paul Kemp explore the unnerving truths surrounding internet anonymity, dark instincts, and freedom in cyberspace.

    2016 — Risk — Laura Poitras spent six years making this documentary about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who gave her the opportunity to closely film him but later tried to censor the film.

    2016 — Silicon Cowboys — This documentary tells the true story of how three unsuspecting friends became computing pioneers by dreaming up the Compaq Computer — a portable PC that would directly impact the future of computing and consequently shape the world we live in today.

    2016 — Snowden — Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Edward J. Snowden in Oliver Stone’s biopic of the former National Security Agency contractor who becomes disillusioned with the intelligence community and leaks classified information, becoming a fugitive from law and a hero to many.

    2016 — State of Surveillance — In this documentary film, Edward Snowden — infamously known for leaking classified information from the National Security Agency — invites viewers into the disturbing world of government surveillance. A must-see for anyone who feels like they’re being watched.

    2016 — Stingray — This documentary enlightens viewers to just how advanced surveillance technology has become, highlighting the Stingray, which, despite going by many different names, has certified itself as one of the most powerful surveillance devices of all time, though many see it as an invasion of privacy.

    2016 — What Makes You Click — Described as both a fascinating psychological study and a gripping cautionary tale, this documentary from the VPRO Backlight series discusses how companies adapt their websites and apps to get consumers to stay on them longer and spend more money.

    2016 — Zero Days — Alex Gibney’s documentary focuses on Stuxnet, or “Operation Olympic Games,” a malicious computer worm developed by the United States and Israel to sabotage a key part of Iran’s nuclear program.

    2017 — AlphaGo — Can an AI challenger defeat a legendary master in the game of Go? The battle between man and machine takes center stage in this documentary film chronicling Lee Sedol’s nail-biting match against AlphaGo, a computer program devised by Deep Mind Technologies to master the 3,000-year-old game.

    2017 — The Circle — Mae (Emma Watson) lands a dream job at a technology and social media company called the Circle. She is soon handpicked by the founder (Tom Hanks) to participate in an experiment that takes transparency to a new level.

    2017 — The Crash — The government enlists a team of white-collar criminals to thwart a cyberattack that threatens to bankrupt the United States.

    2017 — Facebook: Cracking the Code — What does Facebook know about you? This documentary digs deep into the security issues that social media giant Facebook doesn’t want you to know, including how they track browsing data, promote targeted ads, and spread false information.

    2017 — The Fate of the Furious — A cyberterrorist known as Cipher (Charlize Theron) coerces Dom (Vin Diesel) into working for her, hacks and takes control of cars, and reaps havoc.

    2017 — Ghost in the Shell — Major (Scarlett Johansson) is saved from a terrible crash and cyber-enhanced as a soldier to stop the world’s most dangerous criminals. She soon discovers that her life was actually stolen and determines to recover her past, find out who did this to her, and stop them before they do it to others.

    2017 — Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web — This documentary tells the story of Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom, a super-hacker, entrepreneur and notorious Internet pirate accused of money laundering, racketeering, and copyright infringement.

    2017 — Meeting Snowden — Edward Snowden, former CIA and NSA collaborator, has become infamous for initiating one of the most controversial mass surveillance scandals of all time. But who is he really? In this documentary, Lawrence Lassig and Birgitta Jónsdóttir sit down with the whistleblower to discuss the future of democracy, among other things.

    2017 — Nothing to Hide — Do we really have nothing to hide? This documentary takes an in-depth look into government surveillance today and why the public seems to have unanimously accepted the loss of their right to online privacy.

    2017 — Silk Road: Drugs, Death, and the Dark Web — In 2011, Ross Ulbricht launched the anonymous darknet website, Silk Road. This documentary explores everything the black market site had to offer, as well as the events leading up to — and following — Ulbricht’s inevitable arrest.

    2017 — Stare Into The Lights My Pretties — Many of us live behind a screen, but at what cost? This documentary examines why so many people are addicted to their screens, all the while exploring the impact this collective mindset may have on our future.

    2017 — Thoughtcrime — Directed by Bernd Riemann, this documentary compares the disturbing similarities between the disclosures made by former CIA employee Edward Snowden in 2013 and the world created by George Orwell in the dystopian science fiction film 1984, where independent thinking was censored and holding thoughts opposing those in power was considered a criminal act.

    2017 — Weapons of Mass Surveillance — Directed by Elizabeth C. Jones, this documentary explores the dangerous alliance of Western surveillance technology and Middle Eastern governments who use that technology to monitor their citizens. It discusses how high-tech cyber-surveillance enables governments to record, archive, and analyze communications.

    2018 — Anon — In a world where everyone’s lives are transparent, traceable, and recorded by the authorities, causing crime to almost cease, a detective (Clive Owen) tries to solve a series of murders that may involve a mysterious hacker (Amanda Seyfried).

    2018 — Assassination Nation — After an anonymous hacker leaks the private information of the people of Salem, suspicion falls on four teenage girls who are targeted by the community.

    2018 — Black Code — Told through accounts from exiled Brazilian activists, Syrian citizens, and Tibetan monks, this documentary explores how governments across the world are exploiting the internet to gain control over their people.

    2018 — Cam — Alice (Madeline Brewer) is an exotic webcam performer whose life is turned upside down when her channel — and livelihood — are stolen by a scarily accurate look-alike. Determined to get her identity back, Alice sets out to unmask, and ultimately take down, the mysterious hacker.

    2018 — The Cleaners — Nothing stays on the internet forever. The web’s self-cleaning nature dominates this documentary led by field experts, enlightening viewers to the process of content removal, alongside asking one poignant question: who decides what should, and should not, be seen?

    2018 — The Creepy Line — Google and Facebook take center stage in this documentary that depicts how the social media platforms have perfected various manipulation tactics, all in the name of gaining access to the public’s personal and private information. Told through first-hand accounts, scientific experiments, and an in-depth analysis.

    2018 — The Defenders — Produced by Cybereason, this documentary invites viewers inside the world of cybercrime, analyzing four of the most well-known cyberattacks throughout history — highlighted by commentary from those working to protect our institutions from the ever-changing cyber threat landscape.

    2018 — Digital Addicts — How much do screens affect children’s brain development? This documentary follows a group of kids growing up in the digital age, highlighting the harmful, hyper-addictive nature of social media platforms, mobile phones, and more.

    2018 — Do You Trust This Computer? — Is a smarter machine always a better machine? This documentary digs deep into the dangers of artificial intelligence, highlighted by commentary from some of the field’s most respected individuals, including Elon Musk.

    2018 — Edward Snowden: Whistleblower or Spy? — In 2013, Edward Snowden infamously leaked highly classified information from the NSA. Five years later, this documentary looks back at the sensational time through interviews with participants and witnesses, including some who are speaking out for the first time.

    2018 — The Feeling of Being Watched — This documentary is the result of journalist Assia Bendaoui’s investigation into rumors that the FBI has monitored her quiet, predominantly Arab-American neighborhood near Chicago since the 1990s. Her research exposed one of the FBI’s largest counter-terrorism investigations before 9/11.

    2018 — General Magic  — This is the story of one of tech’s most influential and least memorable companies. Featuring commentary from members of the original Macintosh team alongside the creators of eBay, iPod, iPhone, and Android, this documentary explores how General Magic created the first handheld personal communicator, aka smartphone, and what happened after.

    2018 — The Girl in the Spider’s Web — Computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (who is also an avenging angel for abused women) and journalist Mikael Blomkvist find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals and corrupt government officials.

    2018 — Hacked — After losing his job to a state-of-the-art supercomputer, a disgruntled computer technician decides to test his replacement. In the meantime, a group of hackers infiltrates the building to steal the new technology.

    2018 — Inside Facebook: Secrets of a Social Network — Which is more important: money or morality? This eye-opening documentary takes viewers inside Facebook’s moderating hub, demonstrating how the social media company regulates harmful content, such as child abuse and hate speech — although the results prove to be more concerning than comforting.

    2018 — Inside the Russian Info War Machine — How does Russia undermine democratic governments, alter world events, and manipulate public opinion? In this documentary, acclaimed journalist Paul Moreira breaks down the Russian information war machine, including its hidden weapon: the trolls and hackers pushing Russia’s agenda across cyberspace.

    2018 — Irumbu Thirai — A cat and mouse game for the digital age. After losing millions of dollars to a group of cybercriminals, a soldier sets out on a quest to get back everything he lost. Will his efforts be enough?

    2018 — Johnny English Strikes Again — After a cyberattack reveals the identity of all of Britain’s active undercover agents, MI7 agent Johnny English must come out of retirement to find the mastermind hacker.

    2018 — King of Crime — Marcus King (Mark Wingett) was a well-known crime lord on the streets … that is, until he brought his illegal empire to cyberspace. When Islamic extremists threaten everything he’s built, the newly cemented king of British cybercrime will do everything in his power to maintain his status.

    2018 — Ocean’s 8 — On a mission to pull off an impossible heist at New York’s renowned Met Gala, hacker 9Ball (Rihanna) launches a spear-phishing campaign against an employee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, gaining access to the museum’s security camera system and giving her all-female crew the insight they need to successfully steal one of the most valuable jewelry pieces in the world.

    2018 — Peripheral — This horror film follows a successful young writer — Bobbi Johnson (Hannah Arterton) — who, after experiencing writer’s block while writing her second novel, employs an artificially intelligent software to finish her work. Little does Bobbi know, she’s about to uncover a dangerous conspiracy of social control.

    2018 — Searching — A man becomes desperate when his 16-year-old daughter disappears and a police investigation is futile. Hoping to find clues, he searches her laptop, scours photos and videos, and begins contacting her friends.

    2018 — Unfriended: Dark Web — After a teen finds a mysterious laptop, he invites several friends to play a game online. The night turns deadly when they become the target of cyber-terrorism.

    2019 — BD2K: Big Data to Knowledge — Told through the stories of two patients battling disease in the information age, this documentary film explores how big data has changed the way medicine is practiced, as well as its effect on doctor-patient relationships.

    2019 — Cyber Crime — In this documentary, 10 leading cybercrime experts discuss how billions of dollars a year are stolen or lost as a result of cybercrime, destroying businesses and lives.

    2019 — Dataland — Living in a world that’s practically run by AI, it’s hard to think we’ve only just scratched the surface of what the technology is capable of — but it’s true. This documentary explores what the world’s top data scientists are working on behind closed doors.

    2019 — The Great Hack — This documentary examines the Cambridge Analytica scandal through the roles of several people affected by it.

    2019 — HAK_MTL — Tech companies claim to protect our privacy, but is it true? In this eye-opening documentary, a group of Canadian hackers launch an investigation into the internet and how it continues to track, store, and share users’ data, despite assurances that it doesn’t.

    2019 — Hero or Villain? The Prosecution of Julian Assange — Depending on who you’re talking to, the name Julian Assange will provoke one of two feelings: fury or awe. This documentary, led by the ABC Four Corners Team, chronicles an investigation into the founder of Wikileaks, featuring commentary from some of the individuals who knew him best.

    2019 — Kee — Siddharth (Jiiva) and Shivam (Govind Padmasoorya) share an affinity for hacking, but that’s all they have in common. When the two unexpectedly cross paths, a fight between hacking for good and evil breaks out — and the consequences are fatal.

    2019 — Machine Learning: Living in the Age of AI — How do we interact with AI? The technology has cemented itself as one of the foundations of our digital age, but has yet to reach its full potential. This documentary examines what the future of artificial intelligence will look like and the many possibilities ahead of us.

    2019 — Official Secrets —  Katharine Gun made headlines in 2003 after blowing the whistle on an illegal NSA spy operation. This drama film, starring Kiera Knightly and Matt Smith, chronicles the scandal, as well as the ensuing legal battles that uncovered top-secret manipulation tactics used by the highest levels of government in both the U.S. and the UK.

    2019 — Password — A police officer hunts for a cybercriminal who is destroying people’s lives by hacking their passwords.

    2019  — The Secrets of Silicon Valley — Directed by James Corbett, this documentary looks at the long and detailed history of Silicon Valley, located in the San Francisco Bay area, including how it was founded in the aftermath of World War II, the technology companies located there that have shaped the world through innovation, the ties between different companies and the government, and according to Corbett, the shadowy underworld hiding beneath the surface and why Big Tech means big trouble.

    2019 — Third Eye Spies — Directed by Lance Mungia, this documentary reveals how an experiment in psychic abilities at Stanford Research Institute led to the CIA’s study of psychic abilities for more than 20 years for use in their top-secret spy program. Parapsychologists Russell Targ and Dean Radin are interviewed, along with dozens of others, regarding recently declassified information.

    2019 — Unfriends — In this Bollywood thriller, Veer, who has an idea for a startup, receives a Facebook friend request from Vijay, who becomes his investor. While on a long celebration drive, they meet a girl named Mauli. When Vijay rapes her and intends to kill her, Veer comes to her rescue and helps her escape. When she is later subjected to abuse on the internet, Veer seeks justice for her.

    2019 — WannaCry: The Marcus Hutchins Story — Marcus Hutchins, a British computer researcher, became an “accidental hero” when he discovered a kill switch in May 2017 that stopped the spread of WannaCry, hours after the ransomware affected thousands of systems across the world. Three months later, the FBI arrested him because of his involvement in a banking trojan. This documentary, directed by Hugo Berkeley, is his firsthand story.

    2019 — Who You Think I Am — A 50-year-old divorced teacher (Juliette Binoche) uses a photo of a young, pretty blonde to create a fake Facebook profile of a 24-year-old woman after being ghosted by her 20-something lover.

    2019 — You Can’t Watch This — This independent documentary by George Llewelyn-John discusses freedom of speech and the online world. It highlights stories of five individuals who lose their access to social media and how that censorship affects them.

    2020 — Archive — Roboticist George Almore (Theo James) is working to create a true human-equivalent AI, but when his focus turns to reuniting with his dead wife, Julie (Stacy Martin), he finds himself reaping Dr. Frankenstein-worthy consequences.

    2020 — The Big Reset 2.0 — Every day, AI grows more functional, intelligent, and capable of completing even the most complicated tasks, but at what point does it become too much? In this documentary produced by Germany’s international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle (DW), experts discuss the field’s ongoing battle between risk and reward.

    2020 — Childhood 2.0 — What does it mean to be a child in the highly vulnerable digital age? Online predators, cyberbullying, and mental health take center stage in this documentary that delves into the real-life issues plaguing kids and parents today.

    2020 — CyberlanteAfter getting a job at an isolated hotel run by a cruel bully, Matt (Gavin Gordon) finds himself at the center of a battle between hacking for good and evil.

    2020 — Enemies of the State —  This American documentary film follows Matt DeHart, targeted by the U.S. government for having confidential documents alleging misconduct by the CIA.

    2020 — Interference: Democracy at Risk — In 2016, many new threats against our democracy came to light, such as misinformation campaigns and voter fraud, all of which wouldn’t be possible if not for the advanced, digital age we live in. This documentary urges viewers to make sure it never happens again.

    2020 — The Internet of Everything — This documentary discusses how the internet now invades every aspect of our lives, through things beyond computers and phones — such as garbage cans, refrigerators and city infrastructures. It also talks about the problems the Internet has created and asks the question: will the future be a surveillance nightmare or an eco-utopia. Who will determine the outcome?

    2020 — Julian Assange: Revolution Now — Overnight, Julian Assange went from coder to convict. This documentary tells the story of the founder of Wikileaks and how his mission to entrust the public with some of the most private information made him an enemy of the United States government.

    2020 — Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America’s Elections — Produced by HBO, this documentary examines the rising number of tech vulnerabilities in the American electoral system, featuring an eye-opening demonstration of how secure electronic voting machines are by hackers at DEFCON, the world’s largest hacking conference.

    2020 — KnowBe4: The Making Of A Unicorn — A Cybersecurity Story. How CEO Stu Sjouwerman built a culture of fun and a company worth $1 billion. With Chief Hacking Officer Kevin Mitnick. 23-minute documentary produced by Cybercrime Magazine.

    2020 — No Safe Spaces — What does freedom of speech look like in the age of social media? In this documentary, comedian Adam Corrolla and talk show host Dennis Prager travel across America to explore what the future holds for the First Amendment.

    2020 — Out Of Dark — Ever wondered what it’s like to be a spy? This eye-opening documentary invites cameras on a mission with a real-world intelligence operative,  giving viewers an in-depth look into the top-secret world of foreign and domestic surveillance.

    2020 — Password — A Saw-esque thriller in which an IT employee awakens to find himself tied to a chair, surrounded by a dead body and a laptop. Discovering he’s been kidnapped, the employee must find a way out, but will the financial imbalance of India post-globalization get in his way?

    2020 — Screen Generation — Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z … and then what? Following the generation dubbed the “Digital Natives,” this documentary ponders what’s in store for the children that grew up behind a screen. Researchers in the U.S. and Europe were interviewed.

    2020 — The Social Dilemma — This documentary explores the dangerous human impact of social networking.

    2020 — Tenet — In this action thriller directed by Christopher Nolen, an organization called Tenet recruits an unnamed CIA operative known as The Protagonist (John David Washington) for a mission involving “time inversion” to counter a future threat and stop World War III.

    2020 — We Need to Talk About A.I. — Director Leanne Pooley takes a close look at the future of artificial intelligence and the impact it will have on the world, including how computers will have the capacity to design and program themselves as they continue to evolve.

    2021 — Chakra — Military officer Chandru (Vishal Krishna) is one of fifty people who are robbed on Independence Day. After he discovers his most prized possession was stolen, Chandru joins forces with a police officer to hunt down the dangerous cybercriminal responsible.

    2021 — Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains, And The Future Of The Internet — Filmmaker Torsten Hoffmannn’s eye-opening look into the world of cryptocurrency and the controversy surrounding it, featuring commentary from some of the industry’s major players.

    2021 — Dark Web: Cicada 3301 — After visiting the dark web, Connor (Jack Kesy), a gifted hacker, is invited to join the mysterious secret society Cicada 3301. He accepts and soon finds himself embroiled in an intense, high-stakes race against the NSA. Based on real-life events.

    2021 —Dark Web: Fighting Cybercrime — The fight against cybercrime takes center stage in this documentary highlighting the security industry and its ceaseless determination to defend against the growing number of digital threats.

    2021 — Dear Hacker — What happens when your webcam goes rogue? The directorial debut of French filmmaker Alice Lenay, this documentary is a must-watch for anyone who’s ever wondered about the inner workings of a webcam.

    2021 — MY.DOOM: Earth’s Deadliest [Computer] Virus  — First seen in 2004, MyDoom is universally acknowledged as the worst computer virus of all time, having caused over $38 billion in losses. This documentary explores MyDoom’s origins and chaotic run, all the while making an argument for just how essential white hat hackers really are.

    2021 — Hacker Fairies — A short drama that follows two white hat hackers on a mission to retrieve stolen photos of several women. Not long into the search, one of the women asks to learn more about hacking. Can she be trusted? 

    2021 — Hacker: Trust No One When Danny cofounds a new cryptocurrency, he thinks it will make him rich. When he gets caught hacking, though, he and his girlfriend end up on a hit list instead.

    2021 — Love Hard — A columnist, who writes about her bad dating experiences, thinks she has met her perfect match on a dating app. When she flies across country to surprise him for Christmas, she learns she’s been catfished.

    2021 — The Perfect Weapon — Based on a best-selling book by New York Times national security correspondent David E. Sanger, this documentary explores the rise of cyber conflict as the primary way nations now compete with and sabotage one another. ‌Directed by John Maggio, it features interviews with top military, intelligence, and political officials on the frontlines of cyberterrorism.

    2021 — Silk Road — Directed by Tiller Russell, this is the story of the anonymous dark web market launched by Ross Ulbricht in early 2011. Ulbricht was jailed for life after an FBI operation shut down Silk Road.

    2021 — The Mitchells vs The Machines — Starring Maya Rudolph, Danny McBride, Eric Andre, and more, this animated film follows the Mitchell family, who stumble into an unprecedented robot apocalypse and find themselves fighting to save the future of humanity.

    2021 — The Spy in Your Phone — The positive side of smartphones is that they keep us connected, entertain us, store data, and so much more. This documentary highlights the dangers, including privacy issues, how messaging and social media sites store our data and use it, how individuals and organizations can target us through spyware, and the concern about government mass surveillance. It also discusses what you can do to protect your data.

    2021 — Twenty Hacker — Hex is a hacker who runs Better World, a “white hacker” club. When he discovers that black hackers have ruined his father’s company, he enlists his club members to take them down, resulting in an inevitable showdown.

    2021 — WANNACRY: Earth’s Deadliest [Computer] Virus — This documentary examines how a computer virus that began as a small crypto worm in 2017 ended up infecting thousands of computers as ransomware. It describes the complex process that allowed it to be distributed in several ways and delves into a parallel story.

    2022 — Glimpse — This surveillance-footage thriller follows three individuals, who are up for the same job, as their lives slowly spiral out of control. Starring an ensemble cast including Michael Emerson, Raúl Esparza, and David Alan Basche.

    2022 — Hacker: Trust No One — This drama film tells the story of a hacker who finds himself and his girlfriend on a hit list after getting mixed up in the shady world of cryptocurrency.

    2022 — Hot Seat — Mel Gibson stars in this riveting tale about an IT expert and former hacker, Friar (Kevin Dillon), who finds himself in the middle of a potentially explosive cyber robbery. Forced to choose between stealing digital funds or having his daughter abducted, Friar is left to determine what matters most while simultaneously working to get out of the hot seat.

    2022 — Keedam — Main character Radhika Balan is a cybersecurity expert who believes in using technology to benefit others, but after falling victim to a cyberstalking incident and losing any semblance of privacy, she’s left with no choice but to take matters into her own hands.

    2022 — Kimi — Starring Zoe Kravitz and Rita Wilson, this thriller chronicles the events that take place after an agoraphobic tech worker discovers evidence of a violent crime, which ultimately leads to her greatest challenge yet — leaving the house.

    2022 — Stalked Within — This thriller follows Gary, a home security operator, who begins to spy on a single mother using his company’s technology equipment. It’s only a matter of time before his obsession turns deadly.

    2022 — The Takeover — When an ethical hacker is framed for murder, she must track down those who are blackmailing her, stop them, and clear her name. Starring Holly Mae Brood, Geza Weisz, and Frank Lammers.

    2023 — @ — A techno-thriller starring Rachel David as an ethical hacker, this film revolves around the dark web and the horrors that lurk within it. Audiences will become acquainted with the many crimes that take place, such as drug peddling, and the cyberattacks that come to fruition in the deep net.

    2023 — M3GAN — Artificially intelligent doll M3GAN is a technological wonder, designed to befriend children and support parents. However, it’s only a matter of time until M3GAN becomes sentient and decides to take on a life of her own, leaving those around her to reap the extraordinary consequences.

    2023 — Reality — This drama tells the story of Reality Winner, the former American intelligence specialist who was given the longest prison sentence for the unauthorized release of government information to the media about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections via an email operation. Sydney Sweeney stars in the titular role.

    So far no hits. I recon that the movie should be somewhere in the early 1990’s to 2005 time frame. Low budget, but a seriously important movie. Perhaps it was a spin off of movies of the Matrix genre… Which would place it around 1999. Or maybe right before it, 1995. And the movie Matrix completely overshadowed it.

    Still looking.

    Sigh.

    US hegemony uses 800 military bases and 11 aircraft carriers to force the world to follow US economics, trade and finance rules for USA benefits. Anyone refusing is sanctioned, or if weak violently attacked using human rights excuses. That is coercive diplomacy.

    main qimg 59d1f1636ca46f2c9998e9beee52d1a6 lq
    main qimg 59d1f1636ca46f2c9998e9beee52d1a6 lq

    US hegemony in last 70yrs means endless wars, endless arms sales and endless Tbills and usd printing. It is not sustainable now USA printed usd31trillion and deficits are still adding Tbills. Does the world want to continue wars and deaths for US profits? Most of the world says no.

    main qimg a9de785360da1617bf9217de05f28c9f
    main qimg a9de785360da1617bf9217de05f28c9f

    The 1950s in SHOCKINGLY BEAUTIFUL Colorized Photos

    Things Worth Experiencing At Least Once In Your Life, According To People Online

    In the everyday rush and routine, we probably don’t find time to think about what we want to do in this life and what really would make us happy. It may be for our whole life or it can also be something that will make us the happiest people alive for a day. There are particular locations, feelings, purchases or activities that we dream about. I may be wrong but many of us probably have our bucket lists made. Some of us have written it down and are actually saving money for our dreams, some of us have written it in our notes and from time to time check it out to see if maybe we managed to complete some of the things. But some of us just have it in our head and create something on the spot if this topic comes up.

    • Reading a book so good you can’t fall asleep without reading a new chapter, and to feel slightly sad when you finish it.
    • Walking in the snowy woods at night.
    • What it’s like to work a busy shift at a restaurant – can be any role, waiting tables, bussing, cooking, hosting. Everyone should have one evening where you are trying to serve and cater to dozens of people at once. You should know how it feels to bring someone the wrong dish or spill a glass on someone. You should know how it feels to work hard af and get no tip, get told to take something back like it’s your fault, all the normal things that happen during a busy shift.
    • Seeing an ocean in person, from a beach.
    • Contentment and security. Not necessarily full happiness, but satisfaction in your own life, and safety within it.
    • I have two. One is seeing a starry night sky, no clouds, no light pollution, just a beautiful night sky. Or better yet, the northern lights. Second is seeing the view from a mountain peak. People always talk about how ugly the world is, but I think these two things really remind you of how beautiful earth is too.
    • A good nights sleep.
    • Being in love with someone who loves you back
    • The sound of it snowing. I laid on the ground, in the snow at night in the Alaskan wilderness, in December, it’s so peaceful.
    • Even if it’s only for a short period of time: full financial independence, while being single. You can pay your own bills, you have your own place, and you have full freedom over your free time. Whether it’s staying in and binge watching Netflix, or going out and sitting amongst strangers. Your time is your own. No kids. No spouse or significant other. I find this is when you really get to know and understand yourself.
    • A loving and supportive group of humans.
    • Having real friends
    • going on a forest and smelling rain
    • Everyone should experience the joys of traveling to a foreign land at least once in their lifetime, even if it’s just to realize how much they love their own toilet. Imagine discovering new cultures, cuisines, and the thrill of trying to communicate with locals using just charades and a phrasebook. Trust me, it’s a life-changing experience that’ll give you a new appreciation for your home and a killer accent to boot.
    • Moving away from your hometown, even if it is for a year
    • A hug, simple but important
    • The energy of a concert.
    • Being well and absolutely disconnected. No phones, no GPS. I last had that experience in the early 90s. Being somewhere with someone you trust and the two of you are the only people who know where you are and what you are doing.
    • Working a minimum or entry level job as a first job especially when young.
      It really makes you appreciate money and interactions with people because it sucked and you got so little of anything even less some respect. Hell you even get to treat the people that work those jobs nicer because you were them once.
    • Another culture. And I don’t mean as a tourist where you have all the comforts of home. To fully absorb and immerse yourself in the lives of that culture. To eat their foods, drink their drinks, and do as they do.

    1970s Things Found In Every Home

    https://youtu.be/0g4zXepHASM

    Claims that the Belt and Road initiative “could create a new epidemic” are a bizarre new line of attack on Beijing’s efforts in the country

    By Timur Fomenko, a political analyst

    main qimg cbd3f646f3209e52f089b8dfb923c54d
    main qimg cbd3f646f3209e52f089b8dfb923c54d

    A young man rides atop a load of cluster bomb casings and bomb scrap that his family is taking to a scrap market in town, Xieng Khouang, Laos, 2005. © Jerry Redfern/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Laos – a landlocked communist state in Southeast Asia, wedged between China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar – has the potential to be a nexus of sorts for the entire region. However, its cooperation with Beijing has come under fire from the West.

    The impoverished nation holds the unenviable distinction of “the most bombed country in history” after the US dropped over 2 million tons of bombs on it during the Vietnam War. Laos is still weathering the consequences, including deaths from unexploded munitions. Faced with numerous challenges, it has leaned on its giant northern neighbor for assistance.

    In recent years, Laos has benefited considerably from China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In late 2021, the China-Laos railway was built, a high-speed system connecting the country’s capital to Beijing. This has been a gamechanger for its foreign trade and exports. Сurrently, a new superhighway is also being built across the country. Last week, however, an article from Reuters

    attracted widespread disdain on social media as it sought to frame China’s development in the country as risking a “new pandemic.” It was titled ‘China, birthplace of the covid pandemic, is laying tracks for another global health crisis.’

    The article argued that Laos is home to a bat population that carries “novel coronaviruses,” the same source which allegedly gave rise to Covid-19. By building a highway through the country’s tropical forests, the argument goes, humans will be brought into closer contact with bats, thus destroying their environment and risking a new pandemic. This textbook example of an over-the-top ‘China bad’ story exaggerates and fixates on the speculated negative consequences of Beijing’s activities, never providing the full picture. It is never touched on, for example, how up to 50 people a year in Laos continue to die from undetonated US bombs dropped on the country during the Vietnam war.

    Western media at large have it in for China’s relationship with Laos, with outlets denouncing Chinese investments as a “debt trap ” and accusing Laos of being a “vassal state.” Why is it met with such backlash? First of all, Laos is arguably the single most pro-Chinese state in Southeast Asia, the region which the US is aggressively targeting as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy. Despite being communist, Washington sees Vietnam as a potential military and economic counterweight to Beijing due to its maritime periphery; however, Laos is a landlocked state which reduces US geopolitical leverage in countering China. Laos is also fearful of neighboring Vietnam and sees Beijing as a guarantor in securing its own independence.

    This, combined with America’s bloody history in the country, and the fact it is a communist state, makes Laos a very comfortable neighbor for China, which also stands as its biggest economic guarantor. Chinese-backed infrastructure is helping the landlocked and impoverished country to gain easier access to ports and markets. Furthermore, by making it a nexus of the region, China is also integrating itself with Thailand and allowing its goods to flow to more Southeast Asian ports. This becomes an obstacle to the US vision of hegemony over the region, which involves completely dominating China’s maritime periphery in a way that checks its ability to project power and shape global commerce.

    As a result, the Western corporate media are encouraged to vilify the BRI, including specifically its impact in Laos. Those doubting that there is a concerted effort to do this need only look at the America COMPETES Act of 2022, which allocates $500 million to media outlets to ostensibly “combat Chinese disinformation” for overseas audiences. Among other things, it specifically targets the BRI, effectively incentivizing negative coverage of the Chinese infrastructure project. The US hates the BRI, because it creates connections in Eurasia and therefore changes the strategic landscape away from the maritime routes dominated by America.

    The Reuters story in particular draws upon the tried-and-trusted practice of scapegoating China for the Covid-19 pandemic to fearmonger about its road development in Laos. But one must question whether the US ever acknowledged what it did to Laos? Did it apologize for dropping 270 million

    cluster bombs on it? An estimated 80 million of those did not explode, and while the US has invested in clean-up efforts, the 50,000 lives these bombs have claimed since the end of the war clearly show this is not enough.

    Now, China is not only boosting the Laotian economy with its railroad construction, but also helping clear the deadly consequences of American militarism. Meanwhile, the West keeps promising alternatives to the BRI, with a new name cropping up virtually every year, but talk is cheap and these promises have yet to bear fruit. It’s easy to take the moral high ground on an issue when you aren’t the one who has to bear the consequences. It’s fair to say, if there is a new Cold War, Laos won’t be siding with the West.

    Why does the USA attack China so much?

    This one chart explains it all.

    2023 05 24 06 58
    2023 05 24 06 58

    “Yes, the CIA and FBI WILL rig the 2024 election”

    China’s first domestically designed aircraft carrier having EMALS gets launched

    The Fujian, the largest aircraft carrier ever built by China, is a crucial part of the Chinese navy. China is making rapid progress in developing advanced aircraft carriers that are on par with those of the US.

    It is worth noting that China has chosen to name its new aircraft carrier after Fujian, a province located just across a narrow strait from Taiwan.

    The 80,000 metric ton CNS Fujian is 50% larger than China’s current in-service carriers, putting the People’s Liberation Army Navy in the same class as supercarriers like the US Nimitz-class ships, which weigh 100,000 tons.

    Unlike China’s other two carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, which are based on outdated Soviet technology and utilize a ski-jump launching system, the Fujian is equipped with an advanced electromagnetic aircraft launch system, similar to that used on the US’s newest carrier, the USS Gerald Ford. This new system will enable China to launch a greater variety of aircraft more quickly and with more ammunition onboard.

    After approximately 18 months of trials, China’s largest warship CNS Fujian is expected to become operational by October 2024.

    The Fujian and a fourth carrier, which is also under construction, are larger and able to carry more aircraft than the two existing vessels. The South China Morning Post reported in March last year that the fourth carrier might be nuclear-powered.

    G7 leaders in Japan declare, China number one enemy

    $200 Was Too High For Me But My Mom Insisted On Buying This

    645b4220aa252 WacpqAi 700
    645b4220aa252 WacpqAi 700

    Amarjeet Sada, The 8 YO Serial Killer…

    https://youtu.be/kEIMLQ-vE8Q

    Chicago-Style Sausage and Peppers

    Yield: 8 servings

    2023 05 22 18 29
    2023 05 22 18 29

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons corn oil
    • 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
    • 2 large yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
    • 2 large red bell peppers, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
    • 1/4 cup Jack Daniels Sour Mash Whiskey
    • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • 8 spicy Italian sausages (4 ounces each), not hot dogs!
    • 8 good quality hot dog buns
    • 2 tablespoons reserved sausage grease or soft butter

    Instructions

    1. Heat corn oil in large skillet and sauté the onions and peppers until tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes over medium heat.
    2. Add the bourbon and stir quickly until absorbed.
    3. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar melts.
    4. Season with thyme, salt and pepper. (Can be refrigerated for one week. Let come to room temperature before serving.)
    5. Char-grill the sausages until slightly blackened and cooked through.
    6. Brush the hot dog buns with a little sausage grease or butter and toast on the grill or under the broiler.
    7. Nestle a sausage in a bun and top with about 2 tablespoons of peppers and onions.

    Yup. The test case was a couple weeks ago.

    American soldier crashed a car. He was arrested by Japanese cops. The US government demanded he be released immediately and actual threats were made by the US government to the Japanese government.

    The Japanese government rolled over.

    That’s the big test of if your country is a US bitch or not.

    Korea had THIS

    Yangju highway incident - Wikipedia
    
    Killing, 2 Korean girls, US army vehicle Coordinates : 37°51′28″N 126°56′56″E  /  37.857722°N 126.948972°E  / 37.857722; 126.948972  ( Location of the Yangju highway incident ) The Yangju highway incident , also known as the Yangju training accident or Highway 56 Accident , occurred on June 13, 2002, in Yangju , Gyeonggi-do, South Korea . 
    
    A United States Army armored vehicle-launched bridge , returning to base in Uijeongbu on a public road after training maneuvers in the countryside, struck and killed two 14-year-old South Korean schoolgirls, Shin Hyo-sun ( Korean : 신효순) and Shim Mi-seon ( Korean : 심미선). 
    
    The American soldiers involved were found not guilty of negligent homicide in the court martial , further inflaming anti-American sentiment in South Korea and sparking a series of candlelight vigil protests in protest of their deaths. 
    
    The memory of the two schoolgirls is commemorated annually in South Korea

    The UK had THIS

    Death of Harry Dunn - Wikipedia
    
    Fatal road traffic collision resulting in UK/US diplomatic controversy Coordinates : 51°59′49″N 1°11′45″W  /  51.9969593°N 1.1959241°W  / 51.9969593; -1.1959241 
    
    Death of Harry Dunn Date 27 August 2019 Time 20:25 BST Location B4031 road near RAF Croughton Cause Road traffic collision Deaths Harry Dunn Burial 17 September 2019 
    
    Inquiries Northamptonshire Police Convicted Anne Sacoolas Charges Causing death by careless driving (convicted) Causing death by dangerous driving (acquitted) 
    
    Harry Dunn was a 19-year-old British man who died following a road traffic collision on 27 August 2019. 
    
    He was riding his motorcycle near Croughton, Northamptonshire , United Kingdom, near the exit to RAF Croughton , when a car travelling in the opposite direction and on the wrong side of the road collided with him. 
    
    The car was driven by Anne Sacoolas, who is a former US spy and wife of CIA employee Jonathan Sacoolas, stationed at the time at USAF listening station RAF Croughton. 
    
    Sacoolas admitted that she had been driving the car on the wrong side of the road , and the police said that, based on CCTV footage, they believed that to be true. 
    
    Dunn was pronounced dead at the Major Trauma Centre of John Radcliffe Hospital , Oxford. The collision caused diplomatic tension between UK and US officials. 
    
    Sacoolas fled the UK soon after the incident and claimed diplomatic immunity with US support.

    Italy had THIS

    1998 Cavalese cable car crash - Wikipedia
    
    US Navy aircraft struck ski lift, Italy The Cavalese cable car crash , also known as the Cermis massacre ( Italian : Strage del Cermis ), occurred on February 3, 1998, near the Italian town of Cavalese , a ski resort in the Dolomites some 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of Trento . 
    
    Twenty people were killed when a United States Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler aircraft, flying too low and against regulations, in order for the pilots to "have fun" and "take videos of the scenery", cut a cable supporting a cable car of an aerial lift . 
    
    The pilot, Captain Richard J. Ashby, and his navigator , Captain Joseph Schweitzer, were put on trial in the United States and found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide .

    If Americans can come and wantonly commit crimes and get almost no punishment then you’re essentially an occupied country.

    For Japan. THIS.

    Why is China’s economy continuing to grow to the point it is the largest or second largest economy in the world based on which method used to compare economies.

    China has been able to harness a number of factors over several decades that has benefited its people economically. The Chinese government has taken great effort to improve the lives of its people. Its goal is to create a moderately prosperous society for its huge population. With a country of 1.4 billion people moderately prosperous equates to a large economy.

    China has devoted a lot of effort to educate its people. In 1950 the literacy rate was 20%, but today it is over 97%. Eduction is highly important to the government. This has led China to produce the most STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) graduates yearly, which drives innovation.

    2023 05 22 18 50
    2023 05 22 18 50

    Chinese culture is one of business and that means trade is an important part business activity. Now days China trades with almost every country globally. It is the primary trade partner with many.

    2023 05 22 18 50s
    2023 05 22 18 50s

    With China’s huge manufacturing sector needed to produce goods for it huge population benefits from economies of scale. This in turn drives down manufacturing costs making goods cheaper in China and for export.

    Developed economies for the most part are service economies not manufacturing ones, hence their need to import goods.

    2023 05 22 18 51
    2023 05 22 18 51

    China’s ability to produce a wide variety of goods from simple utensils to automobiles and high speed trains means it can produce much of what other countries need but cannot produce.

    All the above and more is why China’s economy continues to grow at a faster rate compared to the developed countries of the West.

    1970’s Rmic Hand Chair

    Thrift store find.

    645b42c261a00 i0xjb5adkgq91 700
    645b42c261a00 i0xjb5adkgq91 700

    Kenyan President Ruto Says African Leaders Won’t Be Summoned Like Kids By The West No Longer

    Ukrainian Artist Dinara Kasko Continues To Push The Boundaries Of Pastry Design

    0 71 650x650
    0 71 650×650

    Here are the incredible edibles of pastry chef Dinara Kasko. The culinary artist from Ukraine has amassed a huge online following for her innovative cake designs and moulds. Although Dinara graduated from Kharkov University Architecture School, she found her true passion was pastry. However, she now uses her background in architectural design to create her incredible cakes as she uses the 3D-modelling program, 3DSMAX, to create silicone cake moulds.

    More: Instagram, Shop h/t: twistedsifter

    dinarakasko 41614189 861744723949514 5990201141601036649 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 41614189 861744723949514 5990201141601036649 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 41391858 160508341542774 2235192387253299797 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 41391858 160508341542774 2235192387253299797 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 41324106 483875635427462 8244750592175350411 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 41324106 483875635427462 8244750592175350411 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 40998570 527878407684987 2203689512561675051 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 40998570 527878407684987 2203689512561675051 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 40527828 182137562683559 7771011558694223350 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 40527828 182137562683559 7771011558694223350 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 40130902 897982783727241 1534858838783851366 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 40130902 897982783727241 1534858838783851366 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 39325447 822674894745944 5624021363556614144 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 39325447 822674894745944 5624021363556614144 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 38817756 226834861307241 6010283633800118272 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 38817756 226834861307241 6010283633800118272 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 38758152 223370175018951 4754677595813969920 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 38758152 223370175018951 4754677595813969920 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 38618432 2159951087623608 2479376902201016320 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 38618432 2159951087623608 2479376902201016320 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 38431279 1049952548488589 1242157451705319424 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 38431279 1049952548488589 1242157451705319424 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 37930832 2092981207443359 8458182475875614720 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 37930832 2092981207443359 8458182475875614720 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 37719115 461748637672841 3298468693587001344 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 37719115 461748637672841 3298468693587001344 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 37350152 311301616109832 4007132447681544192 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 37350152 311301616109832 4007132447681544192 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 37219535 1139442422879889 4187861707969789952 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 37219535 1139442422879889 4187861707969789952 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 37123355 498770223878587 4588682225129619456 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 37123355 498770223878587 4588682225129619456 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 37046974 1113847855422026 6421143662784151552 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 37046974 1113847855422026 6421143662784151552 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 37006114 291523351416108 1451648647685996544 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 37006114 291523351416108 1451648647685996544 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 36991283 175126146692154 4468434200382406656 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 36991283 175126146692154 4468434200382406656 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 36981775 523168418101156 134943822286159872 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 36981775 523168418101156 134943822286159872 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 36942191 172914016904065 1234765447916683264 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 36942191 172914016904065 1234765447916683264 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 36934903 238351493556148 6441881830768508928 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 36934903 238351493556148 6441881830768508928 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 36907511 165151734360140 6880737431545446400 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 36907511 165151734360140 6880737431545446400 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 36858249 259595097926360 5939026827824594944 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 36858249 259595097926360 5939026827824594944 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 36751418 223708181801981 1172602827168546816 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 36751418 223708181801981 1172602827168546816 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 36734210 434855686995557 763599757359710208 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 36734210 434855686995557 763599757359710208 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 36698358 217829555723286 3475720001028096000 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 36698358 217829555723286 3475720001028096000 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 36160658 1581276925328803 2367888729541967872 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 36160658 1581276925328803 2367888729541967872 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 36148118 1988891081421575 1635678470082134016 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 36148118 1988891081421575 1635678470082134016 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 36147766 275253999699940 7359782084988108800 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 36147766 275253999699940 7359782084988108800 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 36136644 665021273845403 7723593891160522752 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 36136644 665021273845403 7723593891160522752 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 36044514 214788319176144 1562719370998710272 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 36044514 214788319176144 1562719370998710272 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 35617011 651574808521201 7143799836213510144 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 35617011 651574808521201 7143799836213510144 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 35616970 1564807433645404 52030977580466176 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 35616970 1564807433645404 52030977580466176 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 35515149 228660027928389 4379804479327830016 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 35515149 228660027928389 4379804479327830016 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 34478544 2204842826198339 1142588689465999360 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 34478544 2204842826198339 1142588689465999360 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 33545912 1850178935287529 3029794080923058176 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 33545912 1850178935287529 3029794080923058176 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 30086751 1801197790182190 1706444352705789952 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 30086751 1801197790182190 1706444352705789952 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 30085482 189399711865494 6468088157840605184 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 30085482 189399711865494 6468088157840605184 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 29738082 804168449788145 4066623122030198784 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 29738082 804168449788145 4066623122030198784 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 29416069 161107051255551 542833404643639296 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 29416069 161107051255551 542833404643639296 n 650×650

    dinarakasko 29414608 356259028193480 8509945950007984128 n 650x650
    dinarakasko 29414608 356259028193480 8509945950007984128 n 650×650

     

    No, because both have nukes. The US has been doing everything to stop China’s rise. Lying and accusing China on human rights, genocide, and whatever sins they can think of to discredit China. The US now summons her vassals to go to war with China to weaken China’s economy and military, similar to UR conflict.

    Only BABY BOOMERS will REMEMBER these things

    “Garden Decor” For Sale On Fb Marketplace

    645b403106763 s25p8if49hva1 700
    645b403106763 s25p8if49hva1 700

    TWO BOEING E-4B COMMAND AND CONTROL AIRCRAFT AIRBORNE OVER CONTINENTAL USA

    Fwr0UwcWIAECb3W
    Fwr0UwcWIAECb3W

    Things No Longer Found at Gas Stations

    Did I Just Find A Serial Killer?

    645b3feab2a20 rspiyltzhkta1 700
    645b3feab2a20 rspiyltzhkta1 700

    Chicago Hot Dogs

    Never leave the celery salt off the Chicago Dogs! They won’t be the same. I guarantee it.

    chicago hot dogs
    chicago hot dogs

    Ingredients

    • All-beef hot dogs
    • Green sweet bell pepper, diced
    • Yellow onions, diced
    • Mustard
    • Sweet pickle relish
    • Dill pickle chips
    • Cucumbers, sliced thin
    • Iceberg lettuce, shredded
    • Tomatoes, diced
    • Hot peppers (pepperoncini)
    • Celery salt

    Instructions

    1. Steam hot dogs and put condiments on table. NEVER USE KETCHUP! Celery salt is a MUST!
    2. Serve on poppy seed buns, if they are available.

    Kenya President Gets Standing Ovation in Pan-African Parliament for Epic Speech

    2023 05 24 11 21
    2023 05 24 11 21

    2023 05 24 11 22
    2023 05 24 11 22

    No Eyedea What It Is, From Goodwill

    645b552224d55 boe4rfeamiia1 700
    645b552224d55 boe4rfeamiia1 700

    Scam may be overstating it, but they will seize your money without warning or explanation and you should avoid using them as much as possible, especially if you are a business.

    I would strongly advise anyone, especially a seller, to avoid using Paypal. Like many, I was in the camp of “They’re the most established payment service on the web and I’ve never had a problem with them.” Until I did, and I’ve learned of the massive amount of unethical behavior they get away with.

    In my case, the situation’s not too severe, but it’s still frustrating. I coached a client overseas in Europe. He wanted to pay with Paypal. Not having a better suggestion, I thought sure, why not? I coached, he sent the funds over, all set, right?

    Paypal put a hold on the funds for a few days to make sure things were in good order. Shortly thereafter, they suspended my account. I got the following email:

    2023 05 24 14 58
    2023 05 24 14 58

    Mind you, I have literally only done a single transaction on this account, the one I just did. I had no warning there was a problem with my account and my client is in good standing with Paypal. I did not receive any explanation.

    On the site, my account now has a banner that looks like this:

    2023 05 24 14 59
    2023 05 24 14 59

    I can no longer transfer money, unlink my bank account, remove my personal information, or anything. Paypal has indefinitely seized my money.

    If I attempt to refund my client, they tell me the attempt fails due to technical reasons.

    Paypal offered no explanation for the freeze. They claimed the funds would be released after a review that ended on May 15th, 2023, and I got this email:

    2023 05 24 15 01
    2023 05 24 15 01

    I consequently reported them to the Better Business Bureau. Paypal actually responded on this, claiming that my account used an “anonymizing service” (I assume referring to the fact I use a VPN for all of my Internet activity) and that I share limited access with another account (I have no idea what this means). These were the only explanations given for why they seized my funds.

    2023 05 24 15 02
    2023 05 24 15 02

    I will reiterate that I never received any warning or notification that my account had any issues prior to the transaction. It was only after the transaction, when Paypal had possession of my money, that they notified me they would be keeping it for themselves.

    If they genuinely believed I was a security risk, they should have prevented my transaction in the first place, or immediately refunded my client’s payment. It’s like if I tried to ship a package with UPS, and UPS just said “we think you might be a drug dealer so we’re just going to keep your package for ourselves.”

    As of now, I have requested only that they refund my client. Even if they have an issue with me, I don’t see how they can justify refusing a refund. At this time I have not received a response and my client has not been refunded.

    So I know you might be thinking, because I was thinking – “Howie it clearly must be just something with you. You did something wrong to justify this treatment.” I am far from alone.

    They faced a class action lawsuit for this behavior in 2022

    . They seized $172,000 from one plaintiff, $42,000 from another, and $26,984 from a third. Very similar situation – frozen account, no explanation, get a subpoena if you want to find out why.

    If you’d like a plethora of horror stories, just visit the ecommerce subreddit

    .

    Read any of the reviews on trustpilot

    , consumeraffairs

    , or wherever else. Obviously there is a tendency to leave negative reviews rather than positive to go in appreciating that, but you’ll find many, many users who’ll tell you this same story.

    Whether you think I’m just a crazy one-off case or not, I strongly encourage you take measures to protect yourself so you do not become a victim as well. I’d offer the following suggestions.

    • If you can avoid using Paypal, do so.
    • If you must use Paypal, keep as little balance in your account as possible, as it can be seized at any time.
    • If you can associate Paypal with a deposit-only account, do so. They shouldn’t be able to withdraw from your linked bank account without your consent, but there are some user horror stories where that has happened.
    • Be aware that Paypal owns Venmo as well.

    There are numerous alternatives to Paypal, several of which even charge lower fees, including Stripe, Wise, Square, Google, and more. All have better reputations and at the very least I can tell you none of them have taken my money for themselves.

    Good luck. I hope this post helps you avoid being a victim.

    Everything You Remember And Miss About…SEARS

    41 Countries Ready To Accept BRICS Currency

    The list of countries interested to join the BRICS alliance and accept the new currency for global trade is growing. 
    
    China and Russia are lobbying other developing countries in joining the international efforts to dethrone the U.S. dollar. 
    
    Developing countries in Asia and Africa are looking to replace the U.S. dollar with their native currencies or a new tender. 
    
    The development is causing a roadblock to the dollar’s prospects and challenging its status as the world reserve currency...
    
    
    Article HERE

    Not possible.

    China is an outlier in most aspects of economy and it is impossible for India to catch up in foreseeable future because –

    1. Current differential between the two countries is too large
    2. Factors that enable future growth (education, innovation, industrialization) are not firing on all cylinders either

    Listed below are the data points from few indicators to illustrate the situation –

    Trade & Industrialization:

    • Total exports (2016): India – $260 billion, China – $2.1 trillion
      • apparel: India – $18 billion, China – $175 billion
      • footwear: India – $2.5 billion, China – $51 billion
      • electrical and electronics – India – $8 billion, China – $782 billion
    • Number of large companies in Fortune 500 (2017): India has 7, China has 109

    Infrastructure & Facilities:

    • High Speed Rails:
      • India – first HSR project (Mumbai-Ahmedabad) started in 2017, to be functional by 2022 covering 500 km
      • China – already has 25,000 km of HSR network, transporting double the volume of passengers than airlines
    • Metro Trains:
      • India – 8 cities with total track length of 370 km
      • China – 39 cities with total track length of 3,600 km (Beijing metro alone is 600 km)
    • Airports: India has 346, China has 507 (2013 data)
    • World’s Top 1000 hospitals: India has 9, China has 84

    Tourism:

    • Foreign Tourist arrivals: India – 10 million,
    • China – 60 millionTourism revenue:
    • India – $27 billion,
    • China – $114 billion

    Education & Innovation:

    • World’s Top 500 universities: India has 8, China has 21
      Adult Literacy: India 74% (2011 data), expected to hit mid-80’s by next census (2021), China – 99% (2010)
    • Number of Patents and Trademarks: both India and China are in world’s Top 10 (2016 data)
      Patents filed by India – 45k, China – 1.3 million
      • Trademarks listed by India – 313k, China – 3.7 million

    Rising Income levels:

    • 75% of world’s new billionaires are coming from India and China:
      • Since 2010, India is adding one new billionaire every 33 days
        China is adding one new billionaire every 5 days
      • India has world’s third highest number of billionaires and China has world’s largest:

        Number of billionaires in India – 131, China – 819
    • Expanding Middle Class:
      • India – 600 million people, based on the criteria of spending ($2 to $10 per day)
        Only 24 million people, if based on the criteria of wealth ($13k)
      • China – 500 million by 2022, based on the criteria of earning ($9k to 34k)
      • GDP Per Capita: India – $1.7k, China – $8.1k
    • Overall Economy:
    • Forex reserves: India – $400 billion, China – $3 trillion
    • GDP (nominal): India – $2.5 trillion, China – $11 trillion
    • Trend

    2023 05 24 11 39
    2023 05 24 11 39

    Key Take-Aways and Summary:

    • China’s exports of only electricals and electronics ($782 billion) are three times of India’s total exports ($260 billion)
    • Length of metro in China’s one city (Beijing – 600 km) is more than total length of all metros in India (370 km)
    • China’s forex reserves ($3 trillion) are more than India’s total GDP ($2.5 trillion)
    • China’s middle class is not only larger, but also richer than India’s middle class – making it a more attractive investment destination
    • India’s growth story is real, but China’s growth story is much bigger. On most economic indicators, India has been performing good, but China has been performing a lot better
    • Before 2020, India is estimated to overtake UK and France to become world’s fifth largest economy

    2023 05 24 11 40
    2023 05 24 11 40

    • By 2030, India is expected to overtake Germany and Japan to become world’s third largest economy. But even then ($6 trillion +), it would be less than one-third the size of China’s economy ($20 trillion +)

    2023 05 24 11 4r1
    2023 05 24 11 4r1


    If interested, please refer to my other write-ups on India – China topics:

    Shashank Goyal’s answer to Why has China developed so much faster than India?

    Shashank Goyal’s answer to Why did China invade India in 1962?

    Sylvester Stallone Prop Found In A Thrift Store

    645b40887af3c k6fmm1gh0aj91 700
    645b40887af3c k6fmm1gh0aj91 700

    United States puts its “cross hairs” on Africa

    A country that is well known for best at controlling internet trolls and media is exaggerating a non-existent event in Africa, namely “China is launching a social movement to persecute black people”. In fact, from 2023 until May 24, 2023, I have not seen any hot topics or frontpage news related to black people in China on any social media platform.

    By the way, in China, the vast majority of people have never seen murder in their lifetime. It is foolish to use the lie of ‘encouraging murder’ to describe China. Because even if this kind of encouragement exists, no one will respond. Chinese people do not know how to murder, unlike the country that creates this lie.

    2023 05 24 11 37
    2023 05 24 11 37

    CLOSED Fast Food Restaurants from the past

    Beijing summons Japanese envoy over ‘anti-China’ G7 summit

    China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong has summoned the Japanese ambassador to register protests over “hype around China-related issues” at the Group of Seven (G7) summit over the weekend, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
    
    The heads of the world’s richest countries who met in the Japanese city of Hiroshima expressed serious concerns about rising tensions in the East China Sea and the South China Sea as well as voicing concerns about the human rights situations in China, including in Tibet and Xinjiang.

    Article HERE

    Huawei is preparing a number of new chipsets to launch later this year and Kirin A2 is one of them. The company is testing this chip for quite a time and it’s ready for production.

    main qimg 683730442cd8736a4555cdee8051d838
    main qimg 683730442cd8736a4555cdee8051d838

    Huawei will launch the Kirin A2 chipset by this year. If everything goes right, the company could choose Q3 or Q4 for the release.

    Also, Kirin A2 is ready for the trial stage and it has mass production capacity.

    This is due to the past decision that Huawei took at the very last moment before launch events. Yet, the exact details are unknown. On this matter, Huawei has not revealed any details about Kirin A2 or related returns. But we’ll have to wait, as there are several months left in the making.

    Kirin A2 for smartphones?

    Nope, Kirin A-series was officially announced for wearable devices such as earphones, smartwatches, and others. The current breakthrough in Huawei’s chipset production capability remains low-key.

    Therefore, the company may take this route to start producing self-developed wearables semiconductors. These types of chips don’t require advanced process technology. Hence, it’s very likely that Kirin A2 will be used for wearable gadgets.

    Kirin A1:

    Kirin A1 was the world’s first Bluetooth 5.1 and Bluetooth Low Energy 5.1 wearable chip. The A1 is developed by Huawei’s chipset designing division, HiSilicon, and printed by Taiwan’s TSMC.

    Kirin A1 is designed for wireless earphones, headbands, neckbands, smart speakers, smart eyewear, and smartwatches. Huawei Watch GT 2 series is the first smartwatch to equip this SoC and it’s still running wild in terms of performance and battery.

    After the US sanctions in 2019, Huawei had to stop making new HiSilicon chips. And with the recent achievement in automation tech, Huawei could print its own chipset.

    Stores We Loved That No Longer Exist!

    https://youtu.be/XcewCyZkvWw

    What is the purpose of the US-Papua New Guinea defense agreement pact?

    Leaked draft of the US-Papua New Guinea defense pact exposes the granting of legal immunity to US personnel and contractors, allowing unrestricted movement of US aircraft, vehicles, and vessels, and exempting US staff from migration requirements.

    It is evident that this pact serves the US’s geopolitical interests rather than offering genuine humanitarian aid. The motive aligns with the US’s broader Indo-Pacific strategy.

    However, what PNG truly needs is effective action to address the climate crisis and achieve economic growth. Unfortunately, the US is unlikely to prioritize these crucial concerns. Instead, it treats PNG and other South Pacific nations as mere pawns in its larger geopolitical game.

    This behavior reflects the US’s historical tendency to come and go in the region as it pleases, without consistent commitment or genuine regard for local priorities.

    Pictures from the past

    135023461 i7HSO rBu9LiGy3HZUWHlSKsC84avzkKWDrTeFtkdWA
    135023461 i7HSO rBu9LiGy3HZUWHlSKsC84avzkKWDrTeFtkdWA

    chorley park was the fourth government house constructed in the early 20th century in toronto the bi tumb 660
    chorley park was the fourth government house constructed in the early 20th century in toronto the bi tumb 660

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 01
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 01

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 02
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 02

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 09
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 09

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 11
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 11

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 18
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 18

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 20
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 20

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 32
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 32

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 33
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 33

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 03
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 03

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 04
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 04

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 06
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 06

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 08
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 08

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 12
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 12

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 14
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 14

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 16
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 16

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 22
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 22

    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 29
    pieces of old architecture that are now lost 640 high 29

    SHORPY 4a25677a.preview
    SHORPY 4a25677a.preview

    SHORPY 4a09098a
    SHORPY 4a09098a

    SHORPY 4a09098a.preview
    SHORPY 4a09098a.preview

    SHORPY 4a10873a.preview
    SHORPY 4a10873a.preview

    SHORPY 4a11556a.preview
    SHORPY 4a11556a.preview

    SHORPY 5a08489u.preview
    SHORPY 5a08489u.preview

    SHORPY 8d33892u.preview
    SHORPY 8d33892u.preview

    SHORPY 8d34747a2.preview
    SHORPY 8d34747a2.preview

    First

    Get a SIM

    It’s a prepaid sim card. The Airports have many counters. Simply present your passport and visa and get a pre paid SIM card.

    That gets you around 20GB Data that should be enough for a few days

    Connection takes only seconds. The minute you insert the sim, the phone works and you can make the calls

    Now most loaded apps won’t work


    Next Money

    You can easily download WeChat and Alipay but Alipay is better

    However there is a problem for Indians

    OTP

    You can register Alipay for foreigners and enter your card details and load Rs. 25000/— per day (CNY 2000)

    You get your OTP in some cases and that OTP cannot be read by your phone unless you have roaming

    In my case, a friend from SBI Shanghai loaded money into my Alipay from his account

    So best option is to preload Alipay from India itself except that it’s banned

    So what to do?

    Don’t worry

    Enterprising Chinese at the Airport will gladly take your cash dollars (No Rupee) and load money into your Alipay

    They even have counters for foreigners


    Next VPN

    Install Nord VPN and buy the Pro version

    However be prepared for a few days to not have proper Twitter or Instagram or Facebook response

    Unless you have WiFi router, Mobile Data usually doesn’t use VPN that efficiently


    Finally get a prescription if you are carrying medicines please


    Do Volunteer for the Face Scan. That way when you reach your hotel and they simply scan your face, and your details jump out and you don’t need a passport at all wherever you go within Shanghai (Only in Shanghai)

    I had this happen to me.

    My family and I were at home one evening, when all the sudden someone started frantically pounding on my front door. My wife opened the door to the neighbor lady who was crying hysterically. She invited her in, and she told us her husband was in a rage, and had put his hands on her.

    About that time, the husband came charging through my front door, and began verbally assaulting his wife with profanity at the top of his lungs. In MY living room.

    Before I had a chance to address the situation, my older daughter told him to tone it down, at which point he responded with “shut the F!#K up, B#!CH”.

    The words barely left his lips before those lips were introduced to my fist.

    Turns out he had no interest in fighting another man.

    Once he found his feet, he was out my front door faster than he barged in. I’m sure most of the folks reading this will be disgusted with my actions. I Don’t care.

    What does matter to me, is the opinion of that man’s wife.

    Years later, she thanked me, saying he never put his hands on her again.

    Not because he didn’t want to, but because he was afraid she would run to my house!

    Fine by me.

    Classic TV Commercials from the ’60s and ’70s

    OMG!

    .

    We are in World War 3 the fight for economic dominance. It is a five (5x) front war.

    The Ukraine invasion has set forth a domino effect; a chain of events that is reshaping the globe. And it is all to plan. It’s a plan made by China, Russia, India and Iran.

    The (so called) petro-dollar; the USD is starting to fall apart, and with it, the economies of those that have been propped up by this fiat “currency”.

    Whether or not Russia is “losing” or “winning” in the Ukraine is of no concern.

    What is of concern, and what is actually happening is that a new world order has arisen from the ashes of the old. It’s an East and a West. And the West is collapsing in real time, while the East is rising.

    Here, in this article we will cover a section of topics that cover these events in chunks. Not comprehensive, but enough to give you all an idea of what is actually going on.

    Key Points

    As you read this article, you need to keep in mind a few key points…

    • The world is undergoing a geopolitical realignment.
    • This alignment is dividing into two separate entities (East and West).

    The two sides have a very different view of how the world should be.

    • The West is trying to maintain a uni-polar single world government ruled by the United States.
    • The East is trying to maintain a multi-polar world of equals of various unique social structures.

    Key to this manifestation is the control of the currency of exchange.

    • The West is trying to maintain the USD, or an electronic version of it.
    • The East is trying to use commodity-based currency by labor, materials and products.

    Issues about Ukraine or Taiwan are simply the desperate plans of the West in a plan to maintain a uni-polar world.

    Do not get sidetracked from what is REALLY going on.

    Bretton Woods III

    .

    The technical definition of money is “something generally accepted as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment.”

    For most people this has always meant the legal tender of their homeland.

    Until fairly recently, this was a coin with the face of the king on it.

    Thus, the better the reputation of the king, the more valuable his coin, because traders were more likely to accept it. A good king made sure his coins had a consistent amount of gold or silver in it.

    The reason for that is precious metals like gold and silver were always the world’s reserve currency.

    Everyone in the world would accept gold and silver for payment, even in places that restricted the use of the metals. You could always take the metal to the king’s mint and exchange it for his coins.

    Granted, he took a fee for himself and you were charged the cost of minting the coins, but that was predictable.

    In the end, all currency was measured in gold and silver.

    But, we no longer use gold coin for money.

    Every country in the world uses what the economist call fiat currency.

    This is a government-issued currency that is not backed by a physical commodity, such as gold or silver.

    Instead, it is backed by the “full faith and credit” of the issuing government.

    That dollar = faith in the government issuing the paper.

    Money is now an expression of the government power behind it.

    The US dollar is the reserve currency of the world largely due to the fact the American government was the most trusted.

    Hard money enthusiasts assume this means the United States can  print as much money as it needs, but this is not exactly true.

    The international monetary system that evolved after the collapse of the Bretton Woods system in the 1970’s is a framework that controls the exchange rate of the major currencies.

    Every major currency is based on the dollar, just as oil and gas are priced in dollars.

    The petrodollar was created in the 1970’s when the Bretton Woods system collapsed.

    The dollar was replaced by the Petro-dollar.

    What the current system does, in effect, is link currencies to the supply of crude oil through the dollar.

    How much oil you can buy with your home currency is dependent upon how many dollars you can buy with it.

    It is not a direct link, as oil production rises and falls and the supply of dollars rises and falls, relative to other major currencies like the Euro or Chinese Yuan.

    In effect, America controls the world by controlling the price of commodities like crude oil and natural gas.

    American dollar = global use of oil and gas commodities.

    In the old days, minting coins was a profit center for the king.

    A strong king would restrict the use of other coins in his domain.

    His people had to take their foreign coins, gold and silver to his mint for conversion to his coin.

    In addition to the cost of production, he tacked on a profit for himself. This is called seigniorage and it works the same for fiat money as it does hard money.

    This profit from controlling the global currency is one way the United States has grown so rich.

    The USA uses this petro-dollar as a mechanism to make debt.

    One of the consequences of this system is the world has an insatiable appetite for US government debt.

    Because it is denominated in dollars and considered the safest of financial bets, it makes the ideal collateral.

    This has allowed the United States and other Western countries to run massive trade and spending deficits.

    The world wants the debt and the world wants to sell the West their products.

    US debt was 30% of GDP in 1980 and now it is 127% of GDP.

    This is the subtext of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

    Russia and China, especially China, are tired of this arrangement.

    They correctly see it as to the advantage of Washington at their expense.

    This is (partially) why China is backing Russia’s play to demand rubles for its energy and agricultural products.

    This would pave the way for China demanding yuan for its products and the right to pay for energy in yuan.

    India is also quietly supporting what the Russians are doing for the same reasons.

    This is (partially) why Washington is in no mood to strike a deal over Ukraine.

    It is not the only reason, but it is a big part of the plan to protect the dollar.

    It is believed that if Washington can break the Putin government through financial war, China and India will drop their plans to buck the dollar in the global economy.

    A century after the Great War, the new global war is being mainly fought in finance.

    The West, led by America, is now at war with the world over control of the global currency system.

    It is probably a war that the West cannot win.

    The reason is the same reason the king would put his face on his coins.

    Money is the physical expression of power.

    The strong king could enforce his monetary policy in his domain and his money had a predictable amount of gold and silver.

    In effect, his money was the representation of his people and the cultural that defined them.

    The legal tender of a country is the measure of that country’s wealth and power relative to the world.

    The West no longer makes or invents anything useful.

    The power of the West is the legacy power to control the financial system.

    It is a system arranged by Mercurian people in order to control the Apollonians.

    The former are the people who operate as middlemen and service providers, while the latter are the people who grow the food, make the goods and keep the gears properly lubricated.

    The former operates in the West, while the latter exist in the East.

    Reality is the thing that does not go away when you stop believing in it.

    And reality says that growing and making things counts for more than thinking about things.

    The reason Washington has not crushed the Russian economy is the world needs the stuff Russia pulled out of the earth.

    In this economic war of attrition, Russian can feed itself and keep its homes warm, while Europe will have to hope America can provide the food and energy at a reasonable fee.

    The most likely outcome of this global conflict is something people have suspected for quite some time.

    The global currency will become a basket of commodities like natural gas and crude oil.

    Maybe agricultural products will be in the mix.

    The reason for this is the world runs on energy and food.

    Bretton Woods III, as some are calling it, will be a new set of currency arrangements whereby money is based on its purchasing power for the agreed upon basket of products.

    What this means in the short run is that the West is about to get poorer as governments are forced to cut spending and debase the currency to get out from under domestic debt obligations like pension payments.

    It also means the end of globalism as has been defined by Washington for three decades.

    Trade will continue, but between countries rather than independent global enterprises.

    Thirty years after the Cold War the world is about to start healing and return to something close to normal.

    The Emotions “Don’t Ask my Neighbor”

    Yeah. By mixing up topics such as food, hobbies, movies and pretty girls in my articles I have completely ZEROED out all the trolls, ‘bots and DDos attacks. Man, I’m telling you. It friggin’ works!

    About this song…

    Throughout my Senior year in High School I fell in love with soul and funk. I added it alongside my love of hard rock, and it greatly shaped my absorption of the culture of the 1970s at that time.

    One of my favorites (in regards to soul) at that time was this group that has passed into obscurity known as “The Emotions”. It’s a trio of three attractive ladies with real heart.

    Here’s one of their classic songs.

    What is a “Blue Blood”?

    This term has come to define the ruling oligarchy that operate the United States from behind the veil. But from whence did this term originate?

    The blue bloods... arises from eating from a silver spoon and drinking from a silver cup. Silver accumulates in the system and turns the skin blue. Literally. No doubt the blue blood class have moved to gold these days for their eating utensils though the Americans seem to like their grow light suntans.

    Blue Blood

    .

    Ukrainians to use American weapons, and American tactics.

    It’s a core principle behind the RAND operational study.

    "Since the US-engineered 2013-14 coup in Ukraine, American forces have taught Ukrainians, including neo-Nazi units, how to fight in urban and other civilian areas. Weaponizing Ukraine is part of Washington’s quest for what the Pentagon calls “full spectrum dominance.”

    Article

    .

    China’s ‘Laser Assault Rifle’ Can Silently Sear Flesh From a Half Mile Away

    “The whole person will be set on fire.”

    Frank Black – Headache

    This is from sometime in the 1990s. I love it because the video is done in retro 1940s theme and the subject matter was meaningful to me back then. In those days, I worked in cubicle farms as engineering drones.

    Do you remember this one?

    Americans should budget an extra $5,200 this year to cover rising prices, Bloomberg economists estimate

    “Americans haven’t had to worry too much about factoring inflation into their budget for the past four decades. That’s changing in 2022.

    The red-hot inflation expected to last throughout the year will leave the average US household spending $5,200 more compared to the year prior, Bloomberg economists Andrew Husby and Anna Wong said in a Tuesday article. That boils down to an extra $433 per month on the same goods and services as last year.”

    Uh oh!

    .

    The S.O.S. Band | Just Be Good To Me (1983) | Extended HQ version

    Another of the songs that was big right after I joined MAJestic and was set loose on the world on my own. Actually, this song was very big in the dance club scene at that time. Not so much on the music charts then, but in the clubs, well yeah.

    And this singer. Well, wow! So hot! Look at her smile. Her moves. Her hair. She’s so, so chocolate fudge on waffle topped with whipped creame. And brandy. In a glass with ice. Big cubes, not little ones.

    She’s such a treat.

    Events Like These Only Happen Once Every Century (Sergey Glazyev)

    Source: Business Online Magazine – Events Like These Only Happen Once Every Century  March 27, 2022.  Translated by Leo. Bolds and italics used for emphasise.

    “Events like these only happen once every century”: Sergei Glazyev on the breaking of an epoch and the change of ways.

    Is it possible to stabilize the ruble in three days? And why are the Ukrainian ‘zombies’ not giving up?

    “After failing to weaken the People’s Republic of China head-on through a trade war, the Americans shifted the main blow to Russia, which they see as a weak link in world geopolitics and economics. 
    
    The Anglo-Saxons are striving to realize their age-old Russophobic ideas of destroying our country, and at the same time weakening China, because the strategic alliance of the Russian Federation and China is too tough for the United States. 
    
    They have neither the economic nor military power to destroy us together, and not separately,” 
    
    - Sergey Glazyev, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, former adviser to the President of the Russian Federation.

    About what opportunities are now opening up for the Russian economy, whether the Central Bank panders to the enemy and whether a new world currency will replace the dollar, Glazyev spoke in an interview with BUSINESS Online.

    The new world economic order is socialist in ideology

    The new world economic order is socialist in ideology”
    
    – Sergey Yuryevich, commenting on today’s tragic events.

    Q: Sergey wrote in your Telegram channel that we should have read your book about the “last world war”, written about 6 years ago. How did you manage to predict everything so accurately?

    A: The fact is that there are long-term patterns of economic development, the analysis and understanding of which makes it possible to predict the events that are taking place at the present time.

    We are now experiencing a simultaneous change in the technological and world economic structures, while the technological basis of the economy is changing, there is a transition to fundamentally new technologies, and the management system is also changing.

    Events like this happen about once a century.

    However, technological structures change about once every 50 years, and their change is usually accompanied by a technological revolution, depression and an arms race.

    And world economic structures change once every 100 years, and their change is accompanied by world wars and social revolutions.

    This is due to the fact that the ruling elite of the countries of the core of the old world economic order impedes changes, does not take into account the emergence of more effective management systems, tries to block the development of new world leaders using them, and tries to maintain its hegemony and its monopoly position by any means, including military and revolutionary ones.

    Say, 100 years ago, the British Empire was trying to maintain its hegemony in the world.

    When it was already losing economically to the combined resources of the Russian Empire and Germany, the First World War, provoked by British intelligence, was unleashed, during which all three European empires self-liquidated.

    I am talking about the collapse of tsarist Russia, the German and Austro-Hungarian empires, but here we can even put a fourth – the Ottoman Port.

    As for Britain, for some time it retained global dominance and even became the largest empire on the planet. But due to the inexorable laws of socio-economic development, the colonial world economic structure, based in fact on slave labor, could no longer ensure economic growth.

    The two fundamentally new political models that emerged – the Soviet and the American ones – demonstrated a much greater efficiency of production.

    This is since they were already organized on other principles: not on private family capitalism.

    They were organized on the strength of large transnational corporations with centralized structures for regulating the economy and with limitless monetary emission of credit through fiat money (paper or electronic means – ed. note).

    They enabled the mass production of products much more efficiently than the administrative systems of the colonial empires of the XIX century.

    The emergence of social states in the USSR and the USA with centralized control systems made it possible for a sharp jump in their economic development.

    In Europe, the corporate governance system was formed, unfortunately, according to the Nazi model in Germany, and also not without the help of British intelligence.

    Hitler, relying on the support of the British intelligence services and American capital, quite quickly deployed a centralized corporate management system in Germany, which allowed the Third Reich to very quickly capture the whole of Europe.

    With God’s help, we defeated this German (more precisely, European – taking into account today’s realities) fascism.

    After that, two models remained in the world.

    Which I attribute to the imperial world economic structure: Soviet and Western (with the center in the USA).

    • Soviet model
    • Western model

    After the collapse of the Soviet Union, (which could not withstand global competition due to the fact that the directive system of government was not flexible enough to meet the needs of technological progress), the United States seized global dominance for a while.

    Better-Than-Ever Meatloaf

    OIP C.Q9bcg2u1ysJNU QRKOti4AHaE8
    American meatloaf.

    Meatloaf is an American favorite, right up there with Mom’s freshly baked apple pie. And while we know that everyone has a favorite way they like to make their meatloaf, we think our Better-than-Ever Meatloaf is sure worth a try.

    What You’ll Need

    • 2 pounds ground beef
    • 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
    • 2 eggs
    • 3/4 cup water
    • 2/3 cup ketchup, divided
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

    What to Do

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large baking pan with cooking spray.
    2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except 1/3 cup ketchup; mix well.
    3. Place mixture into prepared baking pan and shape into a loaf. Spread remaining 1/3 cup ketchup over top.
    4. Bake 1 hour or until done.

    Notes

    • If you want to cook this in the microwave, simply combine the ingredients as above, then place the mixture in a 2-quart oblong microwaveable baking dish and shape into a loaf. Microwave, uncovered, on High (full power), turning the dish occasionally, for 25 minutes or until done. Remove from the baking dish and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes before serving.
    • Want to try a lighter version of this meatloaf recipe? You can use very lean ground turkey or chicken instead of ground beef!

    The end of the unipolar moment

    Q: But now this period of “American unipolar loneliness” is already ending, and, probably, not only thanks to Russia, but primarily to China and the Asian regions as such. Is it not?

    A: Indeed, the hierarchical vertical structures characteristic of the imperial world economy turned out to be too rigid to ensure continuous innovation processes.

    They lost their comparative effectiveness in ensuring the growth of the world economy.

    On its periphery, a new world economic order has been formed.

    It was one, which is based on flexible management models.

    As well as a network organization of production, where the state works as an integrator, uniting the interests of various social groups around achieving one goal – raising the public welfare.

    The most impressive example of such an integral world economic structure today is China, which for more than 30 years has outpaced the growth rate of the American economy by three times.

    At the moment, China is already surpassing the United States in terms of [1] output, [2] exports of high-tech goods, and [3] growth rates.

    Another example of a model of a new world economic order, which we called integral (due to the fact that the state in it unites all social groups of different interests), is India.

    It has a different political system, but it also has the primacy of public interests over private ones, and the state seeks to maximize growth rates in order to fight poverty.

    In this sense, the new world economic order is socialist in ideology.

    At the same time, it uses market mechanisms of competition, which makes it possible to provide the highest concentration of resources for making a technological revolution with goals to ensure economic leaps based on a new advanced technological order.

    If we look at growth rates after 1995, we see that the Chinese economy has grown 10 times, while the US economy has grown by only 15 percent.

    Thus, it is already obvious to everyone that at present the pace of world economic development is shifting to Asia: China, India and the countries of Southeast Asia already produce more products than the US and the EU.

    If we add to them Japan or Korea, in which the management system is similar in its principles to the integration of society around the goal of increasing public welfare.

    Then we can say that today this new world economic structure already dominates the world, and the center of reproduction of the world economy has moved to Southeast Asia.

    Of course, the American ruling elite cannot agree with this.

    Q: To come to terms with it, I would say…

    A: Yes. They, like the British Empire once, seek to maintain their hegemony in the world.

    The events taking place today are a manifestation of how the US financial and powerful oligarchic elite are trying to maintain world domination.

    It can be said that for the past 15 years it has been waging a world hybrid war, seeking to chaoticize countries beyond its control and restrain the development of the People’s Republic of China.

    But due to the already archaic system of governance, they cannot do this.

    The financial crisis of 2008 was such a transitional moment when the life cycle of the outgoing technological order actually ended.

    And the process of massive redistribution of capital into a new technological order began.

    The core of which is a complex of nanobioengineering and information communication technologies.

    All countries began to pump up their economies with money.

    The simplest thing a modern government can do is to give all businesses access to cheap long-term money so they can adopt new technologies.

    But, in America and Europe such funds went mainly into financial bubbles and covered the budget deficit.

    While, in China this colossal money emission was completely directed to the growth of production and the development of new technologies.

    There were no Chinese financial bubbles.

    And the ultra-high monetization of the Chinese economy did not result in inflation either.

    Instead, the growth of the money supply was accompanied by [1] an increase in the production of goods, [2] the introduction of new advanced technologies and [3] an increase in public welfare.

    Today, economic competition has already led to the fact that the United States has lost its leadership.

    If you remember, Donald Trump tried to contain the development of China through a trade war, but nothing came out of it.

    Man-Eating Sex Queen of Great Neck, New York, Dorothea Matthews

    201 Clent Rd Great Neck NY
    201 Clent Rd Great Neck NY

    This English Tudor house, located at 201 Clent Road, Great Neck, New York, may not look like much of a love nest. But in 1948, its chief female resident, Mrs. Dorothea Matthews turned this house into something approaching the Playboy Mansion, East. It wasn’t until Mrs. Matthews’ divorce proceedings from her husband Mark Matthews in 1948 that we began to see that wanton sexual escapades did not begin in the groovy Sixties. According to court documents, Mrs. Matthews racked up a large number of sexual partners.

    Mrs. Dorothea Matthews 1948
    Mrs. Dorothea Matthews 1948

    As a slim, shapely 28 year-old woman with plenty of time on her hands, Dorothea had many sexual options beyond her husband Mark, and she took advantage of so many of them. Mrs. Matthews was a very forthright individual; or, to put it in the words of the New York Daily News , she was “socially minded.” Mrs. Matthews managed to bed down a good number of men and women in Great Neck, Upstate New York, trains in transit to Florida, Manhattan, and probably lots of other places.

    Mrs. Dorothea Matthews January 7 1950
    Mrs. Dorothea Matthews January 7 1950

    Yet her taste in sexual partners was not indiscriminate. A doctor, art historian, student, actor, secretary, and her husband, who was a Ping-Pong champion and owned a messenger service, filled her sexual roster, and those are only the ones we know about. And of course, a murderer would be one of her conquests.

    All in all, I would say that she lived a FULL life.

    The Americans have opened a biological front of war by launching the coronavirus in China

    Q: Why? Did Trump, accustomed to taking risks and going all-in, lack the determination?

    A:  And even Trump (of all people) couldn’t get (the United States) out (of it’s situation), because China has a more efficient management system that allows you to concentrate the available production resources to the fullest.

    At the same time, effective money management keeps money emission in the contour of expanded reproduction of the real sector of the economy, focusing on financing investments in development.

    China has the highest savings rate of any country, with about 45 percent of GDP invested, compared with 20 percent in the United States or Russia. This, in fact, ensures the ultra-high growth rates of the Chinese economy.

    In short, the US was doomed to lose this trade war because China could produce more efficiently and finance development cheaper.

    The entire banking system in China is state-owned, it works as a single development institution, directing cash flows to expand production and master new technologies.

    In the United States, the emission of money goes to finance the budget deficit and is redistributed into financial bubbles.

    As a result, the efficiency of the US financial and economic system is 20 percent – there only every fifth dollar reaches the real sector, and in China almost 90 percent (that is, almost all the yuan that is created by the Central Bank of the PRC) feeds the contours of the expansion of production and ensures ultra-high economic growth.

    Trump’s attempts to limit China’s development through trade war methods have failed.

    At the same time, they boomeranged at the United States itself.

    Then the Americans opened a biological war front by launching the coronavirus in China, hoping that the Chinese leadership would not cope with this epidemic and chaos would arise in China.

    However, the epidemic has demonstrated the low efficiency of healthcare and has created chaos in the United States itself.

    The Chinese system of government has shown much greater efficiency here as well.

    In the Celestial Empire, the mortality rate is significantly lower, and the pandemic was dealt with much faster there.

    Already in 2020, they even reached economic growth of 2 percent, while in the United States there was a decline of 10 percent of GDP (analysts noted the largest drop since the Second World War ed. note).

    Now the Chinese have restored the growth rate of about 7 percent per year, and there is no doubt that the PRC will continue to develop confidently, expanding the production of a new technological order.

    In parallel with the trade war against China, American intelligence services were preparing a war against Russia.

    This was because the Anglo-Saxon geopolitical tradition considers our country the main obstacle to establishing world domination of the US and British power and financial elite.

    It must be said that the war against the Russian Federation unfolded immediately after the annexation of Crimea and after the American special services organized a coup d’état in Ukraine.

    It can be said that they tricked Russia into agreeing to the American occupation of Ukraine, considering it as a temporary phenomenon.

    However, the Americans took root on ‘Ukrainian Independence’, created not only [1] strongholds, growing Nazis under their wing, but also [2]  trained the Nazi armed forces.

    This gave the Nazis the opportunity to receive a military education, trained them in their academies, ‘sewed together’ all the Armed Forces of Ukraine with them.

    And for 8 years they have been preparing the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the fight against the only enemy – Russia.

    While the mass media, which in Ukraine are also completely controlled by the Americans, formed the image of the enemy in the public mind.

    In addition, the United States used the monetary and financial front of the hybrid war against the Russian Federation.

    Already in 2014, they introduced the first financial sanctions and knocked out a significant part of Western loans from the Russian economy.

    Now we are witnessing the next phase, when they have actually disconnected Russia from the world monetary and financial system, which they dominate.

    However, I predicted all this 10 years ago.

    I did so based on the theory of changing world economic structures and the specific logic of the US ruling elite.

    A logic which was focused on world domination.

    Anglo-Saxon geopolitics is traditionally oriented against the Russian Empire and its successors, the USSR and the Russian Federation.

    This is because, since the days of the British Empire, Russia has been seen as the main opponent of the Anglo-Saxons.

    All the so-called geopolitical science that was being written in London came down, in fact, to a set of recommendations on how to destroy Russia as the dominant force in Eurasia. I mean all sorts of speculative constructions like “countries of the sea against countries of the land” and so on.

    Q: How did Russia get in the way of the ‘sea countries’ that much? After all, geographically with the UK, we have never bordered.

    A:  In this regard, a formula was invented: whoever controls Eurasia controls the whole world.

    Actually, applied developments have already gone further.

    Zbigniew Brzezinski’s theorem is known that in order to defeat Russia as a superpower, Ukraine must be torn off from it.

    All this political dogma, which, it would seem, has long gone down in history, is nevertheless reproduced today in the thinking of the American political elite.

    I must say that there are still courses in geopolitics of the past 19th century at Harvard and Yale University, sharpening the brains of future American politicians against Russia.

    So they, in fact, jumped on this old and time-tested Russophobic stream, which has always been characteristic of Anglo-Saxon geopolitics.

    And, considering Russia as the main opponent of their dominance in the world, in accordance with the proposal of Brzezinski.

    Thus, they used Ukraine as an outpost, more precisely, as a tool to undermine Russia, weaken it and, in the long run, destroy it as a sovereign state.

    So, what is happening today was easily predicted based on a combination of long-term patterns of economic development.

    This, actually doomed the world to a hybrid war, and the traditional Russophobia of the Anglo-Saxon political elite.

    After the weakening of the PRC did not work out through a trade war, the Americans transferred the main blow of their military and political power to Russia.

    It was a logical step as they consider to be a weak link in world geopolitics and economics.

    In addition, the Anglo-Saxons seek to establish dominance over Russia in order to realize their age-old Russophobic ideas of destroying our country, and at the same time weakening China, because the strategic alliance of the Russian Federation and China is too tough for the United States.

    They have neither the economic nor the military power to destroy us together, neither separately, which is why the United States initially sought to quarrel us with China.

    That didn’t work for them.

    But they, using our, I would say, placidity, and seized control over Ukraine.

    And thus today they are using our fraternal republic as a weapon of war to destroy Russia, and then to seize control of our resources in order.

    I repeat, to strengthen their position and weaken China’s position.

    In general, this is all obvious, like two plus two equals four.

    Q:The Americans will not be able to win, just as the British did not succeed in their time

    A:  Probably, this is obvious, but not for everyone. Among the Russian elite there are many opponents of an alliance with China. At least, before the special operation in Ukraine, it seemed to these people that American and Western culture is more understandable and closer to us than hieroglyphic Chinese wisdom, and that we will always find a common language with our “Western partners”.

    You know, back in 2015 I wrote the book “The Last World War. The USA is Starting and Losing”, which you mentioned at the beginning of the conversation everything was thought out and justified there.

    The United States embarked on a worldwide hybrid war.

    It started with the Orange Revolutions to disrupt regions of the world it did not control.

    It did this in order to strengthen its position and weaken the position of geopolitical rivals.

    After the famous Munich speech of President Putin (February 2007 – ed. Note), they realized that they had lost control over Yeltsin’s Russia, and this seriously worried them.

    In 2008, the financial crisis broke out and it became clear that the transition to a new technological order was beginning.

    And with this, the old world economic order and the previous management system no longer ensured sustainable economic development.

    China was now leading the way.

    Well, then afterwards the logic of deploying of a world war happens, only not in the forms that existed 100 years ago, but on three conditional fronts

    • monetary-financial (where the United States still dominates the world),
    • trade-economic (where they have already lost superiority to China) and
    • information-cognitive (where the Americans also have technologies that are superior to ours).

    They use all three of these fronts in an attempt to keep the initiative and maintain the hegemony of their corporations.

    Well and finally, the fourth front is the biological one, which opened with the advent of the coronavirus from the US-Chinese laboratory in Wuhan.

    Today we see that a whole network of biological laboratories existed in Ukraine.

    So the United States has long been preparing to open the biological front of the world war.

    The fifth, and most obvious, front is, in fact, the front of combat fighting – as the last tool for forcing the states that they control into unquestioning obedience.

    Today, the situation on this front is also escalating.

    That is, active operations are underway on all five fronts of the world hybrid war, and the result can be predicted.

    The Americans will not be able to win, just as the British did not succeed in their time.

    Although Britain formally won World War II, they lost politically and economically.

    The British lost their entire empire, losing more than 90 percent of the territory and 95 percent of the population.

    Two years after World War II, where they were the winners, their empire collapsed like a house of cards, because the other two winners – the USSR and the USA – did not need this empire and viewed it as an anachronism.

    Now today, the world will not need American transnational corporations.

    They will not need the American dollar.

    They will not need the American monetary and financial technologies and financial pyramids.

    All this will be a thing of the past in the near future.

    Southeast Asia will become the obvious leader in world economic development, and a new world economic order will be formed before our very eyes.

    Q: To paraphrase [Erich] Remarque, we can say that changes have finally come on the western front. But what signs do you see of this powerful global system soon becoming a thing of the past?

    A: After the Americans seized first [1] the Venezuelan foreign exchange reserves and handed them over to the opposition, then [2] the Afghan foreign exchange reserves, before that [3] the Iranian ones, and now [4] the Russian ones, it became completely clear that the dollar ceased to be the world currency.

    Following the Americans, the Europeans also committed this stupidity – the euro and the pound ceased to be world currencies.

    Therefore, the old monetary and financial system is living its last days.

    After American dollars that no one needs are sent back to America from Asian countries, the collapse of the world monetary and financial system based on dollars and euros is inevitable.

    Leading countries are switching to national currencies, and the euro and the dollar are ceasing to be foreign exchange reserves.

    Q:  How do you see the world after the disappearance of the dollar monopoly?

    A:  We are currently working on a project for an international treaty on the introduction of a new world settlement currency.

    It will be pegged to the national currencies of the participating countries and to exchange commodities that determine real values.

    We won’t need American and European banks.

    A new payment system based on modern digital technologies with blockchain is developing in the world, where banks lose their importance.

    Classical capitalism based on private banks is fading away.

    International law is being restored.

    All key international relations, including the issuance of world currency circulation, begin to form on the basis of agreements.

    At the same time, the significance of national sovereignty is being restored, because sovereign countries are coming to an agreement.

    The basis of global economic cooperation is joint investment in order to improve the well-being of peoples.

    Trade liberalization ceases to be some kind of priority, national priorities are respected, each state builds such a system for protecting the internal market and its economic space that it considers necessary.

    That is, the era of liberal globalization is over.

    Before our eyes, a new world economic structure is being formed – an integral one, in which some states and private banks lose their private monopoly on the issue of money, on the use of military force, and so on.

    Pretty Chinese girl

    I just cannot let a post go without a pretty Chinese girl, don’t you know. video 4MB

    Sergei Lavrov: Russian FM hails China as part of emerging ‘just world order’ – The Economic Times

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrovon Wednesday said Moscow and Beijing are leading the way towards a fairer world order, as he makes his first visit to the key ally since Russialaunched its invasion of Ukraine last month.

    Article

    .

    The third scenario is catastrophic. Destruction of mankind

    Q: Why did you call your book “The Last World War”? What feeds your hope that this global war is really the last one?

    A: I called this world war the last one, because we see that there are several scenarios of movement out of today’s crisis.

    The first scenario, which I have already talked about, is calm and prosperous.

    It consists in overcoming the US monopoly.

    In order to do this in the financial sector, you need to abandon the dollar.

    In order to overcome the monopoly in the information and cognitive sphere, it is necessary to isolate our information space from the American one and switch to our own information technologies.

    Creating their own contours of the reproduction of the economy, but without the US dollar and the euro and relying on their information technologies for managing money, the countries of the new world economic order ensure high rates of economic development.

    They do this while the Western world is collapsing.

    There they have a situation of collapse of financial pyramids, disorganization and a growing economic crisis, aggravated by growing inflation due to the uncontrolled issue of money over the past 12 years.

    The second scenario of a possible development of events is similar to the one that Hitler wanted to realize during the period of the change of previous world economic structures.

    This is an attempt to create a world government with a superhuman ideology.

    If Hitler conceived the German nation as superhumans, then the current ideologists of world domination impose on humanity the transition to a post-humanoid state.

    In contrast to the post-humanism of the West, the core countries of the new world economic order are characterized by a socialist ideology.

    This means respect for private interests, protection of private property and the use of market mechanisms.

    In China, India, Japan, and Korea, socialist ideology dominates.

    Or rather, a mixture of socialist ideology, national interests, and market competition.

    It is this mixture that forms a fundamentally new power-political elite, focused on economic development and the growth of the well-being of nations.

    It is very different for Western politicians, intellectuals and businessmen.

    What we see today  in the West is an attempt to form a certain image of a new world order with a world government at the head.

    And, where people are driven into an electronic concentration camp.

    You can see by the example of restrictions during the pandemic how it happened: all people are given tags, access to public goods is regulated through QR codes, everyone is forced to walk in formation.

    By the way, in the scenario of the Rockefeller Foundation back in 2009, the pandemic and, in fact, everything that happened in connection with it, was amazingly sorted into pieces – they actually predicted the future.

    This scenario was called Lock Step, that is, “Walk in formation”, and the Western world followed it.

    Sacrificing their own democratic values, they try to force people to obey commands.

    International organizations, including the World Health Organization, are used as a kind of stronghold for assembling a world government that would be subordinate to private capital.

    But, I must say, Donald Trump greatly interfered with these plans.

    This is because he stopped the signing of agreements on Transatlantic and Trans-Pacific partnerships.

    In those partnerships, where all countries participating in the agreements sacrificed national sovereignty in all disputes with big business.

    And you need to understand that today any transnational corporation can act as a foreign investor, including in the United States.

    According to these agreements, if there is foreign capital in the business, then in a dispute with the national government, some kind of international arbitration court is formed, it is not clear how and by whom it was drawn up.

    And these unelected judges, appointed, in fact, by big international business, these disputes are resolved.

    In fact, it was about the fact that the state was losing all sovereignty in regulating relations with big business.

    However, Trump stopped the agreement – the United States never signed it.

    Thus, the process of forming a world government was stopped.

    This is the second alternative, and it is now in crisis due to the collapse of the idea of globalization and the gradual abandonment of ‘pandemic’ restrictions.

    It must be understood that the option of a world government is incompatible with sovereign Russia, with our independence and role in the world.

    Within the framework of the globalist scenario, the Russian Federation is viewed as a territory that is intended for exploitation by Western transnational corporations.

    The “indigenous population” must serve their interests.

    Under such a scenario, Russia disappears as an independent entity, just like China, by the way.

    The Western world government may incorporate some of our oligarchs into its version of the future, but only in second and third-rate roles.

    Another pretty Chinese Girl

    They are everywhere in China, don’t you know. video 2MB

    The third scenario is catastrophic. The destruction of humanity…

    Q: That same apocalypse which everybody talks about?

    A: Well, not everyone… But everyone, of course, is afraid.

    By the way, about the American biological laboratories that are engaged in the synthesis of dangerous viruses, it was mentioned in my other book, which was published a little later: “Plague of the XXI century: how to avoid disaster and overcome the crisis?”

    I remember back in 1996, when I had to work in the UN Security Council, I proposed to develop the concept of national biological security.

    Because even then, almost 30 years ago, genetics was a sufficiently developed science to synthesize viruses directed against people of a certain race or a certain gender, a certain age.

    This has been possible for a long time.

    It is possible to make a virus that will only work against whites, or vice versa, only against blacks, only against men, or only against women.

    Now the Americans are going further – you see that, data which agrees with our Ministry of Defense, they announced the day before, that American biological laboratories were developing viruses targeted against the Slavs.

    Apparently, it is possible today – to make a virus against some ethnic group that has its own genetic code.

    What is happening in Ukraine today is an echo of the agony of the US power elite, which cannot come to terms with the fact that they will no longer be a world leader.

    This becomes clear to everyone – at least to those who are not connected with the Americans by their own interests and are not subject to their cognitive influence.

    I’ll give you an example.

    When the US imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014, I asked my Chinese colleagues: “Do you think the Americans can impose sanctions with regards to China?”

    They were certain that they can’t.

    They said that it was impossible, because the US depends on China just as strongly as China depends on the US.

    That is, America will be more expensive for itself.

    Two years had passed, and Trump launched a trade war against China.

    And Beijing now understood that America is an enemy that will drown the Chinese economic miracle by any and all means.

    Prior to this, my reasonings with my Chinese colleagues were not very convincing, just as, however, my book you mentioned did not greatly influence our political and economic elite.

    My arguments were dismissed.

    Although we have been saying for many, many years that the dollar should be refused.

    • Foreign exchange reserves should have been removed from dollar instruments, from the euros-to-gold.
    • It is necessary to switch to ones own monetary and financial systems.
    • Nations should have developed our own settlements in national currencies with partners.

    We have been offering all this since the 2000s, when it was already clear what the world economic development was leading to. And now, finally, everyone has seen the light.

    Another Pretty Chinese girl

    Here we have yet another view inside of China. video 10MB

    The Americans zombified Ukrainians and turned 150-200 thousand people into a fighting machine that works without thinking”

    Q:  Judging by the heart-rending howl that comes from the camp of the liberals, as well as the events in Ukraine, not everyone has seen the light yet.

    A: Yes, we are faced with the fact that in 8 years the Americans have managed to fool the Ukrainian people so much that the people who resist the Russian army, the so-called Armed Forces of Ukraine, look simply zombified.

    They are manipulated like puppets.

    It is not Zelensky who commands the Ukrainian Army, not even the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the General Staff – but the Pentagon.

    It commands very effectively from the point of view in the fight of “to the last Ukrainian soldier”, because these zombie guys do not give up.

    But they are in an absolutely hopeless situation.

    All experts have already acknowledged that Russia won the military special operation, that the Ukraine has no chance of resistance, that the entire military infrastructure has been destroyed…

    The Armed Forces of Ukraine is only left with surrendering in order to minimize human losses.

    However, Ukrainian officers (and especially, of course, nationalists) act like zombies controlled from the outside – they follow instructions from the Pentagon that come to their personal computers and special tablets.

    Moreover, the Americans command their marionettes from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, breaking them into the appropriate units.

    Each unit is assigned a number, and every number is given artificial ‘military intelligence’ with tasks every day.

    They really turned 150-200 thousand people into a fighting machine that works without thinking, only stupidly follows all their orders.

    For 8 years, they have achieved that they forced a significant part of the youth of Ukraine not only to stand up against Russia, but through brainwashing made them their weak-willed tools.

    Not just cannon fodder, but controlled cannon fodder.

    Being in an absolutely hopeless situation, surrounded, deprived of any supply at all, they still continue the senseless war, dooming themselves to death, and dragging the surrounding civilians with them to the grave.

    This is a clear example of how modern American technology works.

    We must understand that in front of us, we have a very powerful force.

    You know, before [the war], we have heard from Russian experts and politicians that the Ukrainians themselves will suffocate economically and then crawl to us, and in general where will Ukraine go without us?

    After all, it will not be able to ensure the reproduction of the economy without our resources and cooperation with us.

    Indeed, Ukraine has entered a state of economic catastrophe, as we expected, as we explained to our Ukrainian colleagues.

    The Ukrainian republic has become the poorest state in Europe along with Moldova.

    Due to the fact that Ukraine has terminated ties with Russia, its losses amount to more than 100 billion dollars.

    Nevertheless, this did not prevent American and British political strategists and instructors from forming a 200,000-strong army of thugs and murderers who completely inadequately imagine reality and are an obedient instrument of American interests.

    Q: Aren’t there equally obedient American marionettes in Russia? Is it only Ukrainians who were zombified?

    A:  Yes, and here it should be noted that practically the same thing is happening with the Central Bank, but only on other issues.

    Q:  Before we move on to the Central Bank, let me clarify. You said that you are working on introducing a new currency. And in what format and with what team?

    A:  We have been doing this for a long time as a group of scholars. 10 years ago, at the Astana Economic Forum.

    We presented the report “Toward sustainable growth through a fair world economic order” with a project for the transition to a new world financial and monetary system.

    There, we proposed to reform the IMF system based on the so-called special drawing rights, and on the basis of a modified IMF system – to create a worldwide accounting currency.

    By the way, this idea aroused great interest then: our project was recognized as the best international economic project.

    But in a practical sense, none of the states, represented by the official monetary authorities, was interested in this project.

    Although it was followed by Nursultan Nazarbayev’s publications, which proposed a new currency. If I remember correctly, he offered Altyn.

    Q:  Altyn? That is interesting.

    A: Yes, the publication of his article on this topic even took place in Izvestia.

    But the matter did not come to negotiations and political decisions, and to this day it is rather a proposal of experts.

    But I am sure that the current situation is forcing us to create new payment-settlement instruments very quickly.

    This is because the dollar will practically be impossible to use.

    And the ruble, due to the incompetent policy of the Central Bank, which, in fact, acts in the interests of international speculators, cannot find sustainability.

    Objectively, the ruble could become a reserve currency along with the yuan and the rupee.

    It would be possible to move to a multi-currency system based on national currencies.

    But we still need some equivalent for pricing…

    Now we are working on the concept of the exchange space of the Eurasian Economic Union, where one of the tasks is the formation of new pricing criteria.

    That is, if we want metal prices to be formed not in London, but here in Russia, just like oil prices.

    Then this implies the emergence of some other currency.

    This is especially true if we want to act not only within the Eurasian Economic Union, and in Eurasia in a broad sense.

    Were Eurasia would be at the center of a new world economic order, to which I include China, India, Indochina, Japan, Korea and Iran.

    These are large countries, all of which have their own fundamental national interests.

    After the current stories with the confiscation of [Russia’s] dollar reserves, I think no country will want to use another country’s currency as a reserve.

    So a new tool is needed.

    And from my point of view, such a tool, for a start, can become some kind of synthetic settlement currency, which would be built as such an aggregated index.

    Q: Can I have some examples? What it is?

    A:  Well, let’s say, ECU (European Currency Unit) – there was such an experience in the European Union.

    It was built like a basket of currencies.

    All countries that participate in the creation of a new accounting currency should be entitled to the presence of their national currency in this basket.

    And the common currency is formed as an index, as a weighted average component of these national currencies.

    Well, to this we must add, from my point of view, commodities: not only gold, but also oil, and metal, and grain, and water.

    Its a sort of commodity harness, which, according to our estimates, should include about 20 goods.

    They, in fact, form world price proportions and therefore must participate in the basket for the formation of a new accounting currency.

    And an international treaty is needed, which will determine the rules for the circulation of this currency and create an organization like the International Monetary Fund.

    By the way, 15 years ago we proposed reforming the IMF, but now it is already obvious that a new monetary financial system will have to be built without the West.

    Perhaps someday Europe will join it and the US will also be forced to admit it.

    But so far it is clear that we will have to build without them.

    For example, on the basis of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

    However, these are just expert developments, which we will submit to the authorities in the coming month.

    Q:  And at the level of the government or at the level of the president?

    A:  We will first send it to the departments that are responsible for these issues. We will hold discussions, develop some kind of common understanding, and then go to the political level.

    Russia abandons the ISS space station

    Without Russian rocket engines, there is no American/EU space station. No space X. So it really doesn’t matter. My guess is an earlier than planned retirement of the space station for “fiscal reasons” (wink. Wink.)
    .
    .

    Another Fine and attractive Chinese woman

    One of the many reasons why I love living inside of China. Beauty abounds. So sexy cooking food.  video 4MB

    The Central Bank continues the policy of pandering to the enemy”

    Q: In your Telegram channel, you write that all that remains is to nationalize the Bank of Russia. Why hasn’t it been done yet? For example, there is a point of view that Elvira Nabiullina remains at her post as a screen, but will no longer manages anything serious. Can you refute or confirm this?

    A:  You know, I don’t want to engage in conspiracy theories.

    Q:  This is a conspiracy theory?

    A:  Yes, we can talk about the American Deep State in conspiracy terms.

    In this case, conspiracy theories are a very appropriate direction of thought, because in America, behind the screen of presidents and congressmen, there are some deep forces – special services.

    And in our Fatherland, everything is simple.

    We have a president, a head of state who has built a vertical form of power.

    It is absolutely clear in our country how the parliament and the judiciary are formed.

    Here, no conspiracy theory, in general, can be applied.

    The same goes for the Central Bank.

    Let me remind you that, according to the law on the Central Bank, all its property is federal property.

    Therefore, the Central Bank is a state structure, there is not the slightest doubt about it.

    Q:  And they always said that the Central Bank was separated, as if on the sidelines.

    A:  The Board of Directors of the Central Bank is appointed by the State Duma on the proposal of the President.

    I served for many years as its representative on the national banking board, which oversees the activities of the Central Bank.

    I can say that there is no doubt that the Central Bank is the state body for regulating monetary circulation, and it is also the main financial regulator in the country.

    But there are nuances.

    The Constitution stipulates that the Central Bank conducts its policy independently, that is, it is independent of the government.

    But this does not mean that it is independent of the state.

    This is a state-owned agency.

    Here the judicial system in our country is also officially independent of the government.

    Therefore, being an independent body, the Central Bank is nevertheless formed as a state regulatory body and must perform the tasks that are necessary for the development of our economy.

    To do this, it is necessary to involve the Central Bank in strategic planning.

    The classics of monetary circulation stipulates that the main goal of the monetary authorities, that is, the Central Bank, should be to create conditions for maximizing investment.

    That is what the banking system should be doing – maximizing investment.

    Because the more investments, the more production, the higher the technical level, the lower the costs and the lower the inflation, the more stable the economy.

    It is possible to achieve macroeconomic stabilization in the modern economy only on the basis of accelerated scientific and technological progress.

    Attempts to target inflation (such a buzzword), which the Central Bank has been practically imitating for the past 10 years, by manipulating the key interest rate against the backdrop of a freely floating ruble, is short-sighted, primitive and counterproductive.

    Usually these measures are recommended by the IMF for underdeveloped countries that themselves do not know how to think.

    What is inflation targeting in practice?

    This is an extremely primitive and internally contradictory set of measures, the application of which drives the economy into a stagflation trap.

    The Central Bank threw the ruble into free float, which is absurd from the point of view of inflation targeting in an open economy, where the exchange rate directly affects prices.

    And we see how the devaluation of the ruble periodically accelerates prices.

    In addition, they reduced monetary policy to only one absolutely primitive tool – the manipulation of the key interest rate.

    But the key rate is the percentage at which the Central Bank lends money to the economy and withdraws money from the economy.

    Its attempts to suppress inflation by raising the interest rate cannot succeed in today’s economy, because the higher the interest rate, the less credit, the less investment, the lower the technical level and competitiveness.

    The decrease in the latter entails the devaluation of the ruble in 3-4 years, after they raise the interest rate, supposedly to fight inflation.

    Having let the ruble exchange rate float freely, they, in fact, gave it at the mercy of currency speculators.

    The Americans really like these politics, so they praise the leadership of our Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance in every possible way.

    After all, what is important to them?

    So that everything is tied to the dollar, so that the ruble is a ‘junk’ currency that is unstable.

    And this is a paradox, because the amount of foreign exchange reserves of the Russian Federation has recently been 3 times more than the ruble money supply!

    This means that the Central Bank could have stabilized the exchange rate at any level. But it didn’t do that.

    And who are the speculators to whom the Central Bank actually threw the ruble to be torn to pieces?

    The main speculators are American hedge funds, which actually shape the ruble exchange rate by manipulating the market.

    But the Central Bank does not notice this, or rather, pretends to not notice.

    In order to keep them in the foreign exchange market by raising the interest rate, the Central Bank kills credit and makes our economy dependent on foreign sources of credit, and the foreign exchange financial system dependent on the interests of speculators.

    This is in whose interests the Central Bank works, hiding behind cool buzzwords like ‘inflation targeting’, which has shamefully failed in these past years in terms of real price dynamics.

    So in our country the weakest point of the entire national security system in general is the Central Bank.

    Its leadership is hit by the enemy’s cognitive-weapon, in other words, zombified by it. In fact, our monetary authorities are doing what the enemy needs.

    By the way, I proved mathematically and chronologically that the first wave of sanctions was imposed against Russia only after the Central Bank prepared the ground for this.

    Namely, it let the ruble exchange rate float freely and announced that it would raise the interest rate, if inflation would start in the country.

    As soon as the Central Bank moved to this strange policy, the Americans immediately imposed sanctions.

    Their speculators ensured the collapse of the ruble exchange rate, this caused an inflationary wave, and the Central Bank, on the instructions of the IMF, raised the interest rate, which completely paralyzed our economy.

    The total damage from this policy today has already reached 50 trillion rubles of non-produced products and about 20 trillion rubles of unfinished investments.

    Now you have to add to this the 300 billion dollars invested in foreign assets, which are now frozen – that’s the damage.

    Therefore, when we talk about the nationalization of the Central Bank, we are not talking about formally nationalizing it (it has already been nationalized), but about bringing it into a policy of conformity with national interests.

    Right now, its policy is contrary to national interests.

    And there is no conspiracy here.

    We see in whose interests such a policy is pursued.

    The Central Bank raised interest rates to 20 percent, giving the bankers a dominant position in the economy.

    Possessing the most expensive and scarce resource, money, they determine which enterprise will survive, and which enterprise will die, go bankrupt, and so on.

    Rising interest rates are holding the entire Russian economy hostage to a handful of bankers.

    This is the first.

    Secondly, the leadership of the Central Bank allowed another collapse of the ruble exchange rate and closed the currency exchange.

    As a result, today banks have become the main currency speculators: they buy currency for about 90 rubles per dollar, and sell it for 125. The difference settles down for them as excess profit.

    Q: But why, in your opinion, does the Central Bank of the Russian Federation pursue a policy in the interests of the enemy?

    A: As I said, it does this on the recommendation of the International Monetary Fund.

    But its interests are also shared by our large banks, which objectively like this policy, as well as our monetary and financial structures, which are also involved in manipulating the ruble exchange rate.

    Therefore, an influential lobby is formed around this policy, which supports this policy based on its own private interests.

    These interests run counter to the interests of the country, they are directly opposite to them.

    And, if you look at what the Central Bank is doing today, I have no doubts that it continues the policy of actually pandering to the enemy.

    It undermines macroeconomic stability by allowing international speculators to manipulate the ruble exchange rate and does not control the foreign exchange position of banks that have become currency speculators.

    Although the Central Bank could easily withdraw banks from the foreign exchange market by fixing their foreign exchange position, forbidding banks to buy foreign currency.

    And secondly – by raising the interest rate, the Central Bank actually killed investments in the development of the Russian economy.

    Which are very much needed right now.

    Primarily for import substitution and for the restoration of economic sovereignty.

    While our leadership says that we should not be afraid of sanctions, because they create conditions for economic growth, for import substitutions…

    Look, about a third of EU imports have left our market. These are huge opportunities for import substitution.

    If we assume that our enterprises begin to develop these markets, then we will develop at a rate of 15 percent per year.

    But this requires loans.

    Import substitution cannot arise without loans.

    We need loans to set up production facilities, to master new technologies, to load idle production capacities.

    We have long developed such a strategy of advanced development at the Academy of Sciences, and we are promoting it.

    But, unfortunately, the insane, from our point of view, policy of the Central Bank has quite specific influential structures which it likes and supports. That is why the policy is so stable.

    Veteran diplomat warns against Australia being a US proxy in war against China

    Watch “CITIZENS INSIGHT – Veteran Australian diplomat speaks out against war danger – John Lander” on YouTube
    .
    .

    I really love these Chinese girls.

    Here’s another fine Chinese girl. I think that pretty girls are everywhere, but you know, there are a lot of them inside of China. video 2MB

    It is possible to stabilize the ruble in three days”

    Q: Sergey Yuryevich, if this is not conspiracy theory, then why does the Central Bank continue to pursue such a policy? Only based on the interests of lobbyists?

    A: To whom is the war, and to whom is the mother dear.

    Commercial banks earn a 40% profit on currency speculation.

    You bought 90 rubles per dollar – sold it for 125. 35 rubles – nothing is easier!

    As a result, we have inflation, imports are becoming more expensive, everyone sees this insane rate.

    Prices for all goods are rising, but the banks are making super profits.

    Again, a very influential lobby has formed around this policy, and admitting the failure of such a strategy for many people means, in fact, admitting their incompetence and even sabotage.

    And speculators with large banks are quite influential structures in our country that influence decision-making.

    Q: Well and what, does this information not reach the first person (Putin), is it blocked?

    A: When I was an adviser, I communicated this information.

    Q: Were you listened to?

    A:  Yes, there were discussions, discussed at the Economic Council, then it was closed so as not to irritate the officials.

    Now I don’t want to comment on it.

    We see today that if we do not change the monetary policy, then it will simply be impossible for us to survive in this hybrid war.

    We now need to counter economic sanctions with a serious increase in domestic production.

    There are production facilities for this, people, raw materials, brains – too, but there is no money.

    Right now, the simplest thing that the state can give people is money.

    Q: What is your feeling? Is there an understanding at the top?

    A:  I think that you need to directly address this question to them.

    Q: But many people call you almost the Number 1 person in the current situation – a public figure who can save Russia.

    A: Thank you for this review. I try my best.

    Q:  I just want to understand: if before there was no prophet in our Fatherland, now has he appeared? Is this a temporary situation with the Central Bank?

    A:  It is so protracted, I would say, for 30 years.

    If we had carried out a competent monetary policy in accordance with the requirements of the new world economic order, the integral system, we would have developed like China – by 10 percent a year.

    There were such possibilities.

    And we basically been stomping in the same spot for these past 30 years.

    So the point is not even whether they listen or not, you just need to look objectively and see how China and India are developing and how we are developing.

    What prevented us from developing in exactly the same way?

    Moreover, the control system of the new world economic order, which I describe in my books, is universal.

    She worked successfully in Japan before the Americans broke the Japanese economic growth.

    And even in Ethiopia, where they also began to form this management model (and achieved growth by several times).

    That is, this universal management model of the modern economy, focused on the growth of social welfare through investment in a new technological order, needs to be implemented.

    At the same time, of course, the targeted use of money implies a high responsibility.

    Throwing money from a helicopter – is not our thing.

    Q:  It’s not our path.

    A:  We are talking about targeted credit emission based on modern digital tools with a strict control system focused on investments in new technologies.

    We know how to do this, how to minimize the human factor through the introduction of digital technologies, including the digital ruble.

    But this is disadvantageous for those who still adhere to the old strategies.

    They made a cash cow out of Russia, they sucked out 100 billion dollars from it abroad to offshore companies. But now the Americans have closed offshorization for us. There is a real opportunity, we must use it.

    Q:  What would you advise people? Now the main query on the Internet search engines is where to invest money in an era of turbulence. What should people do?

    A:  First of all, do not make sudden movements, I would say that.

    In any case, what certainly is not necessary – to run after dollars or euros.

    Because we do not know what will happen next with these currencies.

    If our system is disconnected from the Western system, then our banks cannot effectively invest dollars and euros anywhere except in currency speculation.

    But I hope that our authorities will still curb the foreign exchange market.

    In this context, what the banks did, raising the interest rate on foreign currency deposits sharply, turned out to be a clear overkill, which spurred panic.

    I think the ruble will stabilize if, of course, speculators are removed from the foreign exchange market and foreign currency is sold only for importers and people who transfer money abroad within reasonable limits to relatives or are going on a business trip in accordance with the regulations.

    The rest is to block the channels of currency leakage.

    Then our foreign exchange inflow will normalize again.

    You know, we have a very positive trade balance.

    Mandatory sale of 80% of foreign exchange earnings has been introduced.

    If this revenue is sold on the stock exchange, then the amount of currency will be more than what importers need.

    We will have a surplus of currency.

    This means that the ruble will strengthen, that is, it will return to the old indicators – 80 or even 70 rubles per dollar.

    But until the Central Bank removes speculators from the market and allows commercial banks to become such, the ruble exchange rate will not stabilize.

    So, unfortunately, the monetary authorities have not yet come to their senses and have not begun to implement the correct policy of macroeconomic stabilization, I can’t give any advice other than investing in gold if possible (especially since the government removed VAT from gold).

    There are no other real assets and no safe haven.

    Q: So, buy gold?

    A: Buy the essentials.

    Or invest in real estate, in something reliable.

    As for investments in dollars and euros… They have ceased to be a currency for us.

    This is no longer a currency, but some obligations of other countries that may or may not be fulfilled.

    So we need to look for other possibilities.

    But I would like to emphasize once again that with the right policies, we can very quickly stabilize the ruble and even restore its purchasing power.

    Q: And in what perspective, after all?

    A: It can be done even tomorrow, you understand? The Primakov government and [Viktor] Gerashchenko did it in one week.

    Q: Is the government capable of doing this?

    A: Of course it can.

    To do this, in general, two decisions need to be made: to fix the currency position of commercial banks and introduce the norms for the sale of foreign currency for non-trading operations, to keep the freely convertible foreign exchange market only for trading operations.

    That’s all.

    This can be written in 15 minutes and announced within a day, introduced within three days – and the ruble will stabilize.

    Now the USA is trying to “Strong Arm” Pakastan

    After a recently failed NGO backed coup.

    Statecraft | Pakistan PM Imran Khan Insists on Foreign Conspiracy With Alleged Threat Letter
    .
    US seek to overthrown Pakistan PM:
    .
    .

    And yet another fine Chinese girl

    Fine looking lass. video 2MB

    Olivia Newton John – Magic (live on the midnight special)

    After I left the Navy, but before I was sent a searching, I was in this “in-between” funk. I was between two worlds and perhaps a bit lost. It was a phase that I had to grow though. And I did, don’t you know.

    I believe that everyone goes through this period of “void”. Where they feel out of sorts, and without aim, direction, purpose or meaning. For me, it was a new experience, and very uncomfortable.

    I was, though events, able to regroup and seek out my next phase in life. We all do. But when you are in this funk, it’s a road and path that is difficult to define and impossible to get help with.

    I will tell you that this is the song that was topping the radio tops at that time, and the song that I exercised to the most. I well remember doing arm curls and sit-ups to this song. To you readers it is just an old song. But to me… well, it represents that strange period of time that I went though; a time of great uncertainity and confusion about who I was, and what my purpose in life was.

    Give the song a spin…

    Blinken says Russia has already seen a ‘strategic defeat’

    Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Pudding

    R C.a38f256b308181bc76077009b397d5a8
    All that I can say is yum!

    Who doesn’t love making bread pudding in the slow cooker, and this Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Pudding is no exception! Butterscotch chips and pecans add an extra-special touch that’s sure to please. It’s fast. It’s easy. It’s tasty. Just why aren’t you making it?

    What You’ll Need

    • 3 large eggs
    • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1 cup whipping cream
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1/4 cup butter, melted
    • 1 (1-pound) cinnamon-raisin bread loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes
    • 1/2 cup butterscotch chips (see Note)
    • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
    • Sweetened whipped cream (optional)

    What to Do

    1. Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in milk and next 3 ingredients. Add bread cubes, stirring until moistened. Stir in butterscotch chips and pecans. Pour into a lightly greased 4-quart round slow cooker.
    2. Cover and cook on LOW setting 2 hours or until center is set. Carefully remove slow cooker insert from heat element. Let stand, covered, 30 minutes. Serve pudding warm with whipped cream, if desired.

    Notes

    • For more cinnamon flavor, you can substitute an equal amount of cinnamon chips for the butterscotch chips. Cinnamon chips tend to be a seasonal item — available only during the holiday months — so, if you love ’em, stock up.

    20 Facts About The Emerging Global Food Shortage That Should Chill You To The Core

    .

    A very alarming global food shortage has already begun, and it is only going to get worse in the months ahead.  I realize that this is not good news, but I would encourage you to share the information in this article with everyone that you can.  People deserve to understand what is happening, and they deserve an opportunity to get prepared.  The pace at which things are changing around the globe right now is absolutely breathtaking, but most people assume that life will just continue to carry on as it normally does.  Unfortunately, the truth is that a very real planetary emergency is developing right in front of our eyes.  The following are 20 facts about the emerging global food shortage that should chill you to the core…

    #1 One of France’s most important government officials is telling us that we should brace ourselves for an “extremely serious” global food crisis…

    France’s Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the EU must get to grips with the prospect that the war in Ukraine could prompt an “extremely serious” global food crisis.

    #2 Joe Biden recently admitted that food shortages are “going to be real”, and his administration is now openly using the word “famine” to describe what is coming…

    The Biden administration is worried Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will cause famine in parts of the world, White House Council of Economic Advisers Chair Cecilia Rouse told CNBC on Friday.

    #3 It is being reported that food prices at German supermarkets will soon go up between 20 and 50 percent

    Just days after Germany reported the highest inflation in generation (with February headline CPI soaring at a 7.6% annual pace and blowing away all expectations), giving locals a distinctly unpleasant deja vu feeling even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine broke what few supply chains remained and sent prices even higher into the stratosphere…
    
    … on Monday, Germany will take one step toward a return of the dreaded Weimar hyperinflation, when according to the German Retail Association (HDE), consumers should prepare for another wave of price hikes for everyday goods and groceries with Reuters reporting that prices at German retail chains will explode between 20 and 50%

    #4 Rationing has already begun in Spain

    In Spain, the country started experiencing sporadic shortages of different products like eggs, milk and other dairy products almost immediately following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. In early March, major supermarkets like Mercadona and Makro began rationing sunflower oil.

    #5 Rationing has also already started in Greece

    In Greece, at least four national supermarket chains have started rationing food products like flour and sunflower oil due to critically low supplies caused by the crippled supply chains coming out of Russia and Ukraine.

    #6 The head of BlackRock is warning that this will be the very first time this generation “is going to go into a store and not be able to get what they want”

    On Tuesday, BlackRock Inc. President Rob Kapito told an audience in Austin, Texas, hosted by the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association, that an entire younger generation is quickly finding out what it means to suffer from shortages, according to Bloomberg.
    
    “For the first time, this generation is going to go into a store and not be able to get what they want,” Kapito said. “And we have a very entitled generation that has never had to sacrifice.”

    #7 Since this time last year, some fertilizer prices have gone up by as much as 300 percent.

    #8 Many farmers in Africa will not be able to afford fertilizer at all this year, and it is being projected that this will reduce agricultural production by an amount capable of feeding “100 million people”

    With prices tripling over the past 18 months, many farmers are considering whether to forgo purchases of fertilizers this year. That leaves a market long touted for its growth potential set to shrink by almost a third, according to Sebastian Nduva, program manager at researcher group AfricaFertilizer.Org.
    
    That could potentially curb cereals output by 30 million tons, enough to feed 100 million people, he said.

    #9 Russia is normally one of the biggest global exporters of fertilizer

    Russia is a key global player in natural gas, a major input to fertilizer production. Higher gas prices, and supply cuts, will further drive fertilizer prices higher. Russia is one of the biggest exporters of the three major groups of fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). Physical supply cuts could further inflate fertilizer prices.

    #10 In a typical year, Russia and Ukraine collectively account for approximately 30 percent of all global wheat exports.

    #11 Half of Africa’s wheat imports usually come from either Russia or Ukraine.

    #12 Other nations rely on wheat exports from Russia and Ukraine even more than Africa does

    Armenia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Eritrea have imported virtually all of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine and must find new sources. But they are competing against much larger buyers, including Turkey, Egypt, Bangladesh and Iran, which have obtained more than 60 percent of their wheat from the two warring countries.

    #13 One Russian official is warning that his nation may soon only export food to “friendly nations”

    A Russian government official has threatened that Russia will limit its vital food exports to only nations it considers “friendly”.
    
    Dmitry Medvedev, a senior Russian security official who previously served as the nation’s president, has threatened that Russia may soon cut off the West from food exports.

    #14 On Friday, it was announced that another 5 million egg-laying chickens in Iowa would have to be put down because of the bird flu.

    #15 The death toll from the bird flu in Iowa alone will be pushed beyond 13 million as a result of this latest incident.

    #16 Overall, this is what the total national death toll from the bird flu currently looks like: “22 million egg-laying chickens, 1.8 million broiler chickens, 1.9 million pullet and other commercial chickens, and 1.9 million turkeys”.

    #17 China’s agricultural minister has announced that the winter wheat harvest in China could be “the worst in history”.

    #18 We are being warned that the winter wheat harvest in the United States will be “disastrous” due to severe drought.

    #19 During a recent interview, one prominent U.S. farmer stated that most Americans won’t like it when “your grocery bill is up $1,000.00 a month”.

    #20 The head of the UN World Food program says that what the planet is now facing is unlike anything that we have seen since World War II

    “Ukraine has only compounded a catastrophe on top of a catastrophe,” said David M. Beasley, the executive director of the World Food Program, the United Nations agency that feeds 125 million people a day. “There is no precedent even close to this since World War II.”

    We have been warned over and over again that this day was coming, and now it is here.

    Like I said at the beginning of this article, I hope that you will share this information with as many people as possible, because this crisis really is going to affect every man, woman and child on the entire planet.

    In my entire lifetime, I have never seen anything like this, and conditions are getting worse with each passing day.

    Stomu Yamashta – Go (Full Album)

    I came across this album in the discount bin at the local music store in Butler Pennsylvania when I was a Junior / Senior in High School. I think that I bought it for a dollar. Which was a good deal, as at that time a single album of maybe fifteen songs cost $20.

    Crazh huh?

    Aside from just loving the high quality artwork of the artists eating at a table with bread and wine, the music itself was haunting and melodic.  It really stood apart from the funk, soul, rock, and country and western music that i was getting into at that period in my life.

    I suggest you all give it a spin…

    Stomu Yamashta’s supergroup Go, and their self titled album. This album shows such great musicianship and I wanted to share it with everyone. This album is legendary, and I believe it should be listened to in it’s entirety.

    Here’s some more info:

    .

    Good News for the East

    .
    Good news for the world: the United States led Western DNA countries are beginning to feel the pain after bullying, threatening, and looting Russians foreign reserve, bank account, investment, and private assets.
    .
    There are mass protests across Europe against inflation. Germany is just an example of how sanctioning of Putin the great affect food prices:
    Still dare to bully a big country like Russia?

    .

    AXM Paper Models of Chinese spacestations

    Paper models are cheap and fun. You pay perhaps a few dollars, and you down load a PDF file. Then you print out the PDF. Once printed, you cut out the patterns and glue or tape together.

    62BD6C5C BFF1 442D B7E9 6C649311549A scaled 1
    62BD6C5C BFF1 442D B7E9 6C649311549A scaled 1

    There are all sorts of these operations on the internt. Some a just fun with silly little items, while others are quite serious and very detailed. How about a 440  automotive engine, perhaps?

    This operation; AXM Paper Models, specializes in modern and contemporaneous spacecraft. They are serious with scale and detailed drawing and patterns. In this installment, I am just going to provide a gate way to their inexpensive models of Chinese space station components. It’s all pretty nice.

    Tianhe Core Module

    FA109B42 30BD 466C A164 58D7FFA17CA8 1024x952 1
    FA109B42 30BD 466C A164 58D7FFA17CA8 1024×952 1

    Tianzhou 2

    9DCC8865 9E65 4C7D B87D 221C21FAD299 1024x784 1
    9DCC8865 9E65 4C7D B87D 221C21FAD299 1024×784 1

    Shenzhou 12

    6938F639 EA67 4DF4 A4FA F6F4E8F92E7D 1024x698 1
    6938F639 EA67 4DF4 A4FA F6F4E8F92E7D 1024×698 1

    Tianzhou 3

    4F333866 9856 4AE6 A4A4 B6F8A980F323 1024x711 1
    4F333866 9856 4AE6 A4A4 B6F8A980F323 1024×711 1

    Shenzhou 13

    A10BD418 FC7F 4BFE AE3F 589BCE06F520 1024x599 1
    A10BD418 FC7F 4BFE AE3F 589BCE06F520 1024×599 1

    .

    Conclusion

    All in all, no matter what the “news” says, you need to keep in mind a few key points…

    • The world is undergoing a geopolitical realignment.
    • This alignment is dividing into two separate entities (East and West).

    The two sides have a very different view of how the world should be. That should be quite clear by now, and everyone seems to agree on these points. Including the leadership of the two sides.

    • The West is trying to maintain a uni-polar single world government ruled by the United States. It wants the work to choose sides. You are either freinds or you are enemies. There is no in-between.
    • The East is trying to maintain a multi-polar world of equals of various unique social structures. They want to strengthen the UN charter, and empower it, and cut out and gut the legacy corruption that was built internally to it.

    Some people, as the articles above state, consider a five point plan. WHile others jsut consider the plan to be some kind of “hybrid war”. I argue that a war is a war, irregardless as to what you call it.

    But everything, right now, boils down to the purchase of energy and how that purchase comes about. Key to this manifestation is the control of the currency of exchange.

    • The West is trying to maintain the USD, or an electronic version of it.
    • The East is trying to use commodity-based currency by labor, materials and products.

    Issues about Ukraine or Taiwan are simply the desperate plans of the West in a plan to maintain a uni-polar world. Sure they are important, but nto as important as the “news” would lead you to believe.

    Do not get sidetracked from what is REALLY going on.

    Keep clear headed. Keep focused. Keep frosty. I believe in you.

    .

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

     

    The Mysterious Book That Can Not Be Explained

    Often times we come across strange items, and objects. They appear mysterious to us. And this is pretty much due to the fact that they are often found without context. We know nothing at all about what is going on regarding the object or issue, or why. So we try to seek answers. This is true whether it is a dusty object hidden behind a wall partition, or a political issue. Such as the “war in Ukraine”. We need context to fully understand what is going on.

    Consider Ukraine…

    All the media is filled with the Hate-Russia; Punish-Russia narrative. It’s pretty thick. And all the articles are missing one very important thing; context. As this screen capture from The Drudge Report clearly points out.

    2022 03 11 09 58
    2022 03 11 09 58

    But then we search, if we are intelligent, and look for context regarding the issue. Like this one from Fred…

    Why did Russia invade the Ukraine? Contrary to American media, the invasion was not unprovoked. 
    
    Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, America has been pushing NATO, which is a US sepoy operation, ever closer to Russian borders in what, to anyone who took fifth-grade geography, is an obvious program of military encirclement. 
    
    Of the five countries other than Russia littoral to the Black Sea, three, Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria, are now in NATO. America has been moving toward bringing in the Ukraine and Georgia. After Georgia would have come Azerbaijan, putting American forces on the Caspian with access to Iran and Kazakhstan. This is calculated aggression over the long term, obvious to the—what? Ten percent? Fifteen percent?—of Americans who know what the Caucasus is.
    
    Putin has said, over and over, that Russia could not allow hostile military forces on its border any more than the US would allow Chinese military bases in Mexico and China or missile forces in Cuba. Washington kept pushing. 
    
    Russia said, no more. 
    
    In short, America brought on the war.
    
    Among people who follow such things, there are two ways of looking at the invasion. 
    
    First, that Washington thought Putin was bluffing, and he wasn’t. 
    
    Second, that America intentionally forced Russia to choose between [1] allowing NATO into the Ukraine, a major success for Washington’s world empire; or [2] fighting, also a success for Washington as it would cause the results it has caused.

    Context: for America, it was a win-win.

    Context is everything. Without it; without context, the object hold no meaning. Though, however, that doesn’t stop our minds from trying to piece together narratives and a background as to what is going on.

    The strange book

    People discover strange things all the time, but this random book has to be one of the strangest discoveries ever found.

    This masterpiece comes with no context. Some websites suggest that it was found in a yard sale, or an estate sale. Others offer a more curious story of it being found in an attic, or behind a sealed wall. It’s really hard to identify what the real truth is. All that is known is that his “book” or “box of papers” was found, and the new owners found it intriguing.

    More info: Reddit (h/t: imgur)

    The box was handmade from wood, fit with hinges, a handle and a pair of locks.

    111111 1
    111111 1

    From what was written here, it appears that the author had “an experience” that was definitely not and “everyday one”.

    2 26
    2 26

    Inside the box were all sorts of carefully drawn works. Some drafts, and some sketches. The creator of the documents was indeed trained in the professional line-art and drafting skills. Here’s a hand-drawn table of the elements.

    3 26
    3 26

    This patent is not filed with the United States patent office – but the drawings are remarkably detailed. But this is not the weirdest part…

    4 26
    4 26

    This drawing was dated 1939 – why would someone discard this?

    5 25
    5 25

    Oddly, this map shows air travel routes.

    6 24
    6 24

    A lot of the maps are hand-drawn with a “center” noted on it.

    7 22
    7 22

    The maps represent aerial patterns and/or routes of some type.

    8 19
    8 19

    There were quite a few of the maps.

    9 16
    9 16

    And the mystery continues…

    10 14
    10 14

    A note; perhaps from the previous owner.

    11 13
    11 13

    Another map with a “center” on it.

    12 11
    12 11

    A piece of the past – a note from a very old veterans affairs office.

    13 11
    13 11

    The artist depicts an event from Tampa, FL in 1977. He notes the event to be extraterrestrial in nature.

    14 11
    14 11

    Yes, I suppose that it is odd to see extraterrestrial UFO illustrations on the same page with angelic-looking creatures.

    15 10
    15 10

    Drawing of an entity.

    16 10
    16 10

    A slight summary of the events.

    17 8
    17 8

    Geometric shapes that are related.

    18 7
    18 7

    Another drawing of one of the entities – looks strangely like something out of the biblical book of Ezekiel.

    19 6
    19 6

    An additional sketch of the same being.

    20 5
    20 5

    Beings from the side view.

    21 5
    21 5

    The artist was fixated on these creatures for some time.

    22 4
    22 4

    Was this a dream, or did this really happen? Was it a fantasy? Was it a story plot for a movie? Or, was he trying to pierce together theories, ideas, concepts and visions? No one knows.

    23 4
    23 4

    One might say this looks like wheels within wheels, wings full of eyes and creatures with 4 heads (man, ox, eagle and lion) from the book of Ezekiel.

    24 4
    24 4

    The drawings seem to mix biblical and extraterrestrial visions.

    25 3
    25 3

    A close-up of the corner.

    26 3
    26 3

    The details of this drawing include some of the patent drawings seen earlier.

    27 3
    27 3

    A different view of one of the patent drawings.

    28 3
    28 3

    It appears that these new train wheels might have come from the train he drew earlier.

    29 3
    29 3

    What are your thoughts?

    30 3
    30 3

    Whatever your conclusion – someone who was working too hard, a drug-induced vision, or a true extra-terrestrial experience… it sure is a puzzle. Unfortunately, we cannot ask the artist and know for sure. All we know is that this person experienced something very odd. Perhaps he knows something that we don’t.

    31 3
    31 3

     

    Do you want more?

    I have more articles like this one in my OOPART Index here…

    Mysteries Explained

    .

    MM Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    The curiosity of the forgotten, ancient, and deeply underground, mystery structure

    There are all sorts of evidence of the various intelligences that occupied the earth in the past. Most are buried deep down inside mountains, or fossilized into stone, or twisted and bent into unrecognizable shapes and appearances.

    I have cataloged numerous examples for the sake of curiosity. And they are able to tell us some things of interest.

    In this article we will look at the discovery of a buried wall… not just a few feet under the ground (a meter), but rather many miles under the ground (kilometers down, down, and down). So far down, and so deeply underground that it is unfathomable how it got there.

    Underground Wall

    Indeed, often structures are often found deep, deep underground. These structures are frequently manufactured out of quarried stone; stone that is not locally quarried. The problem with such structures is that excavation at such great depths are problematic and require enormous financial outlays.

    One such discovery was the 1927 find by W. W. McCormick of Abilene, Texas. Here, he reported his grandfather’s account of a stone block wall that was found deep within an Oklahoma coal mine (The reader should note the location of the wall relative to the Oil Lamp discovery.):

    "In the year 1928, I, Atlas Almon Mathis, was working in coal mine No. 5., located two miles north of Heavener, Oklahoma. 
    
    This was a shaft mine, and they told us it was two miles deep. The mine was so deep that they let us down into it on an elevator.... They pumped air down to us, it was so deep." 

    The Location

    This location in on the Eastern side of Oklahoma.

    General location.

    It has interesting topography and geology. Here’s a geologic map of the region. The mine in question could be either in the Arkoma Basin, or part of the Ozark Uplift.

    The mines…

    Much of the mining done in the Eastern half of Oklahoma are coal and lead-zinc. Given the story, and other stories of objects found in nearby coal seams, it seems quite probable that the story relates to a coal mine.

    The two major types of mining towns in Oklahoma were coal and lead-zinc. The coal-mining regions cover much of the eastern half of the state, spanning over twelve thousand square miles. The most prominent coal-producing areas are in the McAlester and Coalgate districts of southeastern Oklahoma.
    
    -Oklahoma Mining Towns
    

    The Story

    One evening, Mathis was blasting coal loose by explosives in “room 24” of this mine.

    "The next morning, there were several concrete blocks laying in the room. 
    
    These blocks were 12-inch cubes and were so smooth and polished on the outside that all six sides could serve as mirrors. 
    
    Yet they were full of gravel, because I chipped one of them open with my pick, and it was plain concrete inside. 
    
    As I started to timber the room up, it caved in; and I barely escaped. 
    
    When I came back after the cave-in, a solid wall of these polished blocks was left exposed. About 100 to 150 yards farther down our air core, another miner struck this same wall, or one very similar." 

    Size of the structure

    The “wall” or structure feature is (at least) roughly 125 yards (125 meters) long on one side. That’s a pretty big structure.

    The question is, what was it doing in the middle of a swampy lowland?

    Age of the structure

    The coal in the mine was Carboniferous, which would mean the wall was at least 286 million years old.

    The Carboniferous Period

    The Carboniferous Period is a geologic time period that took place between 360 to 286 million years ago. The Carboniferous Period is named after the rich coal deposits that are present in rock layers from this time period. The Carboniferous world was a remarkably different one to that we know today, but it is extremely significant nonetheless. The name Carboniferous is Latin for coal-bearing, which is appropriate given that much of the coal reserves we rely on today were formed during this time. Nonetheless, to today’s observer, the Carboniferous Earth would have looked and felt remarkably alien.

    Map of the United States at this time showing the general location of the mine. At 300 million years ago, the area was lush swamps full of bogs and large aquatic reptiles.

    The Age of Amphibians

    The Carboniferous Period is also known as the Age of Amphibians. It is the fifth of six geologic periods that together make up the Paleozoic Era. The Carboniferous Period is preceded by the Devonian Period and followed by the Permian Period.

    The climate of the Carboniferous Period was quite uniform (there were no distinct seasons).

    It was also more humid and tropical than our present-day climate. The plant life of the Carboniferous Period resembled modern tropical plants.

    Life in the Carboniferous Period.

    The Carboniferous Period was a time when the first of many animal groups evolved: the first true bony fishes, the first sharks, the first amphibians, and the first amniotes.

    During the Carboniferous Period, the vast oceans that covered the earth often flooded the continents, creating warm, shallow seas. It was during this time that the armored fish that had been abundant in the Devonian Period became extinct and were replaced by more modern fishes.

    Vast Swamp Forests

    Freshwater wetlands increased and formed vast swamp forests. Fossil remains show that air-breathing insects, arachnids, and myriapods were present during the Late Carboniferous.

    Vast swamp bogs covered much of the planet, and were inhabited by enormous insects.

    The seas were dominated by sharks and their relatives, and it was during this period that sharks underwent much diversification.

    The Air Was Completely Different

    The Carboniferous, as evidenced by air trapped in ice from that period, is known for having the highest percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere ever. If you were to visit the Carboniferous, you’d instantly notice that the air is ‘richer’ to breath, since it reached a peak of 35% oxygen as opposed to today’s 21%. This dramatic difference also allowed insects to grow to truly ungodly proportions.

    The insects were HUGE.

    It Was a Time of Enormous Climate Change

    The early Carboniferous saw lush jungles and swamps span vast stretches of the world, and the average global temperature was some 6 °C warmer than it is today. The atmospheric CO2 content was also three times higher than preindustrial levels, making for a far stronger greenhouse effect than that which concerns us today. However, from the middle of the period, the glaciers started to advance from the poles, and global temperatures decreased to bring about a severe ice age.

    Timekeeping Wasn’t Easy

    If you were to be transported back to the Carboniferous, your alarm clock and calendar wouldn’t be much use. 350 million years ago, the day was only 22.4 hours long, and there were approximately 385 days in a year. The Earth’s faster rotation, combined with its thicker atmosphere, also made winds significantly stronger than they are today.

    The Map Was Unrecognizable

    Since the Carboniferous was so long, the natural movement of the tectonic plates had ample time to change the map significantly, but at no time did it look anything like the one we’re familiar with today.

    By the end of the period, what is now Africa, the Middle East, India, Australia and South America were all joined together with Antarctica. The Eurasian tectonic plate was connected to this enormous southern content, named Gondwana, by a thick strip of land.

    Insects ruled the earth

    Long before dinosaurs, birds or mammals existed, insects ruled the Earth, leading the Carboniferous to be dubbed the Age of Insects.

    Due to the much higher oxygen levels, insects were able to evolve to horror-movie sizes. The meganeura, for example, was a dragonfly sporting a 30-inch (75 cm) wingspan.

    Although not technically an insect, the arthropleura was another enormous creepy-crawly, a millipede that grew as long as a car. Adapted perfectly for the Carboniferous atmosphere, animals such as these would not be able to survive in today’s air.

    The enormous arthropleura.

    Wow!

    Arthropleura (name meaning “Jointed Ribs”) is a genus of millipede arthropod that originated during the Late Carboniferous period in what is now North America and Europe. A distant relative of modern millipedes and centipedes measuring 3 meters long, it was the largest known of all the terrestrial arthropods as well as the largest land invertebrate of all time and grew so large because of the high concentration of oxygen level in the Carboniferous’s atmosphere. Despite its large size, Arthropleura was herbivorous, in fact, one of the first mainly herbivorous terrestrial animals. They had strong jaws, but it is unlikely that it may have been poisonous for defense.

    Here’s an interesting write-up on these impressive creatures…

    Era & Discovery
    
    Arthropleura lived in North America and Scotland during the Late Carboniferous, approximately 315 – 299 million years ago. It lived alongside other animals like Megarachne, Pulmonoscorpius, Meganeura, and even the primitive reptiles and giant predatory amphibians. Since their discovery in 1854, there are many fossilized footprints from Arthropleura can be found on the coast of Scotland in the Scottish land of Arron.
    
    Physical Attributes
    
    Arthropluera was perhaps the largest arthropod of the Carboniferous and was overall among the largest arthropods that ever lived, measuring on average between 6.6 – 10 feet (2 – 3 m) long, as large as a man or crocodile and as long as a car. However, there were very rare colossal specimens that were discovered to have measured around 20 feet (6 m) in length. Arthropleura is the largest land arthropod known, a huge relative of the modern millipedes closely resembling a giant centipede or millipede.
    
    The reason why they were able to grow so large is that oxygen levels were 50% higher than today. The higher oxygen level content in the atmosphere of the Carboniferous could support larger species whose circulatory system was not as efficient as those of mammals and other species. Therefore, it allowed this creature (and many others) to grow to very large sizes. In addition, males and females were different in appearance. Arthropluera was arguably the largest known land invertebrate of all time and would have had few predators (If any as an adult.)
    
    Arthropleura was heavily defended by thick, tough, and wide armor plating along its back. Underneath its armor were lots of small legs and a soft underbelly. On its head, it had two pincers and two antennae. The color of Arthropleura varied. Some of them were red with yellow lines whilst some were brown with yellow lines. The body of the Arthopleura was composed of thirty armored plates, which each had a pair of legs under them. However, it was not invincible as large amphibians, like Proterogyrinus, could relatively easily get the better of it. Even its own environment could threaten it. Sharp rocks could easily impale Arthropleura and the superpowered Carboniferous storms were often devastating to Arthropleura as well as other animals.
    
    Behavior & Traits
    
    Arthropleura was a solitary creature, often foraging on the forest floors of the Carboniferous. Arthropleura was a massive arthropod that they were such powerful beasts. In spite of its daunting appearance, it as a herbivore, feeding on the rotting foliage, dead-wood and leaves on the floor of the steamy Carboniferous Period swamp forests. Although later found out they were vegetarians, their strong jaws can still have delivered a nasty bite.
    
    Arthropleura was herbivorous though when they were juveniles, they ate meat because they couldn't digest plants until they grew older. Arthropleura was one of the first animals to eat plants, they had strong jaws, but it is unlikely that it may have been poisonous for defense. Arthropleura was practically blind but had a good sense of smell and touch through which to detect other animals. It is discovered that while Arthropleura was a timid creature, it was also shown to be highly aggressive and could be easily provoked into attacking.
    
    Most Arthropleura lived in piles of leaves or foliage or in small underground dens whilst some lived out in the open. As its body armor was colored similar to its surroundings, Arthropleura was camouflaged. However, its armor couldn't protect it from the Carboniferous forest fires. Although the animal would often crouch for cover on the ground, most of the time it was burned alive.
    
    Defense
    
    When it comes to fighting, their armor was their best defense unless it got split. Much like cobras, Arthropleura could rear up at its opponent so it could tower over it, tall enough to look humans right in the eye. And that rearing up was obviously a defensive reaction. However, rearing up would expose its soft innards and were a bulls-eye for predators. They could spray like modern millipedes and centipedes. They could secrete cyanide. That smells of almonds and when they spray in the eyes of their enemies, and it really burned. Uniquely, Arthropleura was also able to leap long distances, which allowed it to strike at its prey like a battering ram.
    
    Additionally, Arthropleura possessed a deadly venom, injected into a victim through a long, thin, metallic-looking tube located behind its mandibles, in a similar manner to an insect bite. When a large mammal such as a human was poisoned by an Arthropleura, the venom would slowly attack their central nervous system, putting the bitten victim into a state of uncontrollable shaking and convulsion very shortly after being bitten, and rendering them barely able to move, before they lost consciousness after a while. An antivenin could be derived from pure samples of Arthropleura venom, but without this antidote, poisoned humans would have a zero chance of survival, dying a matter of hours after being bitten. If one did survive and recover from an Arthropleura's venomous bite, then they would still be left with short-term memory loss.

    As did scorpions …

    Scorpions are one of the oldest orders animals on Earth, having existed for some 430 million years. However, the early Carboniferous saw the most horrifying scorpion of all – the 28-inch (70 cm) long pulmonoscorpius, and the largest arachnid that ever lived. It’s likely that pulmonoscorpius lived on other arthropods and perhaps smaller amphibians. As is the case with Carboniferous insects, it is thought that the scorpion’s terrifyingly large size was also a due to the higher oxygen levels.

    A pulmonoscorpius with some other “friends”.

    Sharks Dominated the Seas

    The early Carboniferous saw sharks at the top of the food chain in the seas, but they weren’t much like the sharks today. Among the stranger of the many species of that period was the akmonistion, characterized by its bizarre anvil-shaped crest and spines on the top of its head. Fortunately, however, at one metre (3 feet) long, it probably didn’t look particularly threatening.

    However, the helicoprion, which first appeared towards the very end of the Carboniferous, grew three times longer, and it sported a circular sawblade for jaw.

    The helicoprion.

    Trilobites Started to Decline

    Trilobites, a highly diverse class of marine arthropod, that ruled the Earth for hundreds of millions of years, started to decline rapidly towards the end of the Carboniferous period, likely due to competition with the explosion of versatile sea life. By the end of the period, only three families survived, which themselves became extinct some 250 million years ago.

    Trilobites in the Carboniferous period.

    Amphibians Were Highly Successful

    Alongside insects, amphibians radiated to form the ancestors of the reptiles, birds and mammals that followed. These creatures made up the taxonomic clade of synapsida, which also includes all mammals.

    The earliest of these was the archaeothyris, a lizard-like creature that grew about 20 inches long and lived some 306 million years ago.

    The archaeothyris.

    About the wall / structure…

    Perfectly smooth sided concrete blocks show an assembly sequence involving exact molds. A mirror finish suggests metal or plastic mold forms with possible release chemical to get the sides so smooth. According to the miner, it appeared to be just everyday utility grade concrete.

    Concrete cubes all totally finished with smooth mirror-like surfaces.

    We can say that the use of perfectly square blocks and not rectagles is instructive. As anyone who has played with Legos can attest to, it’s awfully difficult to create an interlocking structure with just simple square blocks.

    Blocks that fail to interlock require the supportive mortar to bind them together.

    Thus, this is suggestive of a wall, a retaining wall, or some type of decorative finish.

    Since, the miner did not say anything at all about this being the outer finish of a structure, we are left to conclude that it was part of a wall, a retaining wall or a rampart of some type.

    Rampart retaining wall.

    Followup story

    According to Mathis, the mining company officers immediately pulled the men out of the mine and forbade them to speak about what they had seen.

    Mathis said the Wilburton miners also told of finding “a solid block of silver in the shape of a barrel… with the prints of the staves on it,” in an area of coal dating between 280 and 320 million years ago.

    Musings…

    What could this be? Well, I am certainly curious. The things is that we really don’t know much about all this. It’s a wall found in an “impossibly” deep location underground. It’s made out of manufactured cement blocks at a time when the earth was covered in swamps, bogs and populated with large insects.

    What else can we figure out?

    What we do know is…

    • Other items suggestive of metal forgery, utensils, roads, clothing, wheeled transport and creature domestication has been found is nearby / related Carboniferous coal strata.
    • Combined together, this suggests a planet-wide series of socities and cultures that lived and thrived within the dense oxygen atmosphere, with it’s enormous insects and creatures.
    • Other items, such as the bell, and the wheeled cart suggest a society of dimunitive (child size) intelligent humanoids with insectoid attributes.

    These other similiar trending explorations and discoveries are enough to better flush out what this wall-like structure represents.

    Rather than a singular lone outpost in a swampy bog-like land, the picture is emerging of a large, planet-wide network of creatures that apparently seem to resemble the mantids as displayed in popular lore. They seem to have lived in societies that were well at home and comfortable in the dense swampy lands that existed on the earth at that time.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts like this somewhere in my OOPART Index here…

    Mysteries Explained

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    Complete PDF of Forbidden Archaeology (Free Full Text)

    This article provides a free PDF of the amazing work titled “Forbidden Archaeology” for the MM readership. It is an amazing work that documents OOPARTS that prove the the statist view of what history is, and mankind are is absolutely wrong.

    It’s an AMAZING work. And the book is the size of a thick table dictionary. Seriously.

    It’s not the kind of tome that you would sit down and read page by page. It tends to be on the dry side. However, just parsing and going though it you will be amazed at the careful documentation of proof of humans on this earth long, long before we were supposed to evolve.

    It’s a truly amazing work. And the OOPART section is stunning in it’s volume and background.

    In 1993, Cremo and Richard Thompson published Forbidden Archaeology (FA), a voluminous exposé of “anomalous archaeological artifacts” that suggested modern people possibly lived on earth almost as long as the world existed, some 4.3 billion years ago.

    Summary

    Forbidden Archeology is a work that questions current beliefs about human evolution. Part I of Forbidden Archeology (which covers 458 pages) is based on what the authors call anomalous evidence and

    "provides a well documented compendium of reports absent from many current references and not otherwise easily obtainable."

    The authors discuss how scientific evidence has been

    "systematically suppressed, ignored, or forgotten...not through a conspiracy organized to deceive the public, but through an ongoing social process of knowledge filtration that appears quite innocuous, but has a substantial cumulative effect."

    Chapter One discusses information that has been overlooked, suppressed, or forgotten even though a lot of the evidence was discovered immediately after Darwin published The Origin of the Species. This chapter explains the basics about archeology, such as the geological timetable and the incompleteness of the fossil record.

    The authors’ thesis is based on the premise that anomalous finds should be studied and possibly accepted along with currently accepted evidence. Perhaps as is the case with other types of controversial information,

    "One prominent feature in the treatment of anomalous evidence is what we could call the double standard... evidence agreeing with a prevailing theory tends to be treated very leniently...In contrast, evidence that goes against an accepted theory tends to be subjected to intense critical scrutiny, and it is expected to meet very high standards of proof."

    There is a section in Chapter One titled The Phenomenon Of Suppression which perfectly describes what abductees or experiencers and those involved with experiencer research are faced with.

    "...there are some observations that so violently contradict accepted theories that they are never accepted by any scientists. These tend to be reported by scientifically uneducated people in popular books, magazines, and newspapers."

    Chapter Two covers detailed descriptions of reports involving intentionally cut and broken bones of animals. In other words, bones that have been altered by man. Some of this evidence points toward a theory that there was a human presence in the Americas far earlier than was originally believed, which is thought to be between 12 thousand and 25 thousand years ago. However, many serious scientists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries reported that marks on bones as old as 25 million years old were indicative of human work.

    This chapter illustrates that when ‘unbelievable‘ information arises and people are convinced that it cannot exist, the evidence pointing to such conclusions is overlooked or ignored by the scientific community.

    Chapters Three, Four and Five continue with extremely detailed studies of anomalous old stone tools and industries. Chapter Six closes out the first section of Forbidden Archeology with a discussion of anomalous human skeletal remains. In their conclusion of Part I, the authors write:

    "…the evidence suggests the existence of anatomically modern humans as far back as the early Tertiary - the first period of the Cenozoic era; 65¬37 million years ago."

    A partial review of this anomalous evidence is listed at the end of this report.

    Part Two of Forbidden Archeology involves discussions of ‘accepted evidence.’ Beginning with a review and discussions of Java Man, and continuing with The Piltdown Case, and Peking Man, which is very interesting. In addition, a highly recommended read is Chapter Nine, Peking Man and Other Finds in China.

    The authors write in detail about how the Rockefeller Foundation funded many of the digs in Peking (Beijing). From page 534:

    "It thus becomes clear that at the same time the Rockefeller Foundation was channeling funds into human evolution research in China, it was in the process of developing an elaborate plan to fund biological research with a view to developing methods to effectively control human behavior. [Canadian physician Davidson] Black's research into Peking man must be seen within this context in order to be properly understood."

    From pages 537 and 538, in reference to a new beginning of philanthropy,

    "All programs in various Rockefeller charities 'relating to the advance of human knowledge' were shifted to the Rockefeller Foundation, which was organized into five divisions. Each division was run by a highly competent academic and technical staff who advised the trusties of the Foundation where to give their money. It was not to be five programs each represented by a division of the Foundation; it was to be essentially one program, directed to the general problem of human behavior, with the aim of control through understanding…the Foundation also saw itself engaged in a kind of thought control. Fosdick (1952, pg.143) said: 'The possession of funds carries with it power to establish trends and styles of intellectual endeavor.' "

    In a discussion about Beijing man, when actual physical evidence is not available for study, some reports are believed while others are dismissed:

    "[The authors] propose that reports about evidence conforming to the standard view of human evolution generally receive greater credibility than reports about non-conforming evidence. Thus deeply-held beliefs, rather than purely objective standards, may become the determining factor in the acceptance and rejection of reports about controversial evidence."

    Bigfoot 

    Chapter Ten is titled Living Ape Men? This chapter reviews and discusses many descriptions of what is sometimes referred to in the Pacific Northwest as “Bigfoot.” The term used by the authors most often is “wild men.” This chapter is highly recommended. It increased my knowledge and awareness about the prevalence of reports concerning this type of creature or being.

    Indeed, after pages and pages of descriptions and discussions of evidence, the authors write,

    "Despite all the evidence we have presented, most recognized authorities in anthropology and zoology decline to discuss the existence of wild men. If they mention wild men at all, they rarely present the really strong evidence for their existence, focusing instead on the report least likely to challenge their disbelief."

    Later in the book during another discussion about skeletal remains discovered in Africa the authors write [pg. 649]:

    "Most of the discoveries scientists have used to build up their picture of human evolution are similarly ambiguous, their significance obscured by professional rivalries and imperfect investigative methods."

    A Sample of Anomalous Evidence

    From pages 795-814 Appendix 2, which is titled Evidence for Advanced Culture In Distant Ages. A sample of anomalous evidence follows:

    "Raised letter-like shapes found inside a block of marble from a quarry near Philadelphia, PA. The block of marble came from a depth of 60-70 feet, which suggests the letters were made from intelligent humans from the distant past." 
    
    "A metallic bell-shaped vessel that was blown out of pudding stone now called the Roxbury conglomerate, is over 600 million years old...by current standards, life was just beginning to form on this planet...but this vessel indicates the presence of artistic metal workers in North America over 600 million years before Leif Erikson." 
    
    "A chalk ball was found...and based on its stratigraphic position, it can be assigned a date of 45-55 million years ago."

    The appendix has a long list of other anomalous evidence, but since I’ve already over-quoted from this text, I will leave the remainder of the secrets to be discovered by the reader.

    The Book

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts like this somewhere in my OOPART Index here…

    Mysteries Explained

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

     

    The non-physical components of megalithic locations and their implications

    This article discusses the idea that ancient megalithic locations and sites have a non-physical component; a designed energy field for one reason or the other. And it’s an interesting idea and concept. After all, it shakes the entire foundation of the idea of “cave men” being dumb, brute savages. Which is the Newtonian, and Victorian narrative. And instead gives us a picture of an astonishing understanding of things that are far in advance of what their physical accomplishments might say otherwise.

    But before we jump into the meat of this article, let’s talk a little about MM here. Because [1] it’s what I want to talk about, and [2] it affects the writing of this article. As this article will be the first article written on this new computer.

    I got a new computer! Woo Woo!

    Yeah. I have been dealing with a five year old ASUS that ran on Windows 8. It was a budget model, on sale when I bought it. But it met my needs. But then Windows automatically installed Windows 10 on it. And then wouldn’t stop. No matter what switches and commands that I specified.

    Windows 10 kept on adding bloatware, and hogging up more and more of my computer resources until it reached a point of saturation. I simply could not run a 4GB ram computer with an OS that required 4 GB just to operate. Jeeze!

    Indeed, it was a pain in the ass. Not to mention the periodic (every two day) updates, and so forth.

    My solution was to run an Unix based system, and I was all “gung-ho” to do so too. However, the wife ordered me to get a new computer. And guys, you know who is the boss. Right? And so I did.

    And I started a looking.

    I went into the local stores and found off the shelf computers from 2,000 RMB to 8,000 RMB. (Roughly $350 USD to $1230 USD.) I was just about ready to snag one when I realized that everything was in Chinese, and while I can get by on Chinese, I wanted a wholly English language system. It’s a personal preference, don’t you know.

    Enter Amazon

    So I figured that I would buy a wholly American computer (made in China obviously) but with American software, American duties, American taxation, and American systems including American spyware.

    So I went to the website Amazon.com. I hear that it is a pretty popular website in the States today, and well known. But I cannot verify that. What I can verify is that I went there and found many computers that met my needs, but none were actually available. They were on “waiting lists”. Jeeze!

    Prices appeared (in the basic capability range) to be in the $1500 to $2300 USD arena with all the taxes and duties taken into account.

    Enter an IT professional

    Recognizing my consternation, my wife laid down the law and told me what to do.

    So we contacted my IT guy (an employee of mine) and he made up a custom computer laptop for me. He used Windows 10 as that is what I am used to, but used a Chinese modified version. (A scalpel was taken to the NSA backdoors and reporting systems, as well as updates. It’s a “safe” and inert version for Chinese users.) Granted, it’s still bloatware, and a pain in the ass sometimes, but it gets me where I want to go. And on this newer and faster system, it’s like a hot knife through butter.

    My old computer had 2 GB ram. Windows 10 needs 4 GB ram just to operate. This new joy used 32 GB ram and the difference is astounding.

    My old PC had 100GB storage in SSD HD. And I was told that “everyone” used cloud storage “these days”.

    Bullshit.

    I couldn’t get anything done without contortions and manipulations.

    My new PC has an internal 500GB SSD storage and an outside HD of 2TB SSD storage. Holly Hell!

    Connection speeds are off the charts. Typing is easy as all get out, and the graphics are astounding. This system has amazing graphics. Maybe I’ll install a few simulators that I have been Jonesing about. Like the X-Plane 11.

    X-Plane 11

    Or Flyinside…

    Flyinside

    Anyways, my IT guy took an off the shelf Shaomi, modified it with Samsung memory and local Chinese graphics cards. The price is much cheaper than what you would get in the ‘States. For certain and meets my needs.

    BTW, I have received tremendous support from MM readers who have substantial skill in IT matters. They helped me keep typing while my old computer burped and sighed as it got older. 
    
    Now you would think that I wouldn't need this help as I had an IT guy nearby. But I didn't. I have a periodic IT guy that jets around all over Asia, and helps me remotely as time permits. He made up this computer remotely to my specifications and then shipped it to me via the mail.
    
    People! You make do with what is available to you. And never forget the network of friends that you have.
    
    Here a BIG call out to those who have helped me in the past, and the movies, and the step by step instructions that they sent me. It keep MM alive. Big THANK YOU!

    I do not play games that often

    I do love a good game, and the computer games are awesome, but this is a work computer. Not a gaming computer. It has a lighted keyboard, and the ram, but not the graphics card need to run the modern intensity games. But this computer can run most of the conventional games of interest, and that’s good enough for me.

    Though X-plane 11 does look awfully tasty…

    X-Plane 11.

    My biggest sigh of relief is that the MS Windows will not be trying to jam a watermelon down into a pin hole any longer. I can actually get some work down without MS shutting down the system for lack of resources every forty minutes or so.

    Harmony OS

    Oh, and Harmony OS is not yet ready for PC operation. Which is a great disappointment to me. But you deal with what you are familiar with and what you work with. And that is that.

    Harmony OS

    Did I cop out?

    Nope. If you need to dig a ditch you grab what ever shovel is available and you use it. If you have a choice, you use the best one available to you.

    I wish that I could tell you that I could walk into a nearby store with a Harmony OS or UNIX computer off the shelf with the latest and greatest hardware, but that is not possible at this time. And so you make do with what you have available to you.

    All in all…

    All in all, a computer is just a tool. It’s like a car, a blender, a lawnmower or a razor. You use it as you see fit and if you use it often enough, you will want to use the best quality tool available and treat it with care and dignity.

    And now to the article…

    Is there MORE to the eye when you look at these 10,000 year old piles of rock and stone? Are there magnetic alignments, electrical currents, eddy currents and forces that geographically exist, but is not discernible to those without the necessary equipment?

    And if so…

    Then 10,000 years ago either

    Ancient humans had the ability to naturally sense these magnetic or electromagnetic lines of force.

    Or,

    They had equipment that could.

    They’re Alive! Megalithic Sites Are More than Just Stone

    By Freddy Silva

    It doesn’t take much to stimulate the human body’s electro-magnetic circuitry, in fact a small change in the local environment is enough to create a change in awareness.

    People who visit ancient temples and megalithic sites often describe such a sensation. The standard explanation is that such feelings are nothing more than a ‘wow’ factor: the result of visual stimuli from the overwhelming impression generated by megalithic constructions such as stone circles, ancient temples and pyramids.

    But the cumulative evidence proves otherwise: that megaliths and other ancient sacred places are actually attracting, storing, even generating their own energy field, creating the kind of environment where one can enter an altered state of consciousness.

    Generating Energy Fields

    In 1983 a comprehensive study was undertaken by engineer Charles Brooker to locate magnetism in sacred sites. The test subject was the Rollright stone circle in England. A magnetometer survey of the site revealed how a band of magnetic force is attracted into the stone circle through a narrow gap of stones that act as the entrance. The band then spirals towards the center of the circle as though descending down a rabbit hole.

    Two of the circle’s western stones were also found to pulsate with concentric rings of alternating current, resembling ripples in a pond.

    Magnetomer survey image of the Rollright Stones. Adapted from Charles Brooker. Magnetism and Standing Stones, New Scientist, January 13, 1983.

    The analysis led Brooker to state how,

    “the average intensity of the [geomagnetic] field within the circle was significantly lower than that measured outside, as if the stones acted as a shield.”

    Such discoveries help us decipher what the ancients were up to when they built megalithic structures. At the Temple of Edfu in Egypt there is a wall featuring what amounts to a recipe for establishing a space that differs energetically from its surrounding landscape — a temple. The instructions describe how certain creator gods first established a mound and ‘pierced a snake’ to the spot, whereupon a special force of nature impregnated the mound, which led to the construction of the physical temple.

    The symbol of the serpent has always been a culturally shared metaphor of the earth’s meandering lines of force, what scientists refer to as telluric currents.

    Egyptian goddess harnessing the serpent energy.

    Controlling the Laws of Nature

    It seems ancient architects had a fine degree of control of the laws of nature, because a recent study of energy fields in and around Avebury, the world’s largest stone circle, shows how its megaliths are designed to attract a ground current into the site.

    Electrodes planted at Avebury reveal how its circular ditch breaks the transmission of telluric ground current and conducts electricity into the ditch, in effect concentrating energy and releasing it at the entrance to the site, sometimes at double the rate of the surrounding land.

    Magnetic readings at Avebury die away at night to a far greater level than can be accounted for under natural circumstances. They charge back at sunrise, with the ground telluric current from the surrounding land attracted to the henge just as magnetic fluctuations of the site reach their maximum.

    Studies conducted by the late physicist John Burke also discovered how the stones of Avebury are deliberately placed and aligned so as to focus electro-magnetic currents to flow in a premeditated direction using an identical principle to modern atomic particle colliders, in which airborne ions are steered in one direction.

    Avebury stone circle. Image by Freddy Silva.

    The effect of sacred sites behaving like concentrators of electromagnetic energy is enhanced by the choice of stone. Often moved across enormous distance, the stone used in megalithic sites contains substantial amounts of magnetite. The combination makes temples behave like weak, albeit huge, magnets.

    Spiritual Technology

    This has a profound influence on the human body, particularly the dissolved iron that flows in blood vessels, not to mention the millions of particles of magnetite floating inside the skull, and the pineal gland, which itself is highly sensitive to geomagnetic fields, and whose stimulation begins the production of chemicals such as pinolene and serotonin, which in turn leads to the creation of the hallucinogen DMT. In an environment where geomagnetic field intensity is decreased, people are known to experience psychic and shamanic states.

    An exhaustive investigation into the Carnac region of France, where some 80,000 megaliths are concentrated, reveals a similar spiritual technology at work. At first the leading researcher, electrical engineer Pierre Mereux, was skeptical that megalithic sites possessed any special powers.

    Mereux’s study of Carnac shows how its dolmens amplify and release telluric energy throughout the day, with the strongest readings occurring at dawn. The voltage and magnetic variations are related, and follow a phenomenon known as electric induction . According to Mereux,

    “The dolmen behaves as a coil or solenoid, in which currents are induced, provoked by the variations, weaker or stronger, of the surrounding magnetic field. But these phenomena are not produced with any intensity unless the dolmen is constructed with crystalline rocks rich in quartz, such as granite.”

    His readings of menhirs reveal an energy that pulsates at regular intervals at the base, positively-and negatively-charged, up to thirty-six feet from these upright monoliths, some of which still show carvings of serpents.

    Extreme pulsations recycle approximately every 70 minutes, showing that the menhirs charge and discharge regularly.

    Mereux also noticed how the voltage of standing stones in the Grand Ménec alignment diminished the farther away they lay from the stone circle, which itself behaved as a kind of condenser or concentrator of energy.

    Carnac menhir caption: One of the 80,000 menhirs in the Carnac region. Image by Freddy Silva.

    The composition of the stones and their ability to conduct energy was not lost on Mereux and others. Being very high in quartz, the specially chosen rocks are piezoelectric, which is to say they generate electricity when compressed or subjected to vibrations.

    The megaliths of Carnac, positioned as they are upon thirty-one fractures of the most active earthquake zone in France, are in a constant state of vibration, making the stones electromagnetically active.

    It demonstrates that the menhirs were not planted on this location by chance, particularly as they were transported from 60 miles (97 km) away, because their presence and orientation is in direct relationship to terrestrial magnetism.

    Sacred Sites and Magnetic Portals

    Ancient Mysteries traditions around the world share one peculiar aspect: they maintain how certain places on the face of the Earth possess a higher concentration of power than others.

    These sites, named “spots of the fawn” by the Hopi, eventually became the foundation for many sacred sites and temple structures we see today. What is interesting is that each culture maintains that these special places are connected with the heavens by a hollow tube or reed, and by this umbilical connection the soul is capable of engaging with the Otherworld during ritual. However, it also allows a conduit for the spirit world to enter this physical domain.

    In 2008 NASA may have unwittingly proved this observation to be true when it published details of an investigation into FTEs, or flux transfer events, in which this organization describes how the Earth is linked to the Sun by a network of magnetic portals which open every eight minutes.

    Such discoveries help to validate, in the scientific eye, the long-held belief by sensitives and dowsers since the recording of history that megalithic sites and ancient temples are places set aside from the normal world, where a person can connect with locations far beyond this planetary sphere.

    Certainly the ancient Egyptian priests regarded the temple as far more than a conglomerate of dead stones. Every dawn they awakened each room with orations, treating the temple as a living organism that sleeps at night and awakens at dawn.

    Material based on the author's book The Divine Blueprint: Temples, power places, and the global plan to shape the human soul , Invisible Temple, 2012. Available at invisibletemple.com

    Pretty interesting but wait…

    …there’s more.

    Maybe others have “brushed up against these discoveries” but do not realize what they have found…

    Exploring the Megaliths of Magnetic Rock – Guidepost for Ancient Man?

    By Charbruns

    Near Copper Harbor, Michigan, USA, at the northern tip of the Keewenaw Peninsula, a large and long protrusion of rock emerges far up the hillside in deep forest.

    Many petroglyphs cover this rock. It sits on the ancient shoreline of Lake Duluth. One figure is a large boat rigged with a square sail. Most viewers who trek that far into the forest proclaim it a Viking boat. Other carvings on this stone called ‘Picture Rock’ have recently been defaced as the location becomes well known and the public gains greater access.

    A dolmen, a large cap stone supported by three shim stones holding it aloft, is located on the Kelso River out of Sawbill Landing, Minnesota, within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) in a national forest. Canada considers these to be lithic works created by the Neolithic cultures long before recorded history. Many others have been found on this continent and around the world, suggesting they are guideposts for ancient man.

    lithic
    
    By definition, Lithic means “of the nature of or relating to stone.” Strong and formidable, stone has laid the foundation for infrastructure.

    In ancient times, water levels were higher from melting glaciers. The surface of the earth was still pressed down from the Ice Ages and had not begun rebounding with the removal of all that ice.

    If ancient boats did traverse the Laurentian Divide (a raised area across North America dividing the direction of water flow) between the watersheds, this spot is a likely possibility. Several times I have trekked to Magnetic Rock on the border trail (prominent on the north side atop the Laurentian Divide) between Magnetic Lake and the Gunflint Trail. It was only after the Ham Lake forest fire in 2007 that the rock ‘reappeared’.

    b-stone.

    In an article by Wakefield and de Jong on megaliths in the Orkney Islands of Scotland, a standing menhir closely resembles the rock in Minnesota.

    Dr. de Jong’s interpretation was sailing data is encrypted in the Orkney stone, explaining the unique shape and lines of the stone on our northern border.

    The stone I was sitting on in photo below is possibly a shim placed to hold the stone erect. The rock was raised, by persons unknown, to mark a water passage through the Laurentian Divide. At that date, higher water levels would have created a channel. The menhir sits on the highest elevation, according to USGS maps. The swampy valley below is the headwaters of the Cross River.

    Author rests upon may have been a shim placed to hold the standing stone erect.

    If this area was used by man in the distant past, supporting evidence was crucial. Further exploration produced indications of the presence of prehistoric man.

    Magnetic Lake, Superior National Forest, Minnesota, and surrounds.

    Magnetic Rock is the same high iron content igneous rock that makes up the Laurentian Divide. A waterhole near the Gunflint Trail attracted our attention due to the right angles and cut rocks surrounding it. Sitting next to the watercourse was a stone cube. Two other cubes were subsequently located, the smallest on the heights east of the river.

    Cubed rocks.

    The rock did fracture at right angles.

    The lower right image might have been a demonstration of an ancient mining technique, wherein intense fire is doused with water to fracture the rock. Today First Nation, or Native American peoples pour boiling water, during winter, into cracks in the Souix Quartzite to freeze and break apart the rocks, to aid mining of Catlinite, a reddish-brown rock in Pipestone, Minnesota.

    On the ridge overlooking this area, large boulders were placed exactly on the top edge of the slope and prepared with trigger stones to be rolled down the hill. They dot the cliff line, and one is shown in detail. They are a fixed defense and would require more than one person to function. The purpose for these rocks is not known, but they are obvious in intent and lethal in scale. The border trail heads north from here along the ridge of a cliff that leads to Magnetic Rock .

    On the west edge of this cliff, on a short ledge four feet below the summit, was a cache.

    West Edge

    It is well designed and skillfully made.

    The right image shows where the cap stone was taken from the cliff, then moved horizontally along the ledge through human effort. While the chamber is empty today, detritus has accumulated on the ledge, awaiting qualified investigation.

    Across flowing water to the east, on a ledge below steep cliffs, sits a large boulder calling attention to itself by shape and position in the landscape.

    Kerri Jones of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, took a telephoto image.

    This rock, upon closer examination by Diane Bruns, showed chisel marks and shaping.

    While not a classic dolmen, I believe this qualifies as a piece of Neolithic rock art.

    The placement, shape, and expression speak too much of the monuments left by man in this time, contemporary with Stonehenge in Britain and the pyramids of Egypt.

    An amethyst deposit was removed directly beside the menhir and a “sun sign” remains. The rock is igneous, so this is not a fossil. Kasey Jones, pointing, said this was found close to magnetic rock. Note the sun sign on the Kelso Dolmen, so-named for the Keslo River (below, hand calling attention to the symbol). Since this photo was taken, the standing stone has fractured due to natural forces and a large slab has calved off the side, now covering this important piece of evidence of man’s activity. I fear to never set eyes on it in the future.

    This photo by TJB Archaeological Associates-Thunder Bay, ON.

    Kelso dolmen and Magnetic Rock have been shown over the internet recently on YouTube, gaining awareness.

    The climb from the Gunflint Trail to Magnetic Rock was improved last year by the Minnesota Conservation Corp.

    It is important to evaluate and preserve these unique sites for posterity. While the Ham Lake forest fire brought this menhir back out of the forest, the heat of the fire and exposure to elements has taken a toll.

    This unique spot, a transit point between watersheds, may have been used to access the rich copper deposits of Isle Royale and the Keewenaw Peninsula. Four thousand years ago higher water levels and a temperate arctic may have brought conditions allowing this.

    A demand for copper clearly existed. Several locations around the prehistoric world were known for stepping up to metallurgy.

    It is obvious there must have been a copper period before the Bronze Age could exist. A defining aspect of human culture is trade, and the success of many early groups was rated by the distance their resources were distributed, or the cultural practices they followed.

    Float copper would have been available for easy transportation and man has always practiced war and trade, both being methods for transferring wealth.

    Our technology offers new data and insights into cultures invisible to written history. Questioning and studying the aquaculture of Machu Picchu is astounding urban designers today. It is only in the last century we understand what the stone masons were doing building the Greek Parthenon.

    There are levels of sophistication we are not aware of at this time. These odd spots in the forest must be protected, and require qualified examination and evaluation with an open mind. New paradigms are arising in understanding the activities of Neolithic man.

    Some Conclusions

    Well, let me suggest some thoughts.

    • Ancient man at 10,000 years ago had understanding and abilities regarding the ability to sense non-physical actions, and energy better than what we modern humans have.
    • The mining of metals, notably copper occurred during this time with implies the utilization of metal tools.
    • How the ancient peoples used their skills to both sense these fields, and fashion metals tools indicates early civilizations of a far greater capability and extraordinary utility than what has been assigned to them.

    I like to believe that by studying their actual abilities at this time, we should be able to decipher more about who they were and what their societies were at that remote time in the past.

    And now it’s time to go and eat…

    Some of my thoughts on food (while I am at it). And why not? Seriously. Why not? When I go on adventures, meet attractive and interesting people, women or animals, or just enjoy a beautiful day, I think about food.

    Like a nice steak. Thick, heavy with nice juices.

    Some of the best food porn used to be found on Tumblr before it was “perfected” by Yahoo into a sterile corporate money-making platform, instead of a refuge for amateurs and artists.

    I must tell you that they make real delicious perfects steaks in two places on this planet. The places are Brazil and Zambia. And you have no idea how well taken cared for you are and with delicious thick juicy steaks in the lands of Zambia and Brazil.

    Typical Lusaka, Zambia steak.. Eggs, ham, sausages, french fries, mushrooms, fried tomatoes and icy cold beer. My goodness!

    Typical Lusaka, Zambia steak.

    Now, for my comment of the day.

    Instead of buying five "Fast Food" package meals for lunch all week, how about bagging it with some home made soups and sandwiches, and then spend Friday night eating a delicious steak like the one pictured above. The same amount of money will be used, it's just that the quality of what you will eat will change substantially.

    But that’s just my opinion.

    My belief is that you move away from five “fast food” fill-up dash-and-burp meals, and replace them with home-made fresh simple but filling meals. Then spend the savings on a deluxe special meal at the end of the week. Depending on your situation and the budget you can decide on restaurants or on cooking at home.

    Oh, and don’t forget your friends, and your little guys. It’s a time to go out and celebrate just for the heck of it. You DO NOT NEED an excuse. You just make some phone calls and tell those folk to show up.

    If you all are poor…

    …make it “pot luck” and everyone brings a home-made dish. Just organize it. Suzy and Jake brings a salad. Tom and Roy bring a bacon / cauliflower dish. Daniel brings some rolls, breads. James brings a case of beer. Tommy brings some potato chips. Etc. Etc. Etc.

    What are you waiting for?

    An invitation?

    And while I am at it, here’s a Zambian Africa version of steak and mushroom pizza. I tell you what, you won’t find such a concentration of mushrooms and steak on a pizza anywhere else. You just won’t.

    Zambian steak and mushroom pizza.

    Maybe you can make home-made steak and mushroom pizzas as the theme. Provide lots and lots of beverages, and just invite friends to come over, eat their fill, drink and chat with you. I’ll tell you that if one of my friends told me that they are experimenting making steak pizzas and wants me to come over, smunch, jam (with some music) and watch a movie later on, I’d be the first one at their door-step.

    What will it do?

    Nothing obviously. Stop thinking in terms of “profit motives”. Instead of thinking about changing your lifestyle into something better. Making it a more adventuresome and exciting fun life. A life, mind you, that you share with others.

    But, you do know, that it will set things in motion that will manifest later on. Just do it. Trust in the wisdom of MM.

    Now…

    Talking about themes…

    You know, if I lived in the UK, I would take this moment to go visit some of these most interesting megalithic sites that all throughout the region. Maybe not the most famous ones, but the “out of the way” places. Then take some pictures, get a “feeling” for the area. Who knows, maybe I could experience some feelings of the Leigh Lines, or whatever they are called.

    Then…

    Check out the local pub(s). Try the local meal specialties (if any). Chat it up with the old bar flies there, the townies, and all the rest, and maybe make some friends. I’d make a day of it. But that’s just me.

    Fine delicious pub food.

    Of course, for me, a beef pie would be awesome. Just awesome, while everyone else might yawn and look the other way. As if (to say) “tourist”.

    But really, there’s so much to see and explore in this world.

    I well remember a fine meat pie lady who well investigated a OOPART in the UK. Such an adventure, and even though no direct discoveries occurred, the day trip was a wonderful adventure with many, many good times. Memories. Companionship.

    Oh, and she did discover a curious abandoned construction that somehow ended right on top of what used to be the ruins. What a coincidence.

    And you all know about coincidences, eh?

    Anyways, the fact that you go out of your house, and you go forth and explore, and that you go and make friends. Oh, Lordy! It’s so awesome!

    If I was in Indiana, Pennsylvania or Ohio, I would tromp out to the local historical parks, and museums and see if I could sense of “feel” any magnetic or patterns around the structures there. I probably couldn’t, but the exercise in trying to discover the effects would actually be awesome. I think.

    Mound builders “footprint”.

    You never know what life will present to you.

    I once had an interview for a job in Deland, Florida.

    What a beautiful place. And interesting work on sonar buoys. But they low-balled me on salary. I mean really, seriously offered me a salary just above minimum wage. WTF?

    But I told them that I would consider it.

    Deland, Florida.

    And the wife and I (my first wife) spent a week trying to figure out if that place was good for us. And it was certainly beautiful.

    They had fern farms. That’s right, this was were they grew ferns. They has these ferns under the trees that lay under an canopy and it was really deep, dark, lush and calm. Spanish moss hung from the trees.

    So nice.

    Deland, Florida.

    Alas, I did not accept the job. Not that I didn’t want to accept the low salary, but we physically couldn’t afford it. The rents were out of our reach at that salary. Which is probably why the turnover was so high at the company. Sigh.

    But it was in the 1990’s. It was at the time when profits over all drove all companies throughout the USA.

    Working in the 1990’s really sucked.

    But, what I want to tell you all is that next to the area where we stayed was a horse race track. And we visited it during the day to have lunch.

    Very relaxing.

    The riders were not racing. Just going through their paces, and we got a reasonably inexpensive lunch on an off moment in time.

    A nice relaxing lunch at the club or the track.

    But as we got back to our rental car, we heard meowing.

    And there near the fence was around 16 of the cutest little kittens you ever did see. (Sixteen kittens. So many.) They were all white. Every single one of them.

    Perhaps two or three white cats gave birth to all these kittens, and they were so friendly and came up to us. I just wanted to take all of them home.

    But I didn’t.

    Many white kittens.

    I should have taken the event as a SIGN.

    “Signs”. They do occur.

    Signs are real things. But I didn’t. I was too focused on the material aspects of a functional life. I shouldn’t have been, but I did.

    This was just a few months after my only ever white kitten; snowflaker, died.

    Instead I took another job. It fizzled and I left it. But maybe I should have listened to the signs…

    Maybe I should have listened to the signs

    Maybe I should have listened to the signs

    Maybe I should have listened to the signs

    …but I would never have been exposed to the signs if I did not venture forth and get out of the environment that I was in. Oh, so many MM readers are still in their boxes. It’s tough to venture outward, but when you do, things happen.

    THINGS HAPPEN.

    Things happen.

    OK. So what am I trying to say. Well, go out of your “comfort zone” and try to explore the world nearby. You might be surprised at how interesting it is. And if you don’t find it interesting, you might be surprised at all the new experiences you will have.

    Even the most bland place has some very interesting stories that are just waiting for YOU to experience.

    I well remember living in Kentucky. Bored, my wife and I went for a long ride.  Lord knows where we went, but somehow we ended up in the middle of no where. So we pulled up at a lone gas station. There was a glider sofa, on the porch.

    Kentucky

    We got some ice cream, and spent one hour just rocking on that glider while the world sat frozen in time. It was magical.

    Kentucky

    I always enjoyed glider sofas. Everyone used to have them. Both of my grandparents had them, and later on my father got a old antique one that he refurbished and fixed up and put on his porch. Most people put cushions or throws on the sofas and set them on their porch.

    So nice.

    Glider sofa.

    Can you just imagine what it would have been like if we lived in France?

    France…

    France.

    In Scotland?

    Scotland.

    In Germany?

    Germany

    In Poland?

    Female hiker enjoying mountain trip, and taking pictures. Photo taken in Tatra Mountains, Poland.

    In Morocco?

    Morocco.

    In Namibia?

    Namibia.

    But I lived in Kentucky.

    Kentucky

    Stop reading about the adventures of others. Use your knowledge and your desire for adventure to experience things on your own.

    -Lecture ends.-

    Remember, that adventures will surprise you

    The thing about going out and going forth doing something new, or something that you don’t often do, is that  you will experience some surprises.

    I went to visit a 200 year old greenhouse as a day trip when I lived in Massachusetts, and then ended up discovering the best retro diner that I ever sat in.

    Or, I once went to visit a butterfly conservatory. It was this enormous network of connected greenhouses just filled with butterflies from all over the world. It was awesome, but what’s more on the way home we pulled off and discovered the largest collection of twine in all of Northern Massachusetts. This crazy old coot spent his entire life collecting twine and made a huge ball of it. They had to make this metal pole building around it to keep it out of the weather.

    Who knows what might lurk nearby…

    A swimming pool perhaps…

    A swimming pool.

    Maybe a chance to tour a Craftsman style home that is being sold and has an “open house”…

    Craftsman style house.

    Or maybe just pull into a campground, and spend the night in the tent (that you keep in the trunk of your car just for that occasion.) You never know.

    Time for a nice fire, eh?

    You never know.

    Final thoughts

    It is hot as hell her in this middle of September 2021 in Zhuhai. Temperatures are routinely in the high 90’s F, or the 34 to 36C, and all with abnormally high humidity. I feel like I am swimming when I walk down the halls.

    But it will end.

    Sooner or later.

    What ever your situation or your condition, please realize that it will change. Change is the natural state of affairs in this region of reality. And do not give up up hope or be frustrated. Good times lie in the future. It is up to you to navigate to that crossroads. I believe in you.

    Keep on pushing forward.

    And…

    …never, ever, ever, ever, give up.

    Never give up.

    And a final message…

    Everyone has ups and downs. Everyone gets happy and gets sad.

    But you must know, that sometimes life can “bitch slap you” so hard that you lie broken and collapsed. You are hurt. Not just hurt. You are shattered. Financially, socially, physically, mentally and emotionally. You are just burnt out, and discarded.

    I know that there are some frustrated folk out in MM land. I know that things are tough, tight, seemingly hopeless or impossible. And upsetting and sad as all get out. I know this.

    Jobs.

    Work and money.

    Uncertain futures.

    Even, just Eating.

    You feel like giving up. You feel like quitting.

    Focus on your affirmation campaigns. Be a good person. Eat only delicious and healthy food. Spend time with your friends. Spend time with your animals / pets. Calm your mind through meditation, hemi-sync, and long walks in nature. Be the Rufus.

    Leave the world behind you safer, happier, cleaner, and better because YOU happened by.

    And you know…

    Never give up.

    And that is not just some cutesy saying.

    The biggest tool in your toolbox is persistence. You don’t just hop from one project to the other. American style like the USA government, or an American hire-and-fire company. No. You be like China and you plan for the long haul. No matter what happens, no matter what storms lash at you, and no matter how worried you are…

    Never give up.

    And I mean it. I really, really, really do.

    It might seem so strange to talk about visiting parks, eating delicious food, and spending time with friends, when it seems like your entire world is collapsing. But it’s not. Focus. Relax as the rest of the world howls. Relax. And focus on your plans and actions.

    And never, ever, ever give up.

    Never give up.

    And remember your little buddies…

    They can help you.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts like this somewhere in my OOPART Index here…

    Mysteries Explained

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

     

    Anomalous Metallic Object Discovered Inside a 4.5 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite

    Ai! We talk about thousands of year old anomalous objects, and MM introduces millions of years old objects. But what of billions of years old objects? What the fuck is going on?

    Well, just today I have a “new” entry in the world of “what the fuck”. And you know these things come and go, and eventually completely disappear. But in reality just realize that our universe is completely populated with intelligence, and we are just infants in the grand scheme of things.

    So whoa!

    Anomalous Metallic Object Discovered Inside a 4.5 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite

    This is a complete reprint from HERE. The usual disclaimers apply. You all know the drill.

    As meteorite dealers, my wife Linda and I have continued supplying meteorites and importing new stock throughout lockdown. On Friday, April 17th 2020, I received a parcel of meteorites I had ordered from a dependable regular source. These were twenty examples of a very well-known and popular common chondrite known as NWA 869. One of them was different and appeared to contain a metallic object inside.

    For over twenty years we have been the owners of the UK’s only full-time meteorite dealership, Spacerocks UK. We both have university qualifications in astronomy and have lectured widely at many of the country’s most auspicious institutions. At any one moment we have several thousand meteorites of all types in our inventory. We are therefore completely familiar with their appearance.

    The origin of meteorites

    At this point, it’s worth giving a brief explanation about what meteorites are and where they come from. The solar system (the Sun, planets, asteroids and comets) condensed from a cloud of dust and gas known as the solar nebula around five billion years ago. The first solid objects were millimetric spheres called chondrules. These joined together over a few million years to form increasingly large chunks. Eventually, by collision, these accreted to form planetissimals and finally, around 4.5 billion years ago, the eight large planets and other, smaller bodies that make up the solar system.

    The vast gaps between the orbits of the eight major planets are full of debris left over from these early days. Additionally, a region between Mars and Jupiter holds many thousands of smaller planetary objects known as asteroids. These occasionally collide (more so in the past), launching further rocky and metallic debris into the solar  system  .

    If one of these fragments collides with the Earth on its passage around the Sun, it will heat up to over 6,000 degrees Celsius because of friction with the atmosphere. This is the cause of the familiar shooting stars, or meteors, we may see at night. If a chunk is large enough, it may survive and reach the surface of the Earth. This residual object is known as a meteorite.

    Explaining the types of meteorites

    There are, broadly speaking, three types of meteorite:

    • Chondrites: fragments of the original ancient stones that remain from the beginnings of the solar system. These often contain chondrules, the small spheres mentioned earlier. Chondrites are all around 5 billion years old.
    • Achondrites: stony material blasted off the surface of a planet, asteroid or satellite by the impact of another object. Achondrite meteorites have been proven to have originated on many bodies, including Mars, the Moon and asteroids such as Vesta,
    • Irons and stony irons are fragments of the cores of fully-formed small planets that were disrupted during collisions billions of years As the first planets grew in size, heavy elements such as nickel and iron sank to their centers to form metallic cores, like that of the Earth.

    Generally speaking, meteorites are named after the place where they fell or were found. That’s why the iron meteorite that made the Arizona Meteor Crater is called Canyon Diablo and that which exploded over Russia in 1947 is known as Sikhote-Alin.

    A 1.7kg individual meteorite from the Sikhote Alin meteorite shower (coasrsest octahedrite, class IIAB). This specimen is about 12cm wide. Sikhote Alin meteorite shower fell on 1947 February 12 in the dense forest of eastern Siberia, and over 23 tons of meteoritic material has been recovered. (H. Raab / CC BY-SA 3.0 )

    The NWA 869 meteorite in question

    The meteorite we are discussing here, NWA 869, comes from a large strewn field which was the 869 th such to be discovered in North West Africa: hence its name. Why 869 is so prized by collectors is that most of meteorites  from this field are small, complete examples, rather than fragments of larger bodies that exploded as they passed through the atmosphere (see photos).

    The majority have an attractive blue-grey fusion crust (melted surfaced) and their shape reflects their attitude as they streaked downwards. This is known as ‘orientation’: a bit like the way spacecraft enter the atmosphere heat- shield first. OK, that’s the technical stuff out of the way!

    This NWA 869 meteorite was like nothing the writer had seen before. (Author supplied)

    When I was processing the parcel of newly-arrived 869s, I suddenly noticed a metallic glint from one of them. This isn’t unusual: all chondrites contain nickel-iron and some (see photo) display quite obvious metallic flecks. This was different. In this case, the shiny region could be seen to be a small cylindrical feature around 6 mm (0.2 in) in diameter.

    This metallic area was protruding at an angle from a region of glassy fusion crust, which, in places, could be seen to flow away from the object. Another interesting feature is that the cylinder had a small impact crater on its surface, something not uncommonly seen on iron meteorites or, indeed, spacecraft on their return from orbit.

    The meteorite and its strange inclusion have been examined both microscopically and spectroscopically by a contact at the University of East Anglia. The preliminary results indicate that the silver cylinder is not composed of any of the usual accessory minerals found in meteorites. Further examination is scheduled.

    I have no doubt at all that the object embedded in the NWA 869 meteorite was in place as the stone entered the Earth’s atmosphere some time in the past. Since the meteorite itself was formed several hundred millions of years before the planets, it begs the questions: who made it, and where did it originate before becoming part of the solar nebula? A very real possibility might be that the cylinder originated on a planet orbiting a Population 2 star that exploded as a nova several billion years before our solar system formed.

    What does all this mean?

    The oldest stars in the universe are, counterintuitively, called Population 3 stars. The “nuclear furnaces” at the heart of these were the origin of some of the elements “heavier” than hydrogen. As these ancient stars ran out of hydrogen, the larger ones would have shrunk, then exploded, releasing gas, dust and some of these heavier elements into the universe. It was this material that condensed to form Population 2 stars ten to fifteen billion years ago. The larger examples of these also underwent cataclysmic supernovae, generating regions of star formation where Population 1 stars like our Sun – and their associated planets – condensed.

    The oldest stars in the universe are, counterintuitively, called Population 3 stars. The “nuclear furnaces” at the heart of these were the origin of some of the elements “heavier” than hydrogen. As these ancient stars ran out of hydrogen, the larger ones would have shrunk, then exploded, releasing gas, dust and some of these heavier elements into the universe. It was this material that condensed to form Population 2 stars ten to fifteen billion years.

    It is now known that planets are very common. So far astronomers have discovered over 4,000! It is probably the case that most Pop 1 stars have planetary systems. Since the oldest of these stars were formed ten billion years ago – twice as long ago as the Sun – it would seem highly likely that life and ultimately civilizations evolved upon those in suitable locations.

    Any that ended their lives as supernovae will have scattered all kinds of stellar, planetary and – possibly – archaeological debris into its galaxy. Either we are alone – unique – in the cosmos, or life occurs wherever there is the slightest possibility of it: in which case, we should expect to find alien artifacts within ancient meteorites.

    You can find out more about the world of Meteoritics in David’s book, Spacerocks, available from Amazon.

    Conclusion

    Amazing stuff.

    Most of the stuff that I, MM have dealt with is millions of years old. Not billions. So this is a great find. I really only know about the stuff prior to the formation of the solar system though the chatter of my pilot. And at that its all really limited. I never felt the need to inquire further. Maybe I should have. Never the less it’s interesting stuff. That is for certain.

    It might be nice for someone in the UK to visit this person and have a first hand look at the object… of course, once the coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

    A billions of year old object is most certainly something worth checking out. Don’t you agree? I mean it’s not everyday that you come across an object that is fabricated by intelligence that predates the solar system.

    And finally, I want to provide a RUFUS video.

    Remember all this insight in to how our universe really is, is really interesting. But seriously, it is how we live our lives that really matters.

    If you have a dear friend on his deathbed, maybe it is the most Rufus thing to do is to defy the rules and conventions and instead to spend time with him in his last moments. Be the Rufus. Anything else is below you. Here’s my video HERE. 13MB.

    You know who you are. (wink.)

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my OOPARTS section. Here…

    Mysteries Explained

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

     

    The archaeological dilemma of the 250,000 year old Hueyatlaco site remains

    According to mainstream understandings, mankind is only around 6,000 years old. And while there is much evidence to support earlier dates going as far back as 30,000 years few will embrace the implications of these discoveries. Thus, we are faced with an enigma. What to make of remains that are dated at over  250,000 years old?

    Could it be that everything that we were taught in school is wrong?

    My opinion is YES.

    Life and Living

    There is a strong and significant percentage of the population that wants things; life and relationships, to be “black and white”. Where everything is simple. Where everything is cleanly put inside it’s own box; nicely labeled, categorized and filed away for future use. It certainly looks nice. It’s orderly. It’s easy to index. It’s great to conceptualize.

    But…

    Life is not that way.

    And many people like to describe this key to organization through the understanding of disorganization as “shades of grey” as opposed to “black and white” thinking. But you know, that life isn’t something that is easily cataloged. It is dynamic, complex and endlessly interesting.

    To understand things, you shouldn’t have single dedicated articles to only that particular issue. Like a website for a specific type of nail, or a website for how to groom poodles. For while they are easy to look up and search for, and helpful for writing an essay or report for school, they do not convey or transfer information in the same way as an up-front “hands on”, “face to face” discussion with a close friend would have.

    If you are with a close friend, you will know them. You will understand their likes, and dislikes, their passions, their biases, and their exaggerations. And knowing that will best help you to understand the conveyance of information at hand.

    Which is why you trust your best friend to help get you out of a mess, while you wouldn’t dare ask a colleague. Which is why you would believe a family member who told you not to buy a used car from THAT man, and why you wouldn’t believe Bill Clinton or Donald Trump when they offered to sell you a used car.

    Don’t buy a car from this man.

    Everything comes with context.

    Everything.

    Propaganda relies on the lack of full contextual information to control you.

    For instance, the “China mishandled the Wuhan virus” narrative relies on the omission that Jon Bolton was the head of the Bio-weapon program for his entire term under the Trump Administration.

    There are many such examples of this.

    But let’s not digress too deeply.  Instead, let’s recognize that everything [1] comes with context, and that [2] it’s very difficult to provide contextual information inside of any article. Which is why we must assume [3] bias or slant in any information that you read or study.

    Noteworthy Website

    One of my favorite websites is “Ancient Origins“. They offer up mysteries of the past, exciting discoveries and alternative views of history. Anyone with even a passing interest in history would find this site interesting.

    Some of the articles are fantastical, while others are bland and boring and relates to obscure subject matter. But that’s all right. As long as your recognize what the website is, what it’s purpose is, and why it exists that is often enough to provide enough contextual information to understand the relative value of the articles that you are reading there.

    In a way, websites with greatly diverse content is the modern day incarnations of periodicals and magazines. And while times have changed. Who we are haven’t.

    The early years.

    Back in my early teen years, I used to read “Treasure Magazine”. And inside that magazine (and others of a similar genre)  were stories of mysterious objects that people found. Some were found by metal detectors, while others were found in unlikely places, like a hidden room, or up in the rafters of a chicken coop. There were also stores of lost treasure, and the stories that had now become obscure local legends.

    As a young boy, I “ate it up”. I literally read those magazines cover to cover, and then put them carefully in a stack (of magazines) that kept on a growing in the bathroom next to my bedroom. There, in that stack were issues of Mad Magazine, National Geographic, Weird Stories comic books, Analog Magazine, “The Good Old Days” and “Men’s” Magazines.

    Magazines fit for a boy of 12.

    For me, they took me to far off lands, strange adventures and interesting places. I could imagine myself fighting of hordes of hungry otters, discovering buried golden treasure, exploring an abandoned castle dungeon, and finding a book filled with secrets in a long lost attic.

    In those days I would hastily make myself a sandwich out of leftover pot roast, slices of cheese, and a sliced tomato from the garden (plus some Miracle Whip brand mayonnaise) and put it on a plate. There, I would go to a quiet spot, eat my sandwich and read my magazines. All away from others so that I wouldn’t get “roped” into doing a new chore or other task.

    (Mississippi style) pot roast sandwich.

    I found this activity relaxing, fun and enjoyable. And more than a few times, my trusty cat Sedwick would scamper up the tree and let himself in to chill out besides me.

    Such was my youth.

    Now, you have to take everything into account. At that time, while I was busily attending “middle school”, the subjects (while interesting) were not the same. For it was the subjects that I read at home; the science fiction stories, the poetry, and the adventure stories that tickled my imagination. And that, I believe is critical. You cannot live your entire life believing everything that is taught to you. You have to probe, push and understand things in new and different ways.

    And maybe they are bullshit, and don’t make sense.

    But maybe they are real and are suggestive of other things. Certainly Erich vonniken greatly influenced me. And while I never (at that time) ever thought that I would some day meet the strange beings that I read about it was nice to have a contextual background that made the introduction of such beings more reasonable and palatable to me.

    Now, I know that the past is interesting and colorful. Certainly my exposure to events, changes and things have greatly influenced my thoughts in this matter. And now when I read the fantastical, I judge things through the contextual lens of my background and my experience.

    And here is one such story.

    I read this story while I had a glass of basic red wine at my side, and a plate of toasted Italian bread with peppers, onions and cheese. And found the following article to be just as tasty as what I was enjoying.

    Red wine and Italian bread.

    Controversy at Hueyatlaco: When Did Humans First Inhabit the Americas?

    Found HERE. Written on 28 April, 2021 - 18:53  Aleksa Vučković All credit to the author, and note that it was edited to fit this venue, and MM comments and thoughts abound.

    What happens when an archaeological site is so extraordinary, that it threatens to eclipse everything we knew about history up to that point?

    Some discoveries are just too hard to fully grasp, and that makes us question their accuracy.

    Hueyatlaco in Mexico is one such archaeological site.

    It is forcing us to reconsider the time frame of human habitation in South America.

    By a lot.

    The finds presented at Hueyatlaco are still a matter of heated debate amongst scholars today, but one thing is certain – there are still many unanswered questions which need to be explored.

    The accepted history

    Here is the accepted history for how, and when humans arrived to the Americas. Anything that differs from this narrative is rejected out of hand, and certainly enrages statists who have their careers and their reputation entangled with this narrative. The following is from an academic website.

    The narrative;

    Around 16,000 BP, people migrated from Siberia (Asia) to Alaska (North America) over the Bering Land Bridge (map below).

    • New evidence found in Chiquihuite Cave, Mexico, including tools made from a type of limestone not originating from the cave itself, suggests that humans first arrived in North America possibly as far back as 30,000 BP. At that time, the ice sheets covering North America during the last ice age were still extensive, which would have made cross-continental travel very difficult, and suggests that the Pacific coast was the more probable travel route. This idea is known as the Pacific Coastal Route Hypothesis.
      • This new research indicates that even though people likely reached North America no later than 26,500 to 19,000 BP, occupation did not become widespread until the very end of the last ice age, around 14,700 to 12,900 BP.
      • This new evidence dispels the Clovis-first model, named for evidence of human occupation in Clovis, New Mexico. This model suggests that the first people to reach North America traveled across the Bering Land Bridge and then into North America along an ice-free cross-continental corridor around 16,000 to 10,000 BP. It is likely that  by then North America had already been occupied by people who migrated via the Pacific coastal route.
      • Under the Pacific Coastal Route Hypothesis, people traveled south along the “kelp highway” of the western coast of the Americas because it was mainly ice-free and therefore easier to traverse than the ice-covered inland areas (map below). The coastal waters had common giant kelp species such as Durvillaea antarctica and Macrocystis pyrifera, which supported rich ecosystems that provided food, such as sea bass, cod, rockfish, sea urchins, abalones, and mussels for the migrating people. At the end of the last ice age, glaciers melted and sea levels rose, flooding the “kelp highway.”

    • During the last ice age, which peaked around 21,000 BP and ended around 10,700 BP, global sea levels were up to 100 meters lower than they are today because colder temperatures resulted in large amounts of water becoming frozen in glaciers.
    • The Bering Land Bridge existed during this time of low sea levels. When the glaciers melted and sea levels rose to their present-day position, the land bridge flooded and formed the Bering Strait that now separates Asia from North America. See below for an interactive map of the Bering Land Bridge and the Bering Strait over time.

    After the initial migrations to North America, people began moving southward, following the Pacific coast from Alaska to Chile.

    Those who made it to northern and central South America were limited to small communities because the cold, harsh climate of the ice age prevented populations from expanding.

    A short period of rising temperatures and retreating glaciers followed, which allowed people to migrate further south and establish new settlements in Patagonia, such as in Monte Verde (map below).

    Then, around 14,500 BP, in what is known as the Antarctic Climate Reversal, temperatures dropped as much as 6℃ below present-day and remained low for 2 millenia.

    When temperatures rose yet again, more glaciers melted, flooding the Strait of Magellan and cutting the southernmost settlements on Tierra del Fuego off from the mainland (map below), leading to a cultural division between mainland and coastal inhabitants.

    Anything that differs from this narrative is considered to be suspect or fraudulent.

    Such is the archaeological dilemma of the 250,000 year old Hueyatlaco site.

    The Valsequillo Basin

    The site in question is located in Mexico in an area known as The Valsequillo Basin. It is a depressed area that used to be an enormous lake or series of lakes thousands of years ago.

    The Valsequillo Basin is located near the city of Puebla, in Mexico.

    Situated in the central part of the country, this basin has been the focus of much interest for geologists, archaeologists and the scientific world as a whole.

    This interest was sparked due to the presence of numerous megafaunal remains and evidence of very early human habitation.

    Megafauna, as we know, is the term commonly used for large animals that roamed the landscapes of the Pleistocene, such as mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, and cave lions.

    What is megafauna?
    
    We’ve all heard stories from the age of the dinosaurs, when giant creatures the size of buses or even buildings roamed the land and the oceans, but their disappearance didn’t mean the end of the giants: In fact, megafauna was predominant in every continent on Earth, through multiple glaciations and climate change periods, until about 50,000 years ago during the Late Pleistocene. That is, until humans entered the picture. Our increasing hunting and habitat pressure lead to a great decrease in the numbers and distribution of megafauna, followed by subsequent extinctions.
    
    The decline of megafauna started so early in our history, and its progress was so steady, that only now are we starting to acknowledge and study the effects of megafauna in regulating our ecosystems and the impacts of megafaunal loss across the globe.
    
    -True Nature Foundation
    

    However, although rich in important discoveries, the site has always been the cause of much  controversy, simply because some of the theories surrounding it are very hard to fully grasp.

    It has been proposed that the landscapes of the Early Pleistocene period were characterized by many deep lakes, and that this basin might once have been one such lake.

    Reconstruction using GIS of the maximum level of the shallow Late Pleistocene lake at the Valsequillo Basin, Puebla, also shown are La Malinche Volcano and Cerro Toluquilla Volcano.

    However, no direct proof for this ever surfaced and dating has proven quite difficult for scholars.

    Nevertheless, the area is of immense geological interest due to it being dominated by the stratovolcanoes  Popocatépetl and La  Malinche, and its location in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt.

    As such, this is a site with a time-worn history, which also helps shed some light on early human habitation of the region, because  geology and archaeology often go hand in hand.

    Criticisms Mount Against Claim of Hominins in the Americas Over 100,000 Years Ago

    Some of the first excavations at Hueyatlaco were carried out in 1961, when professor Cynthia Irwin-Williams conducted an extensive dig at the site.

    Even before she arrived, the region was known as a place rich in animal fossils, which sparked the interest of scholars.

    Irwin-Williams was soon joined by other prominent persons of the U.S. Geological Survey, notably Virginia Steen-McIntyre, who was responsible for publicizing the find and the magnificent discoveries it entailed.

    Due to the vast numbers of animal fossils, it was commonly believed that this site was a kill site, where ancient humans butchered the animals they  hunted.

    The countless animal remains were located in fluviatile deposits commonly known as Valsequillo gravels, which were often plain and exposed in the high cliff sides of the Valsequillo Reservoir.

    In geography and geology, fluvial processes are associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them. When the stream or rivers are associated with glaciers, ice sheets, or ice caps, the term glaciofluvial or fluvioglacial is used. The White River is so named due to the clay it picks up in the Badlands of South Dakota.
    
    -Fluvial processes - Wikipedia

    Some of the ancient animal fossils found included  bison, camel, dire wolf, peccary, short-faced bear,  sloth, horse, tapir,  mammoth, saber-toothed cat, mastodon, glyptodon, four-horned antelope, and several other species.

    glyptodon

    But the really important finds were made in 1962, when Irwin-Williams discovered both animal bones and stone tools, together, in situ.

    Indicative of tool-making humanoids that hunted and killed the animals.

    The subsequent struggle to positively identify the age of these remains led to much controversy.

    The tools that were discovered included some very crude and primitive implements, but also tools that were much more sophisticated, with double edges and detailed flaking construction.

    Indicative of multiple societies, or the immensity of age of a singular society.

    These tools were diverse and included quite elaborate projectile points, many of which were made from non-local materials.

    Indicative of travel, or possibly trade.

    This was a clear proof that Hueyatlaco was used by various groups of people for a long period of time.

    Either way, these findings were quickly pushing back the previously believed timeline of human habitation in South America, which caused conflicts in the scientific world.

    Dating to 250,000 years, when at the time, the earliest human presence was dated to 6,000 years ago.

    Unhappy Historians

    Very early on in the excavations, attempts were made to discredit the work done at Hueyatlaco, and some turned out to be blatant attacks on the work.

    Someone seemingly had a problem with the idea that South America was inhabited so much earlier than was commonly believed.

    In 1967, Jose Lorenzo, a member of the Mexican  Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia,  came forth with a controversial claim that the artifacts discovered were deliberately planted at the site, in a way that made it difficult to know whether they were actually discovered.

    This gossip was seemingly unmerited and looked a lot like an attempt to disrupt the crew from making further claims at the site.

    What is more, the suspicious activities did not stop here.

    Irwin-Williams did make a startling discovery of mammoth bone fragments that were carved with intricate images, depicting various megafauna animals such as serpents and saber-toothed cats.

    Similar carved images have been discovered all over the world, and are associated with early man.

    However, these carved bones disappeared under puzzling circumstances, as if someone didn’t want them to reach the public eye.

    Yet, while the evidence has disappeared, the photographs of the carvings survive.

    By 1969, Irwin-Williams sought support in the scientific community, and gained support from three renowned scholars who visited the site of the excavations and confirmed that everything was being conducted in a professional manner.

    During that same year, the team published their first scientific paper that detailed the excavations and the importance of the site.

    And that importance was the age .

    Dating the site

    Various methods for dating the finds were utilized, many of which were revolutionary for the time.

    The usual radiocarbon dating  indicated that the remains were roughly 35,000 years old.

    However, dating by uranium suggested the remains to be far older, roughly 260,000 years old.

    At the time, these results were considered an anomaly, especially due to the fact that general science proposed a general time of 16,000 years before present for the settling of the Americas.

    Radiocarbon dating did not agree with uranium dating; thus creating an anomaly.

    Some suggested that the strata (or geological layers) were eroded by ancient waterways, and that might have mixed up the specimens, and causing such differing results.

    By 1973, scientists returned to Hueyatlaco, hoping to conduct new excavations and attempt to once more examine the layers and to resolve the oddities of dating the finds.

    Their research concluded that the layers were not eroded and that specimens were not mixed up.

    What is more, this new team managed to analyze volcanic ash from the site and apply the revolutionary zircon fission track dating method.

    Through this geochemistry approach, they determined that the volcanic ash – discovered in the same layer as the tools – was roughly between 370,000 and 240,000 years old.

    This confirmed the extremely old age of human habitation at the site, and further deepened the enigma that was Hueyatlaco.

    The remote age of the artifacts was confirmed by the geochemistry method.

    In time, plenty of friction arose between the team members, as they could not agree on the age, the direction in which the excavation was heading, or the accuracy of the dating methods.

    Uranium dating was extremely new at the time, and its reliability not well known, while the fission track dating method had a substantial margin of error.

    In time, the excavation team was separated by their views.

    Site controversy

    Irwin-Williams believed that the probable age was 20,000 years before present, although that view in itself was considered controversial by many.

    On the other hand, Harold Malde and Virginia Steen-McIntyre, other team leaders, firmly believed the original dating of 200,000 years before present – which was so revolutionary that it was hard to comprehend.

    Some suggested that the 20,000 year theory by Irwin-Williams was “puzzling” and almost a deliberate tactic to discredit the find.

    This was believed mainly because no evidence for that age was found in the excavations at all.

    Irwin-Williams never went forward to solidify her claims.

    In fact, she never published a report on the site whatsoever, which led to questions on the honesty of her claims.

    On the other hand, the other part of the team firmly believed in their 200,000 year theory, and were not willing to drop it.

    Formal announcement

    In 1981, this faction made up of Malde, Fryxell, and Steen-McIntyre published an extensive scientific paper in the  Journal of Quaternary Research , providing a detailed insight and evidence for the extremely old dating of human habitation at the site.

    In their paper, they provided the results from four different dating tests: [1] the fission track, [2] the uranium-thorium test, [3] the study of mineral weathering to determine age, and [4] the tephra hydration tests.

    All of these tests confirmed the age of the remains to be roughly 250,000 years old which confirmed their theories.

    To that end, the authors wrote in their paper:

    "The evidence outlined here consistently indicates that the Hueyatlaco site is about 250,000  years old. 
    
    We who have worked on geological aspects of the Valsequillo area are painfully aware that so great an age poses an archaeological dilemma [...] 
    
    In our view, the results reported here widen the window of time in which serious investigation of the age of Man in the New World  would be warranted. 
    
    We continue to cast a critical eye on all the data, including our own."

    This was an educated, accurate response that acknowledged that such a radical claim  did seem odd, but was not entirely impossible.

    The story of Hueyatlaco continued to look like a deliberate attempt to discredit these finds or hide them under the carpet.

    The evidence was there: early humans could have inhabited the so-called New World, the Americas, far earlier than was commonly believed.

    Not good enough!

    But seemingly, someone did not want that truth to be accepted.

    To that end, Irwin-Williams, who was at odds with the rest of the team, raised objections to several aspects of the published paper, seemingly continuing her attacks on the finds.

    The team were confident and quickly refuted her attempts to discredit their work.

    Further secrets were soon revealed.

    Virginia Steen-McIntyre was at one point fired from her job due to her claims, and she also revealed that some of the original team members were harassed, their careers were threatened, and they were proclaimed incompetent – all because of their involvement in the project.

    So, we need to wonder, why did these findings cause so much enmity from mainstream science?

    Sure, to some, the claims of such an old age might seem radical and hard to believe.

    But rather than simply disagreeing with the claims, mainstream scholars went to great lengths to attack, harass, and fully discredit the professional work the team has conducted.

    Nevertheless, as time progressed, new tests were conducted, providing new evidence and deepening the controversy related to the site.

    Testing, testing and then even more testing!

    In 2004, for example, researcher Sam Van Landingham conducted extensive bio- stratigraphic analysis, confirming that the strata that bore the discovered tools was some 250,000 years old.

    He re- confirmed these finds once again in 2006.

    He states in his papers that the samples can be dated to the so-called Sangamonian stage  (from 80,000 to 220,000 years before present) due to the presence of several diatom species only appearing in that age.

    Diatoms are single-celled algae
    
    Diatoms are algae that live in houses made of glass. They are the only organism on the planet with cell walls composed of transparent, opaline silica. Diatom cell walls are ornamented by intricate and striking patterns of silica.

    More findings appeared in 2008, when paleomagnetic testing was conducted on the volcanic ash layers from the site, dating them to roughly 780,000 years before present.

    The geological time scale is used by geologists and paleontologists to measure the history of the Earth and life. It is based on the fossils found in rocks of different ages and on radiometric dating of the rocks.
    
    Sedimentary rocks (made from mud, sand, gravel or fossil shells) and volcanic lava flows are laid down in layers or beds. They build up over time so that that the layers at the bottom of the pile are older than the ones at the top. Geologists call this simple observation the Principle of Superposition, and it is most important way of working out the order of rocks in time. Ordering of rocks (and the fossils that they contain) in time from oldest to youngest is called relative age dating.
    
    Once the rocks are placed in order from oldest to youngest, we also know the relative ages of the fossils that we collect from them.
    
    Relative age dating tells us which fossils are older and which fossils are younger. It does not tell us the age of the fossils. To get an age in years, we use radiometric dating of the rocks. Not every rock can be dated this way, but volcanic ash deposits are among those that can be dated. The position of the fossils above or below a dated ash layer allows us to work out their ages.
    
    -How paleontologists tell time

    Hueyatlaco remains a true scientific anomaly.

    It is not at all impossible that early man could have crossed over to the Americas much, much earlier than is currently believed.

    In fact, there already is the conundrum of the Solutrean theory , which tells us that the  Clovis people , the proposed ancestors of the Native Americans, were not the first inhabitants of the Americas.

    Besides these, there are numerous pieces of evidence across the continent that tell us that it is nigh time that we reconsider the history of human habitation in the Americas.

    Some Conclusions

    Assuming that the array of scientific evidence is correct, then the Hueyatlaco site is truly ancient and indicates tool-using, and tool-manufacturing humanoids 250,000 years ago. This not only turns conventional evolutionary theories “upside down”, but is pretty much discards the vast number of theories in support of human “land bridge” migration.

    In short, for the humans to be in the Americas at this date, one of two things must have happened.

    Either;

    [A] Early man constructed ocean capable vessels and sailed across the wide oceans.

    Or,

    [B] Early man evolved independently in the Americas as well as in Africa.

    We need to come to grips and accept the idea that there was probably various evolutionary clusters and separate lineages that did not originate from a common “Lucy” humanoid. Many died out, and many adapted and evolved, and many propagated throughout the world.

    While not popular at this time, you can rest assured that this understanding will be embraced hundreds of years in the future.

    But wait!

    This is NOT a lone, isolated find.

    Other Ancient Discoveries

    There are many reported human skeletal finds which are in discordance with current evolutionary beliefs dating back to anomalously ancient geological periods in the distant past, way before it is accepted that human beings ever existed.

    One intriguing report surfaced in an American journal called The Geologist dated December 1862:

    “In Macoupin County, Illinois, the bones of a man were recently found on a coal-bed capped with two feet of slate rock, ninety feet below the surface of the earth. . . The bones, when found, were covered with a crust or coating of hard glossy matter, as black as coal itself, but when scraped away left the bones white and natural.” 

    The coal in which the remains were found have been dated at between 320 and 286 million years old, which, despite a lack of supporting evidence and little information on the discovery, is certainly worthy of inclusion here.

    The Foxhall Jaw

    A better documented account of an anomalous find is of a human jaw discovered at Foxhall, England, in 1855 which was dug out of a quarry at a level of sixteen feet (4.88 meters) under ground level, dating the specimen to at least 2.5 million years old.

    American physician Robert H. Collyer described the Foxhall jaw as ‘the oldest relic of human existence’.

    The problem with this particular fossil was its modern appearance.

    A more apelike mandible would have been more acceptable despite its great antiquity, but many dissenters disbelieved the authenticity of the bone ‘probably because the shape of the jaw was not primitive’, according to paleontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn.

    Buenos Aires Skull

    A fully modern human skull was found in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in an Early Pliocene formation, revealing the presence of modern humans in South America between 1 and 1.5 million years ago.

    But once more, the modern appearance of the skull doesn’t fit with conventional thinking on human origins so was discounted on these grounds alone.

    Here we see a clear example of dating by morphology, and a distinct disregard of all other data, no matter how credible.

    The thinking is simple; if it looks modern – it must be modern. No modern humans could possibly have existed that far back in time so it must be ruled out.

    This approach employs illogical thinking if one considers that the skull was found in a Pre-Ensenadean stratum, which, according to present geological calculations, dates back up to 1.5 million years.

    The scientific data, as with a plethora of cases worldwide, does not match the final analogy, and instead of pursuing the matter further until a satisfactory scientific conclusion is arrived upon, the discovery has slipped unsurprisingly into anonymity.

    The Clichy Skeleton

    In a quarry on the Avenue de Clichy, Paris, parts of a human skull were discovered along with a femur, tibia, and some foot bones by Eugene Bertrand in 1868.

    The layer in which the Clichy skeleton was dug out from would make the fossils approximately 330,000 years old.

    It wasn’t until Neanderthals became accepted as the Pleistocene ancestors of modern humans that French anthropologists were forced to drop the Clichy skeleton from the human evolutionary line, as a modern type of human could not predate their allegedly older Neanderthal relatives.

    Neanderthals are conventionally understood to have existed from 30,000 to 150,000 years ago, and the Clichy skeleton which dated at over 300,000 years ago was simply not an acceptable find despite the evidence to support its authenticity.

    The Ipswich Skeleton

    In 1911, another anatomically modern human skeleton was discovered beneath a layer of glacial boulder clay near the town of Ipswich, in England, by J. Reid Moir.

    Found at a depth of about 4.5 feet (1.37 meters) between a layer of clay and glacial sands, the skeleton could be as much as 400,000 years old.

    Naturally, the modern appearance of the skeleton was the cause of strong opposition, but if the find had of been Neanderthal-like, there would have been no questions raised over its position in the glacial sediments.

    As Scottish anatomist and anthropologist, Sir Arthur Keith explained,

    “Under the presumption that the modern type of man is also modern in origin, a degree of high antiquity is denied to such specimens.”

    The deposits in which the Ipswich skeleton was excavated from were recorded by the British Geological Survey as an intact layer of glacial boulder clay which had been laid down between the onset of the Anglian glaciation and the Hoxnian glaciations, a period that stretched between 330,000 and 400,000 years ago.

    Some authorities have even put the beginning of the Mindel glaciation (which is equivalent to that of the Anglian) at around 600,000 years ago, which could potentially allow the Ipswich skeleton to also date back that far.

    The deposits in which the Ipswich skeleton was excavated from were recorded by the British Geological Survey as an intact layer of glacial boulder clay which had been laid down between the onset of the Anglian glaciation and the Hoxnian glaciations, a period that stretched between 330,000 and 400,000 years ago.

    Some authorities have even put the beginning of the Mindel glaciation (which is equivalent to that of the Anglian) at around 600,000 years ago, which could potentially allow the Ipswich skeleton to also date back that far.

    The Castenedolo Bones

    Situated in the southern slopes of the Alps, at Castenedolo, six miles (9.66 km) southeast of Brescia, lays a low hill called the Colle de Vento, where millions of years ago during the Pliocene period , layers of mollusks and coral were deposited by a warm sea washing in.

    In 1860, Professor Giuseppe Ragazzoni traveled to Castenedolo to gather fossil shells in the Pliocene strata exposed in a pit at the base of the Colle de Vento. Reporting on his finds there Ragazzoni wrote:

    “Searching along the bank of coral for shells, there came into my hand the top portion of a cranium, completely filled with pieces of coral cemented with blue-green clay characteristics of that formation. 
    
    Astonished, I continued the search, and in addition to the top portion of the cranium I found other bones of the thorax and limbs, which quite apparently belonged to an individual of the human species.” 

    Once more, negative reactions ensued by both geologists and scientists who were unwilling to accept the Pliocene age offered by Ragazzoni for the skeletal remains.

    It was explained away by an insistence that the bones, due to their clearly modern characteristics, must have come from a recent burial and somehow or other found themselves among the Pliocene strata.

    If in doubt, simply explain it away with logical thinking, even if you ignore the facts within plain sight and filter out the parts which do not fit.

    Ragazzoni was understandably not pleased with the reception he received and the disregard given to his legitimate discovery of an anomalously ancient human skeleton, so he kept his eye on the site where he had found the relics once the land was sold to Carlo Germani in 1875, (on the advice of Ragazzoni, who had advised that the phosphate-rich clay could be sold to farmers as fertilizer).

    Many more discoveries followed from 1879, as Germani kept his word and informed the professor immediately upon finding more bones in the pit.

    Jaw fragments, teeth, backbone, ribs, arms, legs and feet were all dug out of the Pliocene formation which modern geologists have placed at around 3-4 million years old.

    All of them were completely covered with and penetrated by the clay and small fragments of coral and shells, which removed any suspicion that the bones were those of persons buried in graves, and on the contrary confirmed the fact of their transport by the waves of the sea’, said Ragazzoni.

    And on February 16, 1880, Germani informed Ragazzoni that a complete skeleton had been discovered, enveloped in a mass of blue-green clay, remains which turned out to be that of an anatomically modern human female.

    “The complete skeleton was found in the middle of the layer of blue clay. . . The stratum of the blue clay, which is over 1 metre thick, has preserved its uniform stratification, and does not show any sign of disturbance” wrote Ragazzoni, adding, “The skeleton was very likely deposited in a kind of marine mud and not buried at a later time.”

    After personally examining the Castenedolo skeletons at the Technical Institute of Brescia in 1883, Professor Giuseppe Sergi, an anatomist from the University of Rome, was convinced that they represented the remains of humans who had lived during the Pliocene period of the Tertiary.

    Writing of his disdain towards the naysayers within the scientific community Sergi commented,

    “The tendency to reject, by reason of theoretical preconceptions, any discoveries that can demonstrate a human presence in the Tertiary is, I believe, a kind of scientific prejudice. 
    
    Natural science should be stripped of this prejudice.”

    Anomalous Skeletons Have Their Place Too!

    Unfortunately, this prejudice which continues to this day, shows no signs of abating, as Professor Sergi recognized back in the 19th century, ‘By means of a despotic scientific prejudice, call it what you will, every discovery of human remains in the Pliocene has been discredited.’

    So why does its modern appearance override the other factors?

    It doesn’t seem to be a very scientific approach to disregard an archaeological find simply because it does not conform to contemporary evolutionary theses.

    The examples cited in this article are only a small selection which has been rescued from obscurity by vigilant researchers, but how many more cases have suffered similar dismissal due to their anomalistic circumstances ?

    If science continues to sweep unusual discoveries under the carpet, how are we supposed to progress as a species if we are intent on denying data which contradicts our rigid paradigms?

    It would appear that the knowledge filter has been in place for some time, much to the detriment of humankind and our quest to illuminate our foggy, mysterious ancient past.

    Of course we cannot be sure of the validity of the anomalous finds mentioned above, but by ignoring the sheer volume of cases which question current scientific paradigms regarding the evolution of man, we are being denied the whole story – which can only be detrimental to the ongoing study of human evolution .

    References

    Meltzer, D. 2009.  First Peoples in a New World: Colonizing Ice Age America . University of California Press.

    Steen-McIntyre, V. and Fryxell, R. and Malde, H. 1981.  Geologic Evidence for Age of Deposits at Hueyatlaco Archaeological Site . U.S. Geological Survey.

    Various, 2016. “Early–Mid Pleistocene environments in the Valsequillo Basin, Central Mexico: a reassessment” in Journal of Quaternary Science .

    Zillmer, H. 2010.  The Human History Mistake: The Neanderthals and Other Inventions of the Evolution and Earth Sciences . Trafford Publishing.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my OOPARTS section. Here…

    Mysteries Explained

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

     

    The mystery find of a polished metal part within a geode that’s millions of years old

    Here I am going to take a well-deserved break from the insanity of American-led global politics and discuss a curious find. A treasure, if your will. It is a mystery to some, and a curiosity to others. It is a geode with a polished, machined, and finished metal part inside of it.

    Which is pretty much an interesting subject, anyways.

    Just finding a geode to begin with is an excitement; an adventure. But to find one with a mysterious machined part inside is well… double exciting.

    What is a Geode?

    A geode is a Greek word that means the shape of the earth. The name originates from their shape, which is earthlike or oblong (like the shape of an egg). Geodes are consequently defined as secondary structures that are usually found in specific volcanic and sedimentary rocks.
    .

    A beautiful quartz geode.

    Geologic Occurrence and Formation

    Geodes are not found randomly here and there. Instead they are usually found in large numbers in areas where the rocks have formed in a special geochemical environment.

    Most geodes localities are in A) stratified volcanic deposits such as basalts and tuffs; or B) stratified sedimentary carbonate deposits such as limestones and dolomites. A diversity of other environments can also occasionally yield a small number of geodes.

    The geodes are said to be formed in any hollow or cavity like areas such as in tree roots or animal burrows.

    Geodes in sedimentary rocks are usually found in limestones, dolomites, and calcareous shale. In these deposits a gas-filled void can serve as the opening for geode formation.

    Shells, tree branches, roots and other organic materials often decay away to leave a void for the formation of mineral materials. These cavities can be filled with quartz, opal, agate or carbonate minerals. They are generally smaller than the geodes formed in volcanic rocks.

    The Discovery

    An uncommon quartz geode embedded with screw-threaded metal bar was discovered by a geode collector in Lanzhou, China. His name is a Mr. Zhilin Wang. He found this stone on a field research trip to Mazong Mountain area located on the border of Gansu and Xinjiang provinces.

    The pear-shaped stone is extremely hard and has an unusual external black color. It is about 8 x 7 cm and weighs 466 grams. It’s interior is filled with quartz crystals. Which seems to suggest a void eventually  causing the creation of the geode over time.

    The most surprising part of the stone is the embedded 6 cm long, cone-shaped metal bar which bears clear screw threads.

    .

    The screw-threaded metal bar – clearly a manufactured item – is tightly enclosed in the black lithical material.

    Yet the fact that it was buried in the ground long enough for hard rock to form around it, which rather means that it must be millions of years old.

    The screw thread width remains consistent from the thick end to the thin end, instead of varying due to the growth of  rhe quartz crystals.

    Truthfully, there is little that we can determine from the information available to us. Personally, I would love to have an analysis performed on the metal. That would tell us something about the part, and a few close up photos of the surface would indicate the manufacturing process and finishing techniques.

    But what little we know can tell us a little more than what the rock find suggests.

    The Age of the Geode

    Using what we know, we can estimate the age of the formation of the geode by the age of the surrounding rock. We know that the geode was discovered by the Mr. Zhilin Wang while on a field research trip to Mazong Mountain area. This area consists of the Mazong mountains and the Jinta basin.

    We present results from a multidisciplinary investigation of the Jiujing fault (JJF) system and adjacent Jiujing Basin in the southern Beishan block, western China. 
    
    Structural and geomorphological fieldwork involving fault and landform investigations, remote sensing analysis of satellite and drone imagery, analysis of drill-core data, paleoseismological trench studies, and Quaternary dating of alluvial sediments suggest the JJF is a late Pleistocene to Holocene oblique sinistral-slip normal fault. 
    
    Satellite image analysis indicates that the JJF is a connecting structure between two regional E-W-trending Quaternary left-lateral fault systems. 
    
    The Jiujing Basin is the largest and best developed of three parallel NE-striking transtensional basins within an evolving sinistral transtensional duplex. Sinistral transtension is compatible with the orientation of inherited basement strike belts, NE-directed SHmax, and the modern E-NE-directed geodetic velocity field. Cosmogenic Al/10Be burial dating of the deepest sediments in the Jiujing Basin indicates that the basin began to form at ~5.5 Ma. 
    
    -GeoScience World

    It’s a “tough nut to crack”, but we are looking at geology that can date as far ago as 5.5 million years to the Late Pleistocene (129,000 to 11,700 years ago).

    That’s a long period.

    Never the less, it is unlikely that Anatomically modern humans (AMHs) of the Late Pleistocene were able to machine and thread metal tapered screws and place them inside a container for the geologic forces of heat and pressure over time to create a geode.

    The Basic Geometry

    The fact that this is a quartz geode indicates that it formed as the result of a stratified sedimentary carbonate deposit that surrounded a void. Over time, the forces of temperature and pressure acted upon the void and compressed it into the egg shaped geode that we see today.

    If this speculation is correct, then it is possible that the virgin; pre-compressed void might have resembled something like this…

    Of course, it’s really difficult to determine what the actual shape would be, or what the function was. What we only have to “go on” is the understanding on how certain types of geodes form, the dating of the rocky strata surrounding the object, and the observations of what is present.

    Yet, even this tells us something.

    This was a machined part or element within a subassembly that was buried and over time became a geode.

    A Calrod

    This polished metal rod like structure looks identical in shape, finish and appearance to an article that we, in the industry, refer to as a “calrod”.

    Calrod heating elements generate dispersed heat by electrical energy conversion. Like many other heating elements, Calrod™ heaters also have an electrical supply running through them that gets converted to heat energy. A Calrod heater has a metallic alloy in its heating apparatus, which has resistance characteristics. This impedes the flow of current and transforms a portion of the energy into heat energy. This heat is passed on via radiation, and may be used to heat the surrounding air or water.
    
    Heat can be transferred in a number of ways, through conduction, radiation and convection. In the case of the Calrod heater, heat is at first radiated to the surroundings, but it can be further dissipated through other methods of convection or conduction as well.
    
    -Wattco

    It’s a heating element that is used to maintain a temperature within a mechanism or chamber.

    Calrod diagram.

    Internal Structure Of The Heating Element In The Calrod Heater

    The heating element of the Calrod heater is made of an alloy that consists of nickel and chromium. This mixture is said to make up an ideal alloy since it tends to have a minimum amount of resistance against heat generation. It also has a melting point that is quite high. This simply means that it will have higher chances of lasting longer, and this is of significant importance because it will be exposed to long term heating. Another brilliant advantage of using this alloy in the heating element is that it can be shaped to fit almost any kind of structure because it is highly malleable.

    Calrod Heater Protection

    Wire insulation within the Calrod heater is such that it is wrapped in a ceramic filler-binder. It also has a metal overcoat that conceals the element itself from air contact. With ceramic coating, there is more protection given to the element, as it is protected from the oxygen coming into contact with the surrounding air.

    Insulation Calrod Heaters

    Ceramic materials are chosen for insulation and protection of the Calrod heating elements due to the fact that they conduct the least amount of heat or electricity. Therefore, these materials are ideal for preventing heat or electrical energy from escaping. With this being most suitable for the outer surface, the metal encapsulation protects the element from any possible damage that might occur through mishandling.

    What I would like

    I would personally love to have a metallurgical analysis conducted on the metal rod. I would also like to look at the surface finish of the rod under a microscope. Those two items would be remarkably helpful in determining what the purpose of the object could have been.

    I would also like to have a Psychometry reading conducted.

    Psychometry is a psychic ability in which a person can sense or “read” the history of an object by touching it. Such a person can receive impressions from an object by holding it in his/her hands or, alternatively, touching it to the forehead.

    Psychometry is a form of scrying–a psychic way of “seeing” something that is not ordinarily seeable. Some scry using a crystal ball, black glass or even the surface of water. With psychometry, this extraordinary vision is available through touch.

    A person who has psychometric abilities–a psychometrist–can hold an antique glove and tell something about the history of that glove, the person who owned it, or about the experiences that person had while in the possession of that glove. The psychic may be able to sense what the person was like, what they did, or how they died. Perhaps most important, the psychic can sense how the person felt at a particular time. Emotions in particular, are most strongly “recorded” in the object.

    The psychic may not be able to do this with all objects at all times and, as with all psychic abilities, accuracy can vary.

    And here we diverge into psychometry…

    A Brief History

    “Psychometry” as a term was coined by Joseph R. Buchanan in 1842 (from the Greek words psyche, meaning “soul,” and metron, meaning “measure.”) Buchanan, an American professor of physiology, was one of the first people to experiment with psychometry.

    Using his students as subjects, he placed various drugs in glass vials and then asked the students to identify the drugs merely by holding the vials. Their success rate was more than chance, and he published the results in his book, Journal of Man. To explain the phenomenon, Buchanan theorized that all objects have “souls” that retain a memory.

    Intrigued and inspired by Buchanan’s work, American professor of geology William F. Denton conducted experiments to see if psychometry would work with his geological specimens. In 1854, he enlisted the help of his sister, Ann Denton Cridge. The professor wrapped his specimens in cloth so Ann could not see even what they were. She then placed the package to her forehead and was able to accurately describe the specimens through vivid mental images she was receiving.

    From 1919 to 1922, Gustav Pagenstecher, a German doctor and psychical researcher, discovered psychometric abilities in one of his patients, Maria Reyes de Zierold. While holding an object, Maria could place herself in a trance and state facts about the object’s past and present, describing sights, sounds, smells and other feelings about the object’s “experience” in the world. Pagenstecher’s theory was that a psychometrist could tune into the experiential “vibrations” condensed in the object.

    How Does Psychometry Work?

    Pagenstecher’s vibration theory is getting the most serious attention from researchers. “Psychics say the information is conveyed to them,” writes Rosemary Ellen Guiley in Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience,

    "through vibrations imbued into the objects by emotions and actions in the past."

    These vibrations are not just a New Age concept, they have a scientific basis as well. In his book The Holographic Universe, Michael Talbot says that psychometric abilities

    "suggest that the past is not lost, but still exists in some form accessible to human perception."

    With the scientific knowledge that all matter on a subatomic level exists essentially as vibrations, Talbot asserts that consciousness and reality exist in a kind of hologram that contains a record of the past, present, and future; psychometrics may be able to tap into that record.

    All actions, Talbot says,

    "instead of fading into oblivion, [remain] recorded in the cosmic hologram and can always be accessed once again."

    Yet other psychical researchers think the information about an object’s past is recorded in its aura – the field of energy surrounding every object.

    According to an article at The Mystica:

    "The connection between psychometry and auras is based on the theory that the human mind radiates an aura in all directions, and around the entire body which impresses everything within its orbit.
    All objects, no matter how solid they appear, are porous, containing small or even minute holes. These minute crevices in the object's surface collect minute fragments of the mental aura of the person possessing the object. Since the brain generates the aura then something worn near the head would transmit better vibrations."

    “Psychometry – Psychic Gifts Explained” likens the ability to a tape recorder, since our bodies give off magnetic energy fields. “If an object has been passed on down the family, it will contain information about its previous owners. The psychic can then be thought of as a tape player, playing back the information stored on the object.”

    Mario Varvoglis, Ph.D. at “PSI Explorer” believes that psychometry is a special form of clairvoyance. “The individual performing the psychometry,” he writes, “may gain psychic impressions directly from the person to whom the object belongs (through telepathy) or may clairvoyantly learn about past or present events in the life of the person. The object may simply serve as a kind of focusing device which keeps the mind from wandering off in irrelevant directions.”

    How to Do Psychometry

    Although some believe that psychometry is controlled by spiritual beings, most researchers suspect that it is a natural ability of the human mind. Michael Talbot agrees, saying that

    "the holographic idea suggests that the talent is latent in all of us."

    Here’s how you can try it yourself:

        1. Choose a location that is quiet and as free of noises and distractions as possible.
        2. Sit in a relaxed position with your eyes closed. Rest your hands in your lap with your palms facing up.
        3. With your eyes remaining closed, ask someone to place an object in your hands. The person should not say anything; in fact, it’s best if there are several people in the room and you don’t know who the person is giving you the object. The object should be something the person has had in his/her possession for a long time. Many researchers believe that objects made of metal are best, theorizing that they have a better “memory.”
        4. Be still… as images and feelings come into your mind, speak them aloud. Don’t try to process the impressions you get. Say whatever you see, hear, feel or otherwise sense as you hold the object.
        5. Don’t judge your impressions. These impressions may be strange and meaningless to you, but they might be of significance to the owner of the object. Also, some impressions will be vague and others might be quite detailed. Don’t edit–speak them all.
    "The more you try, the better you will become,"

    Says Psychometry – Psychic Gifts Explained.

    "You should start to see better results as your mind becomes used to 'seeing' the information. 
    
    But you can progress; at first, you will be pleased to pick up on things correctly, but the next stage is to follow the pictures or feelings. 
    
    There may a lot more information that you can obtain."

    Don’t worry too much about your rate of accuracy, especially at first. Keep in mind that even the most renowned psychometrists have an accuracy rate of 80 to 90 percent; that is, they are inaccurate 10 to 20 percent of the time.

    "The important thing is to be confident that you will gain accurate psychic impressions when you handle the object,"

    Says Mario Varvoglis at PSI Explorer.

    "It's also important not to try to figure out likely histories of the object, not to analyze and interpret your impressions to find if they make sense. 
    
    It's better to simply observe all the impressions that come into your mind and describe them without clinging to them and without trying to control them. 
    
    Often the most unexpected images are likely to be most correct."

    Conclusion

    Since there is little that we can learn from this object except that it appears to be the fossilized remains of some kind of chamber, the use of Psychometry might be useful in the interpretation of the object.

    Barring that, the closest object that I can think of is something that resembles the oxygen tanks about the Apollo spacecraft.

    Here is a nice illustration of it…

    And, here is a nice diagram of it…

    And here is a schematic showing the oxygen tanks where they were located inside the Apollo spacecraft.

    You see, in outerspace, it isn’t enough to have a cylinder filled with air. You need to have a system that controls the temperature, and pressure of the vessel that contains the atmosphere that you breathe. Thus we have a vessel, tending to be spherical, with probes and a heater assembly.

    Truthfully, this resembles the pre-compressed and aged mechanism that was found as a geode.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my OOPARTS section. Here…

    Mysteries Explained

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

     

    The mystery of the 300 million year old wheel embedded inside sandstone found in a deep mine

    .
    .
    The Stone Age marks a period of prehistory in which humans used primitive stone tools. Lasting roughly 2.5 million years, the Stone Age ended around 5,000 years ago when humans in the Near East began working with metal and making tools and weapons from bronze.
    
    During the Stone Age, humans shared the planet with a number of now-extinct hominin relatives, including Neanderthals and Denisovans.
    .
    The idea that Neanderthals were able to do anything besides one or two carvings on mammoth tusks, and using bones as hammers, is considered ludicrous.
    .
    And when they pretty much were dying out, historians believe that that was the period of time when the use of stone tools started to make way for pottery, and perhaps roughly sewn clothing.
    .
    Again from History.com
    .
    The oldest pottery known was found at an archaeological site in Japan. Fragments of clay containers used in food preparation at the site may be up to 16,500 years old.
    
    Stone Age food varied over time and from region to region, but included the foods typical of hunter gatherers: meats, fish, eggs, grasses, tubers, fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts.

    .

    But that’s pretty much the extent of it all. But, then we have an OOPART. A thing that should not exist. A thing or an item that shakes the very foundation that historians have created for the lineage of man.
    .
    How? Well, these are the OLDEST dates that people are willing to attribute to humans…
    .
    • Homo sapiens, the first modern humans, evolved from their early hominid predecessors between 200,000 and 300,000 years ago. They developed a capacity for language about 50,000 years ago.
    • The first modern humans began moving outside of Africa starting about 70,000-100,000 years ago.
    .
    Here we talk about this.

    Enigmatic Ancient Wheel: The 300-Million-Year-Old Wheel and Anomalous Ancient Tracks Across the World

    The following article is extracted from The Myth Of Man  by J.P. Robinson. All credit to the author, and please kindly note that it was edited to fit this venue. Along with some healthy MM additions.

    In 2008, a curious find was discovered down a coal mine in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk.

    As it could not be safely or successfully cut out due to the nature of the sandstone in which it was embedded, the mysterious artifact looking much like an ancient wheel remains in situ down the mine.

    A fossilized (previously) wooden wheel has been unearthed in a mine in Eastern Europe / Russia. It is encased in rock (sandstone) that is 300 million years old.

    Whilst drilling the coal coking stratum named J3 ‘Sukhodolsky’ at a depth of 900 meters (2952.76 feet) from the surface, workers were surprised to find what appears to be the imprint of a wheel above them in the sandstone roof of the tunnel that they had just excavated.

    Thankfully, photographs of the unusual imprint were taken by the Deputy Chief V.V. Kruzhilin and shared with the mine foreman S. Kasatkin, who brought news of the find to light.

    Without being able to further explore the site and inspect the imprint at close hand, we are left with only the photographs as evidence of their existence (there was more than one imprint) and the word of a group of Ukrainian miners.

    Discovering the Wheel

    Without being able to definitively date the strata in which the fossilized wheel print was found, it has been noted that the Rostov region surrounding Donetsk is situated upon Carboniferous rock aged between 360-300 million years ago.

    As well as the widely distributed coking coals have derived from the middle to late Carboniferous; suggesting a possible age of the imprint at around 300 million years old.

    This would mean that an actual wheel became stuck millions of years ago and dissolved over time due to a process called diagenesis, where sediments are lithified into sedimentary rocks, as is common with fossil remains.

    Diagenesis () is the process that describes physical and chemical changes in sediments first caused by water-rock interactions, microbial activityand compaction after their deposition. The increase of pressure and temperature only starts to play a role as sediments get buried much deeper in the Earth's crust. 
    
    In the early stages, the transformation of poorly consolidated sediments into sedimentary rock (lithification) is simply accompanied by a reduction in porosity and water expulsion (clay sediments), while their main mineralogical assemblages remain unaltered. 
    
    As the rock is carried deeper by further deposition above, its organic content is progressively transformed into kerogens and bitumens. The process of diagenesis excludes surface alteration (weathering) and deep metamorphism. 
    
    There is no sharp boundary between diagenesis and metamorphism, but the latter occurs at higher temperatures and pressures. Hydrothermal solutions, meteoric groundwater, rock porosity, permeability, dissolution/precipitation reactions, and time are all influential factors.
    
    -Wikipedia

    A miner below a wheel imprint in the mine. (Author provided) SMXL

    The following is an extract from a letter written by S. Kasatkin (translated from Ukrainian) in reference to his testimony of having been witness to the anomalous wheel imprint discovered by his team of miners in 2008:

    ‘This finding is not a PR action. In due time (2008), we as a team of engineers and workers asked the mine director to invite scientists for detailed examination of the object, but the director, following the instructions of the then owner of the mine, prohibited such talks and instead only ordered to accelerate work on passing through this section of lava and on fast ‘charging’ of the section with mining equipment. 
    
    Owing to that, this artifact and the smaller one found during further work came to be in a tunnel blockage and could not be taken out and studied. It is good that there were people, who in spite of the director’s prohibition, photographed this artifact. 
    
    I have connections with the people who first discovered these imprints and also with those who photographed them. We have more than a dozen witnesses. As you understand, the admission in the mine is strictly limited (it is dangerous on sudden emissions) and to obtain such permit is rather difficult. 
    
    The ‘wheel’ was printed on sandstone of the roof. Guys (drifters) tried to ‘cut away’ the find with pick hammers and to take it out to the surface, but sandstone was so strong (firm) that, having been afraid to damage a print, they have left it in place. At present the mine is closed (officially since 2009) and access to the ‘object’ is impossible - the equipment is dismantled and the given layers are already flooded.(with water)’ 

    The wheel. (Author provided)

    The wheel. 

    With only this written testimony and that of the other witnesses, the photographs remain the only proof of this anomalous imprint, but it must be deemed worthy of mention despite any difficulties verifying the details beyond that which you have read.

    For, if the photographic evidence is indeed legitimate, then one must question how a man-made wheel became embedded in such ancient strata, when according to scientific orthodoxy man had not even evolved yet.

    Contemporaneous Cartwheel

    Here is the design of a cartwheel made out of wood that was common prior to the industrial age.

    Yeah.

    You all might want to compare it with the wheel found in the 300 million year old limestone.

    A curious thing about this cartwheel

    it’s very difficult to make out, and (as far as I know) no one bothered to measure the wheel, from the pictures, it appears diminutive.

    Most cartwheels that I have seen and know of from my personal experiences tend to be large. They are perhaps, 150 cm in diameter. (With obvious variations of course). This is roughly five feet in diameter.

    This wheel appears to be much less than that. Maybe 100 cm in diameter, or roughly three feet.

    Judging from this singular article, and extrapolating with many assumptions, you might want to suggest that the species, or creatures that manufactured this wheel were diminutive in size as well. Perhaps, 120 cm high (4 feet).

    If so, then this would be in agreement with the hand bell that was found in a lump of coal that is contemporaneous with this wheel.

    Go here to read about this…

    Another curious thing…

    The wheel apparently has metal banding on both the hub and the wheel. This implies directly, that the species that manufacturing this wheel was also able to work in metal.

    Why is this an OOPART?

    It’s not just that this wheel predates the “bronze age” of human technological advancement, but it predates all primates.

    The wheel pre-dates to the time of the dinosaurs.

    The Earth, 300 years ago…

    This was a time before even the mighty dinosaurs roamed the Earth. A time in history when the plants and animals would be unrecognizable to us today, well most of them.

    You’ll probably already know that at this time the Earth’s continents were fused together in the supercontinent Pangea. This supercontinent would eventually break up and produce the modern configuration of continents we are all too familiar with.

    Professor Roger Steinberg from Del Mar College hand drew a sheet of paper with 5000 dots on it. He then photocopied it 200 times and stuck them all together to show his students. When shown the paper, he asked her students to guess the number of dots they could see. Estimates ranged from 4.6 billion (the age of the Earth) to 13.7 billion (the age of the Universe).

    They were all shocked when he revealed it was only actually 1 million. Now imagine 60,000 of those sheets stuck together and you’ll “get a feel” for the length of time we are talking about here. Given the average dimensions for A4 paper (21 by 29.7 cm or 0.06 m2) that would cover an area of 3600 m2!

    Now imagine this 300 times larger!

    Incredible!

    300 million years ago puts us firmly within the Palaeozoic period of geological history, technically speaking within the Permian-Pennsylvanian boundary. This was a time of great change in the animal kingdom. Amphibians had evolved into reptiles that will one day give birth to all-conquering dinosaurs in a few tens of millions of years.

    300 million years ago puts us firmly within the Palaeozoic period of geological history.

    The plants that were in the carboniferous period were very similar to those present in a tropical climate. It was known for swamp forest which had lots of life. Lycopsids were abundant during the Carboniferous period and were a big source of carbon. There was a lot of coal during this time period so it helped the coal a lot. Then the lycopsids went extinct due to a drying trend. After that ferns and sphenopsids were dominant.

    The land was dominated by the ancestors of all mammals, the Synapsids, and the ancestor of all reptiles and birds, the Diapsids. Living Diapsids include crocodiles, lizards, snakes, and tuatara. The Synapsids would become a highly diversified group throughout the Permian ultimately evolving into the first mammals during the Triassic.

    The iconic apex predator of the period, the Dimetrodon, would rule the land. This chap, although looking pretty reptilian, is actually more closely related to you than the dinosaurs that would follow it.

    The Dimetrodon was the apex predator.

    In the oceans, ammonites and ancient fish and sharks roamed the depths. Plant life on land was undergoing a revolution changing from the giant swamps of the Carboniferous to truly modern Gymnosperms taking dominance.

    At this time in Earth’s history, the continents of the modern world were tightly locked together in the supercontinent known as Pangea. It is believed this assembly formed somewhere around 335 million years ago. It wasn’t to last, however.

    The restless “gubbins” of the Earth would tear this assembly apart about 175 million years ago through a process known as plate tectonics. This gradual motion of the plates still continues today, in fact, Australia and India (they share the same plate), for example, are actually sliding northeast towards Asia and the central Pacific Ocean.

    This a picture of what the world looked like during the Carboniferous Period. As you can see it looks nothing like the world we know today. The continents are in process of forming a super continent called Pangea.

    So there you go. That’s how the world looked 300 million years ago. Cool eh?

    The Carboniferous Period (350-300 Million Years Ago)

    Some of the animals that were present during the Carboniferous period were Amphibiamus lyelli, Which had long snouts, short limbs and flattened heads. Labachia is an early relative of they conifers. Crocodiles were there and hey are still present today. There were some dinosaurs but not as many as the Mesozoic era. There was also marine reptiles, lizards,snakes, birds and land snails. They also had many insects such as big dragonflies, mayflies, millipedes, scorpions and spiders. The millipedes scorpions and spiders were very good for the environment. There was hylonomos which were lightly built with deep strong jaws and slender limbs. Some other animals were gastropods, bonyfish and sharks.

    A Look at Prehistoric Life During the Carboniferous Period.

    Amphibamus grandiceps, a dissorophoid temnospondyl from the late Carboniferous of Illinois.

    The name “Carboniferous” reflects the most famous attribute of the Carboniferous period: the massive swamps that cooked, over tens of millions of years, into today’s vast reserves of coal and natural gas. However, the Carboniferous period (359 to 299 million years ago) was also notable for the appearance of new terrestrial vertebrates, including the very first amphibians and lizards.

    Climate and Geography

    The global climate of the Carboniferous period was intimately linked with its geography.

    During the course of the preceding Devonian period, the northern supercontinent of Euramerica merged with the southern supercontinent of Gondwana, producing the enormous super-supercontinent Pangea, which occupied much of the southern hemisphere during the ensuing Carboniferous.

    This had a pronounced effect on air and water circulation patterns, which resulted in a large portion of southern Pangea being covered by glaciers and a general global cooling trend (which, however, didn’t have much effect on the coal swamps that covered Pangea’s more temperate regions).

    In the swampy forests of the Carboniferous Period, 360 to 286 million years ago, dragonflies with two-and-a-half-foot wingspans darted among the giant ferns. Mayflies grew to canary size. Cockroaches appeared suddenly (as cockroaches do) for the first time.
    
    -Insects of the Oxygeniferous | Discover Magazine

    Oxygen made up a much higher percentage of the Earth’s atmosphere than it does today, fueling the growth of terrestrial megafauna, including dog-size insects.

    Terrestrial Life During the Carboniferous Period

    The climate during the carboniferous period was tropical and mild temperatures. It was a uniform climate, and the early carboniferous period was relatively warm.

    Amphibians. Our understanding of life during the Carboniferous period is complicated by “Romer’s Gap,” a 15-million-year stretch of time (from 360 to 345 million years ago) that has yielded virtually no vertebrate fossils.

    What we do know, however, is that by the end of this gap, the very first tetrapods of the late Devonian period, themselves only recently evolved from lobe-finned fish, had lost their internal gills and were well on their way toward becoming true amphibians.

    Carboniferous life.

    By the late Carboniferous, amphibians were represented by such important genera as Amphibamus and Phlegethontia, which (like modern amphibians) needed to lay their eggs in water and keep their skin moist, and thus couldn’t venture too far onto dry land.

    Reptiles. The most important trait that distinguishes reptiles from amphibians is their reproductive system: The shelled eggs of reptiles are better able to withstand dry conditions, and thus don’t need to be laid in water or moist ground.

    The evolution of reptiles was spurred by the increasingly cold, dry climate of the late Carboniferous period.

    One of the earliest reptiles yet identified, Hylonomus, appeared about 315 million years ago, and the giant (almost 10 feet long) Ophiacodon only a few million years later.

    By the end of the Carboniferous, reptiles had migrated well toward the interior of Pangea. These early pioneers went on to spawn the archosaurs, pelycosaurs, and therapsids of the ensuing Permian period. (It was the archosaurs that went on to spawn the first dinosaurs nearly a hundred million years later.)

    Invertebrates. As noted above, the Earth’s atmosphere contained an unusually high percentage of oxygen during the late Carboniferous period, peaking at an astounding 35%.

    This surplus was especially beneficial to terrestrial invertebrates, such as insects, which breathe via the diffusion of air through their exoskeletons, rather than with the aid of lungs or gills.

    Carboniferous life.

    The Carboniferous was the heyday of the giant dragonfly Megalneura, the wingspan of which measured up to 2.5 feet, as well as the giant millipede Arthropleura, which attained lengths of almost 10 feet.

    This is a drawing of the Dragon flies that were around during this time period. As you can see they look similar to the ones we have today except for their much larger size.

    As well, as the domestically evolved Mantid species.

    Insects of the Carboniferous Period

    During the Carboniferous, numerous new insect families developed on Earth, with many insect species growing to incredible sizes. Fortunately, there’s a distinct lack of eight-foot-long millipedes today.

    Bugs today are minuscule compared to the Carboniferous period, likely due to the way that insects breathe and how that system fails to hold up at large scales.

    Invertebrate insects grew to enormous sizes.

    Insect respiration relies on a series of small tubes, or tracheae, spread throughout their bodies. Most insects don’t even “breathe,” exactly, but rather allow oxygen to passively diffuse throughout their respiratory systems. When an insect gets too large, these tracheae can’t collect enough oxygen to support their bodies.

    Around 300 million years ago, however, Earth was saturated with oxygen. Today’s atmosphere is 21% oxygen, while the Carboniferous period had an atmosphere that was 35% oxygen. With this overabundance, insects’ respiratory systems could support larger bodies than what we think of as typical. Being big is, generally, a good thing: large animals stand to win in a fight, can store more energy for when resources are scarce, and retain heat more efficiently.

    Animals that were passive absorbers of oxygen, like insects, started growing to huge sizes. And I mean HUGE.

    There was a species of caterpillar that grew to 2.5 metres in length, a scorpion that grew to 70 cm and a dragonfly that had a wingspan of 75 cm. Yikes!

    Invertebrate insects grew to enormous sizes.

    In fact, the size of many modern insects is only limited by ambient levels of oxygen. It’s not a genetic limit. More oxygen equals bigger size. There are scientists who are, right now, trying to grow large insects inside oxygen chambers. Someone should tell them to stop. PLEASE STOP.

    For insects, there needed to be more oxygen in the air for this to happen. The extra oxygen didn’t suddenly appear, however; this change in the atmosphere can be attributed to the arrival of the first trees on the planet.

    Prior to the Carboniferous period, trees didn’t exist. During this time, the first things that could properly be recognized as trees appeared. These were unlike the trees we know today—they were more like massive ferns with shallow roots that made them prone to falling over. They grew throughout the swamps that covered most of the planet during this period.

    Invertebrate insects grew to enormous sizes.

    However, ancient trees and modern trees do share a crucial characteristic. They both are made of a cellulose and lignin composite—wood. Wood also happens to be an excellent store of carbon. As these trees grew taller and taller to compete for sunlight, they sucked more and more carbon out of the atmosphere and exchanged it for oxygen, fundamentally changing the composition of the atmosphere.

    Wood was a novel material on the planet: the fungi and microbes capable of digesting it didn’t exist yet. When these trees fell over and died, they stayed in place. Tree trunks slowly accumulated over the swampy Earth, storing away much of the carbon in the atmosphere. This is where the name of this period of time comes from: Carboniferous is Latin for coal-bearing. In fact, as layers of dead trees piled on top of each other, they were gradually compressed into a massive layer of coal, which is where we get most of the coal we use today.

    Invertebrate insects grew to enormous sizes.

    All of this paints a very surreal picture of ancient Earth. It would have been a moist, swampy place covered in endless fields of timber and giant ferns, crawling with Lovecraftian insects the size of your arm or larger.

    On the WTF? “news”…

    Scientists successfully breed giant prehistoric dragonflies

    Crazed boffins in the USA say they have successfully carried out a Jurassic Park-style project in which enormous flesh-eating creatures from the remote prehistoric past have been successfully bred in the laboratory. Incomprehensibly this laboratory is not located on a remote island.

    As many readers will doubtless be aware, during the late Paleozoic era the Earth was, if not exactly ruled or terrorized, at the least very seriously bothered by swarms of gigantic dragonflies with wingspans around 70cm across. The monster insects will have been all the more troublesome as dragonflies “need to hunt live prey”, according to experts.

    One such expert is Dr John VandenBrooks, who has after a lengthy struggle managed to breed such much-enlarged dragonflies in his Arizona laboratory. The large size was achieved by enhancing atmospheric oxygen levels to 31 per cent, as seen in the Paleozoic (today’s air is only about 20 per cent O2).

    Proudly showing off the results of their genetic experimentation.

    The hard bit, according to the prof, was not the creation of this artificially enriched (or “hyperoxic”) atmosphere but the actual care and feeding of the monstrous, prehistoric winged flesh-eaters.

    “Dragonflies are notoriously difficult to rear,” boasts VandenBrooks. “We are one of the only groups to successfully rear them to adulthood under laboratory conditions.”

    According to a statement issued by the Geological Society of America:

    There is no such thing as dragonfly chow. As juveniles they need to hunt live prey and in fact undergraduate students Elyse Muñoz and Michael Weed working with Dr VandenBrooks had to resort to hand feeding the dragonflies.
    It’s to be hoped that the unfortunate undergrads escaped from the hyperoxia chambers with their hands and other body parts intact. Plenty more where they came from, no doubt.

    Not content with his creation of huge flesh-eating Paleozoic hyper-dragonflies, VandenBrooks also sought to breed greatly enlarged cockroaches and other horrors using similar hypercharged breeding pens. However this time the experiments were a failure, even once the hyper-roaches had been blasted with incredibly powerful energy rays at a handy atom-smasher.

    The disappointed prof, perhaps assisted by surviving members of his team, is to reveal details of his accomplishments at a convention in Colorado.

    Yikes!

    Giant Millipede.

    Marine Life During the Carboniferous Period

    With the extinction of the distinctive placoderms (armored fish) at the end of the Devonian period, the Carboniferous isn’t especially well known for its marine life, except insofar as some genera of lobe-finned fish were closely related to the very first tetrapods and amphibians that invaded dry land.

    Falcatus, a close relative of Stethacanthus, is probably the best-known Carboniferous shark, along with the much bigger Edestus, which is known primarily by its teeth.

    As in preceding geologic periods, small invertebrates like corals, crinoids, and arthropods were plentiful in the Carboniferous seas.

    Plant Life During the Carboniferous Period

    The dry, cold conditions of the late Carboniferous period weren’t especially hospitable to plants—but that still didn’t prevent these hardy organisms from colonizing every available ecosystem on dry land.

    The Carboniferous witnessed the very first plants with seeds, as well as bizarre genera like the 100-foot-tall club moss Lepidodendron and the slightly smaller Sigillaria.

    Lepidodendron trees. However, by most accounts they existed in dense forests with very thick and deep swampy undergrowth. So if you add that green boggy mess to the picture you would have a better idea of what the tree actually looked like.

    The most important plants of the Carboniferous period were the ones inhabiting the large belt of carbon-rich “coal swamps” around the equator, which were later compressed by millions of years of heat and pressure into the vast coal deposits we use for fuel today.

    Bruno, a fellow forum member and moderator of the naturalistes forum has a ton of plant fossil examples and reconstruction info over on that site..
    
    Take a look at each page and you'll see the closeup detail of fossils of the genus Lepidodendron and lots of reconstructions that will help your cause. 
    
    He's also got a wealth of info on the other major plant members of the forest in that website....days and days worth of fossil images and reconstructions. It is a treasure!
    
    http://forums-naturalistes.forums-actifs.com/t2395-lepidodendron-sternberg-1820

    Carboniferous period summary

    During this period in time, there was one super continent on the earth. It had plentiful oxygen which permitted the evolution of insects to grow to enormous sizes and develop specialized intelligence’s over the years.

    Most other creatures were still primitive and resembled proto-dinosaurs. These were smaller creatures that were just then finding their way on the food chain. There were NO apes, primates or humans.

    Ancient Tracks

    Yet…

    Evidence for the existence of wheeled vehicles in antiquity has surfaced all over the world. They do so as petrified ancient tracks.

    They are found in France, Spain, Italy, Malta, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and even North America.

    Prehistoric “Cart ruts”

    "I believe we’re seeing the indicators of the civilization which existed sooner than the vintage introduction of this global,” Dr. Koltypin mentioned. “All those rocky fields had been coated with ruts left thousands and thousands of years in the past…we don’t seem to be speaking about human beings. We are coping with some more or less automobiles or all-terrain vehicles.”
    
    -Alienpolicy
    

    A prehistoric site known formally as Misrah Ghar il-Kbir   meaning the Great Cave in Maltese (and commonly referred to as Clapham Junction), is located at Siggiewi, near the Dingli Cliffs in Malta.

    It is at this now famous site that what have been termed ‘cart ruts’ cut into the limestone have mystified all that have visited the area.

    Cart ruts suggestive of an axle connected pair of wheels.

    Likewise, a number of unusual tracks in stone are also visible on the island of Sicily at the Greek amphitheater called the Great Theater of Syracuse.

    Interestingly, and paradoxically, most archaeologists have suggested that the Maltese tracks were probably created by Sicilian settlers who traveled to Malta around 2000 BC at the start of the Bronze Age.

    Yet more tracks are to be found in Turkey.

    Some at Sofca cover an area roughly 45 by 10 miles (72.42 by 16.09 km), and also in Cappadocia, where several pockets of tracks can be seen.

    The many ruts discovered around the world have caused a great deal of controversy as to their purpose, age, and origin.

    These mysterious objects remain up for debate, but due to the association and close proximity with megalithic structures, in Malta particularly, and due to the fact that many tracks are now submerged below the sea in that region, many researchers have concluded that the fossilized lines show signs of great antiquity.

    ‘Cart rut’ tracks in Sofca, Turkey. (Author provided)

    Bizarrely, considering the anomalous wheel print discovered in Ukraine that we have just discussed, a medieval city-fortress in the Crimean Mountains of Ukraine called Chufut-Kale lies in ruins, but also plays host to a number of cart ruts in stone like those at the nearby site of Eski-Kermen.

    "We can think that ancient vehicles on wheels had been drove on comfortable soil, perhaps a rainy floor, and as a result of their weight the ruts had been so deep. Later those ruts – and all the floor round – simply petrified and secured all the proof,”
    
    -Alienpolicy
    

    Dr. Alexander Koltypin is a geologist and director of the Natural Science Research Center at Moscow’s International Independent University of Ecology and Politology.

    He has spent a great deal of time visiting these sites and comparing them to one another in search of similarities.

    “I first saw tracks in stone - fossilized car or terrain vehicle traces (usually called cart ruts) on Neogen plantation surface (peneplene in Phrygian) plain in May 2014 (Central Anatolia Turkey). 
    
    They were situated in the field of development of Middle and Late Miocene tuffs and tuffites and according to age analysis of nearby volcanic rocks, had middle Miocene age of 12-14 million years,” wrote Koltypin.

    This particular region which Koltypin has researched further is relatively unknown and the guide books offer nothing in the way of information.

    Whilst orthodox researchers claim that the tracks are simply the remnants of old petrified cart ruts from the kind of wheeled vehicles which donkeys or camels would have pulled, Koltypin has other ideas.

    “I will never accept it,” he explained when confronted with the standard explanations. “I myself will always remember . . . many other inhabitants of our planet wiped from our history.”

    Raddet ir-Roti Cart Ruts, Xemxija Heritage Trail in St. Paul's Bay, Malta. (Frank Vincentz/CC BY SA 3.0)

    Raddet ir-Roti Cart Ruts, Xemxija Heritage Trail in St. Paul’s Bay, Malta. (Frank Vincentz/ CC BY SA 3.0 )

    Upon measuring the width and length of the tracks at the Phrygian Valley site, he is convinced that they were created by vehicles of a similar length to modern cars but with tires 9 inches (22.86 cm) wide.

    With the depth of the impressions of the tracks in stone exceeding that which one would associate with small carts, Koltypin maintains that the vehicles responsible must have been much heavier.

    "As a geologist, I will unquestionably inform you that unknown antediluvian (sooner than the flood) all-terrain vehicles drove round Central Turkey some 12-14 million years in the past. The technique of specifying the age of volcanic rocks may be very smartly studied and labored out,” 
    
    -Alienpolicy

    He theorizes that whichever civilization drove the heavy vehicles that created the tracks were most likely responsible for the many different but identical roads, ruts and underground complexes which are scattered around the entire Mediterranean, more than 12 million years ago.

    Aware that the process of petrification can occur within a relatively short period, Koltypin insists that the heavy mineral deposits which coat the tracks and the visible erosion are suggestive of…

    …of a greater antiquity;

    …along with the surrounding underground cities, irrigation systems, wells, and more, which also show signs of being millions of years old in his view.

    Koltypin wrote on his website,

    ‘We are dealing with extremely tough lithified (petrified) sediments, covered with a thick layer of weathering, that takes millions of years to develop, full of multiple cracks with newly developed minerals in them, which could only emerge in periods of high tectonic activity.’

    It is evident that much research is needed to clarify the age and origin of the many tracks that are being discovered.

    Discoveries which occur at multiple geographical locations, all over the world.

    And yes, it is easy to simply state that they are the product of old carts which once trundled through these parts.

    But actual investigation may well reveal far more complex and remarkable explanations which could well correlate with other things.

    Other things, such as the mysterious remnants of an unknown ancient civilization as postulated by Alexander Koltypin.

    The sheer presence of the fossilized wheel found in the Ukraine is certainly suggestive of the fact that the ancients may have had access to more technology and know-how than is currently accepted.

    Especially when we KNOW that the world pretty much looked a little like this…

    About the ruts

    Don’t the ruts resemble trying to move carts through very marshy, muddy land? Just exactly the kind of terrain and environment that existed 300 million years ago?

    Typical terrain 300 million years ago.

    Conclusion

    Dates are being bantered about of 300 million years, and 12 million years. In any event these dates pre-date apes, monkeys, primates and proto-humans.

    Yet, we find the impossible.

    Not only a wheel firmly embedded deep down inside a mine shaft, but ruts that take many centuries to harden into stone. Couple that with the discoveries of chains, metal lamps, bells, and other objects all pulled out of 300 million year old coal, it makes one wonder what is really going on.

    Perhaps instead of trying to reationalize how these OOPART objects can exist relative to the history that is taught in school, perhaps we should realize that at signifigant points in time…

    …in this case,

    • 300 million years ago
    • 12 million years ago

    …that civilizations existed upon the earth. That these civilizations possessed tool-making ability, (as shown in other articles) metal forming ability, and the ability to work together in groups to create large megalithic structures that resemble boulders and rocks today.

    And…

    …instead of saying that mankind, or proto-humans created these objects, wouldn’t it be cleaner, more sensible, and easier to simply acknowledge that there must have been other civilizations, populated by other creatures living upon the earth at those far, far distant times.

    A diminutive, and smaller than human, species… capable of living in a high oxygen content environment… where the oxygen made them grow to enormous sizes (though still smaller than humans). Capable of fabricating things out of wood, such as the Lepidodendron tree. And capable of metal working, which means that they had control over fire, and an understanding on how to mine ore.

    And when we understand that point, we are truly able to see the insignificance of the human species on the grand scale of things.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts like this in my OOPARTs Index here…

    OOPARTS

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    A metallurgical study of the aluminum locking pawl of Aiud a fine OOPART for investigative curiosity

    Today I woke up at the crack of dawn, made my self a nice stout coffee (after I washed my face) and ate it with some buttered baguettes. It’s a nice little routine that I have, especially since I found a bakery that makes these kinds of bread instead of the soft and sweet “sponge cakes” (style breads) that are irritatingly common throughout China these days.

    Sweet breads are not my favorite, though. Bagels are. And finding a proper bagel in China is an exercise in futility.

    My old dog was snoring and barking in his deep doggie dreams. His little doggie paws were making padding moves and he was softly barking between his snoring.

    It was a nice lovely and calm morning.

    I sat down, fired up my computers, sat down (after I measured my blood pressure) and checked my email, as the dawn was lightening up. I could feel the fresh ocean breeze carry the fragrances of the local flowers, and the birds were singing their morning songs. It was calm and pleasant.

    Uncle MM has left me some bars of gold…

    What do you know!

    My long lost great uncle Metallicman has died without any heirs. And I am the closest relative. Who would have figured?

    What are the odds?

    What’s more, he’s got a couple of billion dollars in the bank and I was contacted to see if I was his long, lost relative.

    My goodness. Imagine that!

    My name is Fabian Artoro, an asset management brokerage consultant. I am contacting you on behalf of my late client who worked as an independent engineering contractor in a gold mining company in my country, the Republic of Ghana. 
    
    He was my client until his sudden demise on the 24th of April 2018, fatal car crash, his wife and their only daughter were all involved in that car crash along Kumassi express Road. 
    
    Sadly, all occupants of the vehicle, unfortunately, lost their lives. My client had funds, a huge amount in one of the financial institutions here and it is in the process of being confiscated by the state as unclaimed funds...

    I’m sure it is legitimate.

    Don’t you?

    Well, After checking my normal (tap, click and move on) websites, and finding out that they are all parroting the same-old, same-old nonsense, I moved on. You do get tired of the same spiel day in, and day out.

    What am I talking about?

    Well, I am talking about this…

    First up, your daily dose of Anti-China…

    It’s been a daily top-line item in my feeds since 2016.

    Then, some stuff about guns…

    Ai! You’ve just got to have something about guns. This is an American website, don’t you know.

    Then you have your Washington DC political bullshit…

    As if the entire nation (and world) actually cares…

    Then some stuff on the Coronavirus…

    Of course.

    Then some words from “experts”…

    Those “experts” are everywhere. Don’t you know know. They are thicker than flies. I’ll tell you what.

    Some stuff that might be of interest to the folk in the “red states”…

    You know, to keep the folk interested.

    Prepping for yet more war!

    But, you know, America is doing just great!

    Some “bread and circuses for the masses…

    With a dash of sex and religion…

    And watch out! Aliens are going to enslave humans!

    My goodness!

    Reminds me of the movie “Battleship”. Nice CGI, by the way. And yeah, this was the entire plot and story line behind it. Don’t you know…

    Well that was about as useful as giving a dolphin a pair of crutches.

    So then it’s off to MM, and I check the comments. Ohhh baby!

    MM Comment Section

    Right there at the top of my comment “awaiting approval” list is this piece of insulting passive-aggressive bullshit.

    I see you’re still doing the bidding of your new country comrade, it’s dishonest to hide the fact that you are a round-eyed Chinese operative…apparently there is no such thing as a retired intelligence officer.

    I am too old for this nonsense.

    • I’ve lived in China for nearly two decades and no one has ever used the term “comrade“. I guess this jackass never got the memo. He’s probably still talking about how groovy the Mod Squad is, and fondling his “love beads”.
    • I’m dishonest? Even in prison they told me that I “couldn’t lie worth shit“. I can’t. So I just don’t try. I tell you it straight. You either take it or not. It really makes my life simpler. What you see is what you get.
    • Round eyes” sounds pretty fucking racist to me.

    Idiots abound in this world.

    Sometimes I wonder if they really believe what they say, or that they want to live inside a rotten world-line template. This “fellow” is certainly making his MWI topographical map “interesting“.

    Here’s a MM secret; if you want to have a nice calm and happy life, make others happy. If you want to have a problem-some, and tumultuous life, then spend your time making others miserable.

    Anyways, it’s 7am and I could use a beer.

    Do you “feel” me?

    Beer and pancakes.

    The rest of the world is not my problem. You all will see what the fuck is going on in your little neck of the woods soon enough. Especially this piece of shit (will).

    Anyways…

    I am sorry that I have been so busy with all these other issues lately. But I do “feel” a need to start post more MAJestic related stuff, and that means OOPART stuff as well.

    Which leads me to this mystery…

    The Aiud Mystery in Transylvania

    Yeah. Aiud is in the Transylvania region of Romania. It in the state of Alba. It’s that triangle shaped region in the map below.

    The Transylvania region of Romania.

    .

    Of all the hundreds of websites about this mystery object, not one single one bothered to look up Aiud on a map. They just cut and paste from other websites.

    Slothful. Lazy.

    Money-grubbing. Greedy.

    “For-profit” oriented assholes.

    Doesn’t anyone ever just do things because they WANT to do it? Jeeze!

    Anyways, in 1974, in Romania, East of Aiud, (in Transylvania) a group of workers, on the banks of the river Mures, discovered three buried objects in a sand trench 10 meters deep.

    In sand, near a river, implies that the river eventually covered these items and buried them in silt. Then later, when the river became smaller or changed it’s path, the silt remained as sandy soil.

    Of the three items, two of the objects proved to be Mastodon bones. These dating from between the Miocene and the Pleistocene periods. The third object — the Aluminum Wedge of Aiud, also known as the Object of Aiud, is a mysterious wedge-shaped block of aluminum metal.

    The mysterious aluminum object was discovered by chance in 1974 at a depth of 10 meters at a quarry by the banks of river Mures near the Romanian town of Aiud. The artifact weighs approximately 2 kilos (length: 21cm; width: 12.5 cm; thickness: 7cm). 
    
    According to researchers and engineers it appears very similar to the feet fused on modern landing gear found on aircraft with vertical landing and take-off. 
    
    For conventional investigators it appears as a hammer head. 
    
    In its vicinity researchers found two mastodon bones(extinct large tusked mammal species that lived between 10,000 and 80,000 BC). Based on the findings next to the object it can be assumed that the object is at least 10,000 years old.
    
    -HistoryDisclosure

    Because it is out of place, it is considered an OOPART.

    After all, contemporaneous belief is that Mastodons were unable to fabricate tools, let alone precision manufacture of aircraft components. They didn’t have opposing thumbs, don’t you know. Let alone the fact that those enormous tusks of theirs would get in the way of precision manufacturing…

    That goes as well for the local humans at the time. They are considered to be primitive.

    Early humans. (Romanticized.)

    .

    So what the heck is a pawl from a landing gear doing with some mastodon bones near a river in Romania?

    Dating the object

    According to conventional history the artifact should not exist since aluminum was discovered in 1807 and wasn’t produced in any usable form until after 1886.

    A subsequent dating analysis (I haven’t been able to find details on the dating technique used) on the artifact indicated that it was at least 200,000 years old.

    This date apparently came from the geological evidence where the bones and pawl were found. When the “front end loader” excavated the trench (or what ever equivalent did so in the 1970’s in Romania) the soil, and the mastodon bones indicated a very approximate date sometime within the Pleistocene.

    Mastodon, (genus Mammut), any of several extinct elephantine mammals (family Mammutidae, genus Mammut) that first appeared in the early Miocene (23 million to 2.6 million years ago) and continued in various forms through the Pleistocene Epoch (from 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago).
    
    -Mastodon | Description, Distribution, Extinction, & Facts ...
    Depending on the particular dating of the bones, we can assume that the pawl was contemporaneous with the bones in some way. Which could mean that the primitive humans picked up this pawl at some point in time, and were using it to smash open Mastodon bones for food.
    .
    Obviously they weren't using it on one of their aircraft, or it just suddenly "fell off" some aircraft speeding along two million years ago, eh?
    .
    The dating (on the Mastodon bones) would be somewhere between 23 million years ago and 11,700 million years ago. Which is a (phew!) long span of time.
    .
    So I’m not in agreement with the dating of the trench, the location, the bones, or anything else. Except to say that the aluminum predates the discovery, manufacture and utilization of aluminum in that form and shape. Thus making it an OOPART.

    However, a conjecture…

    Perhaps primitive man found this aluminum pawl, and found a use for it. It is very useful for cracking open bones to get at the marrow.

    .

    If we go ahead with the idea that perhaps a primitive human or pre-human picked up this aluminum pawl in it’s travels…

    …and thinking that it is a nice “stone”, being light and easy to carry (5 pounds), with a nice pointed end…

    …that shows abrasions on the pointed ends and sides…

    …which makes this scenario likely…

    …then we can date this part as used as a tool by the pre-humanoids in that region at that time.

    The oldest handmade stone tools discovered yet predate any known humans and may have been wielded by an as-yet-unknown species, researchers say.
    
    The 3.3-million-year-old stone artifacts are the first direct evidence that early human ancestors may have possessed the mental abilities needed to figure out how to make razor-sharp stone tools. The discovery also rewrites the book on the kind of environmental and evolutionary pressures that drove the emergence of toolmaking.
    
    Chimpanzees and monkeys are known to use stones as tools, picking up rocks to hammer open nuts and solve other problems. However, until now, only members of the human lineage — the genus Homo, which includes the modern human species Homo sapiens and extinct humans such as Homo erectus — were thought capable of making stone tools. [See Photos of the Oldest Stone Tools]
    
    Ancient stone artifacts from East Africa were first uncovered at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania in the mid-20th century. Those stone tools were later associated with fossils of the ancient human species Homo habilis, discovered in the 1960s.
    
    -LiveScience

    So…

    This aluminum pawl could be 2.3 million years old.

    Humans during the Pleistocene

    Let’s have Caleb Strom explain what “humans” were like during this time. (From here.)

    The evolution of anatomically modern humans took place during the Pleistocene. In the beginning of the Pleistocene Paranthropus species were still present, as well as early human ancestors, but during the lower Palaeolithic they disappeared, and the only hominin species found in fossilic records is Homo erectus for much of the Pleistocene.
    
    -Pleistocene - Wikipedia

    The Pleistocene epoch is a geologic epoch which began around 2.6 Mya (Million years ago) and came to an end around 11,700 BP (Before Present). It is characterized by lower sea levels than the present epoch and colder temperatures. During much of the Pleistocene, Europe, North America, and Siberia were covered by extensive ice sheets and glaciers. The Pleistocene was an important time because it was when the human genus first evolved.

    The Pleistocene ( PLYSE-tə-seen, -⁠toh-, often colloquially referred to as the Ice Age) is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the world's most recent period of repeated glaciations. 
    
    The end of the Pleistocene corresponds with the end of the last glacial period and also with the end of the Paleolithic age used in archaeology. The name is a combination of Ancient Greek πλεῖστος (pleīstos, "most") and καινός (kainós (latinized as cænus), "new".
    
    -Wikipedia

    The flora and fauna today also more or less reached their current form during the Pleistocene. Most Pleistocene animals and Pleistocene plants also exist in the Holocene. Furthermore, the Pleistocene epoch was the last geological epoch in which humans had relatively little impact.

    While parts of the world were dryer – such as central Europe, which was mostly covered in tundra, other parts of the world were wetter and greener.

    Many of the animals common today were also common in the Pleistocene. Deer, big cats, apes, elephants, and bears could all be found in a Pleistocene landscape. There were also animals that were common which have since gone extinct, such as mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed cats, giant ground sloths , and pre-human hominins .

    Europe and Asia had significant populations of African fauna. Cave paintings and paleontological finds in Europe reveal that rhinoceroses, lions, and hyenas were all common at that time in southern Europe. The island of Sicily was also inhabited by a dwarf elephant species until surprisingly recent times. Northern Europe was covered in glaciers and inhospitable, while central Europe was tundra. Southern Europe, however, contained forests and was inhabited by numerous species of megafauna, most of which have since died out.

    Another important development on the Pleistocene timeline was the emergence of the human genus: Homo. Humans probably evolved out of bipedal apes, such as the Australopithecines and Ardipithecus Ramidus . These early bipedal apes are classified as hominins. Hominins first evolved near the end of the Miocene epoch (25-5 Mya) in south and east Africa. Other than their upright posture and bipedalism, these hominins were not significantly more human than previous apes.

    Their skeletons indicate that they resembled modern apes such as chimpanzees and their use of tools was limited or absent. At the beginning of the Pleistocene, however, a new type of hominin appeared. These hominins were taller, more dependent on upright locomotion, and had larger brains, which allowed them to excel in tool use over any previous hominin. These hominins belong to the genus Homo and hominins in this genus are simply called humans.

    The earliest human species was Homo Habilis . The first examples of this species appeared about 2.3 million years ago. They used simple flake tools which were made by taking rocks and striking sharp flakes off other rocks – which could be used as cutting tools. Homo Habilis was more technologically inclined than its hominin predecessors, but it was still closer to earlier and more ape-like hominins than modern humans.

    Homo Habilis

    The next earliest human species is Homo Erectus . The first H. Erectus evolved around 2 million years ago and the last of them did not die out until sometime within the last 100,000 years. Archaeological and paleontological evidence suggest that they may have been the first humans to use culture as a wholesale approach to adapt to their environment. They were more advanced tool users and were also much taller than previous hominins, about six feet (1.83 meters) tall. They were also the first humans to leave Africa. By 1 million years ago, H. Erectus had spread to both Europe and Asia, bringing humans for the first time to these regions.

    Homo Erectus

    The earliest humans were universally hunter-gatherers. Their use of technology to interact with their environment made them very adaptative – so that humans eventually found their way into every possible environment on the planet: forests, grasslands, deserts, even tundra.

    For most of the Pleistocene, humans did not significantly impact their environment. There were no more than a few hundred thousand individuals at a given time and their ability to transform the landscape was limited by primitive technology and limited social organization.

    This all changed with the emergence of Homo Sapiens (modern humans) in Africa and Homo Neandertalensis (Neanderthals) in Europe.

    Neanderthal

    Anatomically modern humans first evolved in Africa around 200,000-300,000 BP. After the emergence of anatomically modern humans, something happened, perhaps a rewiring of the human brain , that led to the emergence of modern behaviors like art, blade production, long distance trade, and more efficient, organized hunting, among other abilities.

    This change in behavior caused humans to have a significantly larger influence on their environment than in previous times. This can be seen in the fate of most megafauna, especially in the New World. Megafauna extinctions occurred around 40,000-50,000 years ago in Australia and around 13,000 years ago in North America. Both occurred shortly after the appearance of humans on these continents.

    Obviously, Homo Neandertalensis (Neanderthals) are unlikely to have mined ore, smelted it, studied how to create alloys, formed it into aircraft components, and machines it for use in aircraft.

    Thus we have an OOPART worthy of investigation.

    Homo Neandertalensis (Neanderthals) are unlikely to have manufactured this aluminum pawl object.

    An investigation ensues

    So of course, if you are part of a construction crew and you dig up some bones, and other odd objects you call the authorities. And if the bones or objects look old, you call in the experts from the local museum, college or university to have a look.

    Thus the object was sent to the archeological institute of Cluj-Napoca.

    After the investigation and study, the block was donated to the History Museum of Transylvania, to be rediscovered and analyzed many years later. (I cover that later on.) Its weight turned out to be 5 pounds, and its approximate measurements are 20 x 12.5 x 7 centimeters.

    There are two holes of different sizes.

    The object has two arms like features.

    Traces of abrasion can be seen on the sides of the object and at its lowest point.

    Dr. Niederkorn of the institute for the study of metals and non-metallic minerals located in Magurele, Romania, concluded that the object is comprised of a alloy of an extremely complex metal.

    He was not exaggerating.

    Twelve different elements combine to form the Aiud Object. It consists of: 89% aluminum, 6.2% copper, 2.84% silicon, 1.81% zinc, 0.41% lead, 0.33% tin, 0.2% zirconium, 0.11% cadmium, 0.0024% nickel, 0.0023% cobalt, 0.0003% bismuth, and trace of galium.

    Furthermore, this strange object is covered with a thick layer of aluminum oxide, which lends credence to its antiquity.

    "After the analysis of this aluminum oxide layer, "specialists" have confirmed that the object is a minimum of 300 to 400 years old."

    But that’s a bullshit guess.

    The generation of aluminum oxide depends on the environment and the particular alloy that is being used. Unless you have that exact alloy of aluminum and put it though accelerated life testing, in the environment in question, it is IMPOSSIBLE to determine the age of anything.

    Accelerated life testing

    Accelerated life testing? What is that?

    Well, it’s a common enough and fundamental aspect of engineering product design, but unknown to most other people. it is a way of estimating the life of a product due to environmental concerns. It’s a pretty handy and mature method for determine the life of a given object, or going backwards, the age of an object.

    So here’s some basic links for the interested explorer…

    But what we really want to determine is the accelerated life test due to corrosion. In that case similar, but more specialized tests must be conducted…

    An accelerated corrosion test is a cyclic climate test for determination of the corrosion resistance of various types of coatings. In an accelerated corrosion test, corrosion, corrosion test, corrosion, degradation or failure of materials and products are induced without change in corrosion mechanism (s) in a shorter time period than under normal conditions.
    
    -What is an Accelerated Corrosion Test (ACT)? - Definition ...
    
    www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/1503/accelerated-corrosion-test-act

    And some links…

    Oxidation of Aluminum

    Different alloys of aluminum oxidase differently. Some alloys are great for marine environments, while others are not that great, but have better strength characteristics. Further complicating the issue is the environment. Exposure to a dry environment is quite different from sitting with in a bog or sandy soil.

    The ONLY way that you can accurately test for the oxidation characteristics of a new alloy is to perform extended life testing on a sample of the aluminum alloy within a simulated environment. Otherwise your estimates on aging through oxidation are all wrong.

    Oxidation of Aluminum and it’s alloys.

    It’s all pretty simple really.

    The Aluminum Pawl

    The Aluminum Pawl. Note the two holes clearly shown.

    .

    Many people have things to say about this object and opinions on dating it.

    No one is saying that the aluminum pawl is recent. Aside from making them look silly in the eyes of their contemporaries, it’s obvious that this chunk of metal is old. Really old. The level of corrosion on the object far exceeds any kind of contemporaneous aluminum corrosion. It’s just simply very extraordinary and unusual.

    And because of this there are numerous statements being made…

    The fact that this strange metal object was found alongside Mastadon bones does cause one to wonder and raises many issues. 
    
    And...
    
    Other specialists claim that the object could be 20,000 years old because it was found in a layer with mastodon bone. Perhaps this particular specimen lived in the latter part of the Pleistocene.
    
    And...
    
    Some researchers suppose that this piece of metal was part of a flying object that had fallen into the river. They presume that it had an extraterrestrial origin. Other researchers believe the wedge was made here on Earth and its purpose has not yet been identified.

    Ah…

    Some have speculated that this object is part of an Aircraft

    It looks like a badly corroded locking latch from the retraction mechanism of an aircraft’s undercarriage, but that can’t be….surely?

    Can it?

    The retraction mechanism of an aircraft’s undercarriage.

    .

    These mechanisms come in all sorts of sizes and shapes. But the closest thing to explain the operational features and functions of this aluminum pawl is the aircraft retraction mechanisms in contemporary aircraft.

    I mean it’s more likely that this item was the part of some kind of landing gear mechanism than say a “frying pan”, a “pick axe”, a “railway train wheel”, a metal frame for a window”, a “water pipe” or an “anvil”.

    Which makes one wonder what is one doing 2.5 million years ago, being used to break up the bones of a mastodon.

    Primitive man would use stones and heavy objects to break open the bones of hunted animals to obtain the marrow inside of the bones.

    .

    Could it have ended up down amongst bones that were deposited thousands of years ago by chance? It just happened to fall off an aircraft, that just happened to be flying a few million years ago, and it just happened to fall into the remains of a dead mastodon.

    I guess it could.

    Anything is possible.

    And while it is possible, it is not probable.

    The simplest explanation is probably the closest to the truth.

    Whilst it is likely that the philosophy was posthumously attributed to him, as it was based upon common medieval philosophy, it seems to be a result of his minimalist lifestyle. 
    
    Occam's razor is more commonly described as 'the simplest answer is most often correct,' although this is an oversimplification. The 'correct' interpretation is that entities should not be multiplied needlessly.
    
    Researchers should avoid 'stacking' information to prove a theory if a simpler explanation fits the observations. 
    
    Occam's razor is the process of paring down information to make finding the truth easier.
    
    In science, it is getting rid of all the assumptions that make no difference to the predictions of the hypothesis. If you have a few hypotheses that could explain an observation, it is usually best to start with the simplest one.
    
    -How Occam's Razor Works | HowStuffWorks

    Or in other words, look for the simplest explanation, and then go from there. You add and include or discount and discard theories that fit or don’t fit the investigation that you are performing.

    Landing gear.

    Names on a landing gear

    I call it a pawl. But who knows what it’s actual role was.

    pawl. (pôl) n. A hinged or pivoted device adapted to fit into a notch of a ratchet wheel to impart forward motion or prevent backward motion. [Perhaps variant of pale or pole, or from French pal (from Old French; see pale1 ).]
    
    -Pawl - definition of pawl by The Free Dictionary

    It’s actual use name would be better described differently.

    The specific names used on the various elements of an aircraft landing gear mechanism.

    .

    Perhaps instead of a pawl, I could refer to it as a “drag strut to trunnion link walking beam“. Do you think that it would make things clearer?

    Aiud in Romania

    Ok, well let’s review where it was found. maybe some of you might want to hop on a plane and investigate for yourselves. You know, like Anonymous Jane did regarding the fuselage in The Fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.

    If you do, I would be more than happy to post some of your pictures and info here. This is, after all, a collaborative effort.

    Location of Romania. (This is for you Americans out there. The rest of the world pretty much knows where Romania is on a map.)

    Map of Europe.

    As far as where the town is, you need to look on a map. Here is a Romanian political map showing the location of Aiud. It is in the Alba (or Alba Lulia) state, which looks like a triangle.

    A map of the various political regions of Romania.

    And within this state we can find the location of Aiud in Romania.

    A map of Alba, within Romania clearly showing the location of Aiud. “X” marks the spot.

    Romania in the Miocene and the Pleistocene

    Of course, a few thousand to a few million years ago Romania didn’t look like it does today. There was a lot of water there. With the Carpathian mountains creating a line of islands that interrupted a much larger Black Sea. If the dating was a million years ago, then we can say that the proto-humans who found and used this pawl were not all that far from the shorelines or feeding rivers to the Black Sea.

    Palinspastic map for the Late Miocene with indication of palaeobiogeographic units (modified after Popov et al., 2004). Pannonian area emended after Magyar et al. (1999).

    Outlines are drawn after palaeogeographic reconstructions or sediment distributions.

    Faunas of freshwater systems fringing the Eastern Paratethys and the Italian 'Lago-mare' assemblage do not form a homogenous palaeogeographic entity. They are based on too many localities to be clearly indicated on the map. The Illyrian Region is only poorly supported by the analysis and represents the expiration of the Middle Miocene faunas of that region. Its incorporation into the present framework is only tentative.
    
    Abbreviations: CPMCentral Peri-Mediterranean Dominion; NA-North Aegean Dominion; CA-Central Aegean Dominion; SAA-South Aegean-Anatolian Dominion; 1-Lower Tagus (w); 2-São Teotónio (l); 3-Duero (l); 4-Madrid (l); 5-Teruel (fl); 6-Baix Llobregat (b); 7-Alcalà de Xivert (u); 8-Cabriel (l); 9-Ayora (u); 10-Valencia (u); 11-Granada (l); 12-Spanish 'Lagomare' (b); 13-Palma (b); 14-Bresse-Valence (f); 15-Lower Rhône (m); 16-French 'Lago-mare' (b); 17-Torino hills (b); 18-Volterra (b); 19-Casino (b); 20-Velona (l); 21Cinigiano-Baccinello (l); 22-Sicilian 'Lago-mare' (b); 23-Bełchatów (l); 24-Turiec (l); 25-Pannon (b); 26-Dacia (b, l); 27-Kherson-Odessa region (b); 28-Black Sea depression (b); 29-Rioni Bay (b); 30-Kura Gulf (b); 31-Jazvina (l); 32-Kamengrad (l); 33-Posušje (l); 34-Sarajevo (l); 35-Kosovo (l); 36-Metohia (l); 37-Skopje (l); 38-Stanintsi (w); 39-Katerini (b); 40-Thessaloniki (b); 41-Strimon (b); 42-Limni (w); 43-Markopoulo (l); 44-Athens (l); 45-Gythio (b); 46-Kythira (b); 47-Naxos (u); 48-Heraklion (l); 49-Rhodos (l); 50-Kefalos (fl); 51-Kos (east) (l); 52-Mytilini (fl); 53-Denizli (b); 54-Cumaovası (l); 55-Dumlupınar-Siçanli (u); 56-Behramkale (u); 57-Marmara (f).
    
    Environments are characterised as: b-brackish; f-fluviatile; fl-fluvio-lacustrine; l-lacustrine; m-marginal marine; w-wetlands; u-unknown.

    History of Aluminum

    This pawl is puzzling because pure aluminum was not readily obtainable until the middle of the 19th century.

    Aluminum is not found freely in nature, but is combined with other minerals.

    The manufacturing process requires 1,221°F (660.32°C) degrees of heat. Only in the last 100 years or so has the technology existed to successfully separate the materials from the mineral bearing ore.

    From NPR

    For decades after it was first identified by British chemist Sir Humphry Davy in the early 1800s, scientists and tinkerers tried, and mostly failed, to find a good method for separating aluminum from everything else that stuck to it.

    France’s Emperor Napoleon III was an early proponent of aluminum. He hoped the lightweight metal could be used to produce weapons and armor, giving his soldiers an edge in battle. The emperor funded the work of Henri Sainte-Claire Deville, who found a chemical method for obtaining pure aluminum, but it was still a slow process. An often repeated story goes that Napoleon III, frustrated with progress on aluminum, had much of France’s stock melted down and turned into cutlery. He and his honored guests used aluminum utensils, while everyone else at the imperial dinner table made do with gold.

    In 1884, when the Washington Monument was completed, it was capped with a large casting of aluminum. The capping ceremony and the dedication of the monument “were given front-page publicity in the nation’s newspapers and the aluminum point or apex was creditably described,” according to a 1995 article published in the journal of the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society. “Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of people who had never before even heard about aluminum now knew what it was.”

    At the time, a pound of aluminum was worth $16 ($419 in today’s dollars).

    Two years later, a commercially viable method for extracting aluminum from ore was discovered, and by 1889 the price had fallen to $2 per pound. Within 10 years of commercial refining, it plummeted to just 50 cents a pound.

    The modern method of obtaining aluminum was discovered simultaneously by two young scientists working independently on different continents.

    In 1886, two men, both 22 years of age — one working in Ohio and the other in northwestern France — developed the modern method for producing aluminum metal.

    American Charles Martin Hall went to work after being inspired by a lecture at Oberlin College in which his chemistry professor pronounced that the discoverer of a practical way to produce aluminum “will bless humanity and make a fortune for himself.”

    Frenchman Paul Héroult was working on the same problem.

    At nearly the same time, the two men hit upon the same answer: electricity, and lots of it.

    Still used today, this is how their method works: Alumina from bauxite is dissolved in another mineral, cryolite, at 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit. The molten mixture is poured into a specially designed vat, and vast amounts of electricity are passed through it. The process causes aluminum metal to condense at the bottom of the vat.

    The two men fought over ownership of the process they developed to smelt aluminum from bauxite ore. Héroult filed for his patent six weeks before Hall, but the American was able to prove (thanks possibly to notes kept by his sister, Julia Brainerd Hall) that he had actually made the discovery a few weeks before his rival. Ultimately, the two men settled their dispute and became friends.

    In 1888, Hall co-founded the Pittsburgh Reduction Co. to produce aluminum. The company later became the aluminum giant Alcoa. The following year, Héroult scaled up the process in France.

    The two men died the same year, in 1914, both age 51.

    The development of the Hall-Héroult process, as it came to be known, was a major milestone in the Industrial Revolution. But it has also carried an environmental cost: The electricity needed produces large quantities of greenhouse gases. Aluminum production alone is responsible for about 1% of global emissions, according to estimates.

    The availability of aluminum at the turn of the 20th century spurred on the age of flight and the Space Age.

    Uses for Aluminum

    The strength and light weight of aluminum is perfect for aerospace applications.

    Aluminum allows designers to build a plane that is as light as possible, can carry heavy loads, uses the least amount of fuel and is impervious to rust. In modern aircraft manufacture, aluminum is used everywhere. The Concorde, which flew passengers at over twice the speed of sound for 27 years, was built with an aluminum skin.
    
    -History of Aluminum in the Aerospace Industry | Metal Super

    From Monroe Aerospace

    27% of all aluminum consumed occurs in the transportation industry, according to Aluminum Leader. This chemical element in the boron group is characterized by a silver-white color and soft, ductile texture. While it’s used in many different applications, one of the most common is aerospace. In fact, aluminum is one of the most common materials used in the construction of airplanes. So, why is aluminum used for this purpose instead of steel or other materials?

    Some of the first airliners weren’t made of metal, but instead were made of wood. Although cheap and readily available, wood has a serious flaw that made it hazardous in airplanes: it rotted. There was one instances in which a wooden airliner crashed, killing everyone on board. The cause of the crash was later found to be rotten wood. This prompted manufacturers to quickly phase out wood in favor of metal.

    Aluminum is the perfect material to use when manufacturing airplanes, thanks in part to its unique properties and characteristics. It’s strong, lightweight, predictable and inexpensive. Steel and iron are both stronger than aluminum, but strength alone isn’t enough to justify its use in aerospace manufacturing. The problem with steel and iron is its weight. Both of these metals are much heavier than aluminum — and too much weigh restricts an airplane’s ability to takeoff and fly.

    It’s estimated that up to 80% of the materials used in modern-day aircraft is aluminum. The Wright brothers used a steel engine in their early-model Flyer plane, which was not only heavy but lacked the power necessary for takeover. As a result, they acquired a special engine made of cast aluminum, which allowed their Flyer-1 to takeoff with ease.

    There are several different types of aluminum used in aerospace engineering, some of which include the following:

    • Aluminum 2024
    • Aluminum 3003
    • Aluminum 5052
    • Aluminum 6061
    • Aluminum 7075

    Note: the number refers to the aluminum’s “grade.”

    Of course, aluminum isn’t the only metal used to manufacture airplanes. Carbon-alloy steel is often used for his application as well. When carbon is added to steel, it becomes stronger and more resistant to rust and corrosion. Titanium is another metal that’s commonly used in aerospace engineering. It’s strong, lightweight, and naturally resistant to corrosion. Some companies alloy titanium with iron or manganese to construct the frame and engines for airplanes. These use of these metals, however, is typically less than that of aluminum. Aluminum isn’t the strongest metal, but it maintains a perfect balance of strength and low weight that make it ideal for airplanes.

    The metal used and subsequent study

    The object was taken to the Archaeological Institute of Cluj-Napoca for metallographic analysis where it was discovered that it was made from a complex alloy consisting 12 different elements.

    It was then taken to a laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland, to verify its composition, showed that the artifact was constituted mostly by aluminum (89%), with the minor participation of 11 other metals in specific proportions.

    The thick layer of oxide of a millimeter of thickness that covered of even form to the block helped to date the antiquity of this in about 400 years. However, the geological layer in which it was found (Pleistocene) suggests that it already existed some 20,000 years ago in the past.

    Florin Gheorghita,  had the opportunity to examine the report and the analysis carried out under the direction of Dr. Niederkorn of the Institute for the Study of Nonmetallic Metals and Minerals (ICPMMN), located in Magurele, Romania, stressed in that it is composed of an extremely complex metal alloy.

    Gheorghita states that the alloy is composed of 12 different elements, of which the percentage of aluminum volume (89%) has also been established. It also identified the presence of copper (6.2%), silicon (2.84%), zinc (1.81%), lead (0.41%), Laguna (0.33%), zirconium (0, 2%), cadmium (0.11%), nickel (0.0024%), cobalt (0.0023%), bismuth (0.0003%), silver (0.0002%), and gallium (in trace amounts).

    People! these are extremely odd material and unusual combinations to have in an aluminum alloy. To say that it is unique is putting it mildly. What kind of mad scientist thought up this combination?

    As I have often stated previously, factories don’t just throw what ever alloy of aluminum together and use it. Like steel, copper, bronze and zinc there are specific alloys that are regulated world-wide and used for certain purposes. Thus, by comparing the alloy composition of this object with available alloys “on the books” we can identify many aspects of this object.

    • We can identify it’s function.
    • We can identify what nation made it.
    • We might even be able to identify what smelter factory made the billet.

    Isn’t industrial forensics fascinating?

    Aluminum-Copper Alloy

    The first thing that we note is that it’s most important alloying element is copper.

    And from from this we can help determine what the possible function of the pawl was.

    Copper has been the most common alloying element almost since the beginning of the aluminum industry, and a variety of alloys in which copper is the major addition were developed.

    Most of these alloys fall within one of the following groups:

    • Cast alloys with 5% Cu, often with small amounts of silicon and magnesium.
    • Cast alloys with 7-8% Cu, which often contain large amounts of iron and silicon and appreciable amounts of manganese, chromium, zinc, tin, etc.
    • Cast alloys with 10-14% Cu. These alloys may contain small amounts of magnesium (0.10-0.30% Mg), iron up to 1.5%, up to 5% Si and smaller amounts of nickel, manganese, chromium.
    • Wrought alloys with 5-6% Cu and often small amounts of manganese, silicon, cadmium, bismuth, tin, lithium, vanadium and zirconium. Alloys of this type containing lead, bismuth, and cadmium have superior machinability.
    • Durals, whose basic composition is 4-4.5% Cu, 0.5-1.5% Mg, 0.5-1.0% Mn, sometimes with silicon additions.
    • Copper alloys containing nickel, which can be subdivided in two groups: the Y alloy type, whose basic composition is 4% Cu, 2% Ni, 1.5% Mg; and the Hyduminiums, which usually have lower copper contents and in which iron replaces some of the nickel.
    In most of the alloys in this group aluminum is the primary constituent and in the cast alloys the basic structure consists of cored dendrites of aluminum solid solution, with a variety of constituents at the grain boundaries or interdendritic spaces, forming a brittle, more or less continuous network of eutectics.
    
    Wrought products consist of a matrix of aluminum solid solution with the other constituents dispersed within it. Constituents formed in the alloys can be divided in two groups: in the soluble ones are the constituents containing only one or more of copper, lithium, magnesium, silicon, zinc; in the insoluble ones are the constituents containing at least one of the more or less insoluble iron, manganese, nickel, etc.

    The type of soluble constituents formed depends not only on the amount of soluble elements available but also on their ratio.

    Available copper depends on the iron, manganese and nickel contents; the copper combined with them is not available.

    Copper forms (CuFe)Al6 and Cu2FeAl7, with iron, (CuFeMn)Al6 and Cu2Mn3Al20 with manganese, Cu4NiAl, and several not too well known compounds with nickel and iron. 
    
    The amount of silicon available to some extent controls the copper compounds formed. 
    
    Silicon above 1% favors the FeSiAl5, over the iron-copper compounds and (CuFeMn)3Si2Al15, over the (CuFeMn)Al6 and Cu2Mn3Al20 compounds.
    
    Similarly, but to a lesser extent, available silicon is affected by iron and manganese contents. With the Cu:Mg ratio below 2 and the Mg:Si ratio well above 1.7 the CuMg4Al6 compound is formed, especially if appreciable zinc is present. When Cu:Mg > 2 and Mg:Si > 1.7, CuMgAl2 is formed. 
    
    If the Mg:Si ratio is approximately 1.7, Mg2Si and CuAl2 are in equilibrium. 
    
    With the Mg:Si ratio 1 or less, Cu2Mg8Si6Al5, is formed, usually together with CuAl2. 
    
    When the copper exceeds 5%, commercial heat treatment cannot dissolve it and the network of eutectics does not break up. Thus, in the 10-15% Cu alloys there is little difference in structure between the as-cast and heat treated alloys.
    
    Magnesium is usually combined with silicon and copper. Only if appreciable amounts of lead, bismuth or tin are present, Mg2Sn, Mg2Pb, Mg2Bi3 can be formed.

    The effect of alloying elements on density and thermal expansion is additive; thus, densities range from 2 700 to 2 850 kg/m3, with the lower values for the high-magnesium, high-silicon and low-copper alloys, the higher for the high-copper, high-nickel, high-manganese and high-iron contents.

    Many of the cast alloys and aluminum-copper-nickel alloys are used for high-temperature applications, where creep resistance is important. Resistance is the same whether the load is tensile or compressive.

    Wear resistance is favored by high hardness and the presence of hard constituents. Alloys with 10-15% Cu or treated to maximum hardness have very high wear resistance.

    Silicon increases the strength in cast alloys, mainly by increasing the castability and thus the soundness of the castings, but with some loss of ductility and fatigue resistance, especially when it changes the iron-bearing compounds from FeM2SiAl8 or Cu2FeAl7, to FeSiAl5.

    Magnesium increases the strength and hardness of the alloys, but, especially in castings, with a decided decrease in ductility and impact resistance.

    Iron has some beneficial strengthening effect, especially at high temperature and at the lower contents (< 0.7% Fe).

    Nickel has a strengthening effect, similar to that of manganese, although more limited because it only acts to reduce the embrittling effect of iron. Manganese and nickel together decrease the room-temperature properties because they combine in aluminum-manganese-nickel compounds and reduce the beneficial effects of each other. The main effect of-nickel is the increase in high-temperature strength, fatigue and creep resistance.

    Titanium is added as grain refiner and it is very effective in reducing the grain size. If this results in a better dispersion of insoluble constituents, porosity and nonmetallic inclusions, a decided improvement in mechanical properties results.

    Lithium has an effect very similar to that of magnesium: it increases strength, especially after heat treatment and at high temperatures, and there is a corresponding decrease in ductility. Zinc increases the strength but reduces ductility.

    Hiduminium

    The Hiduminium alloys or R.R. alloys are a series of high-strength, high-temperature aluminium alloys, developed for aircraft use by Rolls-Royce (“RR”) before World War II.

    They were manufactured and later developed by High Duty Alloys Ltd..

    The name HiDu-Minium is derived from that of High Duty Aluminium Alloys.

    In 1934 the Reynolds Tube Co. began production of extruded structural components for airframes, using R.R.56 alloy supplied by High Duty Alloys. 
    
    A new purpose-built plant was constructed at their works in Tyseley, Birmingham. 
    
    In time, the post-war Reynolds company, already known for its steel bicycle frame tubes, would attempt to survive in the peacetime market by supplying Hiduminium alloy components for high-end aluminium bicycle cranks and brakes.

    The Duralumin alloys had already demonstrated high-strength aluminium alloys. Y alloy‘s virtue was its ability to maintain high strength at high temperatures. R.R alloys were developed by Hall & Bradbury at Rolls-Royce, partly to simplify the manufacture of components using them. A deliberate heat treatment process of multiple steps was used to control their physical properties.

    Hiduminium Alloy range

    A range of alloys were produced in the R.R.50 range. These could be worked by casting or forging, but they were not intended for rolling as sheet or general machining from bar stock.

    R.R. 50 General-purpose sand casting alloy
    R.R. 53 Die-cast piston alloy
    R.R. 56 General-purpose forging alloy
    R.R. 58 Low-creep forging alloy for rotating impellers and compressors
    R.R. 59 Forged piston alloy

    The number of alloys expanded to support a range of applications and processing techniques. At the Paris Airshow of 1953, High Duty Alloys showed no less than eight different Hiduminium R.R. alloys: 20, 50, 56, 58, 66, 77, 80, 90. Also shown were gas turbine compressor and turbine blades in Hiduminium, and a range of their products in the Magnuminium alloy series.

    R.R.58, also Aluminum 2618, comprising 2.5 copper, 1.5 magnesium, 1.0 iron, 1.2 nickel, 0.2 silicon, 0.1 titanium and the remainder aluminum, and originally intended for jet engine compressor blades, was used as the main structural material for the Concorde airframe, supplied by High Duty Alloys, it was also known as AU2GN to the French side of the project.

    Later alloys, such as R.R.66, were used for sheet, where high strength was needed in an alloy capable of being worked by deep drawingThis became increasingly important with the faster jet aircraft post-war, as issues such as transonic compressibility became important. It was now necessary for an aircraft’s covering material to be strong, not merely the spar or framing beneath.

    R.R.350, a sand-castable high temperature alloy, was used

    In terms of composition, Y alloy typically contains 4% of copper and 2% of nickel. R.R. alloys reduce each of these by half to 2% and 1%, and 1% of iron is introduced.

    More Links on Aluminum-copper alloys

    And what the brief overview tells us…

    So in comparison with the Pawl, we see that it’s composition in not a Y-alloy in the Hiduminium alloy family. The material used in the Pawl is an “aircraft structural grade aluminum alloy“,  but it is not in common use as far as I can determine.

    The copper percentage used, and the other alloying elements tells us that the material selection of this part migrated towards the need for ease of machining and finishing.  And a look at the complex shape of this part, with curved, and convex surfaces, reinforces this conclusion. This part was cast, and then machined to exacting tolerances to match it’s complex geometry.

    This particular grade of material is designed for high temperature applications. And since it is designed to pivot inside a mechanical mechanism, it appears that it is associated with either an engine component or landing gear.

    So at least we know what it is not. It is not a hammer or utility part from a tractor. These parts tend to be made out of steel, or iron.

    And we know what it is; it is a part used in an aircraft. It’s unique and complex geometry tells us that this was a structural component that fit within a mechanism with other precision parts. The presence of a machined hole tells us that there was a pivoting function of this item, and the presence of the second hone on the concave surface indicates that it mated with another part in some kind of sub-assembly geometry.

    Abrasions on the surface

    In 1995, a Romanian researcher, Florian Gheorghita, came across the artifact in the basement of the History Museum of Transylvania. The wedge was tested once more. This time in two different laboratories: the Archaeological Institute of Cluj-Napoca and an independent Swiss laboratory.

    The tests confirmed the results reached by Fischinger and Niederkorn.

    Gheorghita wrote in the Ancient Skies publication where he asked an aeronautical engineer about the artifact’s studies.

    The engineer pointed out the configuration and hole drilled in the wedge and claimed that a pattern of abrasions and scratches on the metal led him to believe that it was part of an airplane landing gear.

    For the Statists

    Since this pawl is evidently an aircraft part, and the use of aluminum in aircraft began in the 1930’s, it is possible that this is part of a contemporaneous aircraft strut that somehow found it’s way to Romania over the years.

    And somehow, it aged unusually rapidly, with surface corrosion of a substantial amount to a substantial degree by sandy soil.

    And the design of the strut was somehow very elaborate and unusual for the aircraft pointing to some kind of advanced experimental design, for after all it wasn’t until the 1990’s that custom aluminum forgings of complex curved geometry started to find it’s way into mass production.

    And it was truly a coincidence that it wound up in a batch of mastodon bones.

    You can believe this narrative if it makes you feel better.

    Conclusion

    If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, waddles like a duck and tastes like a duck… it’s a duck. The only thing is that the particular species of a duck is new and unknown.

    A machine, probably an aircraft, lost a part of it’s retractable landing gear around one million years ago near the Black Sea. The local proto-humanoids at that time, probably a species similar to Homo Habilis found the part and decided that it made a great hand tool. They used it to smash open the bones of the  mastodons that they hunted at the time, and in the excitement of eating and engorging themselves forgot about the item and left it with the carcass.

    Then, sometime in the 1970’s, the remains of the meal with the aluminum pawl was unearthed together during the construction of a road.

    Who flew the aircraft, or what it was doing when it lost it’s part is unknown.

    I do not know if it was “little green men”, articulated mastodons, or an unknown species of proto-humans who manufactured this part. What we do know is that they knew their metallurgy, they were able to design, and machine adeptly, and had the ability to fly in aircraft that encountered high temperature extremes.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts like this in my OOPART Index here…

    Mysteries Explained

    .

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

     

    Metallicman Donation
    Other Amount:
    Please kindly enter any notes that you would like to attach to the donation here:

     

     

     

    Ghosts, spirits, strange apparitions, and other mysteries that come from the non-physical reality and enter our physical experience.

    Here, in this article we will spend a little bit of time discussing the non-physical envelope that surrounds our physical reality. This is the realm of the “spirit world” and consists of many strange and interesting sights, sounds and apparitions. It tends to frighten, but that is just ignorance and superstition influences. In reality, the non-physical world is just as real as the physical world is, with one exception. Our human senses are not able to peer into the reality that it cannot see.

    But…

    In many instance, the machines and the devices that we construct, are able to sense it. And if we configure the equipment to look for the right things, we could well be astounded at what we might find.

    What would we find?

    Well, aside from the natural world, we would find people and places, and things, and activities that are intended to be hidden from our human observation.

    A quick review

    For those of you who have just stumbled on this article in the MM universe, here’s a most basic primer. You know, to put everyone on the “same page” in regards to ideas and concepts.

    We are consciousness.We are not a person, nor a body, nor a brain. We are consciousness. We temporarily reside within a body. But we are not that body. It’s much like this picture describes…

    We do not share a universe. Our singular consciousness moves from static world-line to static world-line. We move from one world-line to another by our thoughts. Thoughts are the ONLY thing that consciousness can control.

    .

    Instead of sharing a physical universe, where we are a brain that controls the movement of a physical person inside that universe (the Newtonian reality), we are something else. We are consciousness. Which is a collection of very, very, VERY tiny particles (many, many times smaller than atoms). And our consciousness moves from one frozen snapshot in time to the next.

    Time is how this movement is perceived. In our universe there is no such thing as time. It just simply drops out of the equations. And what we have left is a universe of quanta. It is a quantum universe of possibilities. And the reality is that there is an infinite (or near infinite) number of world-lines. These are frozen “snap shots in time” that our consciousness moves through and navigates by thought.

    So, over all, it pretty much looks like this graphic below. If we map out each world-line as a “dot”, and place the most-likely or highest-probability world-lines that our thoughts will take us, then our life-line would look something like this…

    Our consciousness travels the MWI, world-line by world-line at the speed of thought. We view this movement as the “passage of time”. In this topography, we see a three dimensional landscape that represents the highest probability world-lines that we might visit at any given moment in our life.

    .

    Thoughts are extremely important. What we think about steers us towards the world-lines that we inhabit.

    • If we think “bad” thoughts we will head towards world-lines with “bad” events.
    • If we think “neutral” thoughts we will head towards world-lines with “neutral ” content.
    • If we think “happy” thoughts, we will head towards world-lines full of happy events.

    Everything is real to us. Each world-line is a real physical world. It is a frozen snapshot of time. And our movement though it is exactly how we experience time.

    Our thoughts can influence the kind of life we live. Our thoughts navigate our lives, and while there are are various limitations placed upon us, we ultimately control what happens to us by our thoughts.

    Our thoughts control our world-line navigation.

    .

    World-lines are complex. Now each world-line has two components. They are a physical reality, and a non-physical reality. The physical reality is what we can sense with our human body. The non-physical is what we cannot sense with our physical body.

    • Physical-reality is what our human senses can sense, see and observe.
    • Non-Physical-reality is what our human senses are unable to see and observe.

    And given the right conditions, the right technology, and the right circumstances, we can sometimes get glimpses of the non-physical world that surrounds us. And we are going to talk about this subject now…

    Density Levels and Technological Advancement

    “Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong.  When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted.  
    
    It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance.  
    
    And because it is so important to protect that core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn’t fit with the core belief.”
    
    -ThinkSquad, 2015

    Quantum particles are ubiquitous throughout our universe.  They are everywhere.  They are primarily comprised of minuscule small vibrating strings that vibrate and resonate at a very high speed or frequency.

    [1] Understanding particle physics: 7) particles are quanta
    [2] What are quanta? – quantum interactive
    [3] A New Map of All the Particles and Forces - Quanta Magazine

    As particles collect together in groups, or cluster together, their frequency of vibration shows down.  This has to do with the inherent inertial components of a group creation.    The bigger the group cluster of particles, the slower the frequency of vibration.

    Vibrational frequency in the strictest sense that I refer to here, is not the physical component, normally referred to in the chemical sciences.  But rather the behavior of the vibrating strings themselves.  This is quantum level vibration, as opposed to atomic level vibration and the equivalent change in potentials.

    Note: On the dimension of the physical.  The purpose of this article is to describe in an easy way, very difficult concepts.  To do so, certain “crutches” need to be employed, which many not be wholly accurate.  Truth be told, there is no physical space at all.  But the quanta themselves create this illusion.  In so doing, they create layers or dimensional boundaries.  Space and the illusion of space is one such creation.  Thus, within this boundary we can see that particles tend to cluster together in groups upon this fabric or cloth which is raw dimensionless space.

    Those readers who have been following the nonsense that is often available on the Internet will be quite confused here.  When I refer to density, I am specifically referring to quantum level behaviors of groups of particles within a dimensional framework.

    I am absolutely NOT referring to any of the “New age” redefinitions of “density”.  These new definitions are confusing.  These are definitions such as in the Cassiopaea and Ra materials related to extraterrestrial beings and consciousness.

    Magnitude

    Higher orders of existence utilize widely dispersed groups of quantum clusters.

    Phew! Did I just say that?
    
    OK. In other words, the more complex a "thing"... the greater the number of quanta that are are involved.
    
    A pencil (you do remember those things, don't you?) has a set amount of quanta associated with it. yet, a living creature, such as a cow, would have many, many, MANY more quanta associated with it.
    
    The difference between a pencil and a cow, can be considered a "higher order of existence".
    
    And as the number of these quantum cluster increase, so does the number of interactions that they have with each other. Which is known as "entanglement". And thus they tend to disperse as they get more, and more entangled.

    This way, they can maintain high frequencies of vibration, while maintaining a soul cloud consciousness.

    This is important.  Read it again and study it again if your do not understand it completely.
    
    As collections of quanta increase in size, so does the accumulated properties of the aggregate. It's synergistic, not additive.
    
    2 + 2 = 8
    
    As the properties of the aggregate increase, so does the resultant vibrations of those clusters. 
    
    Vibration?
    
    Vibration is this understanding relates to the wave properties of the quanta. While a bare and lonely individual quanta might have a low and sluggish pulse, when it interacts and entangles with other quanta, the vibrational rate increases. The more quanta that becomes entangled, the greater the vibrational levels attained.
    
    At a certain threshold, the vibrational frequency becomes one that can support a consciousness. Which is pretty much why pencils don't have a consciousness, while cattle do.

    Lower orders of existence rely on large, closely packed, groups of clusters.  These tend to vibrate at slower rates dependent on their size.

    Such as a pencil, a stone, and a glass of water.

    Because there are functional limits on the quanta that one can absorb into ones cloud as a function of density inertia, entitles tend to strive to grow and modify their quantum existence in such a way as to operate in higher vibratory levels.

    Obviously the universe is populated with intelligence and consciousness. Otherwise, you would not be reading this. It is a natural evolution that quanta entangle with other quanta.
    
    And part of this evolution is the increase in vibration of the entangled bodies.
    
    As the size of the entanglement increases, so does the complexity of the entangled body as a whole, and at some point in time, consciousness evolves and manifests.

    Thus, an entity that has a very large quantum cloud and that maintains it successfully at a high frequency of vibration is considered to have a high “spiritual” or “quantum” (light) density.

    Many entangled quanta = rapid and profound vibrations.
    
    These vibrations are known as "high frequency" and are associated with light. Thus they are considered to be of light density.

    Their various frequencies overlap in great, beautiful patterns.

    While, an entity, with a smaller quantum cloud, or one that operates at a lower frequency is considered to have a high (thick) density.

    One must think of density as a jar containing all the quanta of a given entity.

    An “advanced” entity will have a big jar full of quanta.  But that quanta will have a lot of space to move around in.

    Conversely, a more “primitive” entity would have a small, mostly layered, jar of quanta.  The quanta would be clustered in a corner or on the bottom of the jar in a thick pile of goo.

    We thus, say that the more advanced entity has a container (jar) of quanta that is less dense than the novice entity.

    .

    Personally, I don’t like these terms because they are confusing.

    Physical manifestations of quanta are slower and closer together in the physical world (thus, denser).  We also thus use the term to describe a lower state of energy.  Thus possibly, generating two polar opposites in meaning.

    For all purposes here, please consider that one should have a quanta signature that is organized in pure basic forms of great physical expanse.  That would be opposed to tight, dense forms of quanta clusters.

    Structure and order

    Further, Higher frequency quanta organized as smaller discrete packets follow a more organized or pure structure.

    Quanta clumps together though entanglements. These form structures, or "packets".

    Quanta can combine together into “building blocks”. Much like this (as an example)…

    The building blocks…

    Their combined “dances” are more harmonic.  The coarser, less organized quanta follow a chaotic pattern.

    (Not especially accurate, but good enough for the model that is presented here.  All quanta form patterns.  The more chaotic patterns are just extremely complex relationships, and thus appear to be confused, disorganized and complex.) 

    A chaotic system is one in which infinitesimal differences in the starting conditions lead to drastically different results as the system evolves.

    This concept was summarized by mathematician Edward Lorenz,” Chaos (is at the point) when the present determines the future, but the approximate present does not approximately determine the future.”

    There’s an important distinction to make between a chaotic quantum system and a random quanta system.

    Given the starting conditions, a chaotic system is entirely deterministic.

    A random system, on the other hand, is entirely non-deterministic, even when the starting conditions are known.

    That is, with enough information, the evolution of a chaotic system is entirely predictable, but in a random system there’s no amount of information that would be enough to predict the system’s evolution.  All of this predictability defines inter-dimensional order.

    Variations

    Other races, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial, operate at different density levels.

    Understanding that consciousness is connected with the number of entangled quanta, it should thus be evident that it is also tied to energy levels of existence.
    
    A snail would have a different energy level than a dog.
    
    A tiger would have a different energy level than a human.
    
    A human would have a different energy level than an extraterrestrial from Tralfamador.

    Since we can only perceive those at the most coarsest levels (the densest), we often are ignorant of many entities that cohabit the planet with us.

    Sometimes, due to various physical events, we can occasionally perceive these other entities.

    When we do they are often misinterpreted as spirits, sprites, ghosts, angels, demons and the like.    These creatures exist, but humans have a very hard time distinguishing what they perceive.

    Generally, higher order frequency beings are usually benign and harmless.

    It the fear of the unknown that causes many false and deceptive myths that propagate about these creatures through history.

    Death

    When a creature dies, the body remains but the consciousness exits the reality section of the world-line. It exists. It’s just that we humans are not able to “see” wave forms. We can only see physical things when the consciousness is attached to bodies in the particle state.

    With the advent of cameras, and the technology that enables high “shutter speeds” and extended wavelength records, we can sometimes observe the departed in wave form. While the body is now long dead and has been removed.

    This is actually quite common in hospitals and nursing homes. Such as this example.

    See anything unusual about this picture?

    Empty hospital room in a Senior Care Facility in the United States.

    .

    Look at the mirror.

    Here’s a close up view of the mirror…

    Closeup view of a mirror in an empty Senior Care Facility inside of America.

    .

    Spirits and other creatures that operate at higher density levels do exist and are quite common.

    They contain both terrestrial derived entities and extraterrestrial entities.  Most do not really care to have dealings with humans.

    And since they are of wave duality, they are able to enter the MWI at any point, independent of time. Which provides us some very interesting observations.

    Here’s the spirit of a little (American Indian) girl wandering in the woods late at night and startling a buck (male deer) at a feeding station where a trail-cam was able to photograph the encounter.

    Deer sees ghost on trailcam

    .

    The ability to see humans, in the non-physical form is very common. They are generally associated with ghosts and spirits, and many people are fearful of them, but it need not be the case. When a person stops traveling the MWI in the particle form, they continue to do so in the wave form. And thus people can (if they are sensitive), or equipment can (if it is properly configured) observe and record these encounters…

    Ghost caught on CCV outside a nursing home. Can you see him?

    .

    Which brings up the interesting subject of “phasing“.

    Phasing Ability

    Some of the higher density entities, whether terrestrial or extraterrestrial, have the ability to “phase” in and out of the lower densities.

    it is the ability to lower your aggregate vibrational level to a point where simpler, and denser, entities and creatures can observe and interact with you.
    
    Or, raise their level. Thus making them invisible to lower density entities.

    This ability can make them invisible to humans on demand.  They do not need a machine, device or technology to cloak their person or activities.

    Only the more dense entities need these types of devices.

    In phasing, the energy state and vibration rates change out of the normal physical visual range (as seen by humans).  To be able to do this, the body must be capable of handling higher vibratory frequencies and states of existence.

    Other animals, with different optical cones and different ways that their brains perceive vision, can often times see these entities, even when humans are unable to see them.

    The principle behind this is simple.

    Perception comes in many forms.

    The form most commonly relied upon by humans is eyesight.  Human eyesight is a very limited mechanism.  We can only see in a very narrow band of frequencies and wavelengths.

    Most of the universe operates at frequencies far higher than we can perceive.

    For us to see these “other” things, we must either [1] speed up our ability to perceive, or [2] slow the frequency of vibration of the observed object down.

    When a frequency of vibration of a given object is changed, it is known as “phasing”.

    When the frequency speed is slowed down in such a way as it becomes observable by humans, we call that “phasing in and out of existence”.

    The idea and concept that most other beings, entities, consciousness, and objects are unobservable to humans because of our limited range of perception is a fundamental one.

    We, as humans, only observe a very small part of the world that we live in.

    An example of phasing

    Here we have a human (or humanoid creature) wearing a suit that enables them to “phase in and out” of the human observed reality.

    The mystery of the Solway Spaceman - BBC News
    The Solway Firth Photo, 1964,(Spaceman) UFO Casebook Files

    The Solway Firth Photo, 1964

    On 24th May 1964, Jim Templeton, a fireman from Carlisle in the North of England, took his young daughter out to the marches overlooking the Solway Firth to take some photographs. Nothing untoward happened, although both he and his wife noticed that an unusual aura in the atmosphere. n unusual aura in the atmosphere.
    There was a kind of electric charge in the air, though no storm came. Even nearby cows seemed upset by it.
    
    Some days later Mr Templeton got his photographs processed by the chemist, who said that it was a pity that the man who had walked past had spoiled the best shot of Elizabeth holding a bunch of flowers. Jim was puzzled. There had been nobody else on the marshes nearby at the time.
    
    But sure enough, on the picture in question there was a figure in a silvery white space suit projecting at an odd angle into the air behind the girl's back, as if an unwanted snooper had wrecked the shot.
    
    The case was reported to the police and taken up by Kodak, the film manufacturers, who offered free film for life to anyone who could solve the mystery when their experts failed.
    
    It was not, as the police at first guessed, a simple double exposure with one negative accidentally printed on top of another during processing. It was, as Chief Superintendent Oldcorn quickly concluded, just "one of those things... a freak picture."
    
    A few weeks later Jim Templeton received two mysterious visitors. He had never heard of MIBs: the subject was almost unknown in Britain then. But the two men who came to his house in a large Jaguar car wore dark suits and otherwise looked normal. The weird thing about them was their behavior.
    
    They only referred to one another by numbers and asked the most unusual questions as they drove Jim out to the marshes. They wanted to know in minute detail about the weather on the day of the photograph, the activities of local bird life and odd asides like that.
    
    Then they tried to make him admit that he had just photographed an ordinary man walking past. Jim responded politely, but nevertheless rejected their idea, at which they became irrationally angry and hustled themselves into the car, driving off and leaving him.
    
    The fire officer had to hike five miles across country to get home.
    
    - Landon Howell Owner & Editor - juiceenewsdaily.com

    Examples of Consciousness phasing to wave forms…

    Here’s some more examples of people who have died and the consciousness is still attached to the physical reality. Here’s another hospital CCV camera. On it was the short, few-second long video of a ghostly girl walking down the hallway…

    The quanta of the deceased can sometimes be filmed

    .

    Here’s another hospital CCV camera capture…

    Children’s hospital.

    .

    This ghostly figure was seen near the children’s ward at Leeds General Infirmary by hospital worker Andrew Milburn. There have been several stories of the sounds of footsteps in the corridors with no one around but nothing had been caught on camera.

    Ghosts appear to be all over hospitals, don’t you know.

    Spirit in the elevator.

    They can be recorded in elevators.

    This unsettling image was first posted to Reddit in 2014 by user EskimoJake. They claim that their friend who is a doctor, took this picture while working at a Bolivian hospital in 2010.

    Supposedly, the doctor and his friends didn’t initially notice the elevator door opening as they were too busy laughing and joking around. When they did finally see it, there was no one inside.

    She has nice long hair.

    If you take a closer look at the ghostly figure, you can see that it appears to be a female with long, black hair. Her face looks pale and gaunt and she seems to be wearing a hospital gown.

    Has the doctor actually managed to photograph a ghost in the elevator? If so, could it be that of a former patient? Perhaps even someone who may have passed away while being treated at this very hospital?

    Ghost Nurse

    .

    There is very little information available about this photo other than that it was taken at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At first glance, it doesn’t appear that the camera has captured anything unusual at all. That is until you spot the ghostly nurse standing on the far side of the bed.

    St. Francis Hospital was founded in 1955 and some claim that this photograph may show the ghost of a former nurse who worked there. With her long, white apron and hair neatly tucked under her hat, the figure’s appearance certainly resembles a nurse from that era.

    The Little Girl in The Lunatic Asylum

    This photo was taken in the Grevillia Wing of the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum in Victoria, Australia by ghost hunters Rayleen Kable and Allen Tiller. They took the picture while investigating the grounds at Beechworth and believe that it shows the spirit of a young girl kneeling on the floor.

    The figure certainly does look like a child. It appears to be wearing a nightgown and it looks as though it is holding something in its right hand, possibly a doll or teddy bear.

    Beechworth Asylum was famous for its lax rules regarding institutionalization. With only two signatures, a person could be committed. Almost ten thousand people died in the building, the patients often restrained and treated with electroshock therapy.

    Beechworth is reportedly haunted by the ghost of a young, Jewish woman who was mysteriously thrown to her death from a window. Because of strict religious beliefs, her body lay decomposing on the ground for two days while a rabbi came from Melbourne to officially move the body. Several visitors claim they’ve even seen a young girl under the window where the incident happened.

    Another traumatic tale is that of a missing patient who couldn’t be found for weeks. Finally his body was discovered by a local dog named Max near the gatehouse at the edge of the property. A search party was assembled to search the area and they eventually found the patient’s body up a tree. Since then, people have reported seeing a man wandering around the gatehouse at night.

    Countless other paranormal sightings have taken place at Beechworth Lunatic Asylum. Visions of doctors walking down dark hallways, screams, nurses kneeling by bedsides, one ghost hunter says a demonic voice told him to ‘get out’ and leave the asylum.

    Is it possible that this photograph has captured the ghostly vision one of the former patients of Beechworth?

    Ghost of Patient Appears in Wheelchair

    .

    This photo first appeared online sometime around 2012. It was supposedly captured in the Clemente Alvarez Emergency Hospital in Argentina by a staff member known only as Diego.

    Here’s another photo of a ghost in a hospital. This one comes with his own wheelchair thingy of-sorts thing-of-a-jig!

    Roaming the hallways.

    .

    Around the same time, this photo was taken in the Kith Haven Assisted Living nursing home in Flint, Michigan. It shows a very similar figure rolling down a hallway in a wheelchair.

    The employee who captured the picture said she saw it with her own eyes and quickly grabbed her phone to take a photo.

    The apparition appears to have dark, sunken eyes and a wide open mouth. It also looks rather decrepit and thin. The white shirt that the figure is wearing seems to be too large for its frail frame.

    And what of this?

    The Hospital Demon

    .

    This spine chilling photo first appeared on social media in 2014 and since then has become rather well known. The are several stories of its origin however the most common one is that a nurse in a hospital took a screen shot of a security camera that was monitoring patients in the ward. She claims that she saw a demon-like figure walking up and down the bed of one particular patient. It had long black legs, and eerie slender fingers.

    When she went to the ward to check on the patient there was no sign of the figure in the room, however the patient’s vitals began declining rapidly and the person passed away shortly after.

    While many believe the nurse’s story to be true, several skeptics claim that the ‘demon’ is nothing more than a series of objects that are coincidentally lined up, giving the effect of a lurking creature.

    La Planchada

    .

    Opened in Mexico City in 1847, Hospital Juarez is an active medical center known for sightings of La Planchada (“the ironed lady”), a ghostly nurse from the mid-1900s who appears in a perfectly pressed nurse’s uniform.

    Over the years, La Planchada has come to be known for treating patients in the hospital’s emergency section, often bringing about miraculous recoveries. This photo is believed by many to be the only one to have ever captured proof of the ghostly nurse as she makes her rounds.

    Like many ghost stories, there are several versions of tale of La Planchada. Some say she was a nurse in love with a doctor who rejected her and drove her to suicide; others claim she would euthanize patients to relieve their pain. Whatever her origins, La Planchada is known as a benevolent spirit and there probably isn’t a patient in Hospital Juarez who wouldn’t be happy to see her.

    And there is this vision of the right instant in time when the camera shutter clicks on the right spot at the right time and discovers… this.

    The quanta of the deceased can sometimes be filmed

    .

    When a person dies, their quanta starts to detach from their physical selves and begins to enter the other dimensions in the universe.

    Oh, here I go again! Not being specific enough.
    
    The non-physical reality surrounds the physical reality in layers, like an onion. And many Eastern religions have mapped these layers and given them names like "astral plane", "causal plane", etc.
    
    Once the consciousness is in the wave form it can do many things. Namely it can travel. Travel.
    
    It can travel in the various physical reality.
    
    It can travel through the various (onion layers) of the non-physical reality.
    
    It can enter "the tunnel of light" and depart this universe and enter the universe of soul. From when the consciousness originated.
    
    But...
    
    It can travel within the MWI; the various world-lines itself. This it can do, as the MWI are part of our "physical universe". But many choose not to do so simply because it is rather boring for them to do.

    To some this looks like ghosts and spirits, but there is no reason to be fearful.

    This is a natural aspect of quantum realignment.

    On occasion, due to specific atmospheric conditions, sometimes entities of souls can have various aspects of their being photographed.  When this happens, we are actually photographing the quanta “phasing” from the physical to another dimensional state.

    Our equipment can record the wave lengths during transition.

    Consciousness has form.

    Did you notice something?

    When a person’s quanta is photographed in wave form, or the transition to it (via “phasing”) it’s not a floating globe (as I have depicted throughout MM). It is the general shape and form of a body.

    This is very important.

    The consciousness has a FORM. It’s form tends to consist of the upper torso, and the head. Legs and arms might be present, but not always.

    Fears, Frauds, and Boogiemen…

    Now, let’s broach the uncomfortable reality. There are many, many frauds out there masquerading as actual events. Thus making it very difficult to compile a list of real examples of visions of the non-physical reality.

    Thus, simply because there are so many hoaxes prevalent out there, anything out of the normal is discounted as a hoax, and a fraud. This is intentional.

    On one hand, you have “experts” who use this avenue to acquire prestige within their respective fields. Such as in the Science Fiction movie “Contact” with actress Jodie Foster. In that movie was a couple of characters; Mr. David Drumlin, and James Woods (Michael Kitz) who played that role. They thwarted her every move, and constantly blocked funding, all so that he could climb the rings of power within the United States government. Personal power, and wealth accumulation, over the truth and science.

    Photo of “David Drumlin”, as portrayed by Tom Skerritt from “Contact” (1997), alongside James Woods (Michael Kitz)

    .

    And then on the other hand, you have profiteers. They create “ghost” websites and then generate content to scare people with it. These individuals create photos and videos to amuse, scare and titillate, and derive personal profit from ad revenue and product placement. Often their forgeries are rather good, or at least better than amateurs.

    • Top 10 Ghost WebsitesParanormal | Higgypop

      Then, of course, you have amateurs. These people just throw together some kind of hoax for “shits and giggles”. Their motivations are unclear, their ultimate goals are kept to themselves.

      And then finally, you have real mysteries. These are actual “real deal” events that cannot be discounted away oh so easily. These events are important because they offer us a glimpse into a world that we are not apt to observe normally. You might come across a photo here, or there, or a video on you-tube. But with the great collection of hoaxes out there, it’s really difficult to find convincing examples.

      Let’s look at a couple borderline cases…

    What of ghosts?

    You can see all sorts of things on the internet. But what is true and what is fake?

    In this instance, you most certainly have a cat hissing at something at the other side of the door, and the housewife is not seeing anything strange. That is obvious. What is odd is the image of a ghostly figure in the door.

    Was this figure photoshopped there? Intentionally, you understand, to create a ghostly narrative? Or, was the “back story” accurate?

    The back story…

    Supposedly, this image was captured on a computer cam. The cat was behaving strangely and hissing at thin air. No one saw the spirit, it was only recorded on the computer.

    This photo dates back to 2013, perhaps even earlier. It isn’t known where this took place, but it is believed to be somewhere in North America. It could be a hoax, or genuine. No one will ever know.

    It is provided here as an example only.

    You see, it dos not matter to us whether or not it is a hoax. It is just a good illustration that different species can see different things. In this case the cat can sense things that the human woman cannot.

    As we have discussed, the non-physical world for a cat is different than the non-physical world of a human. Thus they can sense things that humans cannot.

    This isn’t just MM talking. This is well established physical and biological understandings. Different species can see different things and all of us perceive the physical reality differently than others.

    What of ghosts of loved ones?

    Here’s another borderline case. This backstory is much better, than a computer happened to be on that recorded a cat interaction with a porch door. This is a an intentionally left-on security camera.

    An Atlanta woman believes her home security camera spotted her son’s ghost.

    On January 5, 2019, Jennifer Hodge was in her bedroom when she received an beeping notification: her Nest security camera had spotted a person in the kitchen. The rest is a story right off the televisions show “Night Gallery”.

    “I was laying in bed watching TV with my daughter, and I was just about asleep,” Hodge said in a Facebook post. 
    
    “The phone was between us, and I got a notification saying someone was in the kitchen. 
    
    My daughter was like, ‘Mum, there’s a person in the kitchen. It looks like Robbie.’ 
    
    I was stunned. It did look just like him — beard and all.”

    Robbie, Michelle’s son, died of an overdose in 2016. He was just 23 years old. Michelle and her daughter were reportedly the only people at home at the time of the recording.

    What of ghosts who want to pose in pictures?

    Pretty odd stuff.

    But check them out. Fakes or real? No one knows.

    Mystery Pale Chick.

    .

    One could say it seems like ghosts really like to make an appearance at the parties they weren’t invited to. This is case like that. A group of friends were having a nice Easter brunch and they decided to take a picture of it. There was a mirror next to the table they were sitting at and while there is nobody but the people supposed to be there sitting at the table on one side of the photo, there is an extra person’s reflection caught in the mirror on the other side of the photo.

    It looks like a woman with an extremely pale face, standing next to the table. All of the guests at the brunch claimed there was no one like that there with them and they had no idea who the person caught in the mirror reflection was.

    .

    This picture was taken at Tantallon Castle near North Berwick. A ruined fortress badly damaged by an attack from Oliver Cromwell’s forces in 1651. The figure looks to be in period costume but no mannequins or costumed guides are used at the castle, adding to the mystery of the suspected ghost.

    This photograph of the Combermere Abbey library was taken in 1891 by Sybell Corbet.

    The figure of a man can faintly be seen sitting in the chair to the left.

    His head, collar and right arm on the armrest are clearly discernible. It is believed to be the ghost of Lord Combermere.

    Lord Combermere was a British cavalry commander in the early 1800s, who distinguished himself in several military campaigns.

    Combermere Abbey, located in Cheshire, England, was founded by Benedictine monks in 1133. In 1540, King Henry VII kicked out the Benedictines, and the Abbey later became the Seat of Sir George Cotton KT, Vice Chamberlain to the household of Prince Edward, son of Henry VIII.

    In 1814, Sir Stapleton Cotton, a descendent of Sir George, took the title “Lord Combermere” and in 1817 became became the Governor of Barbados. Today the Abbey is a tourist attraction and hotel.

    Lord Combermere died in 1891, having been struck and killed by a horse-drawn carriage.  At the time Sybell Corbet took the above photo, Combermere’s funeral was taking place some four miles away.

    The photographic exposure, Corbet recorded, took about an hour. It is thought by some that during that time a servant might have come into the room and sat briefly in the chair, creating the transparent image.

    This idea was refuted by members of the household, however, testifying that all were attending Lord Combermere’s funeral.

    A 13 year old girl takes a selfie in the car. Then discovers a strange boy in the back seat. What is going on?  You can see from her reflection in her sunglasses that the picture was taken while on the road. The adult who is driving the vehicle would know whether there was a kid in the back seat, you would assume.

    .

    So this 13 year old girl takes a selfie in the car while her mother is driving down the road. No one is in the back seat, yet it appears that her photo captures an image of someone int he back seat.

    Maybe true. Maybe fake. Who really knows?

    Spirit in the balcony.

    In 1982, photographer Chris Brackley took a photograph of the interior of London’s St. Botolph’s Church, but never expected what would appear on the film. High in the church’s loft, seen in the upper right-hand corner of his photograph, is the transparent form of what looks like a woman.

    According to Brackley, to his knowledge there were only three people in the church at the time the photo was taken, and none of them were in that loft.
    According to London Paranormal Database Records…

    "Mr. Brackley was later contacted by a builder who recognized the face of one that he had seen in a coffin in the church."
    

    Two chicks pose for a picture and then discover this when developed.

    My goodness. This interesting photo was taken sometime around the year 2000 in Manilla, Republic of the Philippines.

    According to The Ghost Research Society, two girlfriends were out for a walk one warm night. One of them entreated a passing stranger to photograph them using her cell phone’s camera (hence the low-resolution picture).

    The result is shown here, with a transparent figure seeming to tug on the girl’s arm with a firm if friendly grip. Without further information on this photo, we have to admit that the ghost could have been added with image processing software. But if it’s genuine and untouched, it certainly qualifies as one of the best ghost photos around.

    It’s pretty creepy.

    It’s so very easy to modify pictures these days. Everything is digital, and Photoshop is everywhere. But you know, just because it can be done, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is being done.

    Strange green boy.

    .

    There was a controversial photo posted on Instagram by a news anchor, capturing a moment of the party she had thrown the night before. One of her friends was entertaining everybody by playing the guitar and singing, so she captured the whole thing with her phone.

    Later, as she was going through the pictures, she noticed something strange in the background. It looked like a young boy peeking around the corner, trying to get a better view on the show.

    After she posted the photo on Instagram, a wave of discussions started. People speculated that she faked the whole thing in order to get more media attention that could help her kick off her news anchor career, and others believed it was proof of yet another haunted house. No one can be sure what the truth actually was, but it indeed seemed strange.

    Look up the picture and decide for yourself.

    .

    The ghostly object concealed in this spooky Irish snap will really give you a fright. Taken more than 100 years ago, experts tried to explain the hand as trick of light or a ruffle in a shirt. But neither idea works out.

    It’s all pretty messed up.

    Who is this kid?

    .

    The Amityville house is one of the most famous haunted houses in the world. The tales of the ghosts living in this house have spread so much that they have inspired a huge franchise known as The Amityville Horror.

    Before this whole story started going around, the Amityville house was a place like every other and there was, what appeared to be, a happy family living there. One night, the man went crazy and he killed his wife, all of his children, and he committed suicide after that.

    From that moment on, people have been claiming that their ghosts have still been living in the house. Paranormal investigators went there to see if there was a truth to that story and they took a photo of a little boy. The curious thing about that photo was that there were absolutely no children around at the time the photo was taken.

    .

    CCTV footage showing a shadowy spectre emerging from a driveway and straight into oncoming traffic.

    On November 19, 1995, Wem Town Hall in Shropshire, England burned to the ground. Many spectators gathered to watch the old building, built in 1905, as it was being consumed by the flames.

    Tony O’Rahilly, a local resident, was one of those onlookers and took photos of the spectacle with a 200mm telephoto lens from across the street. One of those photos shows what looks like a small, partially transparent girl standing in the doorway.

    Nether O’Rahilly nor any of the other onlookers or firefighters recalled seeing the girl there. O’Rahilly submitted the photo to the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena which, in turn, presented it for analysis to Dr. Vernon Harrison, a photographic expert and former president of the Royal Photographic Society.

    Harrison carefully examined both the print and the original negative, and concluded that it was genuine. “The negative is a straightforward piece of black-and-white work and shows no sign of having been tampered with,” Harrison said.

    But who is the little girl?

    Wem, a quiet market town in northern Shropshire, had been ravaged by fire in the past.  In 1677, historical records note, a fire destroyed many of the town's old timber houses.  A young girl named Jane Churm, the legends say, accidentally set fire to a thatched roof with a candle. 
    

    This photo was taken during an investigation of Bachelor’s Grove cemetery near Chicago by the Ghost Research Society (GRS). On August 10, 1991, several members of of the GRS were at the cemetery, a small, abandoned graveyard on the edge of the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve, near the suburb of Midlothian, Illinois.

    Reputed to be one of the most haunted cemeteries in the U.S., Bachelor’s Grove has been the site of well over 100 different reports of strange phenomena, including apparitions, unexplained sights and sounds, and even glowing balls of light.

    GRS member Mari Huff was taking black and white photos with a high-speed infrared camera in an area where the group had experienced some anomalies with their ghost-hunting equipment.  The cemetery was empty, except for the GRS members.

    When developed, this image emerged: what looks like a lonely-looking young woman dressed in white sitting on a tombstone.  Parts of her body are partially transparent and the style of the dress seems to be out of date.

    Other ghosts reportedly seen in Bachelor's Grove include figures in monks' clothes and the spirit of a glowing yellow man.

    And now for something odd…

    Who is the kid?

    .

    This photo, taken on a cell-phone shows a group of girls posing for a picture in the middle of the lounge room. The young girl seen crying in the bottom right corner of the image refused to take part in the picture because she said ‘The little boy was scaring her!’ It wasn’t until later, when her mother was reviewing the photo that she realized what the little girl was talking about.

    Take a look between the legs of the girls second and third from the left. You can clearly see the face of a young boy peering out from behind the group. If it was simply a shadow or optical illusion why did the little girl get so scared?

    Security guard alerted by motion sensors.

    .

    Theaters are believed by many to be common haunting grounds for ghosts. There is something about their unique atmosphere that seems to attract the supernatural. According to Mary Destany Martin, security guards at the theater at her local high school captured some weird photos of the school’s own resident ghost.

    The security guards visited the theater after a motion alarm went off at around 1:00 early one morning. They didn’t see anything but took a photo on their way out, just in case. When reviewing the photo, a guard was shocked to notice the figure of a woman walking down the stairs of what he was certain was an empty theater. The figure appears to be entirely black and white, in stark contrast to the rest of the theater, giving her a strange, otherworldly appearance.

    Yes. It’s pretty strange.

    Who is this girl?

    .

    One thing is for certain, she was able to trip the motion sensors. So she had substance.

    A person appears from thin air.

    .

    This photo was received from Denise Russell.

    “The lady in the color photo is my granny,” she says. “She lived on her own until age 94, when her mind started to weaken and had to be moved to an assisted living home for her own safety. At the end of the first week, there was a picnic for the residents and their families. My mother and sister attended. My sister took two pictures that day, and this is one of them.

    It was taken on Sunday, 8/17/97, and we think the man behind her is my grandpa who passed away on Sunday, 8/14/84.

    We did not notice the man in the picture until Christmas Day, 2000 (granny had since passed away), while browsing through some loose family photos at my parents’ house. My sister thought it was such a nice picture of granny that she even made a copy for mom, but still, nobody noticed the man behind her for over three years!

    When I arrived at my parents’ house that Christmas day, my sister handed me the picture and said, “Who do you think this man behind granny looks like?”

    It took a few seconds for it to sink in. I was absolutely speechless. The black and white photos show that it really looks like him.

    Spiritualist convention in Los Angeles, California.

    This photo was taken on November 16, 1968 when Robert A. Ferguson, author of Psychic Telemetry: New Key to Health, Wealth, and Perfect Living, was giving a speech at a Spiritualist convention in Los Angeles, California.

    Faintly appearing next to Ferguson is a figure that he later identified as his brother, Walter, who died in 1944 during World War II. At first glance, this might seem to be a double exposure or some kind of darkroom trickery, but this photo is a Polaroid (one of several taken of Ferguson at the time), making any kind of hoaxing quite unlikely.

    Sefton Church

    .

    Sefton Church is an ancient structure (started in the 12th century and finished in the early 16th century) in Merseyside, England, just north of Liverpool. This particular photograph was taken inside the church in September, 1999.

    According to Brad Steiger’s Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits and Haunted Places, where this photo was found, there was only one other photographer in the church beside the person who took this picture. Neither of them recalled seeing the ghost or any flesh-and-blood person standing there who could account for this image. Because the figure is all in black, it has been theorized that the apparition could be that of a church minister.

    It has been reported that a pub next door to the church, called the Punch Bowl, is said to be haunted by the ghost of a man in blue nautical garb, which has been reported there for many years.

    A dinner event at St. Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry, U.K.

    .

    On January 22, 1985, the Coventry Freeman organization were having a dinner event at St. Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry, U.K. Everyone in the group had her or his head bowed in prayer when this photo was taken — including a towering, mysterious figure standing top left. The strange cowled spectre appears to be wearing very odd clothing. The clothing looks like a kind of battle armor from the software game “Doom”.

    Lord Mayor Walter Brandish, who was present at the dinner, said there was no one at the event who was dressed like that, and he could not explain the presence of the interloper in the photo. St. Mary’s Guildhall dates back to the 14th century and served as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots.

    Posing in a helicopter.

    .

    Mrs. Sayer and some friends were visiting the Fleet Air Arm Station at Yelverton, Somerset, England in 1987 when this photo was taken. They thought it would be cute to take a picture of her sitting in the seat of retired helicopter.

    No one, Mrs. Sayer insists, was sitting next to her in the pilot’s seat… although a figure in a white shirt can clearly be seen sitting there.

    She told an investigator with the Society for Psychical Research that she  remembered feeling rather cold sitting in that seat, even though it was a hot day.
    Other pictures taken at the same time did not come out. Worth noting is that the helicopter was used in the Falklands War, but there is no information as to whether or not a pilot died in that aircraft.

    .

    Kim Davison from Queensland, Australia posted a picture on the Toowoomba Ghost Chasers Facebook page showing what appears to be the ghost of a young girl, who died in the same spot 100 years ago

    Merry Christmas.

    .

    It was what seemed to be a completely normal Christmas get-together; people sitting in their living room next to their Christmas tree and a pile of presents. Nothing curious about that at all. At least until someone decided to take a picture of that merry moment. After that, the moment wasn’t so marry anymore.

    In the middle of the picture, there seems to be a ghostly figure squatting over the pile of presents. You can clearly see the feet that belong to this mysterious being.

    After the photo was analyzed by experts, the conclusion was that the feet probably belong to one of the kids in the picture, and it was nothing more than a glitch in the camera. However, there still is some doubt since the child in question was wearing socks, while the feet in front of the present seem to be bare. Besides that, they are also too large to belong to the little boy in question.

    Then you have this absolutely odd-ball photo…

    .

    This photo was taken at Corroboree Rock at Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia in 1959. What does not seem to be a trick of light and shadow is a human form, semi-transparent, wearing what looks like a long white dress or gown. More curious, the figure seems to be holding something in the manner that a person holds a camera or binoculars.

    High forehead, long back hair in a mullet style. Appears to be a male, wearing a long white gown, and holding a what?

    One possibility is that this is a double exposure of a living person. In 1959, this image would have been captured on film.

    If it is not a double exposure and this is a spirit captured on film, then a number of questions arise: [1] What is the entity looking and why? [2] Do they have cameras and binoculars in the afterlife? Or [3] is this an instance of a time slip in which the camera has recorded a scene from a different time?

    My goodness!

    Now this next picture is something that is concerning and allows your mind to wonder what is going on…

    An abandoned house.

    .

    When it comes to abandoned houses, it is quite easy to start a rumor about some paranormal activity. Most of the ghost stories actually start this way; “Once upon a time, there was an abandoned house…”

    We’ve all heard something like that already.

    However, there is one specific house that has drawn a lot of people’s attention after a picture of a ghostly figure was captured there. No one knows exactly who used to live there or what happened to the people living there previously.

    There has been some speculation about different horror stories connected to this house and the ghosts inhabiting it. But the picture was quite clear; someone was standing in the doorway. We can’t be sure if it was just a shadow shaped like a person, but from the look of it, it surely seemed like a ghostly, transparent figure.

    And some things are truly WTF!

    Like this, for instance…

    What is this?

    .

    There was a girl who wanted to take some silly pictures of her cousins while they were playing. Instead of that, she captured something that can hardly be identified as anything else other than a potential paranormal activity.

    The weirdest thing about this photo is that it’s impossible to say what we actually see in it. It is clear that there is some weirdly shaped gray and black figure behind the little boy, but it’s impossible to say what it resembles.

    It is not a human nor an animal, but it clearly is something that has appeared only in the picture; nobody saw it in the room before or after that.

    This picture is definitely unique and different from the others, which is what makes it even more disturbing and mysterious. What do you think the shape in the picture was? Or was it just another attempt to make an ordinary picture go viral?

    Indeed, somethings just defy description.

    In 2015, Kevin Brown snapped a series of photos on his iPad while he was at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in Texas. Brown, who was there with his niece and two nephews didn’t see anything strange about the images at the time they were taken. It wasn’t until later that day that his niece noticed something very unsettling in one of the photos…

    A big What-The-Fuck is thing thing?

    .

    Yeah.

    And here’s a close-up.

    Photoshop? WTF?

    And now for some more strange stuff…

    Ah yes. there are all sorts of creatures and things out there. Both terrestrial and extraterrestrial.

    And while it is easy enough to assume that every picture, and every video on the internet is a hoax of one sort or the other (because, after all many of them actually are) there are videos that can and do depict things that might…

    …just might…

    …describe a window into the non-physical reality that surrounds our visible reality…

    …or might not.

    But do not discount EVERY video and picture you see as a hoax. For they might, just maybe, give you an insight into the reality that surrounds us.

    Webcams

    There are numerous internet websites that post live feeds of “haunted” areas. These feeds have produced hundreds, even thousands of images that defy rational description.

    Such as this one…

    Willard Library Paranormal Webcams

    .

    According to those who have worked at or visited the Willard Library, there is definitely a supernatural entity or two walking the halls of the building. To prove it, they have set up paranormal webcams so that ghost hunters around the world can keep a close eye out and send in screenshots when they spot something ghostly.

    There are a few types of ghosts that have been spotted by viewers and patrons of the library. The most common entity to make an appearance on film is different colored orbs hovering in various places, usually the stairwell. However, employees of the library have reported spotting a Grey Lady and a young boy haunting this stairwell. They believe that the orbs are merely how the ghosts manifest on camera.

    You can see a listing of different ghost-sighting webcams HERE.

    Is that it?

    Now, is everything that we sense related to the non-physical world that surrounds us, or are there other things involved?

    Well, there are other things.

    As you all recall, we travel the MWI as a lone consciousness. We share world-lines in a “ghost shadow” consciousness but actually meeting up with another consciousness where we are both the dominant consciousnesses on that world-line is a rare event. And sometimes, we can pick up some events that are difficult to explain as they involve both consciousness, the MWI, and physical manifestation.

    Consider this graphic…

    An observed cross-over event.

    .

    Now consider this…

    These two photos were taken in 1988 at the Hotel Vierjahreszeiten in Maurach, Austria.

    .

    These two photos were taken in 1988 at the Hotel Vierjahreszeiten in Maurach, Austria. Several vacationers gathered for a farewell party at the hotel and decided to take a group photo. One of the party, Mr. Todd, set up is Canon film camera on a nearby table and pointed it at the group.

    (The table is the white band at the bottom of the photos.) He set the self-timer on the camera and hurried back to the table.

    The shutter clicked and the film wound forward, but the flash did not fire. So Todd set the camera for a second shot. This time the flash fired.

    The film was later developed, and it wasn’t until one of party members was viewing the photos that it was noticed that the first (non-flash) photo showed a somewhat blurry extra head! (In the sequence above, the second (flash) photo is actually shown first for the sake of comparison.)

    No one recognized the ghostly woman, and they could not imagine how her image appeared in the picture.

    Besides being a bit out of focus, the woman’s head is also too large compared to the other vacationers, unless she is sitting closer to the camera, which would put her in the middle of the table. The photo was examined by the Royal Photographic Society, the photographic department of Leicester University, and the Society for Psychical Research, all of which ruled out a double exposure as the cause.

    And consider this…

    On July 6th, 2014, Martin Springall took a series of photos of his 4 year old daughter on a beach in Zushi, Japan. Springall, who was living in Tokyo at the time claims that no one else was around when he took the photographs and that he didn’t notice anything strange until he looked at the pictures later that night. In one of the images there appears to be a person in black boots standing directly behind his daughter.

    Cute little girl posing for her daddy.

    .

    When asked about what he had captured, Springall recalled, “I took a few pictures, and when I was looking through them at night, I noticed what appeared to be a pair of boots behind her in one of the photos,” he said. “I took several of her in the same spot, but only one had the boots.” My daughter is really shy, and she wouldn’t have taken a picture if there was someone standing behind her, which I would have definitely noticed.”

    What are they talking about?

    They are taking about this frozen moment in time…

    A snap-shot of a world-line; a “frozen moment in time”.

    .

    And then we have this…

    Two girls playing around.

    .

    There is nothing weird about two girlfriends taking a selfie while they’re alone. Or is there? The word “alone” is actually open for a discussion in this case. Those two girls were partying in a house all by themselves and nothing weird has happened for the whole time until they decided to take a selfie. While the girls stated that they had been all alone in the house, there is a clear reflection in the mirror of a third girl standing behind them. So who is she and what was she doing there?

    Conclusions

    There is a non-physical reality that surrounds us. It is present in every world-line and it tracks our reality as we experience “time”.

    Other species can see things that we cannot. And we can see things (by using certain technologies) that they cannot sense.

    Extraterrestrials, dimensional travelers, visitors, and intelligent entities hide from humans in “plain sight” by phasing out of our observation. This is how the human species is monitored, observed, manipulated and controlled.

    It is nothing to get all “hot and bothered about”, it is just simply how it is done.

    Additionally, there are cross-over considerations regarding the MWI and world-lines that can be recorded on film for a fleeting moment.

    The truth is that we, as humans, do not understand the nature of our reality well enough to account for various odd-ball events that are periodically captured on film or video. Rather than automatically discount them as hoaxes, simply because they do not fit within the confines of our established world-view, perhaps we need to embrace a larger and more comprehensive understanding of the universe and our reality, instead.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my MAJestic Index, here…

    MAJestic

    .

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

     

    Metallicman Donation
    Other Amount:
    Please kindly enter any notes that you would like to attach to the donation here:

     

    Cuneiform in America 4000 years ago; are ancient American-Indians Assyrian descendants?

    Here’s a pretty interesting subject matter that has long fascinated me. It is the idea that ancient peoples were able to construct ships, large ships (of various forms and shapes) and managed to cross the big wide oceans to other worlds. The evidence that supports this is really quite robust. And as such, I laugh at the idea of an “ice bridge” that connected Asia to the Americas. People are innovative, and capable and have been involved in massive and long-duration voyages for much of mankind’s pre-history.

    One sub-grouping of evidence is the presence of ancient Sumerian writing found on clay tablets throughout the Americas. And the evidence is pretty darn interesting…

    Here is an excellent article that addresses this subject. All credit to JosephKnew.com. It was edited to fit this venue. The website itself is very interesting, and I would suggest that interested people go ahead and visit it.

    There is ample evidence all around us that Ancient man navigated the oceans long, long, long before we give them any credit. Evidence points to trade, at various points of time, between various cultures all over the globe. Here we just look at one of the many, many examples of evidence towards this. We look at the presence of cuneiform tablets in America.

    No. It’s not something that can be easily faked.

    Cuneiform in America 4000 years ago:  Native Assyrians?

    Many Assyrians believe there’s a historical connection between themselves and Native Americans. They see many similarities  — tremendous bravery, a sense of homeland protection, eagle symbols, nature-inspired themes and designs, group dances, and music. 

    Others think the idea is crazy. Assyrians and Native Americans are two different peoples from two different continents.

    But how do we explain Chief Joseph’s cuneiform tablet?

    Chief Joseph’s cuneiform tablet

    Chief Joseph, a revered Nez Perce leader, was a man of great honor. When he was captured by the American Army in 1877, he had an actual Assyrian cuneiform tablet in his medicine bag. 

    What Chief Joseph said about the tablet can only be considered the truth:

    "The chief said that the tablet had been passed down in his family for many 
    generations and that they had inherited it from their white ancestors," 
    
    said Mary Gindling of History Mysteries.  
    
    "Chief Joseph said that white men had come among his ancestors long ago, and had taught his people many things. His story echoes those told by Native Americans in both North and South America about white culture bringers. But in this case, Joseph had a souvenir to demonstrate the truth of his story."

    The ancient tablet is made of baked clay and is one square inch in size. The cuneiform writing translates into a receipt for a lamb and dates it to about 2042 B.C.

    The tablet was presumed to have been made in southern Iraq.

    More about The Chief Joseph Tablet

    In 1877 the respected leader of the Nez Perce tribe surrendered to the U. S. Government.

    Chief Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain (

    At his surrender, Chief Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain (known by his Christian name Joseph), presented General Nelson Appleton Miles with a pendant, a 1-inch square clay tablet with writings unrecognizable to General Miles. The writing, which was translated by Dr. Robert D. Biggs, Assyyriology Professor at the University of Chicago, turned out to be a sales receipt dating back to 2042 B.C. in Assyria. It read:

    “Nalu received one lamb from Abbashaga on the 11th day of the month 
    of the festival of An, in the year Enmahgalanna was installed as a high 
    priestess of Nanna.”

    When Chief Joseph surrendered to General Miles, he had the tablet in his medicine bag. That bag was itself an interesting connection to Ancient Assyria.

    In an April, 2001 article published in Assyria Times, Benjamin Daniali points out a connection between an Assyrian symbol known as the Ashur Star and the design on Chief Joseph’s medicine bag.

    The Ashur Star

    In this photo of an ancient relief sculpture we can see the Assyrian god Ashur upon his throne. In front of him is a disc with the symbol known as the Assyrian Star or the Ashur Star. It is a four-pointed star with a circle in the center. Radiating out from between the four points of the star are rays of light.

    In photos of Chief Joseph we can see this same design on his medicine bag.

    Chief Joseph with his medicine bag.

    Hearn Tablet

    Other tablets with an Assyrian connection have been found throughout North America. A tablet similar in size and appearance to The Chief Joseph tablet was found in 1963 in northwestern Georgia near the Chatahoochee River. Like the Chief Joseph tablet, this one was a receipt for the sale of sheep and goats that were to be used in a ceremonial sacrifice. From other information contained on the tablet, it appears to have been created in 2040 B.C. One difference is the Georgia tablet was made of lead.

    In  1963, a cuneiform tablet was found in Georgia by Mrs. Joe Hearn as she  dug in her garden. It was written in the Sumerian language by a scribe  named Enlila and dates to about 2040 B.C.  
    
    The Hearn tablet records the  sale of sheep and goats, which were transported to America for sacrifice  to the Gods.  Read more
    
    Dr. Joseph Mahan thinks the Hearn tablet was made here using the lost-wax method because other molten lead pieces with the same patina were also found on her property.
    Hearn Tablet

    Conclusion

    How could the Nez Perce and other tribes in North America have 4,000-year-old Assyrian artifacts handed down for generations? Why would Chief Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain have a Star of Ashur beaded on his medicine bag?

    Sometime near the beginning of the Assyrian Empire — which ran from 2,500 B.C. to 605 B.C. — a tower was built in Assyria (modern day Iraq) to reach heaven. As a result, languages were confounded and families were scattered.

    Mahonri Moriancumer, the brother of Jared, pleaded with the Lord to not confound his language and that of his closest friends. They left Assyria and traveled “across many waters” to a promised land. They became a mighty nation in the place they called Moriancumer.

    Could the Chief Joseph tablet have come with them across the waters? Could the Jaredites have preserved their language and Assyrian culture in North America?

    Do you want more?

    I have more articles on similar subjects in my Happiness Index here…

    Life & Happiness

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

    [wp_paypal_payment]

    Constructing your very own DIY dimensional world-line portal; measuring and creating frequency profiles of location (part 3)

    This post continues in the discussion of building yourself a DIY dimensional portal (or some type of vehicle) for world-line crossovers and slides. This is part three. Part one was an introduction to the concepts that various people can build a DIY dimensional portal. Part two discussed the very important aspects of mass / gravity separation of the entity (person) entering the portal, and the portal itself.

    And here, in this part we will discuss measuring the frequencies of the gravity elements involved when a person enters the portal. This measurement of frequencies is the assignment of coordinates of where you are right now at the moment of teleportation.

    Measure frequencies = Assign egress coordinates.

    High Frequency Gravity Waves

    The fundamental idea is that we would detect the super weak HFGW that is associated with both the mass of the person entering the portal, and that of the portal itself. This would create a frequency profile. This profile in turn, can be considered a set of coordinates for the dimensional portal to work with.

    Gravitational waves (GW) are a prediction of Einstein’s general theory of relativity, but (due to their weakness) took a long, long time to discover.

    Measurement of their indirect effects on the orbits of certain binary neutron stars was a major experimental triumph, and merited the award of a Nobel Prize in Physics. Further; these measurements agree with theory to better than 1%. Therefore, there really isn’t any question of their existence. The issue is really how to detect them for small gravitational masses, up close, quickly and accurately.

    The term HFGW has come to mean gravitational waves at much higher frequencies of several GHz, say 10GHz to be specific. A general rule of thumb is that the highest gravitational wave frequencies produced will be at around the reciprocal of the freefall timescale for a system fmax∼ √Gρ, where ρ is the average density of the system. 

    Dr. Robert Baker, Jr. has a design for an open cavity High-Frequency Gravitational Wave Detector in the GHz band. His design consists of a high-quality-factor open microwave cavity and a Gaussian beam (GB) passing through a static magnetic field in free space.

    Baker is regarded as the preemininent researcher in the field of High-Frequency Gravitational Wave research, and proposes this new detector model as a means of facilitating significant new potential applications for the wireless telecommunications sector.

    Essentially this effect is an inverse Gertsenshtein effect in which HFGWs are converted into electromagnetic (EM) waves when passing through a static magnetic field.

    Our dimensional portal would detect the isolated HFGW’s from both the portal and the person entering the portal. It would convert the values into electromagnetic waves when the person enters the dimensional portal. Of course, for this to work, the entire portal would need to be a static magnetic field.

    The Physics of HFGW’s

    Newton’s formulation of the theory of gravity,

    for two spherical gravitating masses MG(1) and MG(2) is equivalent to the
    “non-relativistic” gravitational field description

    in which a non-dimensional “potential” hˆ has been chosen to agree with the mathematical language used for it in General Relativity. Here MI and MG are the inertial and gravitational masses respectively, and ρI and ρG are the distributions of these masses. Equations (3-4) and (3-5) are an instantaneous action-at-a-distance description which is inconsistent with the constraints of Special Relativity.

    In General Relativity (which is generalizes Newton’s theory) Equations
    (3-4) – (3-6) become

    Tμ ν is the complete relativistic stress-energy tensor of everything including the gravitational field itself, and T is its trace. (gμ ν is the Minkowski metric tensor of Special Relativity plus ˆhμ ν .) Confirmed predictions include the equivalence principle ρI = ρG (to better than 10−10), the calculated value for the bending of light passing near the sun and gravitational lensing of light in other parts of the Universe, many solar system observations, and remarkably accurate observations of neutron star binaries.

    The full content and implications of General Relativity are not needed
    for any of the HFGW predictions to be considered below. For example the
    quantum energy density in a vacuum is negligibly small compared to the other important matter and field contributions to Tμ ν in our local environment. All of the HFGW amplitudes of interest here are so small that their contributions to energy density can be neglected in Tˆμ ν.

    In a vacuum with only hˆμ ν present the RHS of Equation (3-7) vanishes, leaving the familiar free field wave equation

    The robustness of the basic theory for the HFGWs discussed below is
    even more robust than that of General Relativity.

    Hypotheses about changes in gravity and Tμ ν from string theory might change it at length scales  1 cm and some have proposed changes at huge (astronomical/cosmological) scales but neither would change Equations (3-7) on the scales of interest here.

    Because we are concerned with such small HFGW intensities it is often
    constructive to describe these flows as a flow of gravitational quanta (gravitons).

    Gravitons are a necessary consequence of Quantum Mechanics applied to Equation (3-9) and bear the same necessary relationship to Equations (3-9) and (3-7) as photons do to electromagnetic fields.

    In particular

    with ω = 2π× frequency and k = 2π/λ.

    Figure 1 shows the electromagnetic-gravity field interactions in Equation
    (3-7) as (static gravity or graviton) – (photon or static electromagnetic field)
    interactions.

    Figure 1: Feynman diagrams of quantum (graviton/photon) reactions in
    quantized gravitational field versions of General (and Special) Relativity.
    γ ≡ HF electromagnetic field or static field (B0); g ≡ graviton: A ≡ any
    particle.

    Measuring HFGW from gravity masses

    The LIGO detectors, which measured the waves, do not use bar detectors; they use interferometers. Bar detectors have been used for decades, but they have not been sensitive enough to make actual detections. They are necessarily very short, which reduces the effect of a gravitational wave. As you indicate they also have fairly narrow resonant frequencies at which they are most sensitive. Interferometers, on the other hand, can be made 4 kilometers long (like the LIGO detectors), which magnifies the effect of the waves. They are also sensitive over a fairly broad range -- roughly 40Hz to 2000Hz.
    
    As anna v rightly points out, there actually are plenty of references to frequency if you look at the science papers. I work in gravitational-wave astronomy, and decomposing things into frequencies is our bread and butter. There's less coverage of this in the popular press, presumably because the public tunes out talk of frequencies, and pop-sci journalists know where their bread is buttered. But Fourier transforms are really how the analysis gets done.
    
    -Physics Stack Exchange

    Dr. Robert Baker, Jr. has a design for an open cavity High-Frequency Gravitational Wave Detector in the GHz band, which consists of a high-quality-factor open microwave cavity and a Gaussian beam (GB) passing through a static magnetic field in free space.

    Essentially this effect is an inverse Gertsenshtein effect in which HFGWs are converted into electromagnetic (EM) waves when passing through a static magnetic field.

    Converting measured HFGW into electromagnetic waves for frequency generation.

    A basic mechanism for generating a EM wave from a measured HFGW is the direct conversion of the same frequency by a strong static magnetic field (−→B0).

    This Gertsenshtein process is idealized in Figure 3. The GW power out, PG W (in), is proportional to the electromagnetic wave incoming power PEMW (out):

    Figure 3: Gertsenshtein HFGW generation by EMWs passing through a constant magnetic field B0,
    Figure 3: Gertsenshtein EMW generation by HFGWs passing through a
    constant magnetic field B0,

    where U is the total EMW energy in the volume (V) in which the EMW passes through B0.

    is the energy density in that region.

    Figure 4: HFGW generation by standing wave electromagnetic modes in a
cavity.
    Figure 4: HFGW generation by standing wave electromagnetic modes in a
    cavity.

    For the geometry of Figure (3) in which the passage of the EMW through
    B0 is not otherwise interrupted

    For P(in) ∼ 10 kW, and L = 30 cm, U = 10−5 joules. If the EMF is
    contained as a normal mode within V,U can be very much larger. However, there are various limits to U which are independent of the available EMW power. For a cavity with EM dissipation time τ

    For a (generous) cooling rate from an exterior coolant flow around a
    copper cavity H˙ ∼ 106 watts, Q ∼ 2 × 103, Umax ∼ 2 × 10−1 joules and

    (We note that it would take a continual EM power input of one MWatt to
    maintain this tiny GW output.)

    If we replace the copper-walled cavity by one with superconducting walls
    τ may increase from the ∼ 10−7 sec of Cu by a factor ∼ 107. However, Umax
    could not increase by nearly such a factor, even if we ignore any problems
    of maintaining superconductivity near the huge −→B0, and keeping the very low temperature needed. The u inside the superconducting cavity would be limited by unacceptable electron emission from a mode’s strong electric field perpendicular to a wall:

    Even if this crucial limit is ignored there would be a limit to u from the
    maximum mechanical strength of the container confining the electromagnetic modes:

    The limit of Equation (3-23) and V ∼ 3 × 103 cm3 gives UMax ∼ 3 × 106J
    and

    Finally we could ask the ultimate limit when, instead of −→Bo ∼ 105 Gauss
    and EM waves V is filled with moving masses, EM energy, etc. all contained
    within V ∼ 3 × 103 cm3 to the limit where the container explodes. Then

    where d is the distance to the target and b a directional beaming factor
    which we take ∼ 102. Then for d > 1 km the maximum flux at a target

    for the unrealistically large limit of Equation (3-25). Increasing V to 107
    cm3 would still limit

    Almost none will be stopped or converted within the target. (But even
    if they were their total impulse would cause no damage to any part of it.)

    HFGW Detectors [1]

    Proposed HFGW detectors have generally been based upon versions
    of the inverse Gertsenshtein process. The most elementary one is that in
    Figure 5. As in Equations (3-13) and (3-14)

    For the maximum HFGW generator production of 102 graviton/sec of Equation (3-22), and b ∼ 102 and d ∼ 10 m in Equation (3-26), and a detector area transverse to the beam (Aˆ) = 104cm2

    Such a small photon flow would, of course, never be observed, no matter
    what plausible changes are made in HFGW generator, d, b, or Aˆ. However
    proposals have been made to decrease this interval by very great factors.

    One such proposal introduces an additional EMW0 with the same frequency as the GW and the very weak EMW it generates in passing through the strong −→B0 region. This is well understood “homodyning” of the weak signal. It does not increase a signal to noise ratio when the noise is the minimal photon noise from quantization. If we consider the simple geometry of

    Figure 5: Inverse Gertsenshtein conversion of HFGWs to EMWs of the same
frequencies.
    Figure 5: Inverse Gertsenshtein conversion of HFGWs to EMWs of the same
    frequencies.

    Figure 6 with the electromagnetic waves electric field normal to the plane of wave propagation and −→B0, there are two possibilities for interference between EGW, the electric field of the EMW generated by the GW and E0. In one the original propagation directions are coincident. Then the total field (−→E T )

    with −→E T the homodyning field and −→E GW that from GW conversion along the common trajectory. If EGW reaches the photon detector so must E 0. That detector’s photon counting rate

    Figure 6: Homodyning of weak EMW with much stronger EMW0.
    Figure 6: Homodyning of weak EMW with much stronger EMW0.

    with N˙ 0 the counting rate when N˙ GW = 0 and N˙ GW the very much smaller rate when N˙ 0 = 0. A non-zero cos δ can arise from phase match between −→E 0 and −→E GW .

    The large N0 = N˙ 0t is the expectation value of a Poisson distribution
    of width N1/2 0 which is intrinsic to the quantum (photon) distribution in the classical wave description.

    The main N˙ GW contribution to the detector counts (2 (N˙ 0N˙ GW)1/2 cos δ t) must be significantly larger than this fluctuation (N˙ 0t)1/2 for the signal/minimal photon noise ratio to exceed unity:

    i.e., it will still take the t ˆγ of Equation (3-30) to identify with any confidence a single EMW photon from incoming GW graviton conversion.

    If the −→E 0 photons differ enough in direction from the EGW ones so that they do not reach the detector the photon fluctuations |−→E 0|2 term of Equation (3-31) could be absent, but so would 2−→E 0· −→E GW so that again t ∼ 1/N˙ γ . The history of this interference term before the detector is reached is not relevant: t ∼ 1/N˙ GW whether or not −→E 0 reaches the photon detector with −→E GW or what its magnitude there is as long as it gives the minimal fluctuation in photon number as the major noise source at the EMW detector.

    If instead of −→E 0 with the same frequency at the EMW from HFGW
    conversion (homodyning), the −→E 0 wave has a different frequency (ω
    ) and the detector admits ω ± ω (heterodyning) the quantum limit still gives the same needed t (to within a factor 2) for a signal to noise ratio exceeding one; see Marcuse [13] (Eqs. 6.5–14,6.5–17) with the minimum bandwidth B ∼ t−1 achieved over a time t,

    HFGW Detectors [2]

    A second kind of proposal for greatly increasing the photon counting rate from graviton → photon conversion is to contain the conversion volume within reflecting walls for EMWs.

    This is similar to the same sort of proposal to increase the efficiency of Gertsenshtein conversion of photons to gravitons in Figure 3. It differs, however, in that the containing cavity does not reflect the gravitons which are the source for conversion, but only the photons which are the product of it.

    If we start with an empty cavity with mode decay time τ and a resonance frequency ω0 = ω (or at least |ω − ω0| < ω0/Q) the cavity will initially fill with EM mode energy (U) at a rate

    which will continually increase until a steady state is reached at t ∼ τ ≡ Q/ω. (U is not limited in the cavity detector by the considerations of Sec 3.
    because it is always so tiny in comparison to those in a GW generator).

    if cavity photons are counted instead of being dissipated in the cavity walls.

    Figure 7: GW conversion on B 0 pumping a resonant cavity with the same frequency.
    Figure 7: GW conversion on B 0 pumping a resonant cavity with the same
    frequency.

    If, unphysically, finite cavity mode decay time did not limit N˙ γ we might
    still note how long (t1) it would take for the expected number of GW induced photons inside the cavity to reach one, i.e.

    However, finite τ = (Q/ω) does limit the cavity U. The maximum expected value for GW induced photon number in the cavity never approaches
    unity. Instead

    A copper-walled cavity with Q ∼ 2×103 would decrease the time interval
    between GW induced photons in the cavity, but only to

    The largest plausible τ would be for a cavity with superconducting walls.
    Then τ might reach, say, 10 seconds (Q ∼ 10E11). Then

    still essentially an infinite time between photon counts.

    If the cavity GW induced photon energy were homodyned (or heterodyned) by introducing additional resonant mode electromagnetic field energy the photon number fluctuations in that energy would again not allow interference to increase the time interval for signal/photon noise > 1 to be less than the ˆtγ/Q of Equations (3-40)- (41).

    What this means

    There is a way (of a couple of ways) to measure the gravity waves associated with the gravity of a person entering a portal, and that of the portal itself. These waves at a precise moment in time can be used as a coordinate.

    It is not practical to use this technology for any other purposes.

    The photon counting rates for confident detection of graviton-induced photons from proposed HFGW generators and detectors is so small that development of HFGW communication links is not a reasonable prospect.

    • Not useful for communication.

    The graviton interception-transformation rate at a large cooperative
    target (specially designed to detect gravitons)  10−20 [ cf Equations (3-29)
    and (3-36)]. When combined with the comparably small fraction for photo → graviton efficiency in HFGW generators this implies that to deposit even an ergs worth of HFGW gravitons in a target requires  1040 ergs of electric power input to a HFGW generator. This is more than total energy from electric power generation on the earth (< 1012 watts) for longer than the age of the Universe.

    Use of HFGW beams for destroying, deflecting, or compromising distant targets (or close ones) has no promise.

    • Not useful for weapons.

    Thus it seems silly that the United States government would consider putting this technology in a “black project” to keep it out of the public eye.

    Conclusion

    This part discussed creation of a mechanism to measure the gravity waves associated with the gravity of both the dimensional portal and a person entering it.

    With this mechanism you can identify the exact world-line you are in at an exact frozen moment of time, and assign a coordinate to it.

    You can do so in isolation of the person, and thus create a mechanism that would take this “person” at one coordinate and slide him to another coordinate instantaneously.

    Since the coordinate is very detailed, it includes not only the physical geography of a place, but a moment in “time”, and if you change the coordinates slightly, you can use this mechanism to move a person back and forth in …

    • Geography. You can move about from place A to place B.
    • Time. You can move from one point in time to another.

    But since, you have the entire spectrum of coordinates at your “finger tips” you can alter the parameters of the coordinates to enter completely different world-lines. You can go into the so-called parallel universes…

    • World-line. You can go from one world-line to another.

    In the next post, we will discuss how to use these frequencies to move a person from one set of coordinates to another set. Hang on…

    Do you want some more?

    I have more posts on this subject here…

    DIY Teleportation

    I have more posts of a similar nature in my MAJestic index here…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

    [wp_paypal_payment]

    Metallicman discusses the absurdity of “Commander X”.

    Let’s discuss others that have tried to make a buck off of the UFO, or Extraterrestrial issue. Let’s look at their motivations behind the creation of enormous amounts of disinformation that is nothing short of a fire-hose spewing out the most confusing and perplexing nonsense regarding our extraterrestrial benefactors. Here, we talk about some such person. We talk about “Commander X”.

    We all have opinions of others.  In fact, I have included memes regarding this characteristic of humans within this Metallicman blog.

    The truth is that we shouldn’t judge others. We really shouldn’t, and that includes me. Yup, yours truly should NOT judge others. Those whom live in glass houses should not advocate throwing rocks.

    There are those whom tread upon my “turf” and, naturally, I end up having opinions regarding them and the statements that they make. With this in mind, I wish to devote an entire post to an individual known as “Commander X”.

    A person known as “Commander X” who claims to be an “insider” in such matters is a perfect example of how people can believe the simple narrative. 

    "Commander X is alleged to be a retired Military Intelligence Official turned author who writes about controversial subjects related to secret United States government programs.  Commander X also released an DVD which is compiled of a person with a blacked out face giving lectures. Critics say the sound effects made by the audience ( coughing and clapping ) are made artificial.   Rumors are that Commander X is the same person as Timothy Beckley Green.  
    
    I neither support nor disparage the statements made by this individual.  I am only commenting on them.

    He just does not understand that the world is large and complex and that the relationships between people are governed by sentience.  This person is an example of how a person can pick a political target and use it as their dartboard for blame.  It is a very good example of how a non-insider can exploit the apparent reality and try to profit from it.

    In truth, this clown knows “jack shit” (nothing) about MAJestic.

    I use him as an example.  He is a great example.  I don’t know for positive what his association is.  I do not know if he is [1] legitimate (highly unlikely), or a [2] hoaxer, [3] disinformation expert, or [4] profiteer (probable). 

    I just do not know. 

    My experiences were of a very limited scope, and were not anyway as inclusive as the experiences that he claims to have been privy to.  In any event, he has very strong opinions related to the Republican political party (RNC) and their relationship with the New World Order (NWO) and extraterrestrial treaties. 

    I strongly disagree with him.

    The extraterrestrials that I have had contact with do not care one way or the other about American centric politics.  They do not care if the person is a Democrat, a Republican, a Libertarian, or a Communist.  They simply do not care. 

    (Can I make this any clearer?) 

    The extraterrestrial species that I had close, face to face, and physical contact with had absolutely zero interest in what I thought, felt, desire, cared about, or yearned for  They did not care about politics or the group behaviors of large masses of humans. 

    They did not care about it.

    There is no massive secret and hidden agenda that some people allude to.  Instead there are multiple agendas and objectives that various clandestine human groups work toward.  The human race does not need to know about the individual efforts, nor the participatory members. 

    All that one needs to know and understand is that their own personal thoughts and their own personal actions define their existence.  It defines their sentience, and sentience will determine their own personal evolutionary future.

    His Books

    If the reader wishes to investigate the simple narrative, then they should read the large volume of books written by this person.  He has made quite the small “cottage industry” writing and producing such blather;

    • Underground Alien Bases: Flying Saucers Come from Inside the Earth!
    • The Philadelphia Experiment Chronicles: Exploring the Strange Case of Alfred Bielek and Dr. M.K. Jessup
    • Time Travel – Fact Not Fiction: Time Slips, Real Time Machines, And How-To Experiments To Go Forwards Or Backwards Through Time
    • Invisibility and Levitation: How-To Keys to Personal Performance
    • Reality of the Serpent Race and the Subterranean Origin of UFOs
    • The Philadelphia Experiment Revelations!: An Update on The Philadelphia Experiment Chronicles – Exploring The Strange Case of Alfred Bielek & Dr. M.K. Jessup
    • Nikola Tesla: Free Energy and the White Dove
    • Commander X’s Guide to Incredible Conspiracies
    • Mind Stalkers: UFO’s, Implants & the Psychotronic Agenda of the New World Order
    • William Cooper: Death of a Conspiracy Salesman
    • The Controllers: The Rulers of Earth Identified
    • Teleportation: From Star Trek to Tesla
    • Incredible Technologies of the New World Order: UFOs – Tesla – Area 51
    • The Ultimate Deception
    • The Smoky God and Other Inner Earth Mysteries: Updated/Expanded Edition
    • Strange and Unexplainable Deaths at the Hands of the Secret Government
    • Planet X: The Coming of the Guardians
    • Behind the Mask: An Inside Look at Anonymous
    • Time Travel: A How-To Insiders Guide
    • Morgellons: Level 5 Plague of the New World Order
    • The Commander X Files
    • Supressed Intelligence Reports: News They Dare Not Print!
    • Underground Alien Bases
    • America’s Top Secret Treaty With Alien Life Forms: Plus The Hidden History Of Our Time
    • The Final Nail in Your Coffin! – A Pox to All of Mankind: Morgellons and Red Mercury Plagues Created in NWO Labs of Mad Scientists
    • Behind The Mask: An Inside Look At Anonymous
    • America’s Top Secret Treaty with Alien Life Forms: Plus the Hidden History of Our Time
    • Mind Stalkers
    • Commander X Teleportation Update (Book & Cd)
    • The Philadelphia Experiment Chronicles – REVISED EDITION: Exploring the Strange Case of Alfred Bielek and Dr. M.K. Jessup
    • Mind Controlled Sex Slaves And The CIA
    • Magick And Mysteries Of Mexico: Arcane Secrets and Occult Lore of the Ancient Mexicans and Maya
    • Plans For Time Travel Machines That Really Work – Revised And Updated Edition: How To Move Through Time And Space
    • The Dulce Wars: Underground Alien Bases and the Battle for Planet Earth
    • Nikola Tesla’s Death Ray and the Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster
    • 2012 and the Arrival of Planet X
    • Dead Men Talking; Exposing The New World Order Conspiracy And The Evil Agenda Of The Brotherhood Of Illuminati (Book And Dvd Set)
    • Teleportation: A How to Guide: From Star Trek to Tesla
    • Out of the Darkness: UFO Revelations and the Arrival of the Mysterious Planet X
    • The Final Nail In Your Coffin! – A Pox To All Of Mankind
    • Coming of the Space Guardians – UFO Rescue Squad, Millions to Be Saved
    • Out Of The Darkness
    • Mind Matrix: Covert Electronic Harassment Mind Control Program
    • Matrix of the Mind: UFO Abductions – Mk Ultra – And Electronic Harassment Technology Designed to Warp Your Brain
    • Mind Stalkers: Mind Control of the Masses
    • Levitation and Invisibility: — Learn to Use the Incredible Super Powers Within You!
    • The Conspiracy Summit Dossier: Whistle Blower’s Guide To The Strangest And Most Bizarre Cosmic And Global Conspiracies!
    • Fighting the Federal Reserve — The Controversial Life and Works of Congressman
    • Mind Machines: How to Understand Them- How to Build Them – Applying Their Basic Technology
    • Mysterious Disappearances: They Never Came Back
    • UFO’s Nazi Secret Weapons?
    • The Secret Lost Diary of Admiral Richard E. Byrd and The Phantom of the Poles

    My thoughts on this matter.

    Just a mere glance at the prodigious quantity of books authored by this individual speaks volumes about who this individual is, their actual knowledge, true MAJestic association and their purposes.  May I indulge the reader;

    • MAJestic is compartmentalized.  No one person knows the full details of many of the sub-projects and sub-programs.  The prodigious volume of works for this author betrays the fact that he is neither from the top of the MAJestic organization, nor a working-level person.
      • Those at the top of the management structure only know executive summaries without extensive details. 
      • Those in the middle echelon know substantial details of a very VERY limited range of subjects.
      • Those at the lowest levels know nothing except to perform their own unique and specialized task.
    • MAJestic is secret.  You have hardwired probes in your skull that prohibits memory recall. To have the abundance of memories that this individual claims would require the same kind of botched retirement sequence that I went through.
    • MAJestic operates from a HQ located in another reality.  This reality occurs on a different planet, at a different time, and in a different world-line. To access any of the information that has been so prodigiously published would mandate travel to the centers of control.  This means portal access.
    • The moment the first book was released, the person would have been tracked down and killed.  There would not have been a second book, or any of the many many other books.
    • Finally, any and all disclosures are at the behest of our benefactors and our “up-line” within our individual cell. The only way we can disclose anything is with their approvals.

    Therefore, everything written by this author is to be considered suspect.

    A criticism of this opinion.

    Let it be well understood that “Commander X” has a following of believers. And they do not agree with my contentions.

    “This is rich. It really is.
    
    There is absolutely nothing that is different between this Commander X person and yourself. The only real difference is that he has a far better business model than you do. He is making money in his books, while you are just squandering away your nonsense for free (or at cost).
    
    Your objections to this person only come from your failed profit model. Your writings about him is nothing more than a school-yard bullying. Face it, you and he are both the same.”

    The mechanism.

    The mechanism behind how a person can create a profit model through writing a large number of books is to tell people what they want to believe. No one wants to read that they are overweight and fat. Instead, they want to believe that a “miracle pill” will make you thin, young and youthful. No one wants to believe that America is falling apart and it’s government is terribly corrupt. They want to read about American “exceptionalism” and the wonderful “freedom” and “democracy” that they possess.

    He capitalizes on this.

    His subject matter is certainly interesting. He has made a science of vacuuming up the most popular of the “fringe” and “alternative” memes and subjects, added his own opinions, and fantasies and mixed it all up with some researched facts here and there to flush-out the body of his books.

    He likes to rage on about the Powers That Be (PTB), the New World Order (NWO), and the “Secret” or “Hidden Agenda”.

    Now, they do exist, but you all must know that there is no secret handshake, annual planning sessions, and ceremonial attire that they wear and engage in. They are in all actuality a loose collection of very powerful interests that are collaborative in nature with shared objectives.

    But you all know this. Right?

    And there are “overlapping” organizations that dance in and out of the PTB (or the ) NWO such as MAJestic.

    What he does is take these “known and well understood” realities and creates a fiction around them. It makes for great reading, and maybe some of what he writes is actually true. Some of it is certainly plausible.

    One of his key “writing points” is the New World Order (NWO). It’s a globalist objective that has a modern progressive view of nations where there are no borders, but a sole centralized government.

    There are other definitions, don't you know, but this is mine.

    New World Order (NWO)

    In a keynote luncheon at RIMS 2010, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, best-selling author of The Black Swan, told the story of a turkey who is fed by the farmer every morning for 1,000 days. 
    
    Eventually the turkey comes to expect that every visit from the farmer means more good food. After all, that’s all that has ever happened so the turkey figures that’s all that can and will ever happen. 
    
    But then Day 1,001 arrives. It’s two days before Thanksgiving and when the farmer shows up, he is not bearing food, but an ax. The turkey learns very quickly that its expectations were catastrophically off the mark.
    
    And now Mr. Turkey is dinner.

    My experiences with extraterrestrials were entirely positive.  There were no political motivations or influences that I was aware of. 

    All those who worked on the projects were loyal Americans with a moderate degree of patriotism and had no inclinations toward a New World Order or anything like that at all. 

    Even though we sometimes referred to the triangular symbology when contacting each other, the association with the New World Order is most likely coincidental.

    Some of the people I worked with were very liberal in their political beliefs, while others were much more conservative in their leanings.  (It was always a personal belief forged by one’s own experiences.)

    If anything, and this is speculation on my part; the NWO is a desirable end-achievable towards meeting the requirements as set forth by treaty by the Type-I greys. 

    Implementation will be problematic, and probably will not happen in my lifetime (I hope.  I am not a big fan of it.). 

    I believe that as such, MAJestic has a vested goal in achieving this kind of one-world government to meet their treaty obligations with the Type-I greys.

    Indeed, it is very important that for the human race to advance, in alignment with the goals set forth by the Mantid species, that we [1] incorporate a global wide governmental body with [2] a strong degree of control over the earth’s population, [3] decrease the enormous pollution “foot print” currently accelerating globally and [4] stabilize our conflict resolution.  The United Nations, as it stands today, is not sufficiently strong enough to meet the guidelines as established by the Mantids. 

    It just simply does not meet their requirements.

    + + +

    The environment and world view by those truly involved in the MAJestic Umbrella is very, very far removed from the nuances and limited world view of a political machine that is earth-centric. 

    While many might have their own private thoughts, they tended to keep them to their selves.  All extraterrestrial-related black projects are politically sterile.  Don’t get caught up in the narrow focus of those in power in America. 

    Apparent power.  They are all “puppets” of the Banking (or powerful) global elite.  Who are thus “puppets” of the more powerful extraterrestrial policing species such as the Type-I greys.

    They are, generally, not involved in the MAJestic operation.

    Ronald Reagan and George Bush aside, most presidents, elected officials (Senators and Representatives), appointed political appointees, celebrities, and popular stars are not involved in the MAJestic organization.  They are but “window dressing” for the masses of human population to ease control over.  
    
    Truthfully, humans are a prized commodity; and must be treated properly and carefully.  Selection of those whom interface and work with the extraterrestrial leadership is carefully done and strictly maintained.  
    
    Popular clowns; most presidents, television personalities, and pop stars are just entertainment.  They have absolutely no bearing on the reality of the human condition, in a multi-dimensional quantum reality that is nurtured by Mantid extraterrestrials.

    Conclusion

    There are those that have created a for-profit mechanism from which to obtain wealth via capitalization on the distrust of Americans for their government. This includes everything related to UFO’s, Extraterrestrials, wealthy elite, secret societies and such things as the PTB and NWO.

    The person known as “Commander X” is one such person.

    In itself, he and his writings are pretty harmless. Rather he creates interesting fiction to supply those looking for answers, and makes a few dollars in the process. He utilizes known situations (UFO’s, PTB, NWO, and the Greys) and generates disinformation for personal profit.

    The reader should beware of anyone who is trying to profit from the “extraterrestrial issue”.

    Why?

    That is because, to have that desire to make money off of others (on this issue) is to be a ‘Service to self” sentience. And MAJestic membership is limited to “Service to others” only. You can only be a Rufus if you are involved in MAJestic and extraterrestrial interaction.

    Do you want more?

    I have other posts along this line, if you are interested, please check out my MAJestic index here…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

    [wp_paypal_payment]

    Is our Solar System a binary system with a Brown Dwarf Companion within the Oort Cloud?

    Could our solar system resemble most other visible stars in our galaxy? As our galaxy is filled with solar systems comprised with multiple stars, it has always seemed strange that our solar system would be so unusual.

    Strange. Or perhaps, unique and special.

    Well, there is evidence that our Sun has a companion. It’s a very dim brown dwarf, tiny and out on the fringes of our solar system in the Oort cloud. That would make it a Binary Star System.

    Binary classifications Binary stars are two stars orbiting a common center of mass. The brighter star is officially classified as the primary star, while the dimmer of the two is the secondary (classified as A and B respectively). In cases where the stars are of equal brightness, the designation given by the discoverer is respected.
    
    -Binary Star Systems: Classification and Evolution | Space

    Here we talk about it.

    First off, it’s pretty unusual for a G-class star to be part of a single-star solar system.

    How do we know?

    Multiple star systems are common

    It has long been the common line that most stars are binary (or multiple). It’s one of those things that astronomers at all levels have a tendency to repeat if only because it has already been said so many times that it’s “obviously” true.

    This notion is based primarily on the work of Helmut Abt during the 1960s & 1970s (e.g., Abt, 1961; Abt, et al., 1965; Abt, 1965; Abt & Levy, 1969; Abt & Snowden, 1973, which actually provides evidence to the contrary; Abt & Levy, 1978).

    However, Abt only sampled a magnitude-limited population of stars. He only sampled the fairly bright & massive stars.

    He did not explore the realm of low mass M-class dwarf stars.

    But today we can see that the low-mass stars are far dimmer & far more common than was possible in Abt’s day. Modern surveys commonly sample hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of stars, something Abt could only dream of.

    Analysis of those far larger samples now indicates that most main sequence stars are likely to be single than binary or multiple.

    For instance, Lada, 2006 shows that 2/3 of all main sequence stellar systems in the Milky Way disk are single stars. Meanwhile, somewhat less than 1/2 of the Hipparcos stars in Lepine & Bongiorno, 2007 are binary or multiple (146 out of 521). Clark, Blake & Knapp, 2011 finds the binary fraction for their sample of SDSS M-dwarfs to be only 3-4%, but also that the total binary fraction goes up with stellar mass).

    I think the current trend in “stellar multiplicity studies” shows that multiplicity goes up with stellar mass. The bigger and brighter the star, the greater the probability that it will be part of a multiple star system.

    However, most stars are not in binary or multiple systems simply because low mass stars heavily outnumber high mass stars. And they outnumber them a lot!

    It is evident that the formation of massive stars (Kratter, 2011; Zinnecker & Yorke, 2007) is somewhat different from the formation of lower mass stars (McKee & Ostriker, 2007) such that multiplicity is more likely in stars higher in mass than the sun.
    • O,B,A,F,G,K class stars tend to be part of multiple star systems.
    • M and brown dwarfs can, at times, be singular.
    • There are all sorts of exceptions to these rules.

    Anyways, it just seemed strange to me that our sun, Sol is a singular G3 star with no companion. It’s the only one in our “neck of the woods”. In fact, I am unaware or any other G class star that does not have a companion.

    It’s just odd.

    A Brown Dwarf Companion

    In 1999, U.K. and U.S. astronomers independently reported finding evidence that one or more large planets or brown dwarfs gravitationally bound to our Sun.

    Thus, our sun (our star), Sol may be perturbing the orbits of two different groups of long-period comets that reside in the outer reaches of the Oort Cloud.

    This gravitational action is causing two groups of comet (clusters) that normally reside in the Oort cloud to be pulled into the inner Solar System. This action is done with the assistance of galactic tidal forces.

    Two teams have come to this conclusion independently.

    • John B. Murray (UK)
    • John J. Matese (US)

    Calculations in 1999 by John B. Murray of the United Kingdom focus on a smaller region centered around Constellation Delphinus at an estimated distance of 32,000 AUs (John B. Murray, 1999).

    The U.S. team (led by John J. Matese) most recently estimated that the substellar object (proposed to be named Tyche, the sister of Nemesis) may have a mass around one to four Jupiter-masses in the innermost region of the outer Oort Cloud, possibly orbiting Sol at around 10,000 to 30,000 AUs depending on its actual mass (Matese et al, 2010; and Lisa Grossman, Wired Science, November 29, 2010).

    How our Sun actually interfaces and interacts with the brown dwarf companion within our solar system.
    How our Sun actually interfaces and interacts with the brown dwarf companion within our solar system.

    While some astronomers have speculated that Matese and Murray are being misled by random statistical fluctuations or the past gravitational effects of passing stars, Matese believes that confirmation through direct observation can be achieved by NASA with its Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite.

    On May 25, 2011, at the 218th American Astronomical Society Meeting, Ned (Edward L.) Wright, principal investigator of the WISE Mission, noted that Tyche might be detectable as a “possible low-mass brown [dwarf]” in observational data already collected by WISE (now being processed) if it has at least two Jupiter-masses (AAS presentation abstract by Lissauer et al, 2011; and John Matson, blog at Scientific American, May 27, 2011).

    The hypothesized object appears to have a mass smaller than one controversial definition for brown dwarfs specifying a minimum mass of at least 13 Jupiters (so that deutrium fusion can be sustained).

    According to Matese, the objects current location in the outer Oort Cloud suggests that it did not form in Sol’s proto-planetary disk. Hence, either the object formed independently from fragmentation of the original Solar nebula, or the object was ejected from another star system and subsequently captured by the Sun (possibly as early as Sol was born in the crowded environs of its original star-forming cluster).

    Dark and Golden Ages common in the lore of ancient cultures.

    A book titled “Lost Star of Myth and Time” takes a good hard look at history and modern astronomical theory.

    In it, the author makes a compelling case for the profound influence on our planet of a companion star to the sun. The author and theorist, Walter Cruttenden, presents the evidence that this binary orbit relationship may be the cause of a vast cycle human observed change. Change that is associated with the Dark and Golden Ages common in the lore of ancient cultures.

    Researching archaeological and astronomical data at the Binary Research Institute, Cruttenden concludes that the movement of the solar system plays a more important role in life than people realize.

    As such, he challenges some preconceived notions:

    • The phenomenon known as the precession of the equinox, fabled as a marker of time by ancient peoples, is not due to a local wobbling of the Earth as modern theory portends, but to the solar system’s gentle curve through space.

    He argues that this movement of the solar system occurs because the Sun has a companion star. And this effect is due to a common center of gravity. Which is typical of most double star systems. The grand cycle–the time it takes to complete one orbit––is called a “Great Year,” a term coined by Plato.

    Cruttenden explains the effect on earth with an analogy:

    "Just as the spinning motion of the earth causes the cycle of day and night, and just as the orbital motion of the earth around the sun causes the cycle of the seasons, so too does the binary motion cause a cycle of rising and falling ages over long periods of time, due to increasing and decreasing electromagnet effects generated by our sun and other nearby stars."

    While the findings in Lost Star are controversial, astronomers now agree that most stars are likely part of a binary or multiple star system.

    Walter Cruttenden suggests that the Northern Celestial Pole is actually a brown dwarf companion. And that this companions orbit is the 25,800 year precessional arc.
    Walter Cruttenden suggests that the Northern Celestial Pole is actually a brown dwarf companion. And that this companions orbit is the 25,800 year precessional arc.

    Dr. Richard A. Muller, professor of physics at UC Berkeley and research physicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is an early proponent of a companion star to our sun; he prefers a 26 million year orbit period. Cruttenden uses 24,000 years and says the change in angular direction can be seen in the precession of the equinox.

    Nibiru

    Enter Zecharia Sitchin. Zecharia Sitchin was a historian who translated ancient Sumerian texts. The translations, no matter how hard he tried, always defined the establishment of the Sumerians as cultivated from the “Gods”. Of which, the “Gods” came from a planet within the solar system, known as the “12th planet” or the “tenth planet” depending on how you look at the writings. Of which Sitchin gave the name “Nibiru”.

    He wrote a complete library of books on the subject.

    The Earth Chronicles Series
    
    The 12th Planet
    Year of Publication: 1976
    This is the first volume of the series that puts forth the view that humanity was the creation of a group of aliens who came to Earth, some time between 450,000 BCE and 13,000 BCE. The book tells us how the aliens mixed their own DNA with that of the proto-humans to create a superior race of the Homo sapiens, to work for the mining enterprises they had set up on Earth.
    
    The Stairway to Heaven
    Year of Publication: 1980
    This second volume of the series ponders on the mystery of immortality. It seeks to unravel the secrets of alien landings on Earth, stating that the Anunnaki gods may have had a spaceport in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, where they frequently landed―”Those Who from Heaven to Earth Came.” He also puts forth a thought that the Pyramid of Giza may have been the Pharaoh’s entrance to the world of the immortal gods, which he aimed to enter in his afterlife.
    
    The Wars of Gods and Men
    Year of Publication: 1985
    Sitchin begins this volume by saying that the Sinai spaceport was destroyed by nuclear weapons some 4,000 years ago. The book goes on to describe the violent beginnings of humanity on Earth, and how these power conflicts had begun ages before on another planet. The volume takes references from ancient texts, and attempts to reconstruct epic events like The Great Flood.
    
    The Lost Realms
    Year of Publication: 1990
    Another well-researched volume in the series, The Lost Realms seeks to uncover the mysteries of ancient civilizations. The book describes how, in the 16th century, the Spaniards came to the New World in quest of the legendary City of Gold, El Dorado, and found instead, the most inexplicable ancient ruins in the most inaccessible of places. He further put forth the idea that the so-called pre-Columbian people―Mayans, Aztecs, Incans, etc.―might, in fact, have been the fabled Anunnaki.
    
    When Time Began
    Year of Publication: 1993
    Through this book, Sitchin attempts to draw correlations between the various events in several millennia, which helped shape the human civilization on Earth. He stresses on the idea that the human race has progressed and prospered with the help of ancient aliens, who left behind several impressive and imposing structures, which testify their genius to this day.
    
    The Cosmic Code
    Year of Publication: 1998
    Yet another engaging volume, The Cosmic Code delves in the idea that the human DNA, which was created by the ancient aliens, is in fact, a cosmic code that connects Man to God and the Earth to Heaven. He refers to writings on ancient prophesies, and proposes that this cosmic code is key to several secrets related to the celestial destiny of man.
    
    The End of Days: Armageddon and Prophecies of the Return
    Year of Publication: 2007
    In this last volume of the Earth Chronicles, Sitchin stresses on the idea that the past is very similar to the future. He attempts to put forth compelling evidence that the fate of man and that of our planet depends on a predetermined celestial time cycle, and if we understand the past properly, it is also possible to foretell the future.
    
    The Companion Volumes
    
    Genesis Revisited: Is Modern Science Catching Up With Ancient Knowledge?
    Year of Publication: 1990
    Sitchin wrote this first companion volume to his Earth Chronicles series, in which he attempts to establish, in the light of ancient as well as modern evidence, that all the advances made by humans today were actually known to our ancestors, millions of years ago.
    
    Divine Encounters: A Guide to Visions, Angels and Other Emissaries
    Year of Publication: 1995
    This book seeks to tackle the issue of the possible links between humans and the so-called divine beings. Sitchin refers to several Biblical stories in his attempt to establish a probability of an interaction between Anunnaki and the humans, thus, also offering an explanation to the UFO sightings in recent years.
    
    The Lost Book of Enki: Memoirs and Prophecies of an Extraterrestrial God
    Year of Publication: 2001
    This companion volume attempts to reveal the actual identity of the Anunnaki―the first gods of mankind according to the Sumerian mythology. Sitchin has taken efforts to explain the reason behind the creation of humans, and the probable existence of the knowledge of genetic engineering, millions of years ago.
    
    The Earth Chronicles Expeditions
    Year of Publication: 2004
    This book is Zecharia Sitchin’s autobiographical account of his various expeditions to the ancient and relatively modern archaeological sites in quest of the probable connection between humans and extraterrestrials. He presents compelling evidence to state that ancient myths are, in fact, recollections of real events of the past. The book also contains many photographs from the author’s personal collection.
    
    Journeys to the Mythical Past
    Year of Publication: 2007
    A continuation of the earlier volume, The Earth Chronicles Expeditions, this book talks about some more investigations and discoveries of Sitchin, and how all these experiences inspired him to write his Earth Chronicles. This autobiographical account takes us to several interesting places right from Egypt to the Vatican to the Alps and Malta, and attempts to list some mind-stirring facts.
    
    The Earth Chronicles Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to the Seven Books of The Earth Chronicles
    Year of Publication: 2009
    This is an encyclopedic compilation that is meant to serve as a navigational tool for the entire Earth Chronicles series. This is a must-have volume, especially if you are reading the series without any background knowledge.
    
    There Were Giants Upon the Earth: Gods, Demigods & Human Ancestry: The Evidence of Alien DNA
    Year of Publication: 2010
    This volume attempts to present supporting evidence for the author’s assertion in the Earth Chronicles that the human DNA was genetically engineered by the aliens. In the light of ancient writings and artifacts, Sitchin not only tries to reveal the DNA source, but also to provide proof of alien presence on Earth millions of years ago.
    
    The King Who Refused to Die: The Anunnaki and The Search for Immortality
    Year of Publication: 2013
    This is the last book authored by Zecharia Sitchin, which attempts to reconstruct the famous epic of Gilgamesh in the wake of his own findings. The novel tells a tale of ancient Sumerian ceremonies, love and betrayal, gods among men, travels from one planet to the other, and the age-old thirst of humans for immortality. The book was published after Sitchin’s death.

    The core premise he has made in his writings is that there is a 10th Planet (again, including Pluto) in our solar system with an elliptical orbit of about 3600 of our years.

    People from Nibiru came to Earth and discovered the gold they needed to help repair their atmosphere and they began mining it. Much of the knowledge of these ancient people, which they knew because the Anunnaki (those who from heaven to Earth came) told them, has come true, including the color and size of Neptune and Uranus, and the very existence of the outer planets, long before our telescopes could find them. Scientists even suspect another large object in the Kuiper Belt, which might be Nibiru.

    Perhaps Nibiru isn’t a planet in orbit around our sun, but rather a binary companion to our star. If so, then that would explain a lot.

    Conclusion

    Others have come to the conclusion that there are large planet sized objects out in the Oort cloud. The evidence is there from;

    • Historical writings.
    • Observations in the orbits of comets.
    • The precession of the equinox.

    If accurate, then this means that the solar system is typical. And that if there is a brown dwarf sized body out in the Oort cloud, then it could very well shelter earth-sized rocky moons (planets) in orbit around it.

    While it would be impossibly dim to see with human eyes on earth, to a person living upon a earth-sized planet around this brown dwarf, they would have evolved to see in the infrared, and could have easily adapted to the point where they could have obtained space flight millennia ago.

    And perhaps, just perhaps, flew to their nearest stellar neighbor millions of years ago; our Sun.

    To a person who's eyes has adapted to the light from a brown dwarf, the view of a normally pitch-dark night on Earth might look like this.
    To a person who’s eyes has adapted to the light from a brown dwarf, the view of a normally pitch-dark night on Earth might look like this.

    This idea, and this concept would explain a lot of mysteries.

    Do you want more?

    If you found this post interesting, you might enjoy my other posts in my MAJestic Index here…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

    [wp_paypal_payment]

    The Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) took a photograph of a mysterious ring space-station close to the sun.

    I have been so caught up with the amazing and unique situation with the COVID-19 virus that I have neglected my MAJestic work. This is one of those anomalies that you find from time to time and that looks like a spaceship, a space-station, or some kind of science-fictional mechanism.

    Back in my home town we had a saying;

    If it looks like a duck. Talks like a duck. Waddles like a duck. Squawks like a duck. Has duck feet. And quacks like a duck...
    
    ... it's a duck.

    It looks like one of the NASA orbiting observatories has captured the image of a large ringed space-station close to the sun.

    This is an interesting and perplexing find.

    On February 29, a strange, circular craft was caught on film by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO).

    STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) is a solar observation mission.[1] Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched in 2006 into orbits around the Sun that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth. This enables stereoscopic imaging of the Sun and solar phenomena, such as coronal mass ejections.

    This circular craft looks a lot like the circular space station in the classic sci-fi epic 2001: A Space Odyssey:

    Space-station from the Science Fiction movie; "2001; A Space Odyssey".
    Space-station from the Science Fiction movie; “2001; A Space Odyssey”.

    Here’s a picture of the object on the Stereo Science Center (SSC) webpage (LINK):

    The oopart object as captured by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO).
    The oopart object as captured by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO).

    And here’s a close up of the object.

    Close up of the object photographed by the The oopart object as captured by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO).
    Close up of the object photographed by the The oopart object as captured by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO).

    The argument is that is something easily misunderstood. Like a fleck of dust on the imaging apparatus, a glitch in the data stream, or reflective imaging irregularities. The notice on the web page describes this as…

    PLASTIC suffered a high voltage anomaly on December 5.  The instrument is in the process of being recovered to full operating mode, which is expected to take several days.  Until this process is completed, PLASTIC data should be considered as untrustworthy.  

    Meanwhile, the age-old saying comes to mind…

    If it looks like a duck. Talks like a duck. Waddles like a duck. Squawks like a duck. Has duck feet. And quacks like a duck...
    
    ... it's a duck. 

    Conclusion

    It looks like a ringed space-station. It is unlikely that it was made by humans, staffed by humans, or near the sun for human interests of any type. That’s all that I can say.

    Space station Omega 3 from the 1960's science fiction movie "The Green Slime" as it collapses and tumbles down though the Earth's atmosphere.
    Space station Omega 3 from the 1960’s science fiction movie “The Green Slime” as it collapses and tumbles down though the Earth’s atmosphere.

    I hope that you found this tiny post interesting. If you want more, I have posts in both the OOPART and MAJestic Indexes. Here…

    Mysteries Explained

    .

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

    [wp_paypal_payment]

    The remote viewing of Mars one million years ago by the CIA in 1984.

    Stargate Project was the 1991 code name for a secret U.S. Army unit established in 1978 at Fort Meade, Maryland, by the Defense Intelligence Agency and SRI International to investigate the potential for psychic phenomena in military and domestic intelligence applications. The Project, and its precursors and sister projects, originally went by various code namesGONDOLA WISH, GRILL FLAME, CENTER LANE, SUN STREAK, SCANATEuntil 1991 when they were consolidated and rechristened as "Stargate Project". 
    
    - Wikipedia

    During the operation of the “Stargate Project“, remote viewers were used to collect military intelligence via non-invasive ESP methods. In doing so, they were often quite successful, and came up with some astounding discoveries.

    Often when conducting these viewing operations, the assignment would included mixed and random targets. These were used to keep the remote viewing exercises open, flexible and alive. If they failed to do this, the remote viewing staff would become exhausted and their ability to remote view would dramatically decrease. (As what happened during the Iranian hostage situation under President Jimmy Carter.)

    The random targets would contain known and unknown subjects. The known targets were useful to check the accuracy of the sighting trajectory. The unknown targets were designed to create and stimulate interest and engage the remote viewers.

    One such “unknown” target was the remote viewing of Mars in the remote past.

    Disclaimer

    While I was a member of MAJestic from 1981 through into 2006, my involvement was related to other subjects and other agendas. I did not conduct any kind of remote viewing, work with any kind of remote viewers, or had anything to do with the CIA at any level.

    This information is provided as reported, and the only thing that I can provide is my comments on it at the end of the narrative report.

    The report…

    MARS EXPLORATION

    May 22, 1984

    Approved For Release 2000/d8/08 : CIA-RDP96-00788R001900760001-9 

    Method of site acquisition:

    Sealed envelope coupled with geographic coordinates.

    The remote viewing activity was conducted in double and triple blind tests. The remote viewers had zero knowledge of what would be asked of them, or what the subject would be that they were to remote view.

    The  sealed  envelope was  given  to the subject immediately prior to the interview.  The envelope was not opened until after the interview. In the envelope was a 3 X 5 card with the following information:

    • The planet Mars.
    • Time of interest approximately 1 million years B.C.

    Selected  geographic  coordinates,  provided by the parties requesting the information were verbally given to the subject during the interview.

    TRANSCRIPT   May 22, 1984

    MON:        (ROJ for 5/22 (May 22nd), time 10:09 AM.)*

    (Plus 10 minutes, ready to start.)*

    Remote Viewing the “Face of Mars”

    Of course, at all times, the subject was not informed of the targets. He was unaware that he was remote viewing the "face on Mars" anomaly. 

    MON:   All right now, using the information in the envelope I’ve provided, exclusively  focusing your attention now, using   the information in the envelope, focus on:

    • 40.89 degrees north
    • 9.55 degrees west
    Mars coordinates. This image was NOT provided to the subject.
    Mars coordinates. This image was NOT provided to the subject.
    This object is the "famous" "Mar's Face" of the giant "face of Mars". You can find out more about this geologic feature, or mountain on Wikipedia;
    
    The Face on Mars refers to a photo of a feature that looks like a human face on the surface of the planet Mars,  specifically in the area of Cydonia Mensae, an area of Mars adjacent to  the border between the Northern lowlands and the Western Arabia Terra.  The mensae are characterized by knobs and mesas (mensae is the plural of  mensa, which means table). It was first discovered by the Viking 1  orbiter. 
    
    Project scientist Harold Masursky joked about it that "This is  the guy that built all of Lowell’s canals." NASA  released the photo to the public and pointed out this cool trick of  light, shadows, and low-resolution orbital photography. 
    
    However, true believers know that the feature was actually built by aliens  and that NASA has been trying to cover that up (NASA's mission to  search for evidence of extraterrestrial life or civilizations is  actually a lie orchestrated by Reptoids). 
    
    One of the most persistent supporters of this delusion is Richard C. Hoagland. Hoagland won the 1997 Ig Nobel Prize in Astronomy for his book The Monuments of Mars: A City on the Edge of Forever.
       
    In the years since the first image, high resolution photographs with  shadows falling in other directions have shown the idea of a "face" to  be false. Over 40 years, resolution of the imagery has steadily improved  from 44.7 m/px to 0.25 m/px.

    SUB:   …… I want to say it looks like ah

    SUB: …. I don’t know, it sort of looks …

    SUB: …. I kind of got an oblique view of a ah …. pyramid or pyramid form.  It’s very high, it’s kind of sitting in a …. large depressed area.

    MON:       All right.

    SUB:       It’s yellowish, ah …. okra colored.

    The "face of Mars" as it is actually imaged and as it actually appears. It is simply a unique mountain with humps.
    The “face of Mars” as it is actually imaged and as it actually appears. It is simply a unique mountain with humps.
    This "face on Mars" was identified as a yellowish colored geologic mountain that has a pyramidal form that sits within a large depressed area. In no way, did the subject identify it as artificial, shaped or resembling a face in any way.

    So while the rest of the world were all speculating about “aliens” on Mars, the CIA, through the “Stargate Program”, knew the truth.

    The so called "Face on Mars" can be seen slightly above center and to  the right in this THEMIS visible image. This 3-km long knob, located  near 10°N, 40°W (320°E), was first imaged by the Viking spacecraft in  the 1970's and was seen by some to resemble a face carved into the rocks  of Mars. 
    
    Since that time the Mars Orbiter Camera on the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft has provided detailed views of this hill that clearly show that it is a normal geologic feature with slopes and ridges  carved by eons of wind and down slope motion due to gravity. 
    
    -NASA JPL

    Mars – One million years ago.

    MON:  All right.

    MON: Move in time to the time indicated in the envelope  I’ve provided you and describe what’s happening.

    SUB:   I’m tracking severe, severe clouds, more like dust storm, ah …. it’s geologic problem. 

    SUB: Seems to be like a ah …. …Just a minute, I’ve got to iron this out.   It’s really weird.

    MON:       Just report your raw perceptions at this time, you’re still early in the session.

    SUB:        I’m  looking  at,  at  a …. after effect of a major geologic problem.

    One million years ago on Mars is the target time period. 
    
    We assume that Mars was created with the Earth during the formation of the solar system. Therefore this time track would indicate a period of time roughly one million years ago. This is relatively recent. 
    
    Our solar system is 4 - 5 billion years old.
    
    All the dinosaurs were extinct, and the Earth was populated by mammals. Proto-humans were walking about on the earth.  About 1 to 3 million years ago and we saw the evolution of the earliest hominids including Sahelanthropus and Australopithecus.  
    
    Yet, most of the earth would be unpopulated by native intelligent humanoids. 
    
    As far as we know, Mars would be much as it appears today. However, we have no idea what it was like over the years.

    MON:   Okay, go back to the time before the geologic problem.

    SUB:   ….. Um, total  difference,  it’s ah ….

    SUB: …. before there’s no ah …. ah I don’t know,…. oh hell, it’s like mountains of dirt….

    SUB: …. appear and then disappear when you go before.

    SUB: See ah …. large flat surfaces, very ah ….smooth …. angles, walls,   they’re really large though, I mean they’re megalithic, ah ….

    The subject reports that Mars experienced some kind of geologic problem around one million years ago (or so). When asked to remote view to a time preceding this "event", Mars is quite different... but still has mountains of dirt and broad expanses.

    MON:    All right.  

    MON: At this period  in time now before the geologic activity, look around, in and around  this area and see if you can find any activity.

    SUB:  …. I’m seeing ah ….

    SUB: It’s like a perception of a shadow of people, very tall …. thin, it’s only a shadow. 

    SUB: It’s as if they were there and they’re not, not there anymore.

    This is where there are all kinds of confusion.
    
    It is LIKE shadows of people.
    
    It is LIKE someone was there and now they are not.
    
    There are many who interpret this as a civilization that had existed on the surface of Mars at some time, and that it was wiped out by a geologic event around one million years ago. 
    
    This interpretation is NOT correct.
    
    The subject is giving his impressions. His impressions are that there was a presence of sorts. Some kind of influence of sorts.  But it is gone.

    MON:  Go back to a period of time where they are there …

    The monitor is referring to the shadows as if they were actual people, or intelligent beings. This is a mistake, and threw the entire session awry. 
    
    The subject now has a difficult time "locking on" to the events transpiring. 

    SUB:  …. Um …. (mumble) It’s like I get a lot of static on a line and everything…

    … it’s breaking up all the time…

    … very fragmentary pieces.

    The subject is now confused and nothing is making sense. The monitor threw off the entire session. 
    
    The subject is now trying to scan and sort things out for a "best fit" understanding...

    MON:  Just report the raw data, don’t try to put things together, just report the raw data.

    Now the subject has latched on the "best fit" situation that closely approximates the input provided to him...
    
    He is trying to identify the source of the "influence" he detected.
    
    We do not know what that influence was.

    SUB:   I just keep seeing very large people, thin and tall, but they’re very large.

    SUB: Some kind of strange clothes. They appear Ah …. wearing.

    We do not know what the subject is viewing. 
    
    It is the "best fit" events as provided by the input. The monitor is still moving forward on the belief that this is a time period of around one million years ago on Mars. 
    
    However, it could be any time and any place.
    
    The subject is reporting on a species that left an "influence" on Mars one million years ago that preceded a geologic event.

    Geographical Location – same time.

    MON:   All right, now holding in this time period, holding in this time period, I want  to move from  your physical location in space to another physical location, but in this time period.  

    Another mistake by the monitor; the subject is holding on to the time and place of the "best fit" situational vision. Not what he thinks it would be...

    Move now to:

    • 46.45 north
    • 353.22 east
    Mars, in the kasei valles sacra fossa region.
    Mars, in the kasei valles sacra fossa region.
    The monitor is giving geographic coordinates that is Mars, but not labeled as such. It could be anywhere. As we do not know where the subject is at this time.

    Move in this time to:

    • 46.45 north
    • 353.22 east

    SUB:  …. Deep inside of a cavern, not a cavern, more like canyon.

    SUB: Um, I’m looking up, up the sides of a steep wall that seem to go on forever.

    SUB: And there’s like ah …. a structure with a …. it’s like the wall of the canyon itself has been carved.

    Again I’m getting a very large structures, no …. ah …. no intricacies, huge sections of smooth stone.

    Again, we do not know where the subject is.
    
    He is describing some kind of canyon or cavern. It's very large. With large enormous sections of smooth unadorned surfaces.
    
    At no point in time does he describe people, creatures or habitations.

    MON:  Do the structures have insides and outsides?

    SUB:  …. Yes, they’re very, it’s like a rabbit warren, corners of rooms, they’re really huge, I don’t, feel like I’m standing in one  it’s just really huge. Perception is that the ceiling is very high, walls very wide.

    Mars, in the kasei valles sacra fossa region.
    Imaged region. Mars, in the kasei valles sacra fossa region.
    Subject is describing a large maze like region. All very large and huge.
    
    At no point in time does he describe people, creatures or habitations.
    
    Yet, many on the internet has mistakenly taken the discussion of "tall beings" and the reference to "warrens" to represent some kind of extraterrestrial species or race on Mars. This is incorrect. 

    (Real time plus 22 minutes.)*

    MON:      Yes that would  be correct.

    The monitor confirms to the subject that he is indeed remote viewing the target coordinates correctly.

    Geologic feature.

    MON: All right, I’d like to move now to another location nearby.  All right, move from this point in this time to:

    • 45.86 north
    • 354.1 east

    SUB:  They have a ah …. appears to be the end of a very large road and there’s a …. marker thing that’s very large, keep getting Washington Monument overlay, it’s like an …. obelisk.

    The subject correctly described the object in the target coordinates on Mars.

    Geologic Feature.

    MON:   All right.  From this point  then, let us move  to another point. Move now to:

    • 35.26 north
    • 213.24 east

    Move in this time to:

    • 35.26 north
    • 213.24 east

    SUB:   …. It’s like I’m in the middle of a …. huge circular basin …. of the range mountains by almost all the way around, …. very ragged, ragged mountains, very tall.

    SUB: Basin’s very, very, very  large. Scale seems to be off or something it’s just really big, everything’s big.

    MON:        I understand the problem just continue.

    SUB:  …. See just a right angle corner to something but that’s all, I don’t see anything else.

    No indication of anything of interest. 
    
    This description is also accurate.
    
    The monitor is providing coordinates and having the subject describe them. When they match, the monitor moves on to the next group of coordinates. All of which pretty much match the descriptions of the Mars that we view today.

    Geologic Location.

    MON:   Okay. Then let’s move into a little different place, very close. Move from the point you are now, in this time, to:

    • 34.6 north
    • 213.09 east

    Move now in this time to:

    • 34.6 north
    • 213.09 east

    SUB:           The cluster of squares up and down. Um..

    SUB: … it’s like you want to make them square anyway. They’re almost flush with the ground and it’s like they’re connected ….

    SUB: …. Something very white or reflects light.

    MON:       What’s your position of observation as you look at this thing that reflects light?

    SUB:       I’m  amid ah …. oblique left angle, sun is ah… sun is weird.

    Again, the subject correctly describes the geographic region as observed on the surface of Mars.

    Geologic Location.

    MON:    Look back down at the ground now, and we’re going to move just a little bit from this place, just a little bit from this place.

    • 34.57 north
    • 212.22 east

    MON: Very close by.  Now, move over now to:

    • 34.57 north
    • 212.22 east

    SUB:   It’s like I can just perceive ah …. ah …. like  a radiating  pattern of  some  kind.  

    SUB: It’s like  some really …. ah …. strange intersecting kind of roads that are dug into valleys, you know, where a road is just a little below the edge.

    MON:       Tell me about the shapes of these things.

    SUB:        …. They’re like real neat channels cut, they’re very deep, it’s like the road went down ….

    MON:       Okay.   Now  I have,  I notice  electrically you’re nulled out a little bit and I want you to stay deep and recapture your focus here.

    The monitoring of the subject by medical means has indicated that there is a change in state of the subject. The monitor is telling him of that situation and asking him to keep his focus.

    Geologic location.

    SUB:   It’s really tough, it’s seems like it’s just always very sporadic.

    MON:    I realize that, it’s very important that you maintain your focus.  I have a movement exercise again for you and this is some considerable distance away, so holding the focus in time, remember the focus in time that you had before and moving now to:

    • 15 degrees north
    • 198 degrees east

    MON: Take some time and get back deep.

    SUB:        See the …. um, intersecting   ah …. whatever these are, are aqueduct type things

    SUB: … these…. rounded bottom carved channels, like road beds.

    SUB: See ah …. see pointed tops of something on the horizon.  Even the horizon looks funny and weird, it’s like ah …. different …. misty,  like it’s really  far  away …. very vague.

    Geologic Location.

    MON:   Okay.  Another movement now to:

    • 80 degrees south, 80 degrees south
    • 64  degrees east, 64  degrees east

    MON: Move now in this time to:

    • 80 degrees south
    • 64  degrees east.

    SUB:       See pyramids …. Can’t  tell if  it’s overlay or not ’cause they’re different.

    Pyramid like structures are what is actually identified at this geographic location by photographs. So the subject correctly identified the area.
    
    This correct identification of geographic locations on Mars is consistent with all the earlier target coordinates.

    MON:       Okay.  Do these pyramids have insides and outsides?

    SUB:        …. Um-hum, got really,   ah …. it’s getting. …. both,  and  they’re  huge ….

    Subject states that the pyramids have insides and outsides. This is suggestive of buildings, or structures.

    SUB: It’s an interesting  perception I’m….

    MON:        (I think  that  he’s  losing  his ability   to    move accurately, but he is attracted to things that are interesting, so we’re going to go with his own, we’re going to let him go ahead and explore what seems to be interesting to him rather than move on the targets indicated here.)*

    The structures...

    SUB:       It’s filtered from storms or something.

    MON:     Say that again, SUB.

    SUB:       They’re like shelters from storms.

    MON:     These structures you’re seeing?

    SUB: Yes.  They’re designed for that.

    Discovery. The pyramidal structures are shelters.

    MON:       All right. Go inside one of these and find some activity to tell me about.

    (Plus 37 minutes real time.)*

    SUB:       Different chambers, … but they’re almost stripped of any  kind of …. furnishings or anything…

    SUB: …. it’s like ah …. strictly functional place for sleeping or that’s not a good word, hibernation’s, some form, I can’t…

    SUB: …. I get real raw inputs, storms, savage storm, and sleeping through storms.

    MON: Tell me about the ones who sleep through the storms.

    SUB: …. Ah …. very …. tall again,  very large …. people, but they’re thin, they look thin because of their height and they dress like in, oh hell, it’s like a real light silk, but it’s not flowing type of clothing, it’s like cut to fit.

    The inhabitants of the pyramidal shelters are tall humanoids.

    MON: Move close to one of them and ask them to tell you about themselves.

    SUB: They’re ancient people.    They’re ah ….. they’re dying, it’s past their time or age.

    MON: Tell me about this.

    SUB: They’re very philosophic about it.   They’re looking for ah …. a way to survive and they just can’t.

    (Plus 40 minutes, definite voltage reversal.)*

    SUB: Can’t seem to get their way out, they can’t seem to find their way out, …. so they’re hanging on while they look or wait for  something to return or something coming with the answer ….

    MON: What is it they’re waiting for?

    SUB: …. They’re ah …. evidently was a …. a group or a party of them that went to find ah …. new place to live.

    They are in a shelter waiting to leave the planet. 

    SUB: It’s like I’m  getting  all  kinds of overwhelming input of the …. corruption of their environment.  

    SUB: It’s failing very rapidly and this group went somewhere, like a long way to find another place to live.

    MON: What was the cause of the atmospheric disturbance or the environment disturbance?

    SUB: I see a picture of a, picture of like a, oh hell, it’s almost a warp in a, oh god, this is difficult.  It’s like going, let’s see—

    MON: The raw data?

    SUB: Oh, I get a globe  …. ah …. it’s like a globe that goes through a comet’s tail or …. it’s through a river of something, but it’s all very cosmic. It’s like space pictures.

    Some kind of galactic or planetary event within the solar system.
    Cosmic event that influenced the planet Mars.
    Cosmic event that influenced the planet Mars.

    MON: All right, now before you leave this individual, ask him if there is any way that you, ask him if he knows who you are and is there any way you can help him in his present predicament?

    SUB:       …. All  I get  is wait.

    SUB: Doesn’t know who I am. a hallucination or something. …. that they must just Think he perceives I’m ….

    MON:       Okay, when the others left, these people are waiting, when the others left, how did they go?

    SUB:       …. Get an impression of ah …. Don’t know what the hell it is. It looks like the inside of a larger boat.  Very rounded walls and shiny metal.

    Spaceship. Very functional.

    MON:       Go along with  them on their  journey  and find out where it is they go ….

    SUB:        …. Impression of a really crazy place with volcanoes and gas pockets and strange plants, very volatile place, it’s very much like going from the frying pan into the fire.

    Sounds like Earth in upheaval.

    SUB: Difference is there seems to be a lot of vegetation where the other place did not have it.  And different kind of storm.

     Sounds like Earth in upheaval. 

    MON:     All right it’s time to come back now to the sound of my voice into present time to right now the 22nd of May 1984, the sound of my voice.  Move now back to the room, back to the sound of my voice, back further now to the sound of my voice on the 22nd of May 1984.

    END OF INTERVIEW

    NOTE:   ()*   Indicates monitor comment recorded but not heard by the subject.

    Approved For Release 2000/d8/08 : CIA-RDP96-00788R001900760001-9

    Commentary

    While the first object that is remote viewed is the (so called) face on Mars, much of the remote viewing activity described easily verifiable objects and geographical landmarks on the surface of Mars. Each time a coordinate was provided, the subject correctly viewed it and described it.

    The “face” was CIA confirmed in 1984 to be an ordinary mountain. This wasn’t publicly confirmed by NASA until 2002.

    • 40.89 degrees north, 9.55 degrees west (Face on Mars.)
    • 46.45 north, 353.22 east (Geologic maze.)
    • 45.86 north, 354.1 east (Obelisk like feature.)
    • 35.26 north, 213.24 east (Crater surrounded by mountains.)
    • 34.6 north, 213.09 east (Cluster of square geologic features.)
    • 34.57 north, 212.22 east (Radiating channels.)
    • 15 degrees north, 198 degrees east (Aqueduct like things.)
    • 80 degrees south, 64  degrees east. (Pyramids)

    This entire remote viewing event is interesting.

    Aside from confirming that the remote viewer has accurately described eight (x8) separate geologic and topographic features on Mars by cartesian coordinates alone, but he also confirms that the nonsense about a “face on Mars” is false.

    However, there are somethings that are really interesting about this session;

    • A cataclysmic event took place on Mars about one million years ago.
    • The presence of a tall, thin species, living inside shelters, waiting to leave the planet.
    • Transport of the tall species to another world that is very different.

    I cannot confirm whether this remote viewing of an alien species is accurate.

    Certainly the idea that an indigenous advanced race of creatures had a civilization on Mars that perished during a cataclysmic event is a bit of a stretch, though it makes for fine Science Fiction adventure. It was the kind of things that I enjoyed watching as a boy.

    It’s fun to speculate on the impressions made by remote viewers. As such, it is really easy to get “carried away” and embrace ideas of an indigenously inhabited Mars that destroyed itself (or was destroyed) with the inhabitants fleeing to earth.

    From my understanding, Mars has been a pretty bare planet for the last few billion years or so. Mars is a bleak, desert-like planet that is also very heavily cratered. There are huge volcanoes, global dust storms, and great sand dune fields. In addition, what look like dry river beds abound on the planet. While it did have a rather thick atmosphere that enveloped the planet in the first billion or so years of it’s existence, that gradually evaporated away to a rather destitute surface terrain that we see today. What we see today is pretty much how Mars looked for the last handful of millions of years.

    It is possible that non-indigenous species somehow got stranded on Mars during a cataclysmic event. There are numerous species that could fit this description.

    As such, in my mind, it is not unrealistic to consider the possibility of a [1] large global cataclysmic event on Mars [2] one million years ago, that [3] affected any extraterrestrial colonies present on the planet at that time. As such, the inhabitants would need to [4] create shelter, and then await [5] egress from the hostile environment. The shelter would be bare and functionally bleak, and the inhabitants would spend their time waiting to escape.

    Therefore, it is not unrealistic (if not popular) to embrace the possibility that one of the older extraterrestrial colonies (and facilities) needed to be evacuated when Mars went through geologic changes around one million years ago.


    If you enjoyed this, you might find pleasure in other articles in the OOPARTS section…

    Mysteries Explained

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Ah. The handiwork of God.

    There is a uniformity and beauty to the universe that we live in. Indeed, mathematicians are often able to perceive this beauty in their calculations. Now, this being said, sometimes the simplicity and the beautify that lies inherent within a mathematical construct can be profound and stunning.

    It can make the most skeptical of people into a believer of the divine.

    Here is one such exercise.


    In the 1960s, Soviet mathematician Vladimir Arnold mapped the square image of a cat to a torus, “stretched” (sheared) it as shown on that surface, then sliced the resulting image into pieces and recomposed them into a square.

    The process in the tortured image manipulation of a kitty-cat.
    The process in the tortured image manipulation of a kitty-cat.

    As the process is repeated, any two points in the image quickly become separated, but, surprisingly, after sufficient repetitions the original image reappears.

    A discrete analogue is below…

    The process in the tortured image manipulation of a kitty-cat.
    The process in the tortured image manipulation of a kitty-cat.

    As the transformation is repeated, the image appears increasingly random or disordered, but the underlying cat can be glimpsed making occasional appearances, sometimes as a ghostly suggestion, sometimes in multiple smaller images, and occasionally (yowling, one imagines) even upside down.

    It reappears again, unhurt, at the 300th iteration.

    It’s called Arnold’s cat map. You can try it yourself here.

    It implies a uniformity within our universe, and a glimpse into how we can perceive ourselves, our alternative world-lines, our past and our futures through the lenses of the momentary iterations of our own consciousness.

    Links

    Conclusion

    There are different interpretations as to what this exercise amounts to. I like to consider that it is a fine illustration that no matter how complex, and convoluted life is, that it follows set patterns and rules that always fit together naturally. As such, everything, from the ordered, to the disordered, to the unexplained and the mysterious all have a role in the grand overall scheme of things…

    … the idea that there is a God, or a grand force that we belong to is too strong to discount casually.


    I hoped that you enjoyed this piece. If you would like to look at other mysteries and unexplained events and the curious, please attend to my index here…

    Mysteries Explained

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Very interesting patents are coming out from the United States Navy, and being denied because there isn’t any supporting technology. Huh?

    Patent documents indicate that the U.S. and China are actively developing radical new craft that seem eerily similar to UFOs reported by Navy pilots.

    The United States Secretary of Navy is listed as the assignee on several curious aviation technologies patents. These are highly unusual patents, devices and mechanisms.

    Highly unusual.

    These patents were generated by an aerospace engineer working at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) headquarters in Patuxent River, Maryland.

    They are very interesting.

    Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) headquarters in  Patuxent River, Maryland.
    Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) headquarters in Patuxent River, Maryland.

    The patents are very interesting.

    One of these patents describes a “hybrid aerospace-underwater craft”. You know, one that can swim through the water as easily as it can fly through the air or jet through space.

    Vehicle from the movie "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow".
    Vehicle from the movie “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”.

    According to the patent, it is capable of truly extraordinary feats of speed and maneuverability in air, water, and outer space. It is truly a revolutionary electromagnetic propulsion system. 

    Very exciting. Bordering (or perhaps, crossed over) the line between accepted scientific paradigms and God-like technology.

    A scientific paradigm is a framework containing all the commonly accepted views about a subject, conventions about what direction research should take and how it should be performed. 
    
    - What Is A Paradigm? - Explorable.com 

    To most classically educated scientists, it sounds pretty far fetched.

    Imagine trying to get a patent for it!

    Trying to get a patent.

    A primary patent examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) thought that they were too fantastic to approve. And as such, he denied the patent applications as “too fantastical” to be considered in any degree of seriousness.

    “Brawndo has what plants crave. It’s got electrolytes.”

    United States Patent and Trademark  Office (USPTO)
    United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

    This did not sit well with the United States Navy.

    No sir. Not at all.

    They absolutely and urgently, wanted these patents to be granted. They believed that it was in the best interests of “National Security”.

    Washington has been incapable of coping with the great changes that have taken place in recent years, including the rise of emerging markets and developing countries, and national security has become an excuse it leans on when it wants to act on its suspicions about the economic development and technological progress of other countries. 
    
    - The phony excuse of national security - CGTN 

    The Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of the Naval Aviation Enterprise personally wrote a letter addressed to the examiner. He claimed that the U.S. needs the patent. As the Chinese are already “investing significantly” in these aerospace technologies.

    His argument is that the patents were necessary for “American Defense superiority”.

    Chinese idiom.
    Chinese idiom.

    UFO’s? No way!

    The descriptions on the patents sound very, very similar to the UFOs reported by Navy pilots.

    The Tic Tac Incident.

    They do.

    Why is that, you suppose?

    Well, everyone know that there’s no such things as “little green men”, extraterrestrials or “star people”. That’s just nonsense for school children. Right?

    Right?

    And since the USA would never keep secrets and technologies hidden from the American people, we know that they would tell us about extraterrestrials and their technologies. They would be open and transparent.

    • Open and transparent is the way America always does things. Right?
    • That’s what it’s like to live within the best democracy in the history of the world. Right?
    • The government is open and has no secrets. Don’t you know!

    So, there are no extraterrestrials at all. After all, President Obama got on the Ellen DeGeneres show and said that to an audience of millions. Millions!

    US President Barack Obama has awarded the USA's highest civilian honor to various actors, musicians and athletes during a ceremony at the White House.
    US President Barack Obama has awarded the USA’s highest civilian honor to various actors, musicians and athletes during a ceremony at the White House.

    It must be the dastardly Chinese or Russians!

    Since it cannot be extraterrestrials that are using these technologies, then it MUST be those terrible Chinese or Russians! Right?

    Damn Commies!

    It's easy to find demonization of the Chinese on the internet. Oh, they are so evil... right?
    It’s easy to find demonization of the Chinese on the internet. Oh, they are so evil… right?

    This raises the question, are the Chinese developing (or even already flying craft) leveraging similar advanced technology and is the American Navy now scrambling to catch up?

    I rather doubt that the Chinese are anywhere near this level of development, and I am a pretty strong supporter of the Chinese. Yes, it is true that many Chinese cities look like something out of the "The Jetsons", but this level of technology is centuries more advanced than what is publicly available in peer review journals.
    
    -Metallicman

    And I am not alone…

    I deeply doubt  that the Navy is playing catch-up to what the Chinese have secret  developed. Tingly and Rogoway do not appear to be aware of the many  insiders who have come forward with their startling testimonies about  U.S. reverse engineering programs involving captured flying saucer  technologies that go back as far back as the 1940s. 
    
    -EXOpolitics

    Why not reverse engineering of extraterrestrial craft?

    Why not?

    I mean, you have to be a rather retarded block head not to realize that the universe is a very big place, and time goes on a long long way. To think that the world, as we know it, and the beliefs that we hold are absolutely fundamentally correct, is absolute lunacy.

    Extraterrestrials exist.

    The Untied States government knows about them, and has treaties with numerous entities. They have been reverse engineering their technologies for decades now, and it’s only a matter of time when the research will pay off with some kind of hybrid developmental vehicles.

    It’s only a matter of time.

    Maybe like now.

    CARET

    And if the reverse engineering has reached a point where actual prototypes can be manufactured, perhaps it would also be a good time to secure intellectual patents protections. Right?

    Right?

    The Wondrous Inventions Of Dr. Salvatore Cezar Pais

    Maybe a look at some of these patents might give us some insight.

    Maybe we can take a peek at the strange aerospace patents filed by Salvatore Cezar Pais, an aerospace engineer at NAWCAD. 

    Aerospace engineers work and develop the technologies and systems that go into vehicles that fly though the air and space.
    Aerospace engineers work and develop the technologies and systems that go into vehicles that fly though the air and space.

    Let it be well understood that there are some supplemental documents in the USPTO’s databases that imply that Navy leadership knows that these technologies are actually feasible.

    Throughout the supplemental documents are references to actual validation tests and observations. All of which point to the idea that these parents are not just “ideas of merit”, but rather “technical protection documents for technology that has been proven to work”.

    Let it be well understood that there are some supplemental documents in the  USPTO’s databases that imply that Navy leadership knows that  these technologies are actually feasible.
    Let it be well understood that there are some supplemental documents in the USPTO’s databases that imply that Navy leadership knows that these technologies are actually feasible.

    Little information can be found about Salvatore Cezar Pais; he has virtually no web presence.

    What is known is that he received a PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Case Western Reserve University in 1999. We also know that he currently works as an aerospace engineer for NAWCAD at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland. This facility is one of the Navy’s top aircraft test bases.

    Pais has published several articles and presented papers at American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics conferences over the years.

    With all the "hush hush" and top secret development work in the deep black SAP's, it's just a simple matter of time before some of the technologies will need to be patented.
    With all the “hush hush” and top secret development work in the deep black SAP’s, it’s just a simple matter of time before some of the technologies will need to be patented.

    In those papers he covers his work in electromagnetic propulsion, and revolutionary room temperature superconductors. Not to overlook such topics like his PhD dissertation: “Bubble generation under reduced gravity conditions for both co-flow and cross-flow configurations.”

    NASA helped fund his dissertation.

    The Navy’s Patented Hybrid Underwater Aerospace Craft

    Pais is named as the inventor on four separate patents for which the U.S. Navy is the assignee:

    While all are pretty outlandish-sounding, the last one is the one that the Chief Technical Officer of the Naval Aviation Enterprise personally vouched for.

    This is the patent that he claimed that the Chinese are already developing similar capabilities.

    The patent was first applied for on April 28, 2016, over a decade after the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group encountered strange Tic Tac-shaped aircraft. It is also nearly a year after Navy pilots across multiple squadrons flying out of Naval Air Station Oceana and NAS Norfolk experienced a string of bizarre encounters with unidentified aircraft. Some of which, like the Tic Tac UFO, seemed to possess exotic performance capabilities. 

    The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group encountered strange Tic Tac-shaped aircraft.  It is also nearly a year after Navy pilots across multiple squadrons flying out of Naval Air Station Oceana and NAS Norfolk experienced a string of bizarre encounters with unidentified aircraft.
    The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group encountered strange Tic Tac-shaped aircraft. It is also nearly a year after Navy pilots across multiple squadrons flying out of Naval Air Station Oceana and NAS Norfolk experienced a string of bizarre encounters with unidentified aircraft.

    The hybrid aerospace-underwater craft in Pais’ patent, meanwhile, is described as being capable of incredible feats of speed and maneuverability. It can fly equally well in air, water, or space without leaving a heat signature.

    This is possible, Pais claims in the patent, because the craft is able to “engineer the fabric of our reality at the most fundamental level” by exploiting the laws of physics. 

    “…engineer the fabric of our reality at the most fundamental level”

    The concept is fairly simple, although the engineering required to make it a reality is another issue all together.

    The basic theory…

    All matter contains energy on the quantum level.

    All particles are ripples in fields and have energy; photons are not special in this regard. Photons are stuff; energy is not. The stuff of the universe is all made from fields (the basic ingredients of the universe) and their particles. At least this is the post-1973 viewpoint.
    
    -  Matter and Energy: A False Dichotomy 

    By theoretically creating its own incredibly dense and polarized energy field, the hybrid craft is claimed to be able to create a quantum ‘vacuum’ around itself. This vacuum allows it to repel any air or water molecules with which it interacts.

    Thus, the craft can essentially ignore aerodynamic or hydrodynamic forces, or so it is claimed in the patent. 

    The hybrid craft is claimed to be able to create a quantum  'vacuum' around itself which allows it to repel any air or water  molecules with which it interacts.
    The hybrid craft is claimed to be able to create a quantum ‘vacuum’ around itself which allows it to repel any air or water molecules with which it interacts.

    Throughout his patents and publications describing the hybrid aerospace underwater craft (HAUC), Pais writes that the radical feats of speed and maneuverability (of which the craft is supposedly capable of) can be achieved by coupling “high-frequency axial spin” or “accelerated vibration” with “high-frequency vibrations of electrically charged systems.”

    High speeds are possible with [1] High frequency axial spin (or vibration) and [2] high frequency vibrations of electrically charged systems. 

    In other words, if you can [1] create a room temperature superconductor capable of storing an incredibly high amount of energy and [2] get the energy field created by that superconductor moving at incredibly high speeds around or within the craft, then…

    … you can create a polarized energy vacuum around it.

    This then, allows it to basically ignore the energy of the air or water around it, thereby removing its own inertia and mass from the equation. 

    The application of the theory…

    In his most recent publication, Pais describes the hybrid aerospace / underwater craft as a roughly cone-shaped vehicle that would appear round from the front or rear.

    “the HAUC is conical in  configuration, with an elliptical cross-section, similar in geometry to a  hypersonic glide vehicle / dart.” 

    Interestingly enough, the descriptions of the craft in several of Pais’ publications and even the patent for “Craft using an inertial mass reduction device” include room for a crew compartment shielded by a Faraday cage.

    The radical vehicle would have room for a crew compartment. Maybe something along the lines of the space shuttle, where the pilot and NFO would sit side by side.
    The radical vehicle would have room for a crew compartment. Maybe something along the lines of the space shuttle, where the pilot and NFO would sit side by side.

    Shortly after the patent for the hybrid craft was approved in 2018, Pais presented another related paper, “Room Temperature Superconducting System for Use on a Hybrid Aerospace Undersea Craft” .

    He presented it at the 2019 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SciTech Forum in San Diego on January 2019.

    Man, with all these papers of a great diversity of subject matter and content, you would think this guy is either a genius, or is the designated patsy for technical patent assignments for IP.

    In the paper, Pais writes…

    "the achievement of room temperature superconductivity (RTSC) represents  a highly disruptive technology, capable of a total paradigm change in  Science and Technology,” and adds that its “military and commercial  value is considerable."

    The capabilities described in the paper should certainly sound familiar to anyone who’s been following the Navy UFO stories over the last several years:

    "the achievement of room temperature superconductivity (RTSC) represents  a highly disruptive technology, capable of a total paradigm change in  Science and Technology,” and adds that its “military and commercial  value is considerable."
    “the achievement of room temperature superconductivity (RTSC) represents a highly disruptive technology, capable of a total paradigm change in Science and Technology,” and adds that its “military and commercial value is considerable.”

    From the paper…

    It  is possible to envision hybrid aerospace-undersea craft (HAUC), which  can function as a submersible craft capable of extreme underwater speeds  (lack of water-skin friction) and enhanced aerial/underwater stealth  capabilities (non-linear scattering of RF and sonar signals). 
    
    This  hybrid craft would move with great ease through the air/space/water  mediums, by being enclosed in a Vacuum/plasma bubble/sheath, due to the  coupled effects of EM field-induced air/water particles repulsion and  Vacuum energy polarization. 

    Dr. Brian Collett provides his opinions

    Dr. Brian Collett, is a Hamilton College physics chair who teaches courses in electromagnetic theory and quantum physics. He has some thoughts on these patents and what they might imply.

    Dr. Brian Collett, is a  Hamilton College physics chair who teaches courses in electromagnetic  theory and quantum physics.
    Dr. Brian Collett, is a Hamilton College physics chair who teaches courses in electromagnetic theory and quantum physics. (Image is for reference only. Not an actual photo of the good doctor.)

    Collett stated that patents and peer-reviewed articles about theoretical physics are one thing, however the descriptions of the HAUC and the claims in Pais’ research…

    "...bear no more  resemblance to quantum physics as I understand it than does ‘The Force’  from Star Wars." 

    Moreover, Collett adds,

    "a working room temperature  superconductor would have far more radical uses that are actually within the bounds of possibility" 

    …than a hybrid craft that can theoretically create a quantum vacuum around itself. 

    Other physicists have stated the same thing – although most of them refused to go anywhere near on the record concerning the hybrid craft patent based on how outlandish it seems.

    But…

    But…

    But, why then would the Naval Aviation Enterprise CTO personally vouch for this patent to the USPTO?

    Is it possible?

    Just because something is patented doesn’t mean it’s currently in production or even possible.

    Private entities and the U.S. government both regularly patent forward-looking technologies to ensure that they own the rights to them when or if they’re ever fully realized. The patent for the hybrid craft is set to expire on September 28, 2036.

    That being said, the unorthodox circumstances surrounding the approval of this patent have us wondering why the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Naval Aviation Enterprise, Dr. James Sheehy, personally vouched for the legitimacy of this beyond-revolutionary aerospace technology in the Navy’s appeal to the USPTO.

    Take important note. Sheehy assured the patent examiner in charge of this application that the aircraft propulsion method described in the patent is indeed possible or will be soon based on experiments and tests NAWCAD has already conducted.

    Never the less, the application was initially rejected by Patent Examiner Philip Bonzell on the grounds that “there is no such thing as a ‘repulsive EM energy field,'”

    While repulsive fields are well known in physics, the patent examination did not agree that this new type of repulsive field was possible. He saw no evidence that it could be constructed, tested or applied.
    While repulsive fields are well known in physics, the patent examination did not agree that this new type of repulsive field was possible. He saw no evidence that it could be constructed, tested or applied.

    Further, he argued it was outrageous. Here;

    "when referring to the specifications as to ascertain  about the microwave emitters needed in this system it is seen that for a  high energy electromagnetic field to polarize a quantum vacuum as  claimed it would take 10^9 [T]eslas and 10^18 V/m." 

    That’s roughly the equivalent to the magnetic strength generated by most magnetars and more electricity than what is produced by nuclear reactors. 

    What would be needed to generate such amounts of energy is perhaps the  potentially revolutionary room temperature superconductor described in one of Pais’ other patents for which the Navy is listed as the assignee.
    What would be needed to generate such amounts of energy is perhaps the potentially revolutionary room temperature superconductor described in one of Pais’ other patents for which the Navy is listed as the assignee. 

    Obviously, the examiner believed it’s impossible with today’s technology. He believed that it was impossible to create the insane amount of energy needed to generate the EM field. And this is what would be required to propel this craft in the manner described in the patent application.

    More New Technology…

    The implication is that another type of new technology would be required.

    Well, to do A, you need to have B, C, and D.
    
    Well, imagine that! All these things are suddenly available simultaneously for patent. 
    
    Wow oh wow!
    
    Either an army or geniuses have been toiling away in the dark, in secret, and being fed through their cages for decades, or we have been secretly reverse engineering very advanced technologies based on principle that make the internal combustion engine, electronics, and rocket engines look like "Romper room play toys".

    What would be needed to generate such amounts of energy is a revolutionary room temperature superconductor . One, mind you, already described for in one of Pais’ other patents for which the Navy is listed as the assignee. 

    Hum…

    Superconductors are materials that can conduct electricity with zero resistance, meaning the electrical currents carried through them never degrade or dissipate like they do in metals, such as copper or silver. 

    After it  was rejected, the NAWCAD’s patent attorney, Mark O. Glut, appealed the  decision and submitted further documentation to ensure the patent office  that this craft is indeed "enabled," meaning it can actually be built  and can perform as described in the patent.
    After it was rejected, the NAWCAD’s patent attorney, Mark O. Glut, appealed the decision and submitted further documentation to ensure the patent office that this craft is indeed “enabled,” meaning it can actually be built and can perform as described in the patent.

    Superconductors also create their own repulsive magnetic fields when placed near magnets, enabling applications like the levitating Maglev trains currently floating at high-speed in Japan and China.

    Most  superconductors today require extremely low temperatures to operate,  however, making them impractical for most uses outside of laboratories  or large scale industrial applications. Room temperature superconductors  for years have been something of a "Holy Grail" of science for  engineers, because, once realized, they would open the doors for  incredible new forms of power transmission and storage, electric motors,  and magnetic levitation devices.

    According to documents available to the public at the USPTO website, the Patent Office rejected Pais’ and the Navy’s application for this craft on March 30, 2018.

    After it was rejected, the NAWCAD’s patent attorney, Mark O. Glut, appealed the decision and submitted further documentation to ensure the patent office that this craft is indeed “enabled,” meaning it can actually be built and can perform as described in the patent.

    NAWCAD’s patent attorney, Mark O. Glut, appealed the  decision and submitted further documentation to ensure the patent office  that this craft is indeed "enabled," meaning it can actually be built  and can perform as described in the patent.
    NAWCAD’s patent attorney, Mark O. Glut, appealed the decision and submitted further documentation to ensure the patent office that this craft is indeed “enabled,” meaning it can actually be built and can perform as described in the patent.

    This craft has already been built…

    One of the most compelling items in the collection of appeal documents is the letter accompanying the final appeal written CTO Sheehy concerning the U.S. Patent Office’s rejection of “Craft Using an Inertial Mass Reduction Device.”

    This craft is indeed “enabled,” meaning it can actually be built and can perform as described in the patent.

    In the letter dated 15 December 2017, Dr. Sheehy claims that Salvatore Pais has “already begun a series of experiments to design and demonstrate advanced High energy Density/High Power propulsion systems” that are described in the patent. 

    In the letter dated 15 December 2017, Dr. Sheehy  claims that Salvatore Pais has "already begun a series of experiments to  design and demonstrate advanced High energy Density/High Power  propulsion systems" that are described in the patent.
    In the letter dated 15 December 2017, Dr. Sheehy claims that Salvatore Pais has “already begun a series of experiments to design and demonstrate advanced High energy Density/High Power propulsion systems” that are described in the patent. 

    Furthermore, Sheehy claims that…

    "the realization of this result demonstrates that  this patent documents the future state of the possible and moves  propulsion technology beyond gas dynamic systems to field-induced  propulsion based hybrid aerospace-undersea craft." 

    Have a look at the letter yourself:

    "the realization of this result demonstrates that  this patent documents the future state of the possible and moves  propulsion technology beyond gas dynamic systems to field-induced  propulsion based hybrid aerospace-undersea craft."
    “the realization of this result demonstrates that this patent documents the future state of the possible and moves propulsion technology beyond gas dynamic systems to field-induced propulsion based hybrid aerospace-undersea craft.” 

    It’s important to note that Sheehy doesn’t go so far as to say on the record that the Navy currently possesses this technology and instead notified Patent Examiner Philip Bonzell that he agrees that…

    "this mode of  acceleration/movement is beyond the state of the possible, at least at  present." 

    Sheehy, of course, adds that…

    "China is already investing  significantly in this area" and "would prefer we [the U.S.] hold the  patent as opposed to paying forever more to use this revolutionary  technology" as he asserts "this will become a reality." 

    Remarkably, it seems to boil down to the ol’ “we must not allow an Inertial Mass Reduction Device gap!

    Heh. Heh.

    Approved patent.

    Perhaps because of that threat from the Chinese looming, the USPTO finally issued a notice of allowance for “Craft Using an Inertial Mass Reduction Device” to the Department of the Navy on October 31, 2018, at a fee of $1,000 USD.

    No reason was given for why the patent was eventually approved. 

    It’s important to note, as well, that U.S. patent law ends at America’s borders. The Navy can patent anything it wants to, but those patents would not necessarily keep a foreign country from developing and patenting similar technologies. 

    The Dawn Of Electromagnetic Propulsion?

    Normally, I would agree with others that these patents are likely just the Navy ensuring that when or if this technology does become available, the U.S. will be able to control it.

    However, these are not normal times.

    Thanks to To the Stars Academy (TTSA), the Department of Defense, and the media at large, the Navy pilots have witnessed aircraft behaving exactly like the craft these patents describe. Additionally, some of the pilots’ visual descriptions of those anomalous aircraft even seem to be uncannily similar to the drawings of the aircraft as depicted in Pais’ patents. 

    One of those patents depicts a curiously and distinctly shaped gravitational wave generator that resembles the Tic Tac-shaped object reported by retired U.S. Navy Commander David Fravor and other NimitzCarrier Strike Group pilots in encounters that took place in 2004 off the Baja Coast.

    The so called “Tic Tac” encounter.

    One of those patents depicts a curiously and distinctly shaped gravitational wave generator that resembles the Tic Tac-shaped object reported by retired U.S. Navy Commander David Fravor and other NimitzCarrier Strike Group pilots in encounters that took place in 2004 off the Baja Coast.
    One of those patents depicts a curiously and distinctly shaped gravitational wave generator that resembles the Tic Tac-shaped object reported by retired U.S. Navy Commander David Fravor and other NimitzCarrier Strike Group pilots in encounters that took place in 2004 off the Baja Coast.

    In regards to claims that these patents may simply be speculative “math theory,” as the patent examiner called them in one of the rejections. Never the less, it’s important to remember that scientific and engineering research sometimes reach tipping points. Tripping points in which incremental progress made over decades suddenly culminates in large paradigm shifts. Shifts, mind you, that bring the theoretical into the realm of the possible. (Of course, massive bursts of associated funding also can really help, of course.)

    The patents appear to draw upon established theoretical research. Included in the Navy’s patent appeals and Pais’ most recent publication are references to decades’ worth of peer-reviewed research in room temperature superconductors and macroscopic quantum effects. Additionally, there are even notated copies of several studies related to Pais’ research.

    In the publication, Pais also thanks Naval Aviation Enterprise CTO Dr. James Sheehy…

    "for the many hours of thought-provoking discussions on the  concept at hand."

    To the Stars Academy.

    Interestingly enough, both Pais’ research and some of his patents also contain acknowledgments to the work of Dr. Harold E. Puthoff.

    Dr. Harold E. Puthoff is the co-founder and Vice President of Science and Technology of To the Stars Academy.

    The nearest stars to our solar system.
    The nearest stars to our solar system.

    Dr. Harold E. Puthoff is an electrical engineer and inventor who has published research on polarized vacuums, but has also been extensively involved with paranormal and somewhat pseudoscientific topics such as remote viewing

    According to their website,

    • TTSA’s goal is to advance “our current understanding of scientific phenomena and its technological implications.”
    • The stated mission of TTSA’s Aerospace division is to find “revolutionary breakthroughs in propulsion, energy, and communication”.
    • The company claims it is “currently working with lead engineers from major Department of Defense and aerospace companies with the capability to pursue an advanced engineering approach to fundamental aerospace topics.”
    • This includes Space-Time Metrics Engineering (STME). (This is a theoretical concept in which quantum vacuums are engineered as a means of propulsion.)

    It remains unclear how TTSA intends to follow through with and secure funding for these ambitious goals.

    Physicist Harold White stunned the  aeronautics world when he announced that he and his team at NASA had  begun work on the development of a faster-than-light warp drive.  His proposed design, an ingenious  re-imagining of an Alcubierre Drive, may eventually result in an engine  that can transport a spacecraft to the nearest star in a matter of weeks  — and all without violating Einstein’s law of relativity.
    Physicist Harold White stunned the aeronautics world when he announced that he and his team at NASA had begun work on the development of a faster-than-light warp drive. His proposed design, an ingenious re-imagining of an Alcubierre Drive, may eventually result in an engine that can transport a spacecraft to the nearest star in a matter of weeks — and all without violating Einstein’s law of relativity.

    In a press release marking the official launch of TTSA on Oct. 11, 2017, former Program Director for Advanced Systems at Lockheed Martin Advanced Development Programs at the Skunk Works, Steve Justice, described how TTSA was working on developing revolutionary “Advanced Electromagnetic Vehicles”.

    These are vehicles that will “dramatically reduce the current travel limits of distance and time” and “mimic the capabilities observed in unidentified aerial phenomenon by employing a drive system that alters the space-time metric.”

    Without a doubt, these advanced electromagnetic vehicles that TTSA says it plans to develop sound uncannily like the electromagnetic hybrid aerospace underwater craft in Pais’s patent.

    Few Answers, But Plenty Of Questions

    NAWCAD has a liaison for pubic communication.

    Kurt Larson is NAWCAD’s Public Affairs Director.

    Larson states that…

    "when it comes to  patent applications, [NAWCAD] cannot provide any context outside of the  filed patent application documents." 

    Similarly, USPTO policy states that applications for patents are not generally open to the public, and…

    "no information concerning them is released except on written authority  of the applicant, his or her assignee, or his or her attorney, or when  necessary to the conduct of the business of the USPTO."

    As striking as the similarity between the claimed capabilities of the hybrid craft and those of the objects described by Navy personnel, it’s still unknown whether these patents are related to the ongoing UFO revelations.

    It is important to note that if the Navy had wanted this patent to remain classified, it could have filed the patent under the Invention Secrecy Act of 1951 (35 U.S.C. ch. 17).

    This is a law which allows patents to remain classified if they might pose a possible threat to the national security of the United States.

    Instead of doing that, however, all of Pais’ patents are currently fully available to the public.

    If such a propulsion technology was so revolutionary and if the Navy indeed wanted to keep this technology out of others’ hands, it’s curious that they would choose to make the patent public.

    Maybe the Navy is signaling to its adversaries that it, too, is aware of this revolutionary capability and to whom it belongs.

    It is  important to note that if the Navy had wanted this patent to remain  classified, it could have filed the patent under the Invention Secrecy  Act of 1951 (35 U.S.C. ch. 17).
    It is important to note that if the Navy had wanted this patent to remain classified, it could have filed the patent under the Invention Secrecy Act of 1951 (35 U.S.C. ch. 17).

    Also, consider the fact that Senators, including the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Community, have been briefed in recent weeks by Navy officials about the unexplained sightings Navy pilots have reported.

    Even President Donald Trump recently stated in an interview that the Navy UFO reports could be due the fact that pilots

     "see things  a little bit different from the past,"

    This is a comment which could be taken to mean that pilots are witnessing new types of aerospace technology for the first time.

    Trump seemed to indicate that he does not believe the objects reported by Navy pilots are evidence of anything extraterrestrial. As such he took his interviewer’s UFO question in stride without any apparent surprise. This could be an indication of just how far into the mainstream the UFO discussion has become.

    A Technology “UFO” Race

    Consider as well the comments made by former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, reportedly a key figure in securing funding for programs like the now-infamous Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program and its associated studies.

    Has China and Russia also been reverse engineering exotic extraterrestrial spacecraft as well?
    Has China and Russia also been reverse engineering exotic extraterrestrial spacecraft as well?

    Earlier this year, Reid stated that the U.S., Russia, and China are currently in a “UFO race.”

    We know the Chinese have already publicly made major strides in electromagnetic naval capabilities including railguns and aircraft catapults, as well as other highly advanced defense technologies.

    Could Reid have meant that these three military powers are currently scrambling to be the first to master the technology behind a hybrid aerospace-undersea craft and deploy it on a substantial scale? If so, where does the Navy, and the Pentagon as a whole, currently stand in that clandestine race?

    Well known in "UFO circles" that the Russians have been working with extraterrestrial species for decades and has various vehicles in their possession.
    Well known in “UFO circles” that the Russians have been working with extraterrestrial species for decades and has various vehicles in their possession.

    Furthermore, Pais notes in the paper that such a technology…

    “would permit swift movement of the HAUC beyond our Solar System.” 

    Is this an undisclosed reason why we suddenly need a Space Force? Is this what Air Force Lieutenant General Vera Linn Jamieson was referring to last year when she casually dropped during an unrelated interview that in…

     "different galaxies in the future we’re going to actually have  capability that we have right now in the air”? 

    And this is hardly the only highly peculiar thing that Air Force leadership has spouted off about in regards to the future of America’s military footprint in space.

    Image is from a source who claims China will be releasing Hi Res images taken by the Chang’e-2 moon orbiter, which clearly show buildings and structures on the moons surface.
    Image is from a source who claims China will be releasing Hi Res images taken by the Chang’e-2 moon orbiter, which clearly show buildings and structures on the moons surface.

    It’s also possible that this patent is just another facet of an information operation that goes along with a larger UFO narrative to promote the Pentagon’s undisclosed interests.

    But…

    But…

    But the inclusion of China, a very terrestrial potential foe and America’s chief technological adversary, as a direct competitor when it comes to the technology seems odd and even counterproductive if that were the case. 

    On the other hand, some may say that this could be proof of two superpowers struggling to mimic the capabilities of something they are observing, but do not fully understand on a technological level. Considering all the unknowns, all possibilities are worth examining.

    ... some may say that this could be proof of two superpowers struggling to mimic the capabilities of something they are observing, but do not fully understand on a technological level.

    Other thoughts on this…

    Credits to the original Authors and links.

    Much of this was inspired and compiled for the great work on The Drive;

    Much of this work and investigation are being “bird dogged” by Brett Tingley and Tyler Rogoway. They are doing some great work. Now, of course, they know nothing of MAJestic or any thing related to it, so they are doing the necessary journalistic ground work with a healthy dose of skepticism. Well, good for them!

    Much of this work and investigation are being "bird dogged" by Brett Tingley and Tyler Rogoway. They are doing some great work. Now, of course, they know nothing of MAJestic or any thing related to ti, so they are doing the necessary journalistic ground work with a healthy dose of skepticism. Well, good for them!
    Much of this work and investigation are being “bird dogged” by Brett Tingley and Tyler Rogoway. They are doing some great work. Now, of course, they know nothing of MAJestic or any thing related to ti, so they are doing the necessary journalistic ground work with a healthy dose of skepticism. Well, good for them!

    In any event, I would strongly advise the interested reader to follow their work and observe that the US Navy is making headway in the understanding and development of technologies that mimic that of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    Check out the patents yourself…

    To view them for yourself, visithttps://portal.uspto.gov/pair/PublicPair and search for application number 15/141,270. Once there, click on the “Image File Wrapper” tab.

    The Inventor speaks out

    I hate it when other people get credit for work that you do. I know, it has happened to me, more than just a few times.

    Comment or Message
    
    The article on patents held by the Navy make me feel angry because I have an unmet need for the US Government to acknowledge my patents on gravitomagnetic energy. https://patents.google.com/patent/US10177690B2/en I observe I also filed for a patent in China too. 
    
    They denied the patent even though the US had already granted it. I feel suspicious that they stole my invention along with the US Navy. I have an outstanding FOIA request on this with the Navy.
    
    I have analyzed the Navy's Tic Tac UAP video to demonstrate spacetime metric engineering effects.
    
    I observe I have some research results I would like to share. Here's a report I conducted with correspondence with Dr. Hal Puthoff of TTSA. There's a few of the slides in the beginning that cover my background. 
    
    http://www.calfree.com/TicTacUhtm.pptx
    
    Also I have several GIF files I created to share to show some of the UAP technology in action I would like to explain in more detail. It makes me feel happy to know your curious. I request you check out the following background information that goes with the PowerPoint presentation. I suggest you run the presentation software to operate the Gif on quantum tunneling; slide 7. My explanation of the presentation is in the form of a dialog.
    
    Where do slides 6-11 come from? Are they your research, or from Dr. Puthoff? Both? Somewhere else?
    
    Observe the information in slide 6 from Hal’s paper which I cite on the upper left of the slide. Spacetime metric engineering allows for altered spacetime. Basic hypothesis in altered spacetime: denser spacetime (g00 <1, |g11| > 1) time dilates, length shrinks “gravitational”, and, expanded spacetime (g00 > 1, |g11| <1) time shrinks, length dilates “antigravitational”. 
    
    Observe slide 7 explains how quantum entanglement [quantum tunneling] works and its possible to move information through spacetime instantaneously. 
    
    I feel this is useful to explaining the concept of wormholes. Observe slide 8 explains the concept of gravitational frame dragging using nano-bump [empirical] data from the mass spin-valve device. 
    
    My invention is called the mass spin-valve or gravitational rectifier, aka gravity diode. Observe slide 9 explains using nano-bump [empirical] data from the mass spin-valve device to support the creation of denser spacetime (g00 <1, |g11| > 1) time dilates, length shrinks “gravitational” energy at the nano-scale.
    
    Observe slide 10 explains using nano-pit [empirical] data from the mass spin-valve device to support the creation of expanded spacetime (g00 > 1, |g11| <1) time shrinks, length dilates “antigravitational” energy at the nano-scale. 
    
    Observe slide 11 explains that utilizing data from variable area nano-bumps and nano-pits we are able to show that moving objects at the nano-scale produce parabolic pull force of nano-gravity and hyperbolic push force of nano-antigravity [like a balloon]. 
    
    The term 'antigravity bubble', I'm not quite sure what that is -- how it operates or what it looks like. So, when you mention balloons (i.e. 'a dark torus shaped balloon', 'A balloon shaped brighter region', or 'small dark oval shaped balloon') -- are you saying 'balloon' because they appear balloon-shaped? 
    
    That is to say -- they aren't physical balloons travelling alongside the craft? Observe denser spacetime (g00 <1, |g11| > 1) force magnitude of gravity |g11| is greater than 1 G force and anti-gravity force is less than 1 G, and, expanded spacetime (g00 > 1, |g11| <1) force magnitude of gravity |g11| is less than 1 G force and anti-gravity force is greater than 1 G. I hope this helps your understanding of slide 6. 
    
    Greater G force means time dilates, length shrinks “gravitational” energy while lower G force means time shrinks, length dilates “anti-gravitational” energy. This is based on principals of General Relativity, Einstein's theory of geometric gravitation and the data. 
    
    http://www.calfree.com/TicTacSpacetimeMetricEngineering.gif 
    
    No, [not a real balloon] the dark balloon shaped region over the top of the UAP appears to be a region of expanded spacetime. The other balloon shaped regions on the right of the UAP are also regions of altered spacetime used to open a wormhole on the left of the UAP. These regions appear to be utilized to create gravitational winding spring like force that propels the craft to the left at the entrance to the wormhole. Empirical evidence is from slides 7-11. This second GIF includes this first one above. Above the UAP is the anti-gravity balloon I explain in slide 11. The left of the image is where a worm hole is opened and the right side is where the UAP is spacetime engineering a gravitational bow, like in a bow and arrow, where the UAP is the arrow. This second GIF shows the arrow being released; aka warp drive. http://www.calfree.com/TicTacWarpDrive.gif This third GIF shows something I felt was pretty cool. It appears the UAP as hitting the Nimitz aircraft with an EMP pulse which saturates the IR detector array. http://www.calfree.com/TicTacEMPattack.gif Are you suggesting that the Air Force acted aggressively towards the UAP -- possibly hitting it with some type of hypersonic weapon? -- 'These slides make me feel uncomfortable. I have an unmet need for reassurance of future nonviolent interaction with UAPs. 
    
    I request the support for further failure analysis and for development of protocols for remedial measures.' My experience as an Archaeologist necessitates me to intercommunicate with native Americans about their culture. This requires a feeling of trust be established so I don’t go where I am not invited. 
    
    The UAP appears to be hitting the Nimitz aircraft with an electromagnetic pulse that charged the IR detector array fanout on the back of the array causing it to saturate. The image observed shows the fanout behind the array in that frame. I don’t know what the Nimitz aircraft did to the UAP that would be considered hostile by the UAP. 
    
    Michael Boyd (408) 891-9677 PS the GIFs are mine so feel free to use them.

    MAJestic Related Posts – Training

    These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    How to tell...
    How to tell -2
    Top Secrets
    Sales Pitch
    Feducial Training
    Implantation
    Probe Calibration - 1
    Probe Calibration - 2
    Leaving the USA

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Secrets of the universe
    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The Fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The London Hammer
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    The Mystery of the Bronze Bell
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    The Tic Tac Incident.
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe
    The Landscape of the MWI
    Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
    The mysterious flying contraptions.
    The Progenitors as remote viewed by Joseph  McMoneagle.
Joseph McMoneagle, one of the most successful Army-trained remote viewers, peered into the past to look into the possible origins of human history. To everyone’s surprise, he “saw” something quite different from the evolution of intelligent apes. Instead we observed that we were fabricated. We were cultivated and our DNA were created by intelligent beings in what he called a ‘laboratory.’ These intelligent beings are quite different from most of the creatures that zoom about the earth and watch and monitor us from afar. These are our “creators”. As such, they are known as the “progenitors”.

    Utilizing Intention

    Using Intention to make your life sparkle.
    Using intention to navigate the MWI.

    Influencer Questions

    Here are posts that have gathered a series of questions from various influencers. They are interesting in many ways and could help all of us unravel the mysteries of the lives that we live.

    Interview with an Influencer.
    More discussions with an influencer.
    FAQ - 1
    FAQ - 2
    FAQ - 3
    FAQ - 4
    FAQ - 5
    FAQ - 6
    FAQ - 7
    FAQ - 8
    FAQ - 9

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    How MWI allows world-line travel.
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel
    Soul is not consciousness.

    John Titor Related Posts

    Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

    They are;

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    "We discovered that if you want to monetise a blog you need to be getting about 100,000 hits a day! "
    
    -6F12
    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    The Progenitors as remote viewed by Joseph McMoneagle.

    Joseph McMoneagle, one of the most successful Army-trained remote viewers, peered into the past to look into the possible origins of human history. To everyone’s surprise, he “saw” something quite different from the evolution of intelligent apes. Instead we observed that we were fabricated. We were cultivated and our DNA were created by intelligent beings in what he called a ‘laboratory.’

    These intelligent beings are quite different from most of the creatures that zoom about the earth and watch and monitor us from afar. These are our “creators”. As such, they are known as the “progenitors”.

    Not much is known of them.

    They are a big mystery to everyone.

    Any communication by MAJestic with our benefactors, and other aligned intelligence's hardly broach this subject. What is known is that our benefactors are aware of this species. But, they decline to tell us much of anything about them.  The entire issue is not all that important to them.

    Thus the only way that we can learn about them is through Remote Viewing.

    Remote viewing (RV) is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen target, purportedly using extrasensory perception (ESP) or "sensing" with the mind. Remote viewing experiments have historically been criticized for lack of proper controls and repeatability. There is no scientific evidence that remote viewing exists, and the topic of remote viewing is generally regarded as pseudoscience. 
    
    - Remote viewing - Wikipedia 

    Introduction

    The true origins of human history remain a mystery.

    However, that’s not what mainstream academia would have us believe. Ever since Darwin, human evolution and ‘the survival of the fittest’ has been promoted as THE scientific truth. This is the case, despite the fact that it remains a theory with multiple problems. If you question the theory, in certain circumstances, you are almost always considered a nut.

    This continues to happen in many different fields of knowledge. It’s human nature don’t you know. You see, when you question beliefs that have been accepted by the group consensus, you will pretty much be considered a heretic.

    What we won’t hear about is the fact that there are several hundred scientists, if not several thousand, who have spoken up against the scientific validity of the theory of evolution. 

    Our DNA Originated Somewhere Else

    One of the founding fathers of DNA, Francis Crick, believed that human DNA must have originated from somewhere else in the galaxy. He believed that…

    “...organisms were deliberately  transmitted to earth by intelligent beings on another planet.” 
    
    -Collective Evolution

    Other researchers are also admitting that this is a strong possibility. After all, with the discovery of many very old solar systems that have rocky planets, it makes sense that other intelligence’s would evolve, develop and achieve space-travel ability.

    “With the rapidly increasing number of  exoplanets that have been discovered in the habitable zones of  long-lived red dwarf stars (Gillon et al., 2016), the prospects for genetic exchanges between life-bearing Earth-like planets cannot be ignored. ”
    
    -The study

    There is a great little blurb from Cosmos Magazine, one of the few outlets who is talking about the study.

    Serious inquiry into the origins of  human history are not encouraged in the mainstream sciences. Yet as we dig a  little on what’s being done, there is a lot to consider.  As there are new  theories and discoveries that seem to be popping up every single year.  Unfortunately, modern day education is not keeping up with this, and in fact  continues to promulgate old theories and notions that have long been disproven. 

    As a result, nobody beyond ardent self-motivated researchers are learning about new developments or have any knowledge of these viewpoints.

    Consider entertaining new ideas without necessarily accepting them, just give them a chance to swirl in your mind a bit.

    The StarGate Program

    The information obtained via Remote Viewing comes from declassified documents from a classified program known as “StarGate”. To understand what is going on, we have to cover what the “StarGate Program” was.

    The StarGate program was co-founded by a number of individuals who worked in Deep Black SAP programs. Here’s some of the more notable people.

    • Russell Targ (watch his banned TED talk about ESP here).
    • Hal Puthoff, who is now a member of the ‘To The Stars Academy’.
    • Tom Delonge.
    Stargate Project was the 1991 code name for a secret U.S. Army unit established in 1978 at Fort Meade, Maryland, by the Defense Intelligence Agency and SRI International to investigate the potential for psychic phenomena in military and domestic intelligence applications. The Project, and its precursors and sister projects, originally went by various code namesGONDOLA WISH, GRILL FLAME, CENTER LANE, SUN STREAK, SCANATEuntil 1991 when they were consolidated and rechristened as "Stargate Project". 
    
    - Wikipedia 

    The StarGate program investigated parapsychological phenomenon.

    These phenomenon included things like remote viewing, telepathy, telekinesis, and clairvoyance. The program yielded high statistically significant results and was used multiple times for intelligence gathering purposes.

    Parapsychological phenomenon, also called PSI phenomenon, any of several types of events that cannot be accounted for by natural law or knowledge apparently acquired by other than usual sensory abilities. The discipline concerned with investigating such phenomena is called parapsychology. 
    
    - Parapsychological phenomenon | Britannica.com 

    A lot of interesting information came out of the literature that was declassified in 1995 after the program ran. It was a copus amount of data for certain. As the program ran for more than two decades straight. In fact, much more repeatable than “normal” findings in the hard sciences. It has a success rate of over 80 percent.

    Remote viewing was how the rings around Jupiter were actually discovered by Ingo Swann before NASA was able to measure them. (You can read more about that here.)

    To summarize, over the years, the  back-and-forth criticism of protocols, refinement of methods and  successful replication of this type of remote viewing in independent  laboratories has yielded considerable scientific evidence for the  reality of the [remote viewing] phenomenon. 
    
    Adding to the strength of  these results was the discovery that a growing number of individuals  could be found to demonstrate high-quality remote viewing, often to  their own surprise. . . . 
    
    The development of this capability at SRI has  evolved to the point where visiting CIA personnel with no previous  exposure to such concepts have performed well under controlled  laboratory conditions.”
    
    -source

    The Breadth Of Remote Viewing

    Remote Viewing is not something that can be easily dismissed. It is repeatable, is is confirm-able, and it has been used with success in the military, political, and economic industries.

    There are examples in the literature, from remote viewers looking at classified Russian technology during the cold-war era, locating a lost spy plane in Africa and the prediction of future events. Yes, along with remote viewing comes the ability to view into the past, and view into the future.

    Remote viewing allows the user to view things irregardless of physical space, and the constraints of time.

    Joseph McMoneagle.

    The individual who conducted the Remote Viewing in the StarGate program that uncovered the Progenitors and the origin of humanity is a researcher known as Josepth McMoneagle.

    Let it be well understood that this program was large, well-funded, and placed under the tightest security classifications. In fact, some of the results are still classified to this day.

    As a big program, there were multiple people working within the Remote Viewing Program. This program was conducted at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in conjunction with multiple intelligence agencies. Think of the CIA and NSA sharing resources with private (“carve outs”) civilian institutions. It was sort of like that.

    One of the key people working in this program was Joseph McMoneagle.

    SRI International is an American nonprofit scientific research institute and organization headquartered in Menlo Park, California. The trustees of Stanford University established SRI in 1946 as a center of innovation to support economic development in the region. The organization was founded as the Stanford Research Institute. SRI formally separated from Stanford University in 1970 and became known as SRI International in 1977. SRI performs client-sponsored research and development for government entities.
    
    -  SRI International - Wikipedia 

    Joseph was one of the most successful Army-trained remote viewers, and one of the original members of project Stargate.

    Joseph McMoneagle (born January 10, 1946, in Miami, Florida) is a retired U.S. Army NCO and Chief Warrant Officer. He was involved in "remote viewing" (RV) operations and experiments conducted by U.S. Army Intelligence and the Stanford Research Institute. 
    
    - Joseph McMoneagle - Wikipedia 

    Joseph was actually awarded the Legion of Merit for “producing crucial and vital intelligence unavailable from any other source” to the intelligence community.

    The Legion of Merit is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the seven uniformed services of the United States as well as to military and political figures of foreign governments. 
    
    - Wikipedia 

    The Origins Of Humanity

    Now with that preliminary background out of the way, imagine this ‘StarGate Program” also acquired scientists and researchers outside of the “Carve Outs”.

    One such researcher was Robert A. Monroe.

    In 1983, McMoneagle worked with Robert A. Monroe, on numerous projects. Robert was the founder of the Monroe Institute. It was a research institute located in Faber, Virginia. This Monroe Institute provided basic out-of-body orientation for many of the military remote viewers.

    Robert A. Monroe, well known author of groundbreaking books on the subject of out-of-body experiences (OBE) and human consciousness exploration, founded the Institute as a means to study and utilize the OBE skills he had begun to develop spontaneously. 
    
    - Welcome to Monroe Institute | The Monroe Institute 

    There, he conducted a session seeking to discover the origin of humanity.

    As the late great author and researcher Jim Marrs points out in his best selling book Our Occulted History points out:

    During the 129-minute session, he described a shoreline on what appeared to him to be a primitive Earth. He later estimated a time of about thirty million to fifty million years after the time of the dinosaurs. Cavorting on this shoreline was a large family of protohumans-hairy animals about four feet in height, walking upright and possessing eyes exhibiting a spark of intelligence despite a somewhat smaller cranial capacity. Two things surprised McMoneagle in this session. These creatures appeared to be aware of his psychic presence, and they did not originate at that location.

    McMoneagle described his experience in his 1998 book, The Ultimate Time Machine:

    This particular species of animal is put…specifically in that barrier place…called the meeting of the land and the sea…I also get the impression that they’re…ah…they were put there.

    They mysteriously appeared. They are not descended from an earlier species, they were put there (by a) seed ship…no, that’s not right. Keep wanting to say ship, but it’s not a ship. I keep seeing a…myself…I keep seeing…oh, hell, for lack of a better word, let’s call it a laboratory, where they are actually inventing these creatures.

    They are actually constructing animals from genes. Why would they be doing that? Can we do this yet…here and now? Like cutting up genes and then pasting them back together. You know, sort of like splicing plants…or grafting them, one to another…Interesting, it’s like they are building eggs by injecting stuff into them with a mixture of DNA or gene parts of pieces.

    This was transcribed in the 1970’s.

     In 1983, McMoneagle  remote viewed the origins of the human race where we described entities conducting gene splicing and editing. This was long before the discovery of DNA editing and cloning.
    In 1983, McMoneagle remote viewed the origins of the human race where we described entities conducting gene splicing and editing. This was long before the discovery of DNA editing and cloning. (Image for reference use only. Not McMoneagle.)

    This viewing occurred in 1983. It was long before the gene splicing, and DNA editing techniques were discovered, invented, and utilized.

    Dolly (5 July 1996 – 14 February 2003) was a female domestic sheep, and the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell, using the process of nuclear transfer.  
    
    - Dolly (sheep) - Wikipedia 

    McMoneagle described these creatures as delicate-looking aquiline-featured humanoids, unclothed, in possession of a prehensile tail and large “doe-like” eyes. They seemed to be using some sort of light that McMoneagle had a hard time describing, but eventually described it as a “grow light.”

    Marrs got the impression that it was like someone tending to a garden, and planting seeds, but “there isn’t any concern about the seeds after they are planted…It’s simply like…well…put these seeds here and on to better and bigger business. No concern about backtracking and checking on the condition of the seeds. They can live or die, survive or perish.” The session ended with him moving closer in time and perceiving these beings growing in size and ability, eventually becoming herding humans.

    The surveillance of and interference with humanity is documented in the lore of almost all civilizations that have roamed the planet. Although some have called this mere ‘interpretation,’ it reminds me of people referring to the confirmation of spiritual and metaphysical realms as a result of quantum physics. It is simply labelled as an interpretation due to the fact that it upsets so many belief systems and long-held preconceived ideas.

    Today

    StarGate supposedly began in 1972 but its “official” start was in 1990. Project Stargate involved a number of investigations into the paranormal by the CIA and partner organizations such as the DIA and INSCOM.

    After the termination of Project Stargate, a new program was formed. This project was named Project Farsight.

    As of 2017, Project Farsight is still an active operation.

    Conclusion

    I’m not saying this is exactly how humans are created.

    All that I can say is that our Benefactors believe that the Progenitors had a hand in the creation of the human species. Aside from that, we know nothing else. Perhaps this glimpse into our creation via Remote Viewing can offer us some insight into this matter.

    • Progenitors – Created the foundation for the human species.
    • Benefactors – Presently involved in cultivating the human species.

    Like an enormous 10,000 piece puzzle of great complexity, this is just another puzzle piece that might be able to fit into other already confusing puzzle pieces.

    Perhaps this remote viewing event can shed some light and understanding onto the mysteries of the human species.
    Perhaps this remote viewing event can shed some light and understanding onto the mysteries of the human species.

    Some interesting Links

    Here are some links in regards to the observation of early humans through remote viewing techniques.

    MAJestic Related Posts – Training

    These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    How to tell...
    How to tell -2
    Top Secrets
    Sales Pitch
    Feducial Training
    Implantation
    Probe Calibration - 1
    Probe Calibration - 2
    Leaving the USA

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Secrets of the universe
    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The Fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The London Hammer
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    The Mystery of the Bronze Bell
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    The Tic Tac Incident.
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe
    The Landscape of the MWI
    Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
    The mysterious flying contraptions.

    Utilizing Intention

    Using Intention to make your life sparkle.
    Using intention to navigate the MWI.

    Influencer Questions

    Here are posts that have gathered a series of questions from various influencers. They are interesting in many ways and could help all of us unravel the mysteries of the lives that we live.

    Interview with an Influencer.
    More discussions with an influencer.
    FAQ - 1
    FAQ - 2
    FAQ - 3
    FAQ - 4
    FAQ - 5
    FAQ - 6
    FAQ - 7
    FAQ - 8
    FAQ - 9

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    How MWI allows world-line travel.
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel
    Soul is not consciousness.

    John Titor Related Posts

    Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

    They are;

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    "We discovered that if you want to monetise a blog you need to be getting about 100,000 hits a day! "
    
    -6F12
    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    The Mystery of the forgotten Madog Expedition that followed the lost Madog expedition.

    America is full of mysteries. Most of which were plowed under, misidentified, or buried in local Indian lore. As a young boy, my friends and I would explore the local library, and talk to the old timers in our town and learn the lore of our region. Yes. Stuff that you wouldn’t be able to find in any school history books.

    Let’s look at one of these interesting mysteries of America.

    Whilst it was generally believed that Columbus was the first European to discover America in 1492, it is now well known that Viking explorers reached parts of the east coast of Canada around 1100 and that Icelandic Leif Erikson’s Vinland may have been an area that is now part of the United States.

    What is less well known is that a Welshman may have followed in Erikson’s footsteps, this time bringing settlers with him to Mobile Bay in modern day Alabama.

    According to Welsh legend, that man was Prince Madog (Madoc) ab Owain Gwynedd.

    There are apparently two Madocs. One left for America around 600 AD and the other left for America around 1100 AD. This article discusses the second Merdoc, the one that left around 1100 AD.

    A Poem gives us a hint.

    A Welsh poem of the 15th century tells how Prince Madoc sailed away in 10 ships and discovered America.

    The account of the discovery of America by a Welsh prince, whether truth or myth, was apparently used by Queen Elizabeth I as evidence to the British claim to America during its territorial struggles with Spain.

    Wales relative to England. It is all part of the United Kingdom.
    Wales relative to England. It is all part of the United Kingdom.

    So, we have to ask ourselves, just who was this Welsh Prince and did he really discover America before Columbus?

    My Discovery

    It’s an average day. Maybe a little overcast. A little warmer than I would like. Same old, dame old. So I get up and make a brunch.

    PHOTO---A delicious chicken salad sandwich.
    A delicious chicken salad sandwich.

    So, I’m minding my own business eating a chicken salad sandwich on wheat bread and drinking (room temperature) flower tea (not beer), when I come across this on the internet

    History and legend have it that MADOC, a son of King Owain of Gwynedd, is claimed not only to have discovered America in 1170, but also to have formed a tribe on the upper Missouri. 
    
    This tribe fuelled tales of fair-haired Indians, living in round huts and using round coracle-like boats, both of which were common in Wales, but unheard of in America at the time. They were also said to speak a language similar to Welsh.
    
    Owain Gwynedd, ruler of North Wales in the twelfth century, had nineteen children, six of whom were legitimate. MADOC, one of the bastard sons, was born in a castle at Dolwyddelan, a village at the head of the Lledr valley between Betws-y-Coed and Blaenau Ffestiniog.   
    
    On the death of Owain Gwynedd in December 1169, the brothers fought 
    amongst themselves for the right to rule Gwynedd. MADOC, although being brave and adventurous, was a man of peace. He and his brother, Riryd, left the quay on the Afon (River) Ganol at Aber-Kerrik-Gwynan, on the North Wales Coast (now Rhos-on-Sea) in two ships, the Gorn Gwynant and the Pedr Sant. They sailed west, leaving the coast of Ireland 'farre north' and landed in Mobile Bay, in what we now know as Alabama in the United States of America.  
    
    They liked the country so much that one of the ships returned to Wales to collect more adventurers, and in 1170AD, ten small ships assembled off Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel, which flows between South Wales and Southern England.      
    
    On arrival in America, they sailed from Mobile Bay up the great river systems, settling initially in the Georgia//Tennessee/Kentucky area where they built stone forts. They warred with the local Indian tribe, the Cheyenne. When they decided to return down river in some time after 1186, they built big boats but they were ambushed trying to negotiate the falls on the Ohio River (where Louisville, Kentucky now stands). A fierce battle took place lasting several days. A truce was eventually called and, after an exchange of prisoners, it was agreed that MADOC and his followers would depart the area never to return. 
    
    They sailed down river to the Mississippi, which they sailed up until the junction with the Missouri, which they then followed upstream. They settled and integrated with a powerful tribe living on the banks of the Missouri called Mandans.         
    
    In 1781-82, the white man's gift, smallpox, reduced the Mandans, a tribe of 40,000 people, down to 2,000 survivors. They partially recovered, increasing their numbers to some 12,000 by 1837, when a similar epidemic almost wiped the tribe out completely. It is recorded that there were only 39 survivors but the Mandan-Hidatsa claim it was about 200. These bewildered survivors of a once mighty tribe were taken in by the Hidatsa who had also been affected by the disease but to a much lesser extent. 
    
    It is this background which over the centuries has fueled 
    tales of a tribe of fair-haired Indians, living in round huts and using round, coracle-like boats - both of which were common in Wales but unheard of in America at the time. The tribe were also said to speak in a language similar to Welsh.  
    
    As we know many people including the Phonicians, St Brendan and the 
    Vikings discovered North America before the Spanish in the 15th century.
     
    This story is fascinating and there is a lot of evidence to back it up.
    'Mint', a Mandan Indian girl, 1832 by George Catlin
    ‘Mint’, a Mandan Indian girl, 1832 by George Catlin

    First explorations…

    Well, after reading that piece, it seems that some crazy things happened out in the Americas around 1100 AD.

    • A Welsh expedition of ten ships (perhaps, the number varies from two ships to two hundred ships) sailed to America from Wales, England.
    • Some reports state that they landed in Middle America first, before moving up the gulf to Alabama.
    • They reached what is now known as Mobile, Alabama. They stayed a short spell, and then moved up river.
    Dauphin Island is a narrow strip of land extending from the southernmost point of Mobile County.  On a modern map, it has the shape of a fish. The island is 15 miles long and  is located 30 miles from Mobile. It is connected to the mainland by a concrete    and steel bridge, which was built after the original bridge constructed in 1955  was heavily damaged in Hurricane Frederic in 1979.
    
    Dauphin Island was first known as Massacre Island to the French explorers because they found large piles of human bones there.  
    
    -Dauphin Island History
    • The traveled up the rivers there and formed colonies deep inside of America.
    • The created colonies that merged with the local Indians there.
    • They left a legacy of Welsh-Indian language, fair skinned, beautiful women, round Welsh-style houses, and Welsh-style boats.
    • They settled (initially) in the Georgia/Tennessee/Kentucky area.
    • They settled there. Established a main colony.
    • They then constructed enormous stone forts there.
    The Welsh of the Madoc expedition traveled inland up from Alabama, and the Mobile area. They settled initially in the Georgia//Tennessee/Kentucky area where they built stone forts. They warred with the local Indian tribe, the Cheyenne.
    The Welsh of the Madoc expedition traveled inland up from Alabama, and the Mobile area. They settled initially in the Georgia//Tennessee/Kentucky area where they built stone forts. They warred with the local Indian tribe, the Cheyenne.

    The Forts

    One of the “forts” said to have been built by Prince Madoc and his followers is located at Fort Mountain State Park in Georgia.

    Madoc was disheartened by this family fighting, and that he and Rhirid set sail from Llandrillo (Rhos-on-Sea) in the cantref of Rhos to explore the western ocean with a number of ships. They discovered a distant and abundant land in 1170 where about one hundred men, women and children disembarked to form a colony.
    Madoc was disheartened by this family fighting, and that he and Rhirid set sail from Llandrillo (Rhos-on-Sea) in the cantref of Rhos to explore the western ocean with a number of ships. They discovered a distant and abundant land in 1170 where about one hundred men, women and children disembarked to form a colony.

    This fort is located in the Chattahoochee National Forest close to the Cohutta Wilderness area, in North Georgia. It is a most beautiful area, let me tell you.

    Great hiking. Wonderful weather. Lot’s of history. You all should check it out.

    Approaching the fort wall from the South.   This wall is well over 800 feet long. It is 7 feet in high and 12 feet wide in many places. It seems to be generally agreed upon that the wall was originally much higher.
    Approaching the fort wall from the South. This wall is well over 800 feet long. It is 7 feet in high and 12 feet wide in many places. It seems to be generally agreed upon that the wall was originally much higher.

    Some authorities feel certain this wall was built Prince Madoc and his followers as a defensive structure. I mean, just look at all the stone used in the creation of this edifice. For goodness sakes.

    Though, others (you know, the feeble minded, or those that never had to lift and carry a 300 pound rock in their life) argue with that the wall was built by native North American Indians for ascetic reasons.

    Ah, what ever you say…

    Sure whatever you say.

    Maybe for superstitious or religious and/or astronomical purposes. Not that they know anything about the religion of the builders, but they do like to sound important and intelligent by adding some “ah’s”, and other “sounds and statements attributed by the learned Ivory-tower types”.

    Unfortunately, no artifacts have been found. For further details, please visit Georgia’s Fort Mountain.

    Remnants of the forts still stand, however. One of the forts is almost  perfectly identical, in terms of setting, layout, and construction, to  Madoc’s birthplace, Dolwyddelan Castle in Gwynedd, Wales. Fort Mountain,  Georgia, in the Chattahoochee National Forest boasts 800 linear feet of  800-year-old wall in ruins guarding the southern approach to a  forbidding crag. And there are actually several of these fort-like  structures scattered here and there. Did the Welsh really build them?  Was Madoc really the first European to see Gulf shores and the virgin  interior of the American South? 
    
    -Porter Briggs
    Looking along the fort wall in an westerly direction.  Many of the stones appear to have been knocked over and some areas behind the wall have filled in with earth washed toward the rock wall.
    Looking along the fort wall in an westerly direction. Many of the stones appear to have been knocked over and some areas behind the wall have filled in with earth washed toward the rock wall.
    The wall has many semi-circular structures as shown here.   These "pits" as they are referred to by the state authorities appear to have a defensive purpose. This view is from the south side of the wall; i.e., the side an enemy would see when approaching the fort.
    The wall has many semi-circular structures as shown here. These “pits” as they are referred to by the state authorities appear to have a defensive purpose. This view is from the south side of the wall; i.e., the side an enemy would see when approaching the fort.

    Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, tales appeared to the effect that various aboriginal tribes of North America spoke a form of ancient Welsh, had pale complexions and blue eyes, cherished ancient relics including Bibles printed in Welsh, built little wicker-framed, hide-covered boats similar to Welsh coracles and Irish curraghs, and so on.

    West end of the fort wall.   Access becomes very difficult at this point thereby suggesting that this may have been a defensive structure.
    West end of the fort wall. Access becomes very difficult at this point thereby suggesting that this may have been a defensive structure.

    At various times, the Shawnee, Delaware, Conestoga, Comanche, along with least nine more actual tribes and eight imaginary ones were said to have been blue-eyed Welsh-speaking Indians.  Eventually, the Mandan of North Dakota became the most favored tribe, possibly because their dwellings, and to an extent their social structure, differed from those of their more nomadic neighbors.

    North West View  Jimmie Lee Robbins wrote:   ". . . looking out from the North West side of the Mountain.  This is typical of the land around the summit except for the side that has the Stone Wall.  "The South side is the only place that would need protection."
    North West View Jimmie Lee Robbins wrote: “. . . looking out from the North West side of the Mountain. This is typical of the land around the summit except for the side that has the Stone Wall. “The South side is the only place that would need protection.”

    But they were chased away…

    • They warred with the local Indian tribe, the Cheyenne.
    • The war lasted many days and took place where Louisville, Kentucky now stands.
    • They lost, and after an exchange of prisoners left the area. Abandoning their colonies and forts there.
    • They went up the Mississippi river, took the Missouri river and settled on it’s banks.
    They sailed down river to the Mississippi, which they sailed up until the junction with the Missouri, which they then followed upstream. They settled and integrated with a powerful tribe living on the banks of the Missouri called Mandans.
    They sailed down river to the Mississippi, which they sailed up until the junction with the Missouri, which they then followed upstream. They settled and integrated with a powerful tribe living on the banks of the Missouri called Mandans.
    • The Mandan Indians were a large and powerful group that provided them protection and trade.
    The shaded area on this map shows the territories occupied by various Plains Indian tribes. The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara lived in what are today North and South Dakota.
    The shaded area on this map shows the territories occupied by various Plains Indian tribes. The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara lived in what are today North and South Dakota.
    • For around 500 years the Welsh-Indian descendants lived in relative peace.
    • Around 1781 smallpox devastated the Indian nations all over the Americas.
    • The survivors moved and settled with another Indian tribe further North near the Canadian border; the Hidatsa.
    Smallpox, reduced the Mandans, a tribe of 40,000 people, down to 2,000 survivors. They partially recovered, increasing their numbers to some 12,000 by 1837, when a similar epidemic almost wiped the tribe out completely. It is recorded that there were only 39 survivors but the Mandan-Hidatsa claim it was about 200. These bewildered survivors of a once mighty tribe were taken in by the Hidatsa who had also been affected by the disease but to a much lesser extent.
    Smallpox, reduced the Mandans, a tribe of 40,000 people, down to 2,000 survivors. They partially recovered, increasing their numbers to some 12,000 by 1837, when a similar epidemic almost wiped the tribe out completely. It is recorded that there were only 39 survivors but the Mandan-Hidatsa claim it was about 200. These bewildered survivors of a once mighty tribe were taken in by the Hidatsa who had also been affected by the disease but to a much lesser extent.

    Other reports

    Other reports seemingly confirm this narrative.

    In 1666 the Rev Morgan Jones, a Welsh missionary in North America, was captured by an Indian tribe with fair features and was about to be killed. But he prayed loudly to God in Welsh for deliverance, and was suddenly spared, treated as an honored guest and found he was able to converse freely in Welsh with the natives.
    
    In 1739, a Frenchman, La Verendrye, encountered a tribe of Indians on the Upper Missouri 'Whose Fortifications are not characteristic of the Indians... Most of the women do not have Indian features... The tribe is mixed white and black. The women are fairly good looking, especially the light colored ones; many have blonde or fair hair.' He called them Mantannes.
    
    There were many other visitors to the so-called Welsh tribe; one of 
    interest was a Maurice Griffith who was taken prisoner by the Shawnee Indians in 1764. The Indians eventually befriended him and took him on a hunting expedition to seek the source of the Missouri. High in the mountains they came across 'three white men in Indian dress' with whom they traveled for several days until they arrived at a village where there were others of the same tribe, all having the same European complexion.
    
    A council of this white Indian tribe decided to put the strangers to death and Griffith decided it was time to speak. He addressed them in the Welsh language explaining that they had no hostile intentions but merely sought the source of the Missouri and that they would return to their own lands satisfied with their discoveries. The Chief of the Tribe greeted them in Welsh and they were thereafter treated as guests, staying with the nation some eight months. Griffiths eventually returned to Virginia but his story aroused little interest.
    
    In October 1792, a French fur trader, Jacques d’Eglise, who had set off up the Missouri in August 1790, arrived back in St Louis. He had traveled over 800 leagues from St Louis up the river and had found a mighty and wealthy tribe of Indians, the Mandans. 
    
    There had been earlier rumors of this remarkable tribe, but no one had ever reached them from St Louis. He said that they were 5,000 strong, living in eight, great fortified villages; they had the finest furs; they lived in sight of a volcano and alongside the Missouri, which at that point flowed from the west or north-west and could take the largest boats. 
    
    d’Eglise reported that their fortified villages were like cities compared with other native settlements, they were much more civilized than other Indians and the final marvel, these Mandans 'are white like Europeans'. 
    
    Here at last was confirmation of all those stories of civilized white Indians, which had been filtering back along the Missouri for years.
    
    John Sevier, Governor of Tennessee, wrote to a Major Stoddard of the U.S. Army about a discussion he had had with the Major Chief of the Cherokee, Oconostota, in 1792. The venerable old chief informed him that, according to his forefathers, the white people who had formerly inhabited the country had made ancient fortifications on the Highwassee River now called Carolina. A battle took place between the Whites and the Cherokees at the Muscle Shoals on the Tennessee River. After a truce and exchange of prisoners, the Whites agreed to leave the area, never to return, eventually settling 'a great distance' up the Missouri.
    
    The Chief's ancestors claimed 'they were a people called Welsh and they had crossed the Great Water'. Governor Sevier also claimed to have been in the company of a Frenchman who informed him that he had been high up the Missouri and 'he had traded with the Welsh tribe; that they certainly spoke much of the Welsh dialect, and though their customs were savage and wild, yet many of them, particularly the females, were very fair and white.' 

    I truly believe, like the Spanish themselves, that they were not the
    first white men to set foot on north American soil and with evidence like this it is easy to see why.

    In 1739, a Frenchman, La Verendrye, encountered a tribe of Indians on the Upper Missouri 'Whose Fortifications are not characteristic of the Indians... Most of the women do not have Indian features... The tribe is mixed white and black. The women are fairly good looking, especially the light colored ones; many have blonde or fair hair.' He called them Mantannes.
    In 1739, a Frenchman, La Verendrye, encountered a tribe of Indians on the Upper Missouri ‘Whose Fortifications are not characteristic of the Indians… Most of the women do not have Indian features… The tribe is mixed white and black. The women are fairly good looking, especially the light colored ones; many have blonde or fair hair.’ He called them Mantannes.

    Looking for answers

    Preeminent Welsh historians, Alan Wilson and Baram Blackett, have studied this issue in depth. They have amassed a large amount of evidence that supports the long-suppressed idea that the ancient Welsh people traveled to America. Not only that but they explored the North American continent long before the Vikings and Columbus ever set foot on it.

    Welsh characterized “Coelbren stones” as well as other credible testimony and evidence have also been found in North America. These items, objects and evidence gives strength to the hypothesis that the ancient Welsh were in America long before Columbus.

    Observer after observer commented on the ‘whiteness’ of these Indians. It was this above all, which made them into a people of Myth. Many of them were, without doubt, fair of skin and hair. Their hair was often brown, sometimes red; it turned grey. The men had beards. Their eyes were sometimes blue. The neighbouring tribes, the Hidatsa, the Crows and the Arikara showed similar characteristics, but far less frequently.

    History has presented some difficulties in verifying the legend. Although all important events in Welsh life were recorded in the monasteries and abbeys of Wales, most of the records would have been destroyed when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries between 1537 and 1540 after falling out with the Church in Rome.

    The other issue affecting the lack of evidence is that the Mandan Indians, like most such tribes, only have a verbal tradition of their history and that different families are keepers of different parts of the story. With the two smallpox epidemics wiping out large sections of the community with such extreme rapidity, much of their history has been lost.

    With regard to the frequency of white physical characteristics, it must be remembered that the Welsh would have only numbered a few hundred amongst a tribe of tens of thousands. Supposedly about 300 men and women left Wales for the New World and if we assume that 200 survived the crossing and the various battles with the Indians, and they were absorbed into a tribe of some 40,000 Mandans, then the best guess is about 5% whites. Even if there were twice as many whites as previously suggested, then they would only number some 10% of the tribe. These would not have been spread evenly throughout the tribe but would have been concentrated in various families and villages.

    It seems unlikely that the Mandans were ever a tribe of white Indians, although they had a small percentage of members showing certain European characteristics. The reality of a tribe of white Indians as encountered by the Cherokees probably applied to a group of no more than a few hundred people and is unlikely to have lasted more than a few decades.

    Nevertheless, there does appear to be compelling evidence that a group of Welsh people went to America seeking peace, over three hundred years before Columbus, and they were eventually assimilated into a tribe of Indians on the Upper Missouri.

    The Mandans, and some of their neighbors, certainly lived in round, earth lodges not dissimilar to those found in Wales. They also used boats similar to the Welsh coracle, a peculiar little craft propelled in an even more peculiar fashion.

    If we add to this the undoubted infusion of some Northern European blood resulting in some tribal members having fair skins, fair or red hair and blue, grey or green eyes, then the probability of there being an element of truth in the story must be enormous.

    There are also the stories of some Mandans being able to understand the Welsh language and the various tales of the great battles on the falls on the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. There is the evidence of the stone hill forts in Georgia and Tennessee and the finds of coins, armour and helmets in the region as well as numerous skeletons of non-indigenous peoples

    All of this points towards a strong degree of truth to the story of madog.

    The lost expedition.

    Several centuries before Columbus sailed to the Americas, a Welsh prince named Madoc departed Wales to explore the oceans. He departed with ten ships and went West with a dream of discovering a new land.

    Several centuries before Columbus  sailed to the Americas, a Welsh prince named Madoc departed Wales with ten ships and a dream of discovering a new land.  It is believed that he landed in Alabama, and travelled up the water inland.
    Several centuries before Columbus sailed to the Americas, a Welsh prince named Madoc departed Wales with ten ships and a dream of discovering a new land. It is believed that he landed in Alabama, and traveled up the water inland.

    Madoc the explorer.

    Madoc was the son of King Owain Gwynedd.

    Now, King Owain, being a king, fathered many children. Being a king in those days was sort of like being the cross between a Rock Star, and Bill Gates. So he could have just about any lady that he fancied, and so he took advantage of this “perk of the office”.

    Owain Gwynedd, king of Gwynedd in the 12th century, had nineteen children, only six of whom were legitimate.

    Madog (Madoc), one of the many, many illegitimate sons, was born at Dolwyddelan Castle in the Lledr valley between Betws-y-Coed and Blaenau Ffestiniog.

    On the death of the king in December 1169, the brothers fought amongst themselves for the right to rule Gwynedd. Madog, although brave and adventurous, was also a man of peace. In 1170 he and his brother, Riryd, sailed from Aber-Kerrik-Gwynan on the North Wales Coast (now Rhos-on-Sea) in two ships, the Gorn Gwynant and the Pedr Sant. They sailed west and are said to have landed in what is now Alabama in the USA.

    Prince Madog then returned to Wales with great tales of his adventures and persuaded others to return to America with him. They sailed from Lundy Island in 1171, but were never heard of again.

    They are believed to have landed at Mobile Bay, Alabama and then travelled up the Alabama River along which there are several stone forts, said by the local Cherokee tribes to have been constructed by “White People”. These structures have been dated to several hundred years before the arrival of Columbus and are said to be of a similar design to Dolwyddelan Castle in North Wales.

    Early explorers and pioneers found evidence of possible Welsh influence among the native tribes of America along the Tennessee and Missouri Rivers. In the 18th century one local tribe was discovered that seemed different to all the others that had been encountered before.

    Called the Mandans this tribe were described as white men with forts, towns and permanent villages laid out in streets and squares. They claimed ancestry with the Welsh and spoke a language remarkably similar to it.

    Instead of canoes, Mandans fished from coracles, an ancient type of boat still found in Wales today. It was also observed that unlike members of other tribes, these people grew white-haired with age.

    Collecting proof.

    Wilson and Blackett (English historians) have spent much time in the USA with American historians, collecting considerable evidence and visiting sites of interest.

    Evidence of Welsh speaking native Americans is numerous and far more common than what we have perhaps been led to believe, with books and historical records suggesting that this hypothesis cannot now be disregarded.

    • King Arthur II, claims Wilson, was killed in a battle with Native American tribes in what is today known as Kentucky and his body sent home to Britain.
    • In 1824, Thomas S Hinde, of the prominent Hinde family, wrote to John S. Williams, editor of The American Pioneer, regarding the Madog tradition. In the letter (pages 373-376) Hinde claimed to have gathered testimony from numerous sources that stated that in 1799, six soldiers had been dug up near Jeffersonville, Indiana, on the Ohio river with breastplates that contained Welsh coat-of-arms. He also gives several references to Welsh and Welsh-speaking Indians. The present-day location of the breast plates are unknown.
    • Reuben T. Durrett’s book ‘Traditions of the Earliest Visits of Foreigners to North America’ published in 1908 has an incredible amount of references to the Welsh Indians.
    • As does ‘The Rev Morgan Jones and the Welsh Indians of Virginia‘ published in 1898, and ‘The biography of Francis Lewis and Rev Morgan Jones’ written by Lewis’ granddaughter Julia Delafield and published in 1877.

    Suppression of History

    The establishment historians have done a very good job suppressing the true history of North America. And at the same time promoting the fake history that we are all taught in school.

    You know the one. That tired and nonsensical narrative that no one knew how to make boats. Thus the ONLY way for humans to populate the various continents was through walking on foot, and over ice.

    Yup.

    Instead, the “Native American Indians” first crossed the Bering Sea from Asia into Alaska, then migrated down into North and South America.  Then (out of the blue) the White man showed up around 1500 and “discovered” America. As such they claimed it for themselves and stole the land from the “natives” and killed the ones who resisted the theft. 

    To me, it sounds like just another Marxist fairy tale of exploitation written by the usual suspects.

    Some people believe Madoc and his  men landed in the vicinity of what is now Mobile, Alabama. In  particular, stone forts along the Alabama River have drawn attention  since they were built before Columbus’s arrival, but some Cherokee  tribes say they were built by “White People.”
    Some people believe Madoc and his men landed in the vicinity of what is now Mobile, Alabama. In particular, stone forts along the Alabama River have drawn attention since they were built before Columbus’s arrival, but some Cherokee tribes say they were built by “White People.”

    Images of the Lost Welsh Colony

    George Catlin, a 19th century painter who spent eight years living among various native American tribes including the Mandans, declared that he had uncovered the descendants of Prince Madog’s expedition.

    Mandan Bull Boats and Lodges: George Catlin
    Mandan Bull Boats and Lodges: George Catlin

    He speculated that the Welshmen had lived among the Mandans for generations, intermarrying until their two cultures became virtually indistinguishable. Some later investigators supported his theory, noting that the Welsh and Mandan languages were so similar that the Mandans easily responded when spoken to in Welsh.

    Mandan Village: George Catlin
    Mandan Village: George Catlin

    All that remains.

    All that remains is a plaque. A plaque was placed alongside Mobile Bay in 1953 by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

    “In memory of Prince Madog,” the inscription reads, “a Welsh explorer who landed on the shores of Mobile Bay in 1170 and left behind, with the Indians, the Welsh language.”

    “In memory of Prince Madog,” the inscription reads, “a Welsh explorer  who landed on the shores of Mobile Bay in 1170 and left behind, with  the Indians, the Welsh language.”
    “In memory of Prince Madog,” the inscription reads, “a Welsh explorer who landed on the shores of Mobile Bay in 1170 and left behind, with the Indians, the Welsh language.”

    But then it was removed

    Storm over missing Madoc plaque
     
    Alabama: The Alabama Welsh Society is petitioning Mobile's mayor to return a  monument to Prince Madoc that was removed 20 years ago.
    
    Prince Madoc is  believed to have landed at Mobile Bay in 1170 after he and his brother sailed  from Wales following the death of their father, Owain Gwynedd. While there is  much speculation about Madoc, his legacy is still strong in America where he and  his group are believed to have settled among a Native American tribe. 
    
    The plaque  in question was placed near Fort Morgan in 1953 by the Daughters of the American  Revolution. 
    
    It read: "Prince Madoc, a Welsh explorer, who landed on the shores  of Mobile Bay in 1170 and left behind, with the Indians, the Welsh language."  
    
    According to Blanton Blankenship, site manager at Fort Morgan. the plaque was  removed and placed in storage because Fort Morgan "focuses on the United States military presence. "
     
    Alabama Welsh Society: www.alabamawelsh.com 

    Origins of The Mandan

    Engineer and Rhos-on-Sea native Howard Kimberly grew up with the plaque and the legend. Founder of the Madoc International Research Association, Kimberly collaborates with others devoted to the story, whether in America or the British Isles or wherever. His search led him into talks with Ken Lonewolf, a Shawnee “wisdom-keeper” who lives in Pennsylvania.

    Lonewolf, whose DNA indicates Welsh ancestry, believes he is descended from the original Madoc-led Welsh settlers. He notes government records of the sale of his ancestral village at the turn of the nineteenth century. The signature on the legal document is that of the last chief of the Shawnee: “Chief White Madoc.” Apparently the name and the legend meant something to the Shawnee as well.

    Origins of The Mandan                                          
    By: Madoc   
    
    As a direct lineal descendantof Madoc ab Gwynedd, Princeof Wales           and alleged founder of the  Mandan tribe,  I'd like to  shove my  two cent's worth in...
    
    Madoc (or Madog) was born  about 1150, one of four sons of the King of Wales. He and his brothers did not get along at all, and after the King died, Wales was divided 4 ways among his children. Madoc chose not  to rule his domain directly, having developed the wanderlust that consumes so many Celts. He was a well-regarded sailor, such that his sea-faring exploits were recorded less than 100 years later by a French historian, and again by Dr. John Dee in the 1500's. 
    
    Madoc is said to have left Wales with 5  ships, and to have arrived in the New World about 1172 or '73. He landed twice, once in Central America, where he is alleged to have been the "God" that the locals later mistook Cortez for. He then backtracked through the Gulf of Mexico  and landed around New Orleans. He packed his men and equipment up the Mississippi, finally stopping due to sickness in his men. He and his able-bodied crew floated back downriver and returned to Wales. 
    
    Madoc left Wales again around 1176, and returned to the Mississippi            river. He supposedly found that his surviving original crew had            intermarried with the local Native American populations, and most            chose not to return to Wales. 
    
    Madoc himself may have  stayed, as there is no record of his returning to Wales again. 
    
    Years  later, Lewis and Clark heard fantastic tales of "white Indians" who supposedly built forts, spoke Welsh, and fished from "coracles," which are leather boats totally unlike canoes. They were unable to substantiate those claims, although they found many "light-skinned" Native Americans, some of whom had blue eyes and blond or blondish hair and spoke a mish-mash of Souix and something that resembled Welsh in some aspects. These people claimed, unlike their compatriots, that they were descended of a "race of giants" who built their tipis of logs and came from "across the sea" (a sea which  they had never seen, by the way) and whose leader (Madoc?) had promised to  return for them one day. The local Native Americans whom they lived with supported their claims.
    
    The Mandan as a tribe still exist. They speak Souix and live mostly on reservation land in Wisconsin and up into Canada. They traditionally build log cabins and fish from leather coracles.                        The Mandan claim that they were separated as an independent tribe            because of disease and wars with settlers. They have largely become            Souix, and the US government lists the Mandan as Souix. 
    
    My family traces its roots directly to Madoc through Ireland, where            his offspring settled after being evicted from Wales by the British. As the King of England said at the time, "They can go to Hell or go to Connaught." My father is the direct lineal descendant of the Crown, and I am his first-born (and only) son. My father is the legitimate Prince of Wales, and Charles is a Pretender.  

    Conclusion

    This story is typical and should be an example of how colorful the human experience is. People! Life doesn’t fit into nice compartmentalized boxes, it is complex and tied together with so many other aspects of the human experience and our universe.

    If there is one thing that I would advise, it would be for you, the reader, to visit your local historical society and explore and poke around a little. Meet the people there, and talk to them. Listen to their stories, and learn a little bit more about the place where you and your family live. It will give you understanding and perspective. As well as being entertaining.

    These historical societies are everywhere and can be found in the smallest of towns, like in Erie, or in Kittanning. You all should go and take a visit to them. You will not be disappointed.

    The Hagen History Center on West 6th Street in downtown Erie, PA is the headquarters of the Erie County Historical Society. Housed in the historic Watson-Curtze Mansion, the History Center includes a regional history museum, research library, archives, and gift shop. The building was built in 1891 and is listed on the National Historic Register. It has been a museum since 1941. The museum features a permanent collection of Victorian era home decor, as well as temporary exhibits on local and regional history.
    The Hagen History Center on West 6th Street in downtown Erie, PA is the headquarters of the Erie County Historical Society. Housed in the historic Watson-Curtze Mansion, the History Center includes a regional history museum, research library, archives, and gift shop. The building was built in 1891 and is listed on the National Historic Register. It has been a museum since 1941. The museum features a permanent collection of Victorian era home decor, as well as temporary exhibits on local and regional history.

    Our world is colorful. Do not fall for the progressive narrative where everything fits into nice orderly boxes, and all our problems will be resolved if we give all of our money to the “experts” to solve those problems.

    It’s all a big money-making sham.

    “Attractions at the Armstrong County Historical Society and Genealogical Museum” Reviewed April 9, 2015  The house was built in 1842 and houses many rooms. The second floor has theme rooms of Military and Native American and also displays a sewing room and master and child room. The main floor boasts a parlor, dining, kitchen, pantry and McConnell Hall where the displays change yearly. A tour guide walks with you and relates the history of the magnificent home. Next door is what was once the Carriage House where the local genealogical library is now housed with many books of local history and local family history. The helpers are fantastic and do research while you are there or you can contact them via mail.
    “Attractions at the Armstrong County Historical Society and Genealogical Museum” Reviewed April 9, 2015 The house was built in 1842 and houses many rooms. The second floor has theme rooms of Military and Native American and also displays a sewing room and master and child room. The main floor boasts a parlor, dining, kitchen, pantry and McConnell Hall where the displays change yearly. A tour guide walks with you and relates the history of the magnificent home. Next door is what was once the Carriage House where the local genealogical library is now housed with many books of local history and local family history. The helpers are fantastic and do research while you are there or you can contact them via mail.

    Comments

     Hi, and thanks to the Blind King of Bohemia for posting the interesting  story of Prince Madoc and the finding of America. I'm an archaeological  scientist with both North American and European experience, and a long  interest in history. I've read about Madoc before and, based on what  little I've been able to fathom, the story has not been shown (at least  yet) to be false. 
     
     In recent years, much has been delved into on the notion of the Eurpoean  exploration/finding of America, and some scholars have even suggested  that prehistoric eskimos or their like had manage to navigate coastal  waters of an ice-locked shoreline that may have developed in the North  Atlantic during the last Ice Age. 
    
    They even go as far as to suggest that  some or many eastern American Indian tribes were descended from these  prehistoric explorers, rather than coming solely from Asia, as the  standard model gives it. 
    
    This would explain some unusual European-like  stone age artifacts and (disputed) dating that (at around 14000yrs)  would be too awkwardly early for people to have crossed from the west  (roughly 13000yrs ago). This may explain some of the European-like  traits seen in eastern American Indian tribes by some 17th-18th century  explorers, rather than being due to Madoc. But all these notions are,  though possible, unproven.
      
     However, up until recently, the Vikings' Vinland Sagas (wherein they  related their wonderful tale of going to North America - please read  it!) were thought, like the story of Madoc, to be the stuff of fairy  tales, but we now have physical evidence of at least one Viking  settlement in Canada, at L'Anse aux Meadows, as well as, of course,  three towns and 450 farms in Western Greenland (yes, Western - the side  closest to Canada), which was settled in the 11th Century.
     
     This is important, because the viking sagas also mention that they  encountered Welsh or Irish monks on their travels, which serves no  purpose to embelishing the sagas (such as boldy going where no man went  before etc), nor does it help in claiming new territories. We know that  there were seafaring monks in the North Atlantic by this time, and that  at least the Irish were recognised as excellent boat builders by the  vikings. Indeed, the sagas suggest that when they set off west for  Vinland, as previously with Iceland, that they'd already been told of  these places by those same monks. 
     
     And we know that by the 14th Century, long before Columbus, the North  Atlantic was already a busy place, with long-established shipping and  fishing routes between Scandinavia, the British Isles, Iceland and  Greenland (and yes, at least one village in Canada!), before the  300yr-old Greenland community collapsed, succumbing to worsening  climatic conditions. 
    
    All the history of which leads us to consider that  Madoc's earlier journey now at least seems less fantastical, even if we  still have no proof, and certainly, America itself (at least, that is,  the east coast of Canada) was no secret to the later North Atlantic  wayfarers of the 11th-14th centuries.
     
     After the "Little Ice Age" finished off the Greenland community, and  generally worsened conditions for any northern trans-atlantic travel,  "the knowledge" was not entirely lost, and by the 1470s at the latest,  there are records of Bristol fishing ships traveling back to those old  haunts and their known rich cod-fishing grounds off of what we now call  Cape Cod. 
    
    In 1496, John Cabot (Giovanni Cabotti, a Genoese merchant  sailor who settled in Bristol, England), sailed from Bristol to find,  circumnavigate, map and name Newfoundland. He was therefore yet another  man to officially reach the North American mainland before Columbus  (remember, in 1492, Columbus actually found Cuba, and even then, and for  year afterwards, was convinced it was an outlying island of India -  hence the term the West Indies). 
    
    Anyway, Cabot's journey is important  for another reason. He sailed from Bristol, the fishing community of  which, along with a few shipping communities from Ireland, had long  retained their old commercial "secret" of the abundant fishing grounds  off of Cape Cod (in Massachussetts) and safe-harbours visited to the  north. 
    
    Clearly, these sailors had retained the knowledge of their  earlier generations' explorations. Cabot soon got wind of this and  applied to the Sheriff of Bristol, Richard Americk, for funds to  explore, map and name these lands for the British crown and get Bristol  officially established there first. Yes, Americk, twice Sheriff of  Bristol, is the man whose surname gives us the name America.  
    
    Unfortunately, nobody in America cares to learn about him, and the  "mystery" as to the origin of the name "America" goes on. 
    
    Americk, by  the way, is a rare name, and came about because he was Welsh, born as  Rhys ap Meyrick, in Monmouth, but Anglicised his name to Richard Americk  when he moved to Bristol. Americk funded Cabot's journeys. To Americk,  Prince Madoc may have been a proud historical Welsh fact rather than a  modern fantasy. And Cabot's Bristol-born son, Sebastian Cabot, continued  the work. Between 1500 and 1507 Sebastian Cabot was the first to  navigate and accurately chart the entire coastline of Brazil. 
     
     So there you go, the North Atlantic was a pretty busy place before  Columbus. 
    
    By the way, Brutus, the notion about Quetzalcoatl bringing  farming and housing to Mexico is misplaced. Growing crops in Mexico was  established at least a thousand years before his time, as was housing  etc. 
    
    However, I do have one last interesting point to raise, regarding  traces of the Welsh in America. An archaeologist friend of mine was  working with a Blackfoot group in Canada, a couple of decades ago (long  before she or I had ever heard of Madoc), cataloging and restoring  tribal relics at the Glenbow Museum. 
    
    She was told by an elder, in  response to some quandary over conflicting ancestor descriptions given  in transcriptions of taped oral histories, that traditionally, the  founding father of their particular tribe was described, in the  tradition passed down to him, as a white-faced man, but that during the  conflicts with white settlers in the 19th century, this had become a  problematic issue. 
    
    And he said that certainly, by the mid twentieth  century, this description had become disputed within the tribe or at  least politically incorrect for many younger tribal members keen to  assert their rights as first nation Americans. And that nowadays, this  father spirit is depicted as an American-Indian looking man. 
    
    -Streety
     I just completed a book about Madoc et al, entitled Graves of the Golden Bear; Ancient Monuments and Fortresses of the Ohio Valley.
     
     It will be on Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords by October 15th.
     
     One hint: The 1170 date is a different Madoc /Madog/Maddaug than the one in America. He was much earlier.
     
     Streety, if you're still around, have you ever read Alan Wilson's take on the chronicles? 
    
    - RickOsmon 

    Other mysteries

    Here are some OOPARTS explained through my eyes while I was associated  within MAJestic. In all cases the discussions are based on what I was exposed to. Most of which is considered to be fringe and “tin hat” stuff. Whatever. Enjoy.

    The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The Hammer inside the rock.
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    Mystery of the bronze bell.
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The mysterious flying contraptions.
    The Oxia Palus Facility

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Assorted Influencer Driven FAQ’s Regarding this MAJestic Disclosure (part 4)

    This is part four of a multi-part post.

    Why was egress from ADC Pine Bluff via MWI unsuccessful?

    In the question earlier, the question was raised about my abilities, and how come I could not use my abilities to leave incarceration. It’s a great question, and here I try to answer it.

    Why was this the case? 

    My probes were specific and made for exactly my role. 

    To be a dimensional anchor, that restricted my world-line travel to only the closest 1-2% (x2=4% at maximum) alternative world-lines. I did not have the ability to travel into more divergent world-lines. 

    Apparently, all of the similar world-lines that I had “anchored” to led to this prison cell.  The reader should note, that when I did actually traverse the world line, I entered the same cell that I I had left on another world-line.

    The cell was always locked as far as I could tell.

    Time-Travel as an ADC egress methodology

    Not everyone accepts my answer to this question. So they look at different angles, based on what I have disclosed about my abilities.

    Couldn’t you simply do “apparent” time travel to get out of your situation?

    As a “dimensional anchor”, I did not need the ability to perform “apparent” time travel, either forward or backward in time.  It was not a mission requirement.

    Therefore, my probes never had this ability. 

    The only time this was conducted, that I was aware of, was with the larger stationary dimensional portal. I do suppose that some software changes could have enabled this ability, but I have no idea what they would be. Nor how to operate it.

    Twins?

    Ah. There is so much confusion. Really, EBP world-line egress via MWI manipulation is not at all as depicted in Hollywood movies.

    Once you left your world-line and entered a new world-line you now shared a world-line with two of you. What did other people do when they saw two of you?

    It did not happen that way.  I never traveled to a world-line where there was another person like myself. I think that most people are confused by the ignorance spewed out from Hollywood. We are consciousness.

    We are a consciousness that occupies bodies within realities.

    I believe that a reality is a construction that surrounds the physical person.  When you travel to a new world-line you occupy your role within that reality. However, your consciousness and memories are of a different reality. 

    When you travel to a new world-line, your knowledge stays the same, and thus can at times, place the traveler in a disadvantaged state. (It HAS to be this way, else how can anyone learn new things via experience?)


    Knowledge and memories are stored outside the non-physical reality that a consciousness occupies. When you switch realities (world-line slides), your memories associated with your consciousness stays intact. No matter how different your new reality is. 
    
    So if you were to slide into a reality where everyone speaks French, but you only speak English, you will be in big trouble. 
    
    Your physical body will be in French clothes, your scars and fingernails will reflect a French lifestyle, your girlfriend or wife (and mistress) will be French, but you will not be. Your memories will be in English, you will not know anything about the new reality that you now inhabit.
    
    Which is one of the reasons why I have a very heavy dose of skepticism to "others" who might describe experiences similar to mine via the nature of their discussion.

    So if you travel to a world-line where everyone else speaks Russian, then you will be disadvantaged and will certainly need to learn the new language to survive. This will occur even when your friends, family and wife will be unable to understand why you are speaking a different language.

    If I conduct a slide to another world-line, and see a quantum shadow of myself there, it tells me one thing, and one thing only. I am not within my own reality. I am occupying a reality that belongs to someone else.

    Take note.

    I have NEVER seen myself (or a version of myself) in any of the world-lines that I have visited. I attribute this fact to the fundamental point that it is my consciousness that egresses via wave-state to different world-lines. Not the idea that a consciousness trapped in a particle-state walks via portal to another world-line where the environment is shared.

    Thus, I have never completed particle-based consciousness migration and involved in apparent time-travel where I could meet an alternative myself.

    Post ADC Pine Bluff autonomous MWI travel

    Once you left prison, did you visit any other world-lines?

    No, not really. (Aside from trying to get out of my cell.)

    Unfortunately, my ability to access the core two probe’s control interface required  that the core one probes be engaged by the ELF handlers.  That ended about two days after I left the Pine Bluff Diagnostic facility. 

    I well remember when the ELF field was shut off. It was like turning off an old-style vacuum tube television where the picture goes to a straight line, then this dot until it finally goes blank.

    As before, I could always utilize the core two probes without the core one probes being activated, however without access to the probe two diagnostic screen, I was limited in my abilities. 

    I am referring to the diagnostic screen, not the “manual mode” numerical display. 

    Think of it being like a car.  With the core one probes on, I could move the transmission lever from drive, to reverse, to second gear, to park.  But with the core group one probes, off, I was stuck in what ever gear the car was in. 

    If the car was in “park” I could not go anywhere.  If it was in “reverse”, I could only go backwards. It was like that. I only have (present tense) a very small and limited range of world-lines that I can now traverse, and they are all very… very similar to this one

    Luckily for me, and for every other human on this planet, we can control our reality through the migration of adjacent world lines. I utilize this ability for my own purposes.

    Just like YOU can as well. I have a post all about how to do this. It works.

    Using Intention to make your life sparkle.

    You need to control and manage your thoughts. Only think of good things, that way your destination reality will be good.

    Extreme Travel Today

    Ok, you can currently still perform world-line dimensional travel.  What differences can you determine were you to go to the most “far out” world-line at this time?

    The (primary) difference is very small.  Maybe half of a percentage.  (As before, “manual mode” was fixed at a upper limit of 2%, which is -2% up to +2% , maybe a total of 4% if you think about it.

    Now, it was set with a maximum (secondary) variance of 0.5% or -0.5% to +0.5%. Moving the numbers is like slogging though mud.) As such, I rarely travel or venture outside of where I am.  

    I NEVER use the EBP (in manual mode), or anything associated with the ELF kit(s) to conduct any kind of dimensional travel. I never do. It is far, far too risky. Instead, I am quite happy as I am and the way my life is right now. I only "tweak" it somewhat by self-intention navigation.

    However, to answer your question, the difference would be very slight and hard to determine.  My dog might need a bath in one world-line while he might be clean in the world-line where I just came from.  There might be a bag of plums on the kitchen table instead of a bag of apples.  (Or, far more likely four apples, instead of the five in the previous world line.) There might be a song that I like, that does not exist in the new world-line.  I might owe a bunch of taxes that I didn’t pay (yikes!).

    World-line travel is just as risky as you can be aware.

    The truth is that one of the problems that I have on the world-line that I currently occupy is missing a particular Ray Bradbury story from the “R is for Rocket” book.  It just was never written in this world-line.  Which is a shame as it would be a very inclusion (of a few choice passages) in this blog.

    One of the things that I find to be uncomfortable is the limited range of food selections at fast food franchises on this world-line.

    City Chicken on a stick
    City Chicken on a stick a McDonald’s staple. It is actually pork cooked as “country fried” chicken is a staple on most other world-lines that I was involved in. In fact, it was just as popular as their fish sandwich. Now, around 1998 I did a world-line switch and suddenly discovered that this world-line never had “city chicken on a stick” at McDonald’s. But, for me, as someone who really enjoys this meal, I am greatly disappointed.

    That is also a good example on the subtly of (slight variation) dimensional world-line travel.  The differences are slight.  They are not really noticeable until you live in the altered world-line for a spell and spend some time noticing the differences.

    Examples include man-hole covers that are slightly smaller in a world-line, free refills of coffee on one world-line, and no refills on another, use of suspenders instead of belts on one world-line, or as in the current world-line that doesn’t have strawberry-coke soda. WTF, why?

    In this world-line, there isn’t any strawberry coke.

    Think about it, won’t you. Of all the things that are different. Like no baked beans with breakfast eggs and toast, a president that was a Reality-show television star, the lack of window awnings, and Venetian blinds, why in the world would strawberry coke be missing from this reality? It’s as bad as the lack of “city chicken on a stick” at McDonald’s, or no pizza cones at Burger King.

    I mean… come on!

    Pizza Cone
    Pizza Cones are also something that isn’t that common on this world line. I well remember getting my first Pizza Cone at Burger King back around 2001. I also tired the cones out of KFC, but they weren’t as good as the ones from Burger King. I think that it was because they used more cheese and the sauce was tastier. However, on this current world-line no-one has ever heard of them inside the USA.

    I mean I can adapt, but some of the differences just don’t make any sense what so ever.

    EBP discussion

    You only refer to the Core Kit #1 and #2 probes. Yet, you have three sets. Why don’t you ever talk about the set of implants installed by the extraterrestrials when you were “off world”?

    I know nothing about how those devices work.

    I can only report on what I know. I figure that the MAJestic installed probes are how MAJestic was able to keep tabs on me and monitor what was going on with my interface with the extraterrestrial devices. I think, though I could be very wrong, that the extraterrestrial devices is actually what is doing all the “heavy lifting” and the world-line travel. The core kit #2 probes enable me and MAJestic to monitor and record the resultant activity.

    MWI exploration for fun and adventure

    This is a very common question. Funny that I never really seriously considered doing this. Not in the least.

    When you knew you had this ability, did you ever go off exploring the alternative world-lines for fun?

    No.  That is reckless, and dangerous.  Further, it would be a violation of my responsibility, which is constantly monitored by my drone pilot and the <redacted>, and it is also limited by the hardwired configuration of the probes themselves. 

    I am sorry to explain these realities to the reader, but a Naval Aviator does not break his flight path to buzz some cows for fun (Well, I take this back …it does happen.  But rarely.)  I, however, never did that. It just wasn’t responsible.


    Here’s a fun article. “Is It A Bird? A Plane? No, It's A Giant Penis: Navy Apologizes For Pilot's Pornographic Sky-Writing”.  Found at: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-11-17/its-bird-its-plane-its-giant-sky-penis-navy-forced-apologize-pilots-creative-sky-dra
    Outrage over giant penis.
    Outrage over the giant penis in the sky. The poor people are all over themselves in passing out and hyperventilating over this fun exercise in air-man-ship.

    From the article:

    “Residents of Okanogan County, Washington woke up to some rather unusual cloud formations this morning courtesy of a couple of artistic Navy pilots stationed in nearby Whidbey Island.  Not surprisingly, the giant sky penis, which was described as the "most monumental thing to happen in Omak" by one Twitter user, sparked a wave of hilarious social media responses.”
    Shock and awe.
    People where shocked, stunned, and amused all at the same time. Aren’t Americans silly? Really. Imagine that! A big penis.

    And,

    “A local TV station in Okanogan, County, KREM-2, reached out to the Navy for a comment on the incident and promptly received the following apology which described the event was "absolutely unacceptable" and "of zero training value"...which we honestly find incredibly shocking as we've always lived under the apparently false illusion that if we were to ever find ourselves in a dogfight over the skies of Iraq that a carefully timed "penis maneuver" could be the difference between life and death.”
    Giant Penis in the sky. Amazing.
    Now, this is how a properly conceived penis should look. Isn’t mother nature wonderful? I certainly think so. She is offering inspiration to all the boys and girls out there all over the world. I wonder what nature is trying to tell us all.

    Finally,

    “"An investigation into this flight will be conducted and if appropriate, the aviator(s) responsible will be held accountable," the statement said.

    Meanwhile, this guy seems to have high hopes of sparking a Navy/Air Force pornographic sky writing competition…which seems like a truly genius plan, if we understand it correctly.

    Air Force would have drawn boobs. I'm just sayin'.
    
    — Drew (@MasterDroo) November 17, 2017

    MWI switching

    People ask me “what was it like”? Well that depends on the method used. Really there are two basic techniques particle-mode quanta, and wave-mode quanta. Most of my experience was with wave-mode quanta.

    As far as I understand, both the dimensional portal, and the EBP operate using wave-mode quanta consciousness.

    What is it like when you switched a world-line?

    It is like nothing happened. Seriously, that is the way it is.  If it wasn’t for the <redacted> I wouldn’t even know that I have made a swap.

    We humans make world-line switches all the time. We call it “the passage of time”. How do we know that we entered and passed through five world-lines (more or less) in the last second?

    We don’t.

    We take it all for granted.

    Now, that is the way it is with the EBP. You cannot tell that things are being switched on you at all. The only way you can tell is when you start to notice differences.

    For the “passage of time”, normal world-line changes it seems like nothing changes. That is because the world-lines are all adjacent. You don’t notice any changes except after large spells of the passage of many MWI changes.

    The arrow of time. This is how it really works.
    The “arrow of time” is the perception of our consciousness as it moves in and out of adjacent world-lines. It is our thoughts (and actions) that contribute to the destination that we often arrive at.

    For EBP initiated changes, you “jump” away out from the adjacent world-line realities. Yet, the only way you can tell the differences is by observation over time. There just is not any indicator…

    However, that is for automatic slides.

    For manual slides, a “heads up” dialog will appear. The controls to navigate with this interface are a series of alpha-numeric letters/numbers that describe destination coordinates. It is a very crude method. But, you all have to understand that this technology was 1980’s era technology.

    We can use a dimensional portal.
    We can use a dimensional portal to move anywhere and arrive anywhere. This is anywhere in time and space, as well as within any world-line no matter how strange.

    There is, however a much more detailed control. But it’s utility is limited because it is far too all-encompassing. It is a series of glyph and circular appearing symbols. It is the native controls used by the <redacted>.

    Associated with this are various “files” and “routines” that I cannot make heads or tails out of. This includes a map or record of the MWI path that I have taken relative to adjacent world-lines. They looks like triangular mesh with minor color gradients and changes in texture density. I haven’t a clue as how to read them.

    World-Line Selection

    How do you select a particular world-line?

    It is really very difficult to select a particular world-line. I can’t just determine that I want to visit a very “cat-friendly” world-line, or one where (Homer Simpson style) “donuts fall out of the sky”.

    There really isn’t any mechanism that I know of that will allow me to do that.  I cannot “pick and choose” what the world-line would be like.

    Episode: “Treehouse Horror V” Airdate: October 30, 1994. After tinkering with a toaster, Homer sends himself to an alternate dimension that, at first glance, seems like paradise. Patty and Selma are dead and the Simpsons are ridiculously rich. 
    
    But wait! There’s a problem. In this reality, donuts don’t exist! D’OH!
    Homer does manage to get back to his world, but ironically, just as he returns, donuts start falling from the sky (as if rain) in the alternate universe.

    If I want to alter my current reality, for my own purposes, I will need to control my thoughts and navigate on my own. (Provided, of course, that the <redacted> allow me to do so. They have put some major restrictions on my personal abilities to do so. For instance, they <redacted>. So, that when I try to use intention and direction for self-navigation via consciousness migration, I discover that in my case, <redacted>, and the <redacted>.

    Instead, from what I understand, there are groupings of realities that world-lines cluster towards.  These groupings are all fabricated by the collective soul consciousness, and provided for learning activities for the individual physical manifestations (by soul).

    I can only travel to world-lines that are [1] “nearby” to my own in terms of entropy (this is “locked in” by the drone pilot), and [2] in accordance with my ability to learn and gain experiences.  This is a limitation of the technology that I utilized, the world-line travel ability of the drone pilot and the biological artifice, and my (apparent) “soul contract” with the <redacted>.

    This is by agreement between the humans souls and the <redacted> souls.

    As such there are a large number of world-lines that I can traverse (not infinite, but rather finite), but how different they are (their individual divergence) can only be determined by myself through a measure of “regional-factor variance” (this is a very difficult attribute to describe). In any event, the drone pilot helps me in this regard, for it seems to be able to detect the best and most beneficial world-lines to visit.

    Now, how it appears to me is very personal and unique. It is how it would appear to anyone with EBP that are interfaced to the ELF probes during artifice transitions in either manual or automatic mode.

    I can “feel” comfort or revision as delineated by a group of seven (7) factors or types.  These can be displayed alpha-numerically if I am in a manual slide mode. 
    
    In all cases, if I were to select more than one or two factors that are in variance, then I would slide into progressively stranger world-lines. My “feelings” toward the selection of these (to me numerical factors) would determine the degree of comfort or distress upon slide arrival.

    As such, there are seven adjustable (7) characteristics or factors that “point in the direction” or variance from my (present) world-line.

    While I cannot identify HOW they will be different,  I have two gauges that I can use to determine my relative acceptance or revulsion to where the next traveled upon world-line would be like. This consists of my “feelings” (comfort or discomfort), and a numerical value (in manual slide mode). The [1] larger the numerical values (plus or minus) and [2] the way I “feel” will always be a measure of how different the new world-line would be.

    Thus, the new world-line cannot be predicted in terms of physical attributes.

    In can only be predicted in terms of relative comfort to the present world-line, where a measure of comfort is simply how greatly I would learn from my movement into the new world-line.  The more I will experience that is new and different, the more discomfort I would experience.

    It has been my personal experience that large variances and deviance’s from present world-lines are exponentially uncomfortable and a lot of work.  They can be horrific and frightening. All this being stated, I did not intentionally direct any my world-line travel.  My drone pilot did all the “driving”.  I was just the “passenger”

    Manual appearance

    What does your “built-in” “heads-up display” show to you when you are in manual mode?

    (In “manual mode”) It shows a series of seven alpha-numerical “numbers”.  The numbers are arranged horizontally in front of my eyes and are in focus no matter what my gaze is upon.

    Each number is “soft” and “hardens” once I make a “slide” into another world-line.

    Each number is a percentage of deviance (to three decimal places) for seven coordinates. It is a measure of deviance of my previous world-line to my present world-line. Each number has either a plus or a minus sign in front of it. Typically, the first four numbers were always “00.000” with no sign. The numbers would stay in my line of sight until I would “wish” them away.

    There are times when the alphabet is used. This is either singularly, or in conjunction with numbers. The meaning of these variations are <redacted>. They hold a very special hint to the <redacted>. In operation, <redacted>.

    For instance, during training, <redacted>.

    On another occasion, when I was <redacted>, the opportunity came for me to <redacted>, so I <redacted>.

    Manual Operation of the EBP

    How did you (manually) change world-lines?

    This is in regards to manual operation.

    [1] I would “pull up” the “built-in” “heads-up display”. It would show the seven numbers of my current world-line.  Since I was present on that world-line, all the characters / numbers would be set at “00.000”.

    [2] I could move a reticle that looked like a big circle over any of the numbers. 

    [3] Once the reticle was over a set of numbers, I could change the numbers by “thinking up/down”. The numbers would move slowly.  I never could change the first four numbers and the last number. The only numbers that I could change were the fifth, and the sixth.  I never moved the numbers greater than a value of “02.000” because I was unable to. 

    [4] Once I made my settings, I would “think slide”.  When this happened, the numbers would “harden” and I would “slide” into the new world-line.

    [5] The numbers would stay “hard” until I would “wish” them away. It was that simple.

    Strangest or Weirdest World-lines

    What was the strangest or weirdest world-line that you have ever glimpsed?

    Well, aside from this one?

    This is a really fucked up world-line.

    I mean, for goodness sakes, look around you. This world is weird. It is really absolutely a tad bit bat-shit crazy. You’ve got a President that is a reality television star, an educational system where grades have zero importance, you have plastic straws banned, and where enormous fat girls are proud of their rolls of fat, and jiggle their asses in front of everyone.

    For Pete’s sake, you don’t eat beans with eggs, and ride bicycles with helmets and knee and elbow protectors. There are no families or at least one with a father and a mother that raises children. You have most Americans living in an “existence” of which they are completely and positively tethered to the government.

    Large sodas are banned, but deep fried pork rinds aren’t. Michelle Obama was voted most attractive woman in the world numerous times, it’s against the law to collect rainwater, or use a fireplace in your house. Sexual deviants go to the White House and get rewards for “their contribution to society”, and a rising tide of angst is being directed at “white people” for their “privilege”.

    How can it get much weirder?

    I mean the next thing could be the outlawing of bags, the importance of treating pets as humans and giving them voting rights, and of course more taxes… you know… for the children.

    Hey! Don't you all think that this is natural and not contrived? Really? You don't possibly believe that there might be some bat-shit crazy idiot behind "the curtain" moving the reality around in crazy-assed ways?

    Ok. Well, the strangest ones were during training.

    Now, prior to my training with the drone pilot, I pretty much had this ability to move about and traverse world-lines (at will) but that I had no control or understanding of it.  About the time when I was first being trained, my Mars-time drone role interacted with the drone pilot and we conducted some exercises together.  (This was at Ridgecrest, California during a weekend when I was not on the base.)

    In one of those exercises, we were moving about a wide swath of world-lines with the drone pilot actually at the controls.  On Mars, and at the base, there were never any changes. 

    However, my Earth reality changed substantially, and cycled through various realities.

    The strangest was when the desert that surrounded us transformed into a lush green tropical forest. Everything was different, including my wife. The language was different, but I could not speak it. I think it was Spanish, but I never could tell the difference between Spanish and Portuguese. 

    The big thing that I remember, it’s funny the things that you remember best, was what it was like riding a motorcycle with a sidecar attached.

    Choices


    Do you wish that you could have selected a different world-line to retire to?

    I selected this one. 

    I selected this one based on my “feelings” at the time, and the direction of the drone pilot.  He (I think) “locked in” my selection to only a handful of choices.  Then permits me autonomous alteration via intention MWI navigation for tweaking.

    This world-line is my physical reward for my three decades of contribution.  It’s better than anything that I could have possibly imagined.

    I live this world line. I am currently in the preferred world-line given the limits of my abilities.  I think that I am doing pretty well. 

    I live on the beach in a tropical paradise, I make enough money, I am married to a stunning beautiful “stacked” Asian beauty. I live in a huge house (comparatively), with a huge porch, on the beach in a resort destination, with a huge roomy wine cellar (not that I use it). I have all the perks of being a boss in Asia. I eat quite well, and live a life that others would find hard to believe. 

    Why would I want a different world-line?

    Of course my life would not be considered to be anything really special according to what I see that United States has migrated towards. After all Michelle Obama is today considered to be the most attractive woman in the United States. So beauty is relative.

    What I think is beautiful is not what most Americans think is beautiful. But then again, I am old-fashioned and not at all a progressive and neutral-gender beta-male.

    Futurama considerations.

    Do you think that the Dimensional Portal on the base was just like the “Parallel Universe Box” from the television show “Futurama”?

    Yes. Though I must remind the reader that Hollywood takes the complex and simplifies it for public consumption.

    In reality, dimensional travel is possible using existing (extraterrestrially amplified) technologies that work under set rules and behaviors.

    I do not think that travel through the gate would be desirous if one went into wildly divergent destinations.  It would serve no practical purpose. However, please note that accidental transport to unplanned destinations could result in horrors beyond one’s comprehension.

    The box.
    The parallel dimensional box from the Futurama television series.

    From the (fictional )television show; Futurama. “The Parallel Universe Box was an invention accidentally created by Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth. Within the box was a parallel universe, inside which were alternate colored versions of the Planet Express crew. The only differences between the universes are coin flips, which apparently have decided the majority of Planet Express’ decisions and the colors of people.

    Also the sky is very colorful.”

    Found here; http://futurama.wikia.com/wiki/Parallel_Universe_Box

    Image what could happen if accidentally, though a technical glitch, a person ended up in a 65% divergent world-line? Yikes!

    The ultimate MWI destination

    With the ability to change world-lines, you could enter “realities” where you could be rich, famous, powerful, where you could live your wildest fantasies. Why didn’t you?

    This is one of the most common questions and perceptions that I hear. So it must be answered carefully.

    Do you, the reader, really WANT to live your wildest fantasies? I don’t want fame. I don’t want extreme wealth (not really if you get down to it). The things that I really love are all attainable by me, if I put my mind to it.  Like a tomato sandwich, or a pet cat, I can get them easily if I wanted them (by paying a price).

    • I want to live in a beautiful area. I have it.
    • I want to have a stress-free life. I have it.
    • I want a happy and stable life. I have it. 
    • I want a sexy wonderful and amazing wife.  I have it. 
    • I want to have fun, eat well, be respected, and play. I have it.

    MONEY: There are those who think that “just” if they made some more money they would be happier.  However, that has NOT been my experience. The times when I was happiest, aside from now being “retired” was when I was very poor. (We called that being “dirt” poor.)

    Using Intention to make your life sparkle.

    Please believe me, the attainment of money is not what you should concentrate on. It should be the attainment of happiness.

    FAME. Fame is a childhood desire for attention and appreciation. Once you live life, you realize that fame is tied to ego. The smaller your ego, the more fame you desire. However, there is another side of fame, when it brings you money. Now, that is another issue, but fraught with complications. Beware.

    They believe that if they were “just” famous they could sleep with anyone. Probably true, but with fame comes the problem of “thought imposition”, and that is a ugly reality that famous people have to deal with.  Most do not deal with it well.  I know that I would not be able to.  

    Thoughts of others are terribly restrictive. 
    
    They PREVENT growth and experience of the soul in the physical. The
    people know of you, the more thoughts are directed towards you.  Each thought narrows your choice selection in your reality (your world-line) variances.  
    
    In other words, once many people think and know of you, the number of world-lines that you can traverse sharply decreases.  
    
    It’s an inertial set of chains.

    Now, you DO KNOW, that there are other ways aside from fame that can open up some opportunities to meet a lot of different girls? You all don’t have to be a slime-ball with a casting couch.

    SEX: I have a stunning wife and can all the sex I want at any time.  Additionally, if I wanted variety, that is quite available to me as a Boss in China.  My sexual needs are all, and always,  fulfilled. And, I might add, are with REAL beauties.  Not bargain-basement skanks, or Thailand short-time girls.

    The two family types and how they work.

    Besides, contrary to the impression that you might get in the United States media, most traditional men (such as myself) are naturally happy with a singular wife and family. We adopt the K-strategy. Not the r-strategy so promoted in the American mainstream media.

    r/K selection theory

    POWER: I have what ever power I desire. It’s not that much. I’m a boss and I have a lot of respect from my charges and my peers. I have a “following” of sorts, and that’s good enough for me.

    Power
    What kind of power do you want? Be careful. For as you obtain power, you also obtain a lot of baggage and problems associated with it. Limit your desires to what makes you happy and no more. Be careful.

    If you, the reader, really and actually had the ability to move to a world-line; one world-line that would provide you with your deepest desires, what would that world-line look like?

    It would not be the same as mine. Maybe you would like something along the lines of this…

    Biff
    Do you really want power? Or, would you rather have the fun things that come with the respect that you earn through others? Think about that for a spell. Real power is not something that you see on Hollywood.

    Mine pretty much looks like the preferences that I filled out on the handout way back when I was in the Navy sitting with all the beautiful women.

    All in all, I think that I am doing pretty darn good.

    No, it is not perfect. Yes, I could be making more money, and I have always wanted to have a Bentley, but you know what? I like being driven around. I no longer drive. Yes, I do like to cook, and I make a great pot of chili, but I am just as satisfied with the chili that my wife makes for me, and the dinner that she provides.

    Link

    We all have to turn off that propaganda machine known as television, and the internet, and start appreciating what we have RIGHT NOW.

    How about you go and buy yourself a bagel – nice and hot right out of the oven. Yum!

    Pleasures
    Continued-graphic-arrow

    If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.

    MAJestic Related Posts – Training

    These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    How to tell...
    How to tell -2
    Top Secrets
    Sales Pitch
    Feducial Training
    Implantation
    Probe Calibration - 1
    Probe Calibration - 2
    Leaving the USA

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Secrets of the universe
    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The Hammer inside the rock.
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    Mystery of the bronze bell.
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe
    Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
    The mysterious flying contraptions.

    Influencer Questions

    Here are posts that have gathered a series of questions from various influencers. They are interesting in many ways and could help all of us unravel the mysteries of the lives that we live.

    Interview with an Influencer.
    More discussions with an influencer.
    Using Intention to make your life sparkle.

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    How MWI allows world-line travel.
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel
    Soul is not consciousness.

    John Titor Related Posts

    Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

    They are;

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    The Mystery of the Dellschau Flying Contraptions

    There was a time, long before compartmentalized special access programs, that other people created their very own secret organizations. These programs operated outside of government control, and oversight. In fact, during the last century, the United States was full of these “fraternal” organizations. Most of which operated with a secret side. And most, of which, were men-only membership and required rituals to join, and tasks to complete. All in secret. Here we look at one of them; the Dellschau flying machine project.

    Secret Organizations…

    These other people, and these other organizations, created societies with membership, and worked those programs to their conclusions. They kept all of their activities secret. They took “blood oaths”, and policed their ranks. They held belief in causes greater than themselves. They toiled and worked, and then moved on.

    Sometimes the objectives were political in nature. Such as to “liberate” a land or a people. Sometimes the objectives were social, as to provide an outlet for fun and debauchery where the prying eyes of the “lesser sex” could be safely occluded. And, yes, sometimes the organizations revolved around devices, inventions and adventuresome activities.

    Gathering
    Vintage photo of a knights of Columbus gathering. Undated. Membership was all male and consisted of hard working, men of all occupations, of the local community. They supported each other and places rules of behavior and membership. Unlike today, where everyone can join for “equality”, these members placed merit over equality. No one was equal. They recognized that everyone was different, and they only wanted the best to join their organization.

    These organizations would often hold meeting in secret, and rotate the locations. They would elect members, and would enforce initiation rituals and codes of secrecy. They would hold meetings, of which members would repeat and enforce codes of behaviors and rituals shrouded and cloaked in the arcane.

    Often they would have secret handshakes, and special symbols and behaviors that only other members would recognize. Such as rings, ways of tying their shoelaces, pins and badges and other behaviors that would be ignored by the uninitiated.

    The secrecy was considered important, as it was strongly believed that the “average person on the street” were just simply “rabble”. As such, the “better” people of society needed to operate the “levers” of control away from the prying eyes of the well-intended ignorant.

    Moose hat.
    Hat from the Royal Order of the Moose. When the organization was first founded, it was set up as a serious organization with serious importance and critical purpose. They enforced membership to men only, with character being of upmost importance. They made rules and enforced them. They established “good old boys networks” to assist members in building up lives for them and their families and kept the “riff raff” out.

    When they would meet, they would often wear special regalia. This might include cloaks, hats, and other adornments. They would wear these elements over their normal everyday clothes. As there were an inherent hierarchy present in these organizations. And traditions, rules and laws needed to be followed to “the letter”.

    Time moves on…

    Over time, many of these organizations died out. While the larger ones became something else entirely.

    They expanded their membership to include women, then children. Then gays. Then LGBT, and now today anything that can apply and pay the fee can join. It’s for “diversity”, you see. It is for “equality”, don’t you know. It’s for a better world, to protect the children, and other such themes…

    The larger ones became social clubs, where you could combine low-priced alcoholic drinks with community daycare. (After all, what better way to meet with friends and associates that over some beers and song, while the kids are watched over in the next room?) They developed “play rooms”, bought pool tables, and would rent out the social halls for a profit to fund building maintenance.

    Such is what happens when your membership can be all inclusive. Everyone can join, and the standards are lowered to zero to accept everyone.

    Many of these transformed organizations are well known today. We have the VFW, the Lions, the Elks, the Moose, the Polish Falcons, and many others. Today they are considered an anachronism. They are considered nothing more than a holdover from a “barbaric” time when men needed to gather and discuss “trivial” matter of local society.

    We have all forgotten why they were founded in the first place. We have forgotten the society from whence they sprung up from. We have forgotten their importance, and in our rush to “modernize” them, and make them more “progressive” by opening up membership to everyone and every thing, we have lost something valuable.

    We have lost our history.

    What remains…

    Yes. Over time things have changed. In many cases, the members died, and at their death the secrets that these programs held went with them to their graves. The organizations, their membership and their objectives become forgotten. Only the relics remained.

    Relics that were themselves often discard and misidentified by the few whom blundered upon them. “Oh, that’s just a flag of some para-military organization that your great great grandfather belonged to.” or, “I don’t know what that crazy knife is. It’s probably just a fancy letter opener”. Or, better yet a strange “tapestry” with strange symbols and an unusual motto in Latin, might be found and then “cleaned out” by a well-meaning but wholly ignorant relative.

    Mystery object
    Special objects, and items of significance lose all their importance when no one remembers their history, their purpose and why they existed in the first place.

    This should come as no surprise. 

    We all have heard about the “ The Masons”, and “The order of the golden dawn”, and many, many others. Some are relatively well-known, and weren’t really all that secret, such as the ‘Black Panther” movement of the 1960’s and 70’s. But some were so secret, that when they disbanded, all that remained were some dusty scraps of mystery.

    Yes, some of the secret organizations come out of the shadows and make their appearance from time to time…

    The order of the golden dawn
    Member of the far right Golden Dawn party hold flags as they take part in a rally in Athens on February 1, 2014. Some 3 000 far right Golden Dawn nationalists took part in the rally to commemorate a 1996 incident between Greece and Turkey at Imia island. Meanwhile anti-fascist protesters clashed with police as they gathered nearby to oppose the rally of members and supporters of the Golden Dawn extreme-right party. AFP PHOTO / Louisa GouliamakiLOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images

    But what of the secret organizations that continue to remain hidden? What of those?

    What of these still secretive organizations?

    These are secret organizations, set up at the time of the loyal order of Elks, or other fraternal societies. These are organizations where members can join, and become involved in something far bigger than themselves. Members can become part of an organization that can control the life and direction of mankind, in their own unique and secret manner.

    Let’s look at one of these long forgotten, but highly secretive organizations. Let’s look at the “Dellschau Flying Machines”.

    Introduction to secrets and disclosures

    Everyone has secrets. For some, it is the cookies that you stole from your grandmothers house. For others it is a dark past that you try to keep buried and hidden. For others, it is being part of a secret society. A secret society.

    With that in mind…

    Let’s look at the secrets of a neighborhood butcher. For it is a great story, and involves the dreams and adventures of manned flight at a time with it was considered an impossibility to fly. For at that time, “everyone knew” that man could never fly.

    "If man were meant to fly, he would have been born with wings"
    - William L. Shanklin

    Yah. Everyone knew.

    Just like today. “Everyone knows” that there is no such thing as extraterrestrials. Everyone knows that if the government discovered intelligent aliens that they would announce it to the world, and that the world would rejoice in happiness and rainbows (with the possibility of dancing unicorns, thrown in for good measure.)

    Everyone knows this. Even the anointed one; (former) President Barrack Obama (the first) said that there is no such thing as extraterrestrials. He told the world this while he was on that very important television show; the Ellen DeGeneres show.

    Anyways…

    This story is one shrouded in mystery, and almost lost forever. It is a story intertwined with secret societies, hidden codes, otherworldly theories and seemingly impossible inventions. It is a story that place at a time, long before man even dreamed of flying in automated mechanisms.

    It is the story of a dream, and an obsession of a man, or a group of men, all toiling in secret. To everyone else, however, Charles Dellschau had only been known as the grouchy local butcher.

    He was nothing more than that. Or… was he?

    Dellschau Flying Contraptions
    Dellschau Flying Contraptions – a sample showing the level of detail present and the curious statements involved.

    A discovery in the junk

    This is a story that was unseen for decades until it was salvaged by a junk dealer in the 1960s. It all began with a trash heap outside a crumbling house in Texas. This is the story of an entire body of work that would later go on to marvel the intellectual world.

    1969 in NYC.
    The late 1960’s was an interesting time. America was changing. Styles, hobbies, and fashion were quite different from what we are accustomed to today.

    It all began in 1969, when a used furniture dealer named Fred Washington bought 12 large discarded notebooks from a garbage collector.

    He brought them to his warehouse. There, among the clutter and dusty odds and ends, they found a home. I am sure that there were boxes of old men’s magazines, vintage fishing tackle, and dusty vintage pictures of cats with big eyes, and clown portraits resting everywhere. They fit right in.

    1960s art
    For some reason, that mystifies me today, big eyed cats, clowns, and kids with guitars were very popular decorations for living-rooms int he 1960’s. I guess that they matched the decor at that time.

    He must have thought that they were an interesting curiosity. As he kept them lying around in his warehouse. Eventually finding a new home in the corner under a pile of dusty carpets.

    Of course, junk stores are frequented by starving students and their ilk. They need to find cheap apparel, inexpensive furnishings, and curiosities to outfit their dorm room or apartments. As such, many younger kids would come in to the store to look around and browse.

    A sample drawings of the Dellschau Flying Contraptions  showing design, production and technical details related to operation and theory.
    A sample drawings of the Dellschau Flying Contraptions showing design, production and technical details related to operation and theory.

    An art student takes a look at the work

    In 1969, art history student, Mary Jane Victor, was scouring through his bazaar of antique furniture and brick a brack castaways when she came upon the notebooks. As she brushed off the dust from the covers, she could clearly see that the work was truly unique and very, very special.

    1960s college fashion.
    A typically dressed gal on a college campus sometime during the late 1960’s. She is very “mod” and fashionable.

    This was not some mass-produced ancient harmonica. This was not your run-of-the-mill lamp, artwork made out of dried macaroni, or a broken lava lamp. No. This was unique. It was not mass produced. It was custom made, and obviously one of a kind.

    These notebooks became known as “the mysterious works of a Charles Dellschau”.

    Technical illustration.
    While some of the works seem like fanciful art revolving around newspaper clippings and colorful sketches, many are far more technically inclined and quite involved.

    Inside the scrapbooks she discovered a remarkable collection of strange watercolors and collage pieces. They were beautiful and amazingly detailed. And yet, and yet, there were boxes and boxes of these books. As she looked, she would remove a book, only to find yet another under it.

    When she asked about purchasing the books, the junk dealer gave her an outrageous price. Indeed, this was most especially outrageous for a “starving” art college student. He asked for around $2000 dollars for everything. This was equivalent to $13,775.26 today. (Calculator HERE.)

    One of his many inventions.
    Was the butcher a “wanna-be” inventor, or something else? Was he an artist, or a draftsman? Or, was he exactly what he claimed to be; the scribe for a secret organization of early aviator pioneers?

    What’s an art lover going to do?

    There were more than 2,500 intricate (and detailed) drawings of flying machines alongside cryptic newspaper clippings filled the pages, crudely sewn together with shoelaces and thread. It was a work of art, and if she (as someone who appreciated it) wouldn’t purchase it, then who knows what would happen to it…

    A patron of the arts becomes interested

    In frustration, she discussed this matter with her friends. Maybe she smoked some of that devil “weed” and listened to Janis Joplin in the process. Who knows? What we do know is that she felt the need to “rescue” the works that she discovered.

    Mary Jane immediately notified the Art Director of her school, a Mr Dominique de Menil, of Rice University. He was not only a major influence in the art world, but was also Houston’s leading fine art patron. He immediately snapped up four of the books for $1,500. Where he wasted no time to put on an exhibition at the university entitled, “Flight”.

    Artwork on display.
    Today this body of work are considered a beautiful curiosity. While the drawings might be associated with a secret flying organization, this aspect of the man and his life is considered to be not nearly as important as the art that he created.

    With that, Mr. Charles Dellschau, a Prussian immigrant had finally been discovered, nearly 50 years after his death in 1923.

    But…

    The question remains; what was he? Was he a visionary? Was he an artist? Was he a scholar? Was he an inventor? What the heck was he, and why did he devote so much of his life to such an endeavor?

    Mr. Charles Dellschau, a Prussian immigrant

    Immigrants to the USA.
    Photograph of a Group of Immigrants Outside a Building on Ellis Island 10450_2007_001

    He had arrived in the United States at 25 years old from Hamburg in 1853. Documents show he lived in both California and Texas with his family, working as a butcher.

    He retired in 1899, at the ripe old age of 71 years.

    As an old man, he took to filling his last days by filling notebooks with a visual journal of his youth. In fact, for the remaining years of his life, he apparently locked himself in the house (more or less) only leaving when absolutely necessary. He found comfort and solace in his house, among his belongings. As such, we would spend his time, not by watching “Laugh In”, but rather working on his autobiography.

    He called the first three books, Recollections and recounts a secret society of flight enthusiasts which met in California in the mid-19th century called the ‘Sonora Aero Club’.

    How’s that for a mouth full?

    Dellschau flying machines
    Very detailed drawings and artwork. The Dellschau flying machines seem to be more of an art-derived obsession by an unhappy butcher, or were there something else…

    The books are an autobiography of a secret society that he belonged to.

    The books are many things, but fundamentally they are an autobiography of his early life, and notations from a secret organization that he was part of. As such, there is no question at all about it. His autobiography is a strange one.

    Mystery man or butcher?
    Was Mr. Dellschau a simple butcher? Was he an artist? Was he crazy? Or did he have a secret that he had to keep to himself, but was totally and fully enraptured by?

    In fact, it is heretical. He claimed that flying machines were not only invented, but perfected, after the American Civil War. He showed the various designs, and discussed ways and means (mechanisms) to solve the various issues that arose when operating those machines.

    The Wright Brothers wouldn’t even make their famous first flight until 1903. Yet, yet… Dellschau draws dapperly-dressed men piloting brightly-coloured airships and helicopters with revolving generators and retractable landing gear.

    Aside from this body of work, no other records have ever been found of the Sonora Aero Club. And, a study of Dellschau’s artworks hide a secret coded story. Inside the art and the strange designs apparently lie evidence of secrets and private stories.

    Whatever it was that he had to say was apparently too private even for his own notebooks and even today, much of the mysteries has yet to be revealed.

    Enter Mr. Pete Navarro

    A Mr. Pete Navarro, graphic artist and UFO researcher, heard about the “Flight” exhibition in 1969 and became enthralled.

    He believed there was a connection between Dellschau’s drawings and another mystery. This other mystery was the mysterious mass of “airship” sightings that occurred all over the United States at that time period. Indeed, at the turn of the century, there were mysterious sightings all across a swath of states. This included a full 18 states that ranged from California to Indiana.

    In 1972, he discovered that 8 remaining books of Dellschau were still sitting at the junk shop, unwanted and unclaimed. He bought the lot for $565 and spent the next 15 years obsessively decoding Dellschau’s work.

    Most importantly, Dellschau never drew himself aboard the fantastical aero inventions. Instead, he only represented himself as the club’s scribe/ record-keeper, rather than as one of its inventors or pilots. At which we have the answer to the mystery, though no one wants to believe it. That these drawings are the sum total of the records of that secret organization.

    The designs

    In a study of the work, you can see many, many various designs and inventions. In fact, there are as many as 100 designs for airships with names like the Aero Mary, the Aero Trump and even an “Aero Jourdan”.

    The mission

    The club’s secret mission? To design and build the first navigable aircraft using a secret formula he coded as “NB Gas”. This “NB Gas” enabled the airships to negate gravity and drive the ships mechanical devices. They could actuate the wheels, side panels and compressor motors. This is pretty amazing that this all took place during an era when air travel was still viewed as a mystical impossibility.

    Gases that are lighter than air include water vapor, methane, hot air, hydrogen, neon, nitrogen, ammonia and helium. These gases have a lower density than air, which causes them to rise and float in the atmosphere.

    A dark side

    Some of his drawings tell of fatal crashes of the society’s airships.

    While others talk about sabotage of other club members and the banning of members who talked about the secret organization to outsiders. According to Dellschau, the club’s aero prototypes would travel the open roads disguised as gypsy wagons to avoid detection.

    Imagine that! The vintage UFO’s would be carted on the contrivances of the day and ride on the roads in plain sight of the common village-people there.

    Flying Machine 2
    Drawings were complete with aux views and cutaways. These do not simply describe a fantasy, but rather a serious technical interest in a forbidden technology at that time.

    NYMZA

    In the notebooks’ strange code of germanic lettering, Pete Navarro found a phrase that translated as “NYMZA”. Dellschau reveals this to be an even larger secret society that allegedly controlled the Sonora Aero Club branch.

    Based on Navarro’s findings, UFO theorists have come up with some far-fetched speculation that the NYMZA was in fact an extra terrestrial entity. (Thus lending ammo to the idea that UFO theorists are all bonkers.)

    Vintage UFO.
    Vintage photograph of something in the sky. This predates Photoshop and is thus considered to be something accidental. Like an out of focus crow, or a meteor taken by a low-quality camera of the day. Some even speculate that this is a vintage alien saucer-shaped spacecraft.

    Secondary sources

    While Navarro rubbished those claims, he did manage to find some supportive evidence. He found press clippings in Texas archives linking one of the names of Dellschau’s secret society members to an article published in 1897 about a local airship sighting.

    The San Antonio Daily Express article identified one of the airship’s mysterious occupants as Hiram Wilson. Now Hiram, who according to witnesses, revealed that his airship design came from someone else. He claimed that it came from his uncle named Tosh Wilson.

    Amazingly this Tosh Wilson was the very name Navarro had found mentioned in Dellschau’s watercolours as a Sonora club inventor.

    To crazy to believe?

    But even Navarro, despite his exhaustive research, had his doubts about Charles Dellschau’s story and how much of it was fiction. Were they tall tales to keep an old man entertained? Or were they true accounts of his youth, perhaps innocently exaggerated here and there?

    Fiction or not, a single page from Dellschau’s notebooks could fetch as much as $15,000 in the late 1990s. Today, Navarro is no longer in possession of his books; he sold them off in need of some cash to museums, galleries and private collectors in Texas, New York and Paris.

    And now, today, all that remains is an occasional Internet posting and a Wikipedia entry.

    The Back-Story

    How did the books end up in a trash heap in the 1960s in the first place?

    Well, it turns out that the books had been hiding in Charles Dellschau’s attic where he lived and worked much of his life. They just sat there, forgotten and collecting dust. When he died, they continued to lie there. They grew dustier with time, and long forgotten.

    Life moved on.

    Seasons came and went. Wars came and went. After World war I, came the “Great Depression”, and that was followed by World War II. Then came the Korean War. Then, after that came the Vietnam war. By the end of the 1960s, the remaining family members, an Anton Stelzig, the husband of Dellschau’s step-daughter, was living in the house.

    In the 1960s he, and his two ageing sisters, had a nurse to care for them. (It’s what often happens when you age.) The nurse would come in, make meals clean the house do laundry, and then leave.

    As part of this care, the house and living arrangements needed to be assessed by the government. As such, the department assessed that the house was a hazard and ordered that it be cleared of debris. It was a cluttered mess of brick and brack from at least three full generations. We can well imagine the mess of stacks of papers, boxes of old clothes and rubbish that defied explanation.

    Cluttered House.
    We do not know what all the clutter looked like, but we do know that it was severe, and that the government ordered it to be cleaned up. It had to be pretty bad as this was the 1960’s and government intervention in the lives of others wasn’t any way as pervasive as it is today.

    The nurse was given the task of “cleaning-up”.

    Her way of doing things resulted in many of the family’s treasures being thrown out onto the street. She just picked the stuff up, hauled it out and set it on the curb. Everything went. It was a “fire sale” of three generations. Everything went, including Dellschau’s books. Anton’s grandson Leo, painfully recalls the nurse saying, “I took care of that mess and cleaned it all up.”

    Some of Dellschau’s work is still believed to be missing, probably lost forever.


    In 2009, Pete Navarro finally published his co-written The Secrets of Dellschau, revealing a lot of the script he had decoded from the books. Four books still remain in the Menil Collection, locked in a humidity-controlled room. Researchers continue to unearth new pieces of information through  surviving relatives.

    Another Dellschau enthusiast, William Steen, obtained the aviation enthusiast’s journals in the late 1990s which included details of [1] a secret club boarding house, with [2] a bar and [3] dining room where the society would have meets, dream up their newest flying machines (and probably just have a bit of guy time)!


    “The more details I see about Dellschau, the more convinced I am that a great deal of it is highly possible,” he told the Houston Press. “Even though it’s fantastic, it’s more than just fairy tales.”

    Other Mysterious Airships at the turn of the century

    Back at the turn of the century, people would see strange things in the sky. They did not call these items UFO’s. No. Instead, they called them something else. They called them “mystery ships that sailed in the skies”, or “Mystery airships”. Despite numerous reports of sightings, and claims of responsibility by mysterious inventors, none of the aircraft were ever discovered.

    March 1880

    The first report that is known, dates from 29 March 1880. It was found in the Santa Fe Weekly New Mexican. Although it could be fictional, there is a core of credible reports that indicate that the mystery airships cannot be entirely dismissed as hoaxes.

    1892

    In 1892 there were a series of reports of airships on the German-Polish border. The airships were seen to hover and even fly against the wind – impossible for known airships at the time. Four years later the airship wave took off.

    November 1896

    Mid-November 1896 saw several reports of mysterious airships over California.


    Fast-moving (or sometimes stationary) nocturnal lights were seen over major cities, and spurious claims were made on behalf of “inventors.” The stories fizzled out in December, but the following February more reports came from Nebraska.

    Two witness described a conical craft with wings and a fan-shaped rudder.

    April 1897

    Reports of airships soon spread, and by April reports were coming from much of the region.

    Stories circulated, once again, of inventors exiting their craft and confided in witnesses.

    It is easy to dismiss these stories of inventors as fictitious. In today’s society, most people are totally oblivious to the fact that back then people had no desire for fame to the extent that they do today. We automatically assume that everyone yearns for fame like they do today. It’s a barren assumption bases on ignorance.

    The Dallas Morning News of April 19, 1897 reported that an airship had crashed in Aurora, Texas, and its “Martian” occupant had been buried in the local cemetery.


    1909

    Although this wave of reports would eventually die down by May, there was one more wave of sightings to come. In 1909 airships were reported in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. This is known as the British airship wave.

    This wave of airship sightings mostly consisted of fast-moving cylinders with strong lights. Given the time period, they were blamed on German spies. In the Untied States the US sightings were blamed on a Mr. William E. Tillinghast of Worcester, Massachussetts.

    Tillinghast was apparently blameless.

    After the first world war, reports of mystery airships largely died out, but sporadic reports were made of cigar-shaped craft with propellers or fins in Kentucky (1927), California (1946), Kansas (1952) and New Mexico (1967).

    A great write up on the codes

    The following is from Lexicon. They discuss the codes and how they were cracked and what they have to reveal. It’s a pretty good and detailed, not to mention, interesting article. I placed it here so that it will not be lost in the annals of time. All credit to the respective authors, and note that the text is copied exactly as presented (broken into paragraphs for easier reading) and placed on a pink background.

    I urge the reader to visit the Lexicon Magazine website as there are many, many illustrative pictures and diagrams that go along with the text narrative.

    I would also like to take a step back and put up my hands and say that this study is far too in-depth for my own understanding and is placed here for those interested in such a level of investigation. Enjoy.

    PROLOGUE:

    “Charles A.A. Dellschau’s Aporetic Archive” * by Thomas McEvilley

    The Fate of Charles A.A. Dellschau’s (1830 – 1923) Work After His Death

    For forty years Dellschau’s thousands of Plates moldered in the darkness of a closed attic, gathering dust. The only intrusion known to have taken place was when a male child of the Stelzig family became curious about the Dellschau books and rummaged through them.

    Sometime in the 1960s there was a fire elsewhere in the house, and a fire inspector said to clear the debris out of the attic. So, after four decades in the secret dark, gently wafting the aura of twenty years of solitary late-night concentration into the depths of shadowy and slightly sinister corners, over the pieces of sad furniture with sheets flung over them and gathering dust, Dellschau’s life-work was carried unceremoniously out into the light of day and literally left in a heap in the gutter. (It was born into the gutter, you might say.)

    So the first venue for Dellschau’s oeuvre was his bedroom; the second, an attic; the third, a heap in the gutter.

    From this point there is uncertainty, and two versions have emerged. First, that a furniture refinisher named Fred Washington, making his rounds to see what people had thrown out, found Dellschau’s stuff and took it to his shop in Houston, called the OK Trading Post. Another version adds another pair of hands and another transaction. The heap in the gutter, on this account, was taken to the dump by a garbage truck. In the junkyard a nameless picker found it and sold it to Fred Washington for $100.

    In any case, the story is that once Washington had Dellschau’s things in his shop they spent some time under a stack of old carpets or, in another rendition, tarpaulins. Before long they were discovered by a browser who recognized them as artworks of some kind, and then the books began their wanderings through the artworld and its levels of society.

    The find made under a pile of carpets in the OK Trading Post was talked about a bit and began to be split up and moved in various directions—mostly upward (through the classes).

    Four of the twelve books were acquired by the Menil Collection, in Houston, which had previously shown some interest in outsider art.9 Fred Washington sold the other eight books to a man named P.G. Navarro, who is an interesting figure in the story. Navarro was a practicing commercial artist in Houston who in his spare time had developed as a hobby an investigation of certain reported airship sightings.

    These mysterious airship sightings occurred in the late 1890s first in Northern California (not far from Sonora), then throughout the United States but especially in the Southwest and Texas. The phenomenon was known in the press (not only in Texas) as the Great Texas Airship Mystery.

    Navarro was studying the airship mystery at the time Dellschau’s books were discovered in the OK Trading Post, and it occurred to him that the Dellschau material might somehow be a part of it. Perhaps at first Navarro didn’t know about the Sonora Aero Club and assumed that the Aero drawings referred to aeronautical events around the turn of the century.

    You’ve got to admire this sensible guess, and as he started to carry it out it became even more admirable. Navarro filled several notebooks with his findings, and these pages are exquisite in conception and execution; his obsessive concentration on order and neatness was not so unlike Dellschau’s own. Dellschau’s aesthetic is more expressive—meaning somewhat looser and more gestural—whereas Navarro’s notebooks are “expressive” of rigid order—more or less a contradiction in terms.

    Perhaps Navarro appreciated Dellschau’s books as artworks. In any case it is clear that for one reason or another—maybe aesthetic, maybe spiritual, maybe as a search for something he couldn’t exactly name—Navarro felt a strong attraction toward the Dellschau material.

    It almost seems he got into a folie à deux with the long-dead Dellschau; in his notebooks, Navarro redrew many of Dellschau’s pages, carefully and in detail. He worked many long evenings to decipher coded messages he found there in what looked vaguely like alphabetical symbols, as seen in Plate 1631 (at left), but from some other tradition. Navarro says Dellschau used a simple one-to-one substitution code and claims to have worked it out.10

    He worked on this hobby for thirty years and became something of a philological scholar in the process. He is still alive now at age ninety-three, the age at which his ego-ideal Dellschau died. At some point Navarro sold four of the eight Dellschau books of drawings in his possession to the San Antonio Museum Association; two went to the San Antonio Museum of Art and the other two went to the Witte Museum, also in San Antonio, a museum devoted to South Texas culture. His remaining four books ultimately entered the art market and ended up in various hands.

    DM = XØ

    Present in many of the plates of the works of Charles Dellschau are character-like symbols that look as if they are based to a degree on letters of the Greek alphabet. It is not clear to what end these only semi-recognizable characters are used. A formula that is on many of the Plates looks almost like ¯ DM = XØ but not quite. The two letters on the right of the equation look more like chi and phi from the Greek alphabet than like X and O from the Latin alphabet. The formula ¯ DM = XØ has a horizontal dash entering the D around its middle, from the left, and a diagonal line from upper right to lower left through the O. And of course D and M are both in the Greek alphabet, too. Delta mu = chi phi? It may be Dellschau didn’t leave enough clues to figure it out. Maybe it has something to do with Peter Mennis, as on Plate 2003 (as described by P.G. Navarro in his “Books of Dellschau”) are the words: “Have you never heard of P. M.’s goose and heir offspring DM = XØ—Peter I haven foregot you!”

    Navarro thought he had worked it out in Dellschau’s code so that DM = XØ translates into NYMZA.

    In his interpretation the five elements refer by code to a mysterious organization, perhaps operating from Germany, that was the sponsor or secret director behind the activities of the Sonora Aero Club. There is in addition one drawing (Plate 2550) that is signed, “a DM = XØ Club Debate Studia . . . Drawn by CAA Dellschau.” Studia is the term Dellschau used for a model or study or artist’s proof. So: this is the Study-Model that came out of a Sonora Aero Club debate.

    But of couse Dellschau treated the right side of the equation as if it was the Latin letters X and O, and didn’t consider the problems about those letters mentioned above.

    CODEX to unlock the cipher:

    He translates the ciphers as (left side, top to bottom) P, O, N, M, L, K, I, H, A, B, C, D, E, F, G and (right side, top to bottom) Q, R, S, T, U, W, X, Y, Z, CH, SCH, with the O used for double letters and no representation for J or V. By using this code, he claims the passages on the left and right edges of the drawing read “Now talk about your dirigibels” and “O yes we didden know nothing say.” P.G. Navarro, e-mail to Stephen Romano, July 30, 2012.

    Code 1 from Lexicon Magazine.
    Code 1 from Lexicon Magazine.
    Code 2 from Lexicon Magazine.
    Code 2 from Lexicon Magazine.
    Codemap from Lexicon Magazine.
    Codemap from Lexicon Magazine.
    Codebreaker from Lexicon Magazine.
    Codebreaker from Lexicon Magazine.

    Extracted from “Empire of the Wheel III: The Nameless Ones”, by Walter Bosley

    The Mysterious NYMZA In “Empire of the Wheel 1″, we presented evidence that extremist members of the Spiritualist movement were the most likely suspects involved with the deaths we associate to The San Bernardino Working of 1915.

    In that book, it is revealed that the ancient goddess Hekate was central to the events surrounding deaths of four adults and three children.

    The circumstances appear to have shrouded the identities of those involved. In EOW2, we extrapolated on the facts and possibilities by pulling a seemingly innocuous thread which ultimately revealed that an historical figure was at the center of events and offered a possible explanation as to why. Looming even taller in the background was the specter of a nameless string-puller, the difference now being the unexpected presence of an organization steeped in shadow and mystery but finally offering at least an apparent name:NYMZA/ NJMZa.

    EOW2 already provides a very logical translation of the acronym NYMZA/ NJMZa. Here we must go a level deeper for therein is the thread through all we’ve presented in this book. Charles Dellschau NYMZA has multiple meanings, much like a hieroglyph. There is NYMZA the mysterious organization behind the airship mystery, according to Dellschau.

    EOW2 attempts to translate this NYMZA according to Dellschau’s own description of it being an organization based in Germany and overseeing several airship builders in the United States, especially the Sonora Aero Club formed mostly of German immigrants.

    This NYMZA/ NJMZa is also associated with the Great Airship Mystery of 1896, by this time also allegedly involved with known Spiritualist/ Theosophist investors and other players. It is here we can link NYMZA/ NJMZa to occult interests and not just via the Spiritualist scene in America but because of the German occult associations of the time.

    However, in true occult spirit, the acronym is embedded with what may be the identity of the hand behind the secretive Germans overseeing the airship operations as outlined in EOW2.

    NYM-ZA: The Sesh Heri Analysis In Sesh Heri’s 2008 novel Metamorphosis, second book of the Wonder of the Worlds trilogy, Ed Morrell explains the NYMZA to Jack London and the narrator of the story: “That member of the (Sonora) Aero Club had figured it out. He was a professor of ancient languages. He had studied Latin and Greek all his life, and he had also studied ancient Egyptian, Sumerian and Mayan. This professor told me that NYMZA was a very ancient word that predated all known languages but that it had survived into ancient Egyptian, Greek and Latin in somewhat altered forms.

    For example: nomen in Latin and onyma in Greek are the words from where we derive our English word for name. But these Latin and Greek words were only derived from the older Egyptian nym which meant ‘who?’… “The word for ‘who?’ in Egyptian was related to several other words in that language that sounded the same…” “Homonyms,” Jack said. “That’s it,” Morrell said, “There were a number of words that were all pronounced something like nym, like the words for sleep, walk or stride, to do evil, wrongdoer, place of slaughter, slaughterhouse, execution, chamber, cellar… “They tell a story, a very ancient story.

    It’s all about the ancient gods who once ruled the Earth.

    They weren’t human; they were different kinds of creatures. They were amphibian. The Sumerians called these fish-men gods Annunaki – ‘Heavenly Ones Fallen To Earth’… The fish-men fought a war among their own kind and subdued the evil ones. What the fish-men did was confine the evil ones among them to a particular astral plane for all eternity… “That’s why all those nym words in Egyptian mean things like evil and slaughterhouse and cellar. The evil ones or wrongdoers, nymi, were put to sleep, nym, in a kind of cellar which could also be likened to a slaughterhouse, for although these evil beings continually walk or stride in that place of confinement, they exist in a kind of living death… “And should anyone ask about these evil beings who have been so confined in this living death, one can only reply who?, nym, for they are forgotten among the living… because their names have been taken away from them and this has cut them off from life…” “And that thing I encountered on the bottom of the ocean,” I asked, “You’re saying you think it was one of those old ones, one of those fish-gods, imprisoned on the astral plane long ago?”

    “Yes,” Morrell said, “And not only that, but these things, the NYMZA, continually try to reach out to the minds of mankind and control us. Their ultimate aim is to escape from the astral plane and return here where they can once again rule according to all the evil that is in them. This NYMZA has been a manipulating force throughout the history of mankind on both Earth and Mars, and it was they who constantly interfered with mental communications going on between the Aero Club and some of the people on Mars… “They cannot build in the material world, but they can project their thoughts into this material realm through the minds of living things, especially the humans. Through such mental doors, the NYMZA hope to eventually escape their endless imprisonment.

    That machine on the ocean floor is designed to rend the fabric of space and open an astral portal so those things can escape…” NYM-ZA or NYM-SA means specifically, according to Heri, ‘Name That Has Been Removed’ and he makes the distinction that this is the result of a punitive action. The‘cutting’ of the name was a revoking of a ‘key’, the name symbolizing the more important ‘identity’ or, as Joseph Farrell might say, ‘individuation’. This identity key is what, according to Heri’s interpretation, allows a being to exist on our plane, i.e. our material plane as opposed to the astral plane to which the ‘NYM-ZA/ NYM-SA’ were banished. Heri adds that the desire for these beings to possess a key drives them to seek possession of the identity of others, for the specific identity does not matter to them so much as simply having the key to return to this material plane of existence. It is in this desire for the ‘key’ of identity/ individuation that we may also find the motive for the possession of living bodies by disembodied entities, i.e. ‘demons’.

    Consider the story in The Bible wherein Jesus encounters the man possessed by multiple demons. When Jesus asks for a name, the voice replies, “My name is Legion”. This apparent name actually refers to a multitude of entities possessing the man. Notice not one specific name identifying any of them by their personal identities is given but instead what Jesus is given is a group name. Heri argues that ‘Legion’ is equivalent to NYMZA/ NYM-SA. Had any of these entities retained an ‘identity key’, they would not need a living body to enter this plane of existence. Heri uses both his understanding of the phonetic cabala and modern words traced to ancient lexicons.

    Confining his examples to English, German, Latin, Greek and ancient Egyptian, which can be demonstrated to be the sources for Greek and Latin terms. His source on the ancient Egyptian is Budge’s An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary (Murray, London, 1920) Pgs. 373-385. “-nym” is a suffix in English, i.e. patronym, pseudonym, etc. It refers to “name” as in the Greek onyma or “name”. Heri is convinced onyma came from the Egyptian word nem which meant “who?” Nem is a question concerning the specific identity of a person, the answer being their name. In ancient Egyptian, there were two words for “name”, being ren and ka. Nems means veil. Consider our context and remember this because we’ll bring it up a little later.

    Ka is usually translated as “soul”, but Budge explicitly states that sometimes ka was used to mean “name”. This demonstrates to Heri a crucial link between the concept of the soul and the idea of a name. Heri argues that the Egyptian nem or “who?” entered the Greek language as onyma i.e. “name”. Now let’s bring the second syllable of NYMZA into the analysis. Heri believes the ancient Egyptian sa i.e. “cut” is the root of the “-ZA”. Thus nem-sa means “who? cut”. But then Heri points to nems, meaning to enlighten or illuminate in one usage yet “veil” in another. Heri thinks this hints at the “cutting off of illumination”. We shall return to this momentarily. Interestingly Heri points out that other nem related homonyms in ancient Egyptian mean “evil”, nehem “to deliver”, nehem-ra “to kill”, nemmta a type of fish. There are nem words relating to “lake”, “to bathe or swim”, “to sleep or slumber”, and “bedchamber”. This also extends to the Greek and Roman (Latin) nymphs, often associated with water; and the Greek nystagmos “drowsiness” derived from the ancient Egyptian nem in its aforementioned “sleep” association.

    Now we go to the German nehmen “to take” which is also used to mean “to possess” or “to consume” as in “eat”. Heri is convinced that this can likely be traced back as well to the ancient Egyptian. He suggests nehmen might also be used to mean “to take someone” or possess someone. Returning to the second syllable of NYMZA once again, we have the German zahn “tooth” which relates to chewing or cutting, bringing it back to the ancient Egyptian sa. But Heri also points out the German zahllos “innumerable”, which hints at the aforementioned “legion”. Thus, according to Heri, do we have the following: NYM meaning “name” and ZA( SA) meaning “cut” NYM meaning the answer to “who?” and ZA relative to “innumerable” NYM-ZA meaning “without a name” or “nameless” Heri goes even farther to reveal the revelation that links his translation to our mystery:

    a. Recall the nemmta or “type of fish” link to nem/-nym/ name? Remember the “lake” and “swim” associative definitions to nem?

    b. Consider the “sleep” usage of the ancient Egyptian nem and its Greek derivative nystagmos “drowsiness”.

    c. Now add the “possession” usage of the German nehmen which, if it is derived from the ancient Egyptian nem, provides yet more evidence for a NYM-ZA association. What does all this suggest to Heri? A nameless fish-like being sleeping under the water yet taking possession of something.

    Does this sound familiar? It should.

    Heri’s argues that his analysis reveals to him that the NYMZA are equivalent to Lovecraft’s Elder Gods from the stars whose priest-god Cthulhu sleeps at the bottom of the sea reaching out psychically to possess the minds of humans so as to appropriate their identities and capture the key necessary for the Elder Gods to enter our material plane.

    That’s not all Sesh Heri has to offer as evidence. Heri argues that Nommo of the African Dogon tribe revealed the NYMZA presence on Earth.

    Heri cites Robert K. G. Temple: “Nommo is the collective name for the great culture hero and founder of civilization who came from the Sirius system to set up society (civilization) on Earth.

    Nommo – or, to be more precise, the Nommos – were amphibious creatures…” (Note 131) Nommo is a collective term, not a proper name. It does not mean any one particular personage, thus is essentially “nameless”. Nameless, amphibious or fish-like, gods from the stars. We won’t even go into what Jules Verne may have known, naming his legendary mystery man of the sea Captain Nemo… NYMZA: Their ‘name’ is ‘Legion’. They are numerous and ‘revoked of their identity key’ or ‘nameless’. Heri thinks this is their condemnation, but it may also be useful. If you lack an identity, you cannot be identified.

    The Heri translation adds an unexpected element to the mystery. We have already provided an effective and valid German translation of NYMZA/ NJMZa in EOW2, so what are we to do with this new translation which also fits so disturbingly well? The answer is simple. Both may be right. Homonyms are the key. Words spelled the same yet having different meanings depending upon usage and context. Why not an acronym? Heri has already demonstrated a German association to the ancient Egyptian from which he derives his translation. We are dealing with Germans – specifically esoterically motivated Germans – all over this mystery. The implication is startling. NYMZA means NJMZa to the aero clubs yet it may also mean NYMZA ‘The Nameless Ones’ behind the nems. Oh, pardon us, we meant The Nameless Ones behind the veil, that definition of nems we told you we’d bring up again. Might the German NJMZa, as presented in EOW2, be the “veil” behind which hide the NYMZA aka The Nameless Ones?

    Behind The Zodiac Killer and the ambush murders of Officers Christiansen and Teel are Nameless Ones. Behind the disappearance of April Pitzer and the murder of the McStay Family buried on a telluric current are Nameless Ones. Behind the murder of Harry Houdini and the Cthulhu Mythos are Nameless Ones. Behind all the mysterious shrines to Hekate and operational necromantic sites of the Inland Empire are Nameless Ones. Just as in EOW1 where we state that neither the reader nor we need to believe in the reality of these Nameless Ones, what matters is that the perpetrators of crimes in their honor believe in them, and to catch them, we must understand how they think. To catch them, we must identify them, in spite of their efforts to emulate their gods and remain without a face to put to their crimes. It is an ironic mirror image which these very real perpetrators anonymously commit atrocities in veneration of their gods who themselves are believed to remain entombed because they have been stripped of individual identities.

    The nameless/ faceless punishment for one becomes the cloaking security for the other. Who are these Nameless Ones? Lovecraft would say they came from the stars aeons ago and remain on this planet to command their devotees in an objective of conquest. Now there’s an interesting possibility that may indeed have played a role in The San Bernardino Working after all. How? There has been one player in this melodrama that moved across the stage seemingly as a red herring. The circumstances suggested a greater hand in the events of 1915, yet the facts simply did not provide the necessary evidence to accuse this particular actor. Indeed, it appeared the truth stood in solid opposition to the natural assumption based upon the public persona of the individual – but now we know more. We must consider again the notorious Aleister Crowley.

    EPILOGUE:

    Extracted from

    The Mystery of Flight- Hieroglyphica and American Visionary

     by decadentmanifesto

    We don’t know if the Sonora Aero Club actually existed, and if so, did these flying contraptions exist? If they did not, what was Dellschau’s purpose in creating thousands of coded illustrations? There are notes in his journal that one day the Wonder Weaver would break the code. If this was the case this might be the only evidence we have that Dellschau intended these works to eventually be released to the public, and evidence for why he devoted thousands of hours and literally decades to create them. But we still don’t know fully the message he intended to deliver. The process of learning about Dellschau and his Press Blooms somewhat resembles cracking the Mayan code, to a much lesser degree.
    What we do know is that from revolutions to family deaths Dellschau’s life was struck with tragedy. During the end chapters of his life’s narrative he invested countless hours into creating artworks that reflected a period in his life that was between revolutions and love. We don’t know much about what he did during his first years in America, but when he began painting this Aeros he chose that time of his life to create this narrative— perhaps because it happened, or maybe because his family could not trace and reveal inconsistencies in his claims during those bachelor years. He was fascinated with flight and the use of codes and a secret society reveal that he was inspired beyond the science of aviation. As a butcher he daily dealt in the field of death. Even his Press Blooms are visceral in their dissection of the airship’s anatomy. And though he might never had ascended in an airplane by creating these works of art he transcended his life after death.

    Charles A.A. Dellschau left us a great mystery to be solved, one that might be impossible to solve. As it has been the experience with Pete Navarro, Stephen Romano, and so many people who have come in contact with Dellschau’s work a sense of excitement and curiosity is aroused. The type a curiosity that takes one through countless hours studying Dellschau’s artwork to see if they can decipher the code. It is that curiosity that inspires mystics and magicians to delve into occult matters. It is the same curiosity that inspires man to defy the laws of nature and from his own creativity to manifest vehicles that can ascend beyond our limits. In the two-dimensional color plates height and width, the horizon and the heavens, reflect the formula for transcendence.

    The third dimension, depth, is a line drawn inward to our own psyche.


    At which I must conclude that all this code-breaking, discussions of Astral planes, and ancient creatures that wish to control humans are far, far, far beyond my experience. Information presented here is for your information, and possible consideration.

    What you, the reader, should take out from this is simple…

    Secret organizations exist and have existed in the past. They are involved in arcane knowledge and understandings that are far removed from that of the “common man”. Secrets do exist.

    Further reading

    This is an interesting subject, but beyond the scope of this blog.  I suggest the reader follow up on this most interesting of subjects using the following links;


    Conclusion

    The world is filled with secrets. The idea that everyone should know everything and that there are no secrets is a big lie. The world is filled with secrets, plots, and schemes. Some are run by diabolical megalomaniacs, while others are just extra-ordinary adventures that are eventually forgotten.

    The most important thing that a person needs to take from this story is the idea that most people are unaware of the things that goes on around them. The idea of lighter than air vehicles were a reality at a time when the world’s renowned scientists couldn’t even contemplate human flight in any capacity what so ever.

    As such, were someone desirous to tell someone their secret, it should not be to broadcast to everyone. Instead, only a select few would be offered the opportunity to know and be let in on the secret. The advantages of what ever benefits are derived from secret endeavors is NOT beneficial to the masses of humanity. Instead, they belong to a select few. These people would then use the knowledge to further advance mankind at a pace unencumbered by the sloth of the mass of humanity.

    Other than that, it is probably just as well that the rest of the world be ignorant and forget that any secrets ever existed in the first place. And thus the world turns, and new lives are lived while others sunset.

    MAJestic Related Posts – Training

    These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    How to tell...
    How to tell -2
    Top Secrets
    Sales Pitch
    Feducial Training
    Implantation
    Probe Calibration - 1
    Probe Calibration - 2
    Leaving the USA

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Secrets of the universe
    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The Hammer inside the rock.
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    Mystery of the bronze bell.
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe
    Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
    The mysterious flying contraptions.

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    How MWI allows world-line travel.
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel
    Soul is not consciousness.

    John Titor Related Posts

    Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

    They are;

    Articles & Links

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    ound how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    How to tell...
    How to tell -2
    Top Secrets
    Sales Pitch
    Feducial Training
    Implantation
    Probe Calibration - 1
    Probe Calibration - 2
    Leaving the USA

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Secrets of the universe
    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The Hammer inside the rock.
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    Mystery of the bronze bell.
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe
    Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    How MWI allows world-line travel.
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel

    John Titor Related Posts

    Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

    They are;

    Articles & Links

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.

    The most common extraterrestrial species that interacts with Americans

    Here we discuss the grey extraterrestrial alien species. Contrary to the public narrative, there are numerous extraterrestrial species that regularly visit the Earth. In fact, they have all been doing so for many, many years. Ah, yes they do. They have their reasons and their purposes. The United States government, through the SAP known as MAJestic, has relationships with numerous such species, and are also aware of a much larger group of other species and races.

    Here we discuss one of the most common and active species. They are an important species, as they have a very clear and defined role with humans. As such, they maintain a very special role within MAJestic.

    The United States government has known about them for a long time now. In fact, we have known about them since the years directly after World War II. With this understood, they are NOT the first extraterrestrial species that the American government has met and interrogated. They are the second. This extraterrestrial species is not only very active in America, but it maintains a very important role in the entire world.

    They are “famous” to many people all over the globe as “little green men”, as they are small in stature. For our purposes, we will refer to this species as “Type-1 extraterrestrials”.

    A Personal Note

    The moment anyone mentions that they have seen or met extraterrestrials, they are considered a lunatic.

    This is not accidental. It is a manufactured narrative used to silence disclosures. You would think that after thirty years of exposure to the ways that the NSA, the CIA and other alphabet SAP’s are used to silence disclosures, that people would be made aware of this. But, alas most Americans are herded cattle. MAJestic is correct in this appraisal, and it has taken me up to now to fully appreciate this truth.

    This blog and the “Metallicman” writings are not for the “great unwashed masses” to read, parse and disparage. It is for others. Hopefully, you are one such person. If so, then please read on.

    This is the truth, well at least what I understand as the truth.

    Notes on my exposure

    I was exposed to this species [1] during entry into the MAJestic organization, and later [2] during my training for my role. During my operations I had no dealings with them. Instead, I dealt with another group of entities. Not this one.

    All of the information provided herein are based on the exposure that I had with them while I was in MAJestic training. The little that I know outside of that had to do with some events that were tangential to them, and which I cannot speak about at this time.

    When I refer to “outside sources” I generally mean either “outside of MAJestic” and on the internet, or second-hand information that I obtained though unofficial MAJestic sources. All “outside sources” should be treated as suspect.

    There is a lot of disinformation regarding this species. I wish to elaborate on what I know and to try to provide a much more accurate picture of them and their involvement with humans. Like everything else, when you encounter the “real deal” you will be exposed to ideas and concepts and realities that do not fit in to the black and white two-dimensional cardboard cutout narrative that is so popular on the internet. That is thus the bane of my narrative.

    They are not what everyone thinks they are.

    They have technologies and abilities that make humans look like infants playing with a pacifier. This is not a species to take lightly. Just so, we need not fear them either. They are performing a valuable service and have a very important role with humans.

    The problem is that the role, their understanding, their objectives and our understandings are completely out of phase with each other. How can you explain the workings of a digital watch to a penguin? You can’t and thus, I have a very difficult time describing how souls are constructed, and why this species has an interest in our soul construction and layout. As well, and why it is important.

    This is the real deal. You can read on, or else pretend that Reptilians want to take over the United States government by shape shifting. LOL. It’s your choice.

    Humans meet another “intelligent” species

    Personally, this was the very first extraterrestrial species that I ever met. So, obviously, it is quite fitting that I refer to them as the “Type-1” extraterrestrial species. This is the first type that I encountered. Thus “Type-1”. Makes sense, huh?

    Please note that this is not the actual name of the species. It is not what they call themselves. As in “Hi, my name is Zorga, and I am a type-1 extraterrestrial. Nice to meet you.

    Nope they don’t use this term, or anything like it, as far as I know.

    Nor, is it what MAJestic refers to them as. They refer to them as <redacted>. The MAJestic naming nomenclature was established early on in the late 1940’s, and began with “Extraterrestrial Biological Entity” ####. (Always shortened to EBE ####.)

    Astounding Revelations

    This species is confusing to us humans.

    That is because we have made numerous assumptions regarding all life in the universe. This species has thrown all our assumptions about life “out the window”. Many of the initial scientists who first met these creatures just couldn’t get around their inherent biases, and assumed understanding of the universe. And, this caused decades of confusion and misunderstandings.

    Our “scientists” in the years immediately following world war II felt that it was a rare thing for any species to attain a degree of “constructive” civilization. They believed that if a species could attain spaceflight, they must be more advanced than humans. Maybe, they believed, 100 or 200 years more advanced. They also felt that they must come from a solar system that was close, and that had a star similar to our own (A class “G”.).

    Their assumptions are the same assumptions that many in academia still maintain. It’s a carryover from Newtonian -based scientific study. Our assumptions are based on what we know of the world around us. It’s a science built upon careful observation. If you don’t observe something happening, then it just doesn’t happen. For that is, after all, the “scientific method”.

    Using what we know of life on this planet, these scientists have made the following assumptions and extrapolated the assumptions to ALL life…

    • All species evolve naturally.
    • Each species has only one form.
    • Each creature has one singular fixed consciousness.
    • Each consciousness is associated with one individual soul.
    • Each species propagate through naturally evolved means.
    • The human species is the most advanced in the universe.

    These are all very big, and very erroneous, assumptions.

    The Type-1 Extraterrestrial Species

    Because of that, there have been all sorts of misconceptions regarding this “Type-1” extraterrestrial species. Everything that did not make sense to the researchers needed to fit into pre-defined “boxes of dogma”. Their presence has forced MAJestic to reevaluate our humanity and our place within the universe.

    This species…

    • This is a manufactured species. What we encounter is not wholly naturally evolved. (Oh, at one time, basic components and the root DNA must have been, certainly. But not what we encounter today.)
    • This species has numerous physical forms. Each form is specific for the task at hand. One form might be as an aviator, while another might be a doctor, still another might be a GP. (Here, I label the variations as “A”, “B”, “C”, etc…) The various physical forms appear different. We, as humans, assume that they are separate species, when in reality they are different forms of the same species. Humans have two physical forms; male and female.
    • This species possesses mobile consciousness. This is an inherent consciousness that can migrate from physical body to physical body. It is not fixed to a specific body. Humans have one consciousness that is associated with a specific human body. This species is not like that at all. One second their consciousness can inhabit a body on Earth, and a split second later, it could co-habitat a body located on the Moon.
    • This species has a different soul configuration. They do not have an individual soul tied to an individual consciousness. Instead, this species has a singular, and complex, “master” soul. All, and every, species consciousness are tied to the “master” soul.
    • This species has mastered their evolution. They have incorporated modification of DNA into their society, and have developed forms and shapes for specific roles and purposes. Some of which we encounter.
    • This species is impressively ancient. They have mastered spaceflight, and genetic engineering long before they first started interacting with the Earth. We know that they have interacted with early humans at least 30,000 years ago.

    The “Little Green Men”

    The reader can go on the internet and read all kinds of stuff on these creatures. Most of which is nonsense.

    Conventionally, it is all treated as a kind of joke. Mostly UFO researchers, and their ilk are treated as fools. Mentioning UFO’s and extraterrestrials are considered to be career-limiting moves.

    However, the real truth is that there are elements inside the United States government that treat extraterrestrials and their technology with absolute seriousness. It is considered so important to National Security, and the security of the human race itself, that not even the President, and the elected officials are privy to the knowledge.

    It is very rare for an elected official to be part of the MAJestic organization. They are purposefully and intentionally “left in the dark” unless the issue is of a military matter.

    “The truth is, Macey, we haven’t actually made direct contact with aliens yet. But when we do, I’ll let you know.”

    -President Obama (D). His response to a little girl on the Ellin DeGeneres show when she girl asked him “If aliens are real.” February 12, 2016. 

    When I was first introduced to MAJestic, I was told that my role would be very important, and that the organization that I was part of was the most important organization on the planet. I was told that our objectives determined the future of mankind.

    It wasn’t something trivial, like dancing on the Ellin DeGeneres show.

    Obama and Ellen
    President Obama has appeared on numerous televisions shows and popular venues. There he would sing, dance, tell jokes and ham it up for the dumbed-down crowd.

    Here, I will try to clarify some key points and help the reader sort out the nonsense from the truth. As, most of what you find on the internet is just that; nonsense.

    All this being stated, we must keep in mind where my information comes from. What I know about this species is derived from [1] first hand personal experience, and my training relative to my [2] involvement in MAJestic, [3] <readacted>, and of course [4] the <readacted> at <redacted>.

    I am NOT an expert.

    For starters, they do NOT have green or grey skin. Their skin has a decidedly light non-human skin color and complexion and thus many people commonly refer to them as “grey” aliens.  In every single instance that I have met them, the lighting was favorable to their species (not to human eyesight). This was a (barely) visible light in the red spectrum, and to my eyes everything had a red color to it. It’s pretty darn difficult to see what their skin color actually is under that specific type of lighting. Anyone who has ever gone into a “dark room” to develop photographs can attest to this fact.

    Dark Room
    A “dark room” is a place where photographs were created. A film roll would be extracted from the camera and then processed. Then using an enlarger and a series of chemical baths the photos can be developed. Because natural light can damage the processing of the images, red light is used exclusively.

    In any event, what I can say is that their skin has a different texture and appearance to that of the skin on a human or a terrestrial animal. It more resembles the skin found on a dolphin or similar creature.

    Below is an actual photograph of a Type-1A extraterrestrial.  Obviously taken a while ago and using traditional (not digital) photographic equipment.  I believe that any actual and real images regarding this species originates out of Russia.  America holds on to every image it has like it is made out of gold.

    Notice one of the most important points regarding this species. This species cannot sustain “natural” human-type “daylight”. It hurts their eyes, and is generally uncomfortable to them. For them to move about on the earth, they need to put these kinds of special lens caps over their eyes. Thus, they rarely venture out on the earth in broad daylight. They travel at night, if at all.

    Tyle-1 extraterrestrial 1
    Actual photo of a Type-1A extraterrestrial. Type-1 “grey” extraterrestrial in one of the many forms that this species takes. In this case, we can refer to the creature as “Type-1A”. That being a “configuration A’ of the Type-1 extraterrestrial species. This photo is from Russia and was widely disseminated after the fall of the Soviet Union.

    In the photo above, the Type-1 entity was filmed under red light, and the images processed appropriately using period (1950’s – 1960’s) photographic technology. This is why the pictures seem dim, and not all that clear for a black and white photo or movie clip (note also that these images are obtained off from a movie clip).

    "…and we found out so far there are 18 different alien species that we know about monitoring Earth".

    -John Lear

    This is a quote from Mr. John Lear who claimed that he was involved in the reverse engineering of extraterrestrial vehicles at the “Area-51” research site for the United States government.  There are many who claim that he is a fraud and a profiteer, while others claim that he is legitimate.  I do not know what to think as his experiences are quite unlike my own.  But, he made some interesting quotes.  Here is one of his finest.

    When people think of extraterrestrials they often think of little grey-green men with big bug-like eyes.  While there have been many parodies of such creatures on American media, they do tend to represent a historical archetype. 

    All you need to do is conduct a Google or Bing image search to get the typical CGI and artwork related to the “alien” archetype.

    This historical archetype is quite curious.  Often this description refers to various families of a specific extraterrestrial species.  In particular, it tends to describe a sub-species of Type-I grey “aliens”.  While these extraterrestrials have become a folk icon in many parts of the world.  They are most iconic in the United States.  Indeed, no place on the earth is more fixated on this iconology than the United States.  The United States has become the de facto repository of Type I Grey extraterrestrial encounters.

    Name and Conventions

    Personally, they NEVER introduced themselves to me ever.

    They provided instruction, direction, and information. That was it. There just wasn’t any formalities involved. Nor was there any back and forth banter so characteristic of conventional human speech.

    I have read reports (on the internet) that they have a name that they refer to themselves as. This information is along the lines of “propagation of the extraterrestrial narrative”, or in other words, an attempt to stitch together two separate theories into a unified whole. The reader hits their forehead and goes “Ah ha!, it all makes sense now!” as some of the disjointed nonsense on the Internet starts to align up with other theories on the nature of mankind.

    “When addressing Americans they call themselves EBAN.” 

    To me it looks like someone is trying to piece together some Zecharia Sitchin with some new-age Zeta Reticuli speculation.


    Let me tell you guys this. When we met them in person they did NOT address us at all.  They didn’t utilize any of the welcoming or introductory gestures common by terrestrial humans.  They do not bow, shake hands, nod their head, smile or glance downward.  They do nothing of the sort. 

    FOR THE RECORD.  They communicated their intentions telepathically and instantaneously.  They never provided any physical acknowledgments as far as greeting or introductions in any way. 

    Very Old Species

    While they appear to be a conventional American popular phenomenon, they are actually a long duration phenomena. It is one that has been present on our world for many, many years. 

    They are, indeed, an indomitable race of beings.  There are substantive representations of these creatures, or those like them for the vast bulk of time that humans have been around.  This includes artwork in Egypt and through the middle ages as well.

    Petroglyphs at Karahunj
    Petroglyphs at Karahunj. This is an ancient site located in modern-day Armenia, and predates Stonehenge. Among the numerous carvings, ancient man depicted what appeared to be strange beings with elongated heads and almond-shaped eyes, eerily similar to ‘modern-day’ representations of Grey Aliens.

    Descriptions of these creatures, as well as the vehicles that they utilize are found repeatedly in archaeological circles.  Though the descriptions given to these depictions are always something other than what they actually represent. 

    Typically they would refer to these extraterrestrials as Gods; demi-gods, angels, demons, or children of gods.  They were never considered to be animals, other human races, or servants of gods.  These creatures have been visiting Earth for thousands of years, and have been on Earth before modern man came into existence.

    For the considerations here; whether accurate or not, the term “modern man” refers to physically similar humans to contemporaneous humans with the ability to produce documentation in a language of some sort.  This is the so called “historical” humans.  They reach back to around 6,000 to 8,000 years ago depending on your method of dating and base presumptions. 

    • Historic humans date to maybe 6,000 to 8,000 years ago.
    • Pre-historic humans date back to around 30,000 years ago.
    • Proto-humans date back even further to around 400,000 years ago.
    • Intelligent-primates date back to around 4 million years ago.
    UFO in the sky
    This is an enigmatic painting within the Palazzo Vecchio. It is called the Madonna Col Bambino e San Giovannino (“The Madonna with Saint Giovannino”). It was painted by Pellegrino Piola. Many UFO buffs believe is direct evidence of a UFO from Renaissance times. It clearly depicts a saucer shaped dark object that glows or emits radiation of some types. It is also observed in the sky by an individual who is watching it. Contemporaneous de-bunkers of this obvious portrayal of an airborne vehicle claim that it is just a poorly painted representation of a bird; possibly a crow. But if so, it must be one heck of a large crow. It is also horribly painted, as the artist was obviously capable of realistic renditions of people. This species has3D video recordings of all the popular and famous events, pivotal events, wars, disasters and critical historical trends over the last 25,000 years. During these events they sometimes were observed by humans, whom often interpreted the sightings as something divine. These events include the birth, and death of Jesus Christ, as well as other significant events as recorded in the Bible.

    Sub-Species or Type Configurations

    There are different “families” (races or species)  of Type-1 grey extraterrestrials. 

    Their similarity to each other extends only to their physical appearance, and physical makeup and biology, and not to their origination point.  For purposes of simplicity, I use my own classification scheme to describe them.

    • Type-1 species members all have the same central hive/matrix soul.
    • Type-1 species DNA might vary from sub-type to sub-type.
    “Those Who From Heaven To Earth Came". They landed on Earth, colonized it, mining the Earth for gold and other minerals, establishing a spaceport in what today is the Iraq-Iran area, and lived in a kind of idealistic society as a small colony.

    They returned when Earth was more populated and genetically interfered in our indigenous DNA to create a slave-race to work their mines, farms, and other enterprises in Sumeria, which was the so-called Cradle of Civilization in out-dated pre-1980s school history texts. They created Man, Homo Sapiens, through genetic manipulation with themselves and ape man Homo Erectus.”

    ― Zecharia Sitchin

    There is a large amount of confusion, speculation and disinformation concerning these creatures.  Some of the disinformation is intentional.  Some of the misinformation is due to confusion.  Some of the information on the Internet are outright lies generated by profiteers, hoaxers, and just those with a malevolent bent. 

    Thus the information that I present here will differ from what one will find elsewhere. 

    Please be advised, and aware of this fact.  What is written here is as accurate as I can make it, and in so doing it will many times be at odds with accepted conventional extraterrestrial lore.  My thoughts on them here (the Type-I grey extraterrestrial race) might shed some information to help clarify their background and purposes with humans.

    I have some strong opinions that fly in the face of conventionally accepted norms relating to this race.  These are my opinions.  They are only my opinions, and as such, might be wildly divergent from the actual and absolute truth. 

    Please accept them as such. 

    When I present them, I try to explain why I believe this to be the case, and how it impacts us as humans.  What I believe, is at times, is not in agreement with any more or less “official” MAJestic policy, and also might be completely out of date.  (I wrote this transcription over 15 years since I was retired from the MAJestic program.)  The reader must understand that.

    Species Introduction


    “I believe in aliens. I think it would be way too selfish of us as mankind to believe we are the only life-forms in the universe.”

    -Demi Lovato

    This species is, by far,  the predominant allied-extraterrestrial-species that has (active) treaties with the American government. 

    Now, this species does not deal with the United States government in the “normal” channels. They do not communicate through ambassadors, or a consulate or embassy. They do not chat with Senators or Congressmen. They do not have a “red phone” with a direct line to the President of the United States. Instead, they have a direct communication line with the agency that handles all extraterrestrial matters for the United States; MAJestic.

    In this sense, and for all future reference, MAJestic is the organ of the United States government. It operates as a SAP “carve out” within the military, technical firms, and the government.

    This is also, apparently, the most directly-involved extraterrestrial species on this planet and in the solar system.  (Others are more or less, visitors, hidden and working behind the scenes or taking on other roles.)

    This species has been on the earth for a very long time.  (A very; very, long time.)  Now, for what ever it is worth, this is also the particular species of extraterrestrials that I have the most experience with. 

    So, while I have personally seen a few other types of various extraterrestrials, it was only the “Type-1” aliens that I had any real or significant (direct, first hand) exposure to.

    • The type-1 species operated on me and gave me the EBP. They also worked with me in training and operation of it.
    • The type-2 species, the <redacted> interacted with me though the EBP. I was entangled with them for three decades, but I have really never physically seen them. Though, for a selection of reasons, I have a great intimate understanding of them. My interactions were all via the EBP and the ELF implants.
    Grey extraterrestrial 2
    Actual photo of a Type-1A extraterrestrial being. Image retrieved from the former Soviet Union. This entity, or others similar to him, go by various names. Some of which include “J-bar”, and “skinny bob”.

    They do exist.  This race of extraterrestrials does exist, and is not some kind of Internet hoax. 

    This species is a very common and very important extraterrestrial species.

    They exist because [1] I have seen them (with my own human eyes, as well as being entangled), [2] worked next to them (in close proximity – at arms length), and [3] had physical dealings with them (we communicated, handed things back and forth, and worked together doing tasks).  My experiences are physical and actual. 

    Here, I write what I know about them, and place caveats on how I obtained this knowledge.  Reader, please note; just because I personally believe something does not necessarily mean that it is true.  But what I do present is the best information that I have about these creatures.

    Let me take a moment to address this issue for the slower readers to this manuscript.  The Type-I grey extraterrestrial race does actually exist.  They do exist.  They are real.  They are not some kind of apparition or mysterious vision. 

    I have actually seen them.  I have seen them with my own physical human eyes (long before I started to wear glasses).  I have worked alongside them.  Though I have never physically touched them (They have, however, touched me.); their hands or skin, they seemed real enough and physical enough to me. 

    • The closest that I have ever been to a member of this species is about six inches.
    • They are always shorter than I am. They are not dwarves. They are just thin in stature and about the height of a petite girl. They tend to be around 8 to 10 inches shorter than I am.
    • They have really, really long articulated hands. They use them like a Chinese person is an expert using chop-sticks.

    I positively know them to exist.  They do exist in the physical world that surrounds us.  They are intelligent.  They are driven and focused. 

    Appearance Notes

    They wear clothes like humans wear. This tells me that in some very significant ways, they developed into intelligent tool-manufacturing creatures along similar lines to what we humans have followed.


    The garment that I am most familiar with is a deep dark blue one-piece jump suit (as best as I can determine under red color light).  The garment had a kind of turtle neck, and long sleeves and pant legs.  There were no pockets.  I never saw buttons, snaps, clasps, Velcro or zippers on the clothing.

    The clothing was always unadorned. There were never any insignias, elements or indicators of rank or occupation, or decoration in any shape or fashion.

    They wore boots.  These boots had a heel and a textured bottom for purposes of traction.  You could tell by looking at the foot prints that they would make on dusty surfaces. The textured bottom looked a lot like wide lines or thick bars. They did not have any kind of pattern like you might find on contemporary hiking boots.

    They look different from us. 

    Yes, that is true.  But, they do not seem strange when you are next to them.  They seem normal.  They seem absolutely normal.  While they might look different, the impression that one gets is that of another co-worker.  You never feel like you are working with an extraterrestrial when you are near them.  They seem normal and commonplace.

     

    via GIPHY

     

    Background Information

    As much as I know about them physically, the background information that I have on them is second hand.

    “an extraterrestrial influence that is investigating our planet. Something is monitoring the planet and they are monitoring it very cautiously.”

    -Sen. Mike Gravel (D-Alaska) in 2008

    What I know of these creatures is a collection of what I have directly experienced, and a mixture of what I have read from other sources. I strongly advise the reader that secondary information should always be considered suspect.

    Anything that I have not directly experienced should be considered as second hand information only.  There is a large amount of incorrect information, and some of it has (even) found its way into the official journals and briefing papers of the government. 

    This is part of the sad legacy of extreme secrecy and compartmentalization within the program that we were involved in. In fact, there is also a great deal of misinformation and outright disinformation on the Internet.  Often times I would read a piece on the Internet and shake my head in disbelief.  Honestly, I wondered, how could anyone come to the conclusions that they have been drawn to. 

    Certainly, some of the things written on the Internet came from a complex mix of profiteers [1], disinformation experts [2] and amateur hoaxers [3].  Yet, please understand that for the most part, my experiences with this race of extraterrestrials have been positive [4].


    [1] Profiteers; those who write books, make and give lectures, or host classes for the sole purpose of turning a profit.  This is done in defiance of the actual truth, and whether they have actual information to share.
    [2] Disinformation Experts; usually paid employees of various organizations who want the information so presented to be confused, or buried under a mountain of confusion.  These people may or may not work for a government agency or unit, and they include people from simple bloggers, to Photoshop® experts, and paid research associates.
    [3] Hoaxers; those who for whatever reason, boredom, fame, curiosity, commotion or low self-esteem create a staged event of some complexity and associate it with an extraterrestrial encounter.
    [4] This is as true a statement as I will ever make.  Yes, I have never had any bad, worrisome or painful experiences with this race.  Yet, any troubles that I had, most certainly, was associated with memory blocking and compartmentalization.  

    Therefore, as painful as it is, I must also present the converse to the reader.  I might not have any bad experiences with this race because they did not let me remember those experiences.  (Please try to keep an open mind regarding what I present here.  Listen to what I present, but doubt all of it.)

    I would like to make one final comment before we explore this subject further.  There are many species that can be assumed to be, or identified as a “grey extraterrestrial”.  Some have five fingers.  Some have four fingers (like “my” type-IA), and some have three fingers.  This writing concerns itself with one specific species.  It does not concern itself with other species that might be similar in various ways. Such as this…


    Here’s an interesting discovery.  I don’t know how real or factual it is, but it certainly is interesting.

    A mummified three-fingered hand with eight inch fingers has been found in a Peruvian tunnel in the desert. While first inspection may lead one to conclude that it is nothing more than an imaginative man-made creation, examination by a physician in Cusco, Peru, revealed that it is composed of skin and bone, with six bones in each finger.

    The bizarre-looking hand was allegedly presented to Peru-based researcher Brien Foerster, who runs Hidden Inca Tours , along with a small mummified elongated skull and a tiny mummified body. The local person who has possession of the items told Foerster that they were found in a tunnel in January 2016 in the southern desert of Peru.

    The tunnel was closed-off by a large stone door and inside were two sarcophagi containing the body parts, which had been covered in clay.  He indicated that he did not want to sell the mummified body parts, but just wanted to know what they were and who or what they may have belonged to.

    The Internet & Other Writings

    “They were once fairies and elves. Now they are creatures from beyond the stars because you no longer believe in anything but humans.” 

    ― Thomm Quackenbush, Artificial Gods

    While I greatly lament the amount of disinformation and inaccuracies that I have come across concerning this species, I must admit that that bulk of (general) information about them is actually fairly accurate.  (More or less, with some rather extreme caveats.)  To repeat; most of the general non-specific information about this race is generally accurate.

    I get the impression that, at some time in the (recent) past, someone in charge of the redirection and disinformation efforts made by the United States government just threw their hands up in the air and gave up. 

    That is right. 

    I honestly believe that as far as this race is concerned, the United States government just tries to confuse the issue.  They no longer try to denounce it.  Therefore, there is quite a bit of accurate information about these enigmatic creatures on the Internet.  There is also a great amount of outlandish disinformation as well.  It is a legacy of intentional seeding of disinformation as well as profiteer activities that have so occluded this entire subject. 

    My greatest concern is that many reports are flavored by a personal bias. 

    • Those who are religious might state that they have religious motives.
    • Those of a purely military background might caution one against their “warlike” ambitions. 
    • Those of a more intrusive or scientific bend, might be more withholding of commentary. 
    • Those of a mischievous mind would present all kinds of nonsense to a gullible public.

    All these viewpoints are colored by the experiences and the background of the observer.  Whether you like them or hate them, none of these viewpoints holds an accurate portrayal of this race of beings.

    I find that I agree with the general physical descriptions of these beings to some extent.  While I have not experienced the same kinds of events that are often reported, they do seem to be in alignment with my own personal experiences. 

    No one, including myself, has a truly unbiased understanding of these creatures.  However, given the diversity of opinion and the great variation of experiences, I must conclude that many of the reports seem to be accurate and seem to agree and be in line with my experiences.

    All human interaction with this species is influenced by the predetermined interests, religion and spirituality of the observer. It is truly rare to find an unbiased opinion on this species.

    Work Methodology

    "There were pictures of the bodies, which looked like the beings known as 'the grays.' … Some of the little grays appeared to not be a reproductive-capable species. 

    The autopsy guys concluded, according to the report, that it looked as if they had been cut out of a cookie cutter - clones with no alimentary tract. They did not ingest or process food as we know it, nor did it appear that they had any system of elimination."

    -Robert O. Dean

    Let’s start by describing how they operate in a group setting.  That is, how they contribute and work together.  Dogs form packs.  Cats work independently.  Humans, depending on the circumstances, chooses the preferable organizational structure.  But what about this species? 

    I can tell the reader this truth.  When they work, they do so with organization and planning.  If there is a task to get done, they do it as if they were ants.  The individuals swarm out, do their specific tasks at the proper time, and then return to their initial locations.  They do so like ants following the direction on a pheromone trail.

    However, they are decidedly not ants. 

    They are organized, and contribute to the entire task utilizing their own specific assignments automatically.  While they do seem to appear to have a small degree of individuality, it is not obvious unless you are familiar with them.  Thus, if you spend any amount of time with them you will notice this.  They are not robots.  They are neither plants nor androids, but rather a distinct different race that has a completely different way of thinking than we do.

    This is the way that they conduct their business and tasks.  But they are decidedly not hive insects, nor are they derived from insects (I personally believe.).  Unlike their overseers (not the correct word, but the relationship is complex), the <redacted>, they do possess a bony frame. They are not invertebrates.

    Soul Configuration

    For our purposes here, every creature has a soul. This is a organized collection of quanta that operates in predetermined movements in and out of the physical constraints of both time, space and dimensional variations. They are classified in their arrangement and "dances" with other soul components. The study of souls is quite complex and beyond the scope of this article. For now, the reader should just accept that no two souls are alike. They are all different and vary from species to species.

    Yet, I must digress.  It seems to me that the fundamental base soul structure is inclined to what we, as humans, determine as elementary; the insect biology.  Yet, it has been my experience that there is significant evidence that the insect biological – quantum soul structure is the superior structure. (Or, maybe this is my entanglement speaking…who actually knows?) 

    However, that debate and analysis is to be shelved for yet another time. 

    Their soul structure and level of technology enables them to have this ability.  The ultimate effect is one of great efficiency and precision.  That is one of the key indicators that point to a hive or a matrix soul structure

    A hive mind or group mind may refer to a number of uses or concepts, ranging from positive to neutral and pejorative. Examples include:

    1. Collective consciousness or collective intelligence – concepts in sociology and philosophy
    2. Culture – A collective of knowledge, art, artifacts, symbols and social ritual
    3. The apparent consciousness of colonies of social insects.  Such as ants, bees and termites
    4. Swarm intelligence, the collective behavior of decentralized, self-organized systems, natural or artificial
    5. Universal mind, a type of universal higher consciousness or source of being in some esoteric beliefs
    6. Group mind (science fiction), a type of collective consciousness
    7. Egregore is a phenomenon in occultism which has been described as group mind.
    8. Groupthink

    Though which one is specifically associated with this race is up to debate.  No one, apparently, is significantly interested enough in this issue to pursue it. 

    We know that it is either a matrix or a hive soul structure, but we do not know or understand exactly their exact configuration’s classification.  That is, to say, we know what it is, but not what it is formally classified as. 

    The reason behind this is that as humans, with an individual soul structure, the hive or the matrix structures are not particularly well understood by us.  Not yet, at any length.  The primary differentiation characteristics are of such an extremely different nature than what we, as humans, can understand that we cannot comprehend the differences.

    We do not specifically know which soul structure that this race utilizes.  There is a debate where some are absolutely convinced that they have a hive matrix soul.  They attribute this to their organized behavior that is often witnessed.  But others disagree with this because they can provide individual discussion and independent thought on demand.  That is not a core element of a hive soul structure.  Thus they argue that they must have a matrix soul structure instead.

    Specious arguments for “ivory tower” types!

    Personally, I don’t know exactly what their specific soul structure is.  (Though I do actually have an understanding of it’s base grouping.  All of <redacted> understood soul groupings and configurations.)  It is entirely possible that their soul structure is something other than either a hive or matrix structure. It is just that we humans don’t have the science, and vocabulary to understand it at this time in our state of technology advancement.

    Summary;

    There is an internal debate into how this species soul interacts and behaves. Some refer to it as a “hive”, while others refer to it as a “matrix”. In any event, the soul configuration is very different from the souls of humans.


    Society

    These extraterrestrials have a different soul structure than humans have.   Since a soul structure influences the physical manifestation of a creature, it can also reflect upon its actions, thoughts, motivations and desires.  Thus, in so doing, shape the society that those physical manifestations create.

    Humans have wars and crime; beauty and art.  We have such a wide diversity of physical manifestations of our souls.  But this is due to the complexities of our quantum make up.  Not every species has these same manifestations. 

    Some appreciate a certain of music, while other appreciate a certain kind of art.  Some appreciate “open space configurations.  While other appreciate color blending; and even scent blending’s.  (This can be quite difficult to explain.) 

    • Of course we would have crimes, banks, governments and wars since there are a percentage of our members who are “service to self” inclinations of sentience. 
    • Of course we would have art, poetry and the beauties associated with them because we have members involved in “service to others” inclinations.
    • We have religions, fads and pop culture because we have members involved in “service to another” inclinations. 

    However, this is not true with an already homogenized hive / matrix race.  For the Type-IA (greys) extraterrestrials they are unified in one single purpose and intention.  Their soul configuration is very stable and (for lack of a better word) cultivated.

    We don’t know which kind it is specifically, but it seems to be more or less a variant of a matrix, hive or group structure (as stated previously). 

    (For simplicity in this narrative I use the terms matrix or hive interchangeably when referring to this species.)  In any event, all the (Type IA grey extraterrestrial) individual physical entities that we encounter (seem to) have quantum level appliances embedded in their quantum soul bodies. 

    Actually, it is more accurately defined as a combination of both artificially contrived and biologically developed (inherited) abilities. This is difficult to understand, as we as a species don't really recognize the non-physical world in any way except as how it interacts with our physical world. 

    Here, we argue that this species and their civilization have developed technologies at the soul level. These technologies developed and create soul-level artifices and mechanisms that they utilize that assist them in their physical bodies.

    Thus they are a biologically-supplemented [9] space-based [10] society. 

    [9] All members of this race have cybernetic devices embedded inside their bodies.  But instead of physical contrivances that we as humans would understand, they have quantum level appliances embedded in their quantum cloud.  These devices have a very small physical component that can be seen and detected with the right tools and knowledge.
    [10] This race is not centric to any specific planetary or environmental niche.  But rather can adapt to a wide variety of environments through biological creation of physical bodies.  

    Thus they are space based. Initially, they evolved naturally on a planet, and then migrated to other planets in other solar systems.

    Once they were able to modify their body structure via DNA mapping, they were able to adapt to different planetary environments, and thus have since evolved into a truly space-borne species.

    They have a common social memory complex [11] that allows them to collectively function as areas of a group-mind. 

    [11] They do not have a great wide diversity of individual memories but a kind of central shared memory.  This is quite different than that of us humans.

    Thus, whether it is due to the nature of their soul structure, or due to their technology, we do not know for sure.  We have NOT mapped their soul structure, but they have mapped ours. 


    My personal unique opinion is that they have evolved over time from a simple matrix quantum soul construction, to that of a quantum-appliance augmented society. 

    This evolution apparently manifests as a borderline structured hive semblance, but with an active matrix quantum soul organization.  They maintain a great reliance on cloned (or more accurately; manufactured) entities for occupation in various dissimilar solar systems.  While their soul structure encompasses a huge amount of empty physical space, the physical shapes of this race takes on many forms.  The forms that they take on vary from galactic region to galactic region.


    They apparently are very active on the earth, and they are known throughout this region of local space.  But, no one knows the true extent of their activities.  We do not know if they are prevalent throughout the galaxy or even in other galaxies as well.  No human knows.  My guess, perhaps it is though my own ego is that their adventures are limited to this region of our galaxy and does not extend greater than 15% to 20% of our galaxy. (Still an amazing percentage!)

    Most importantly, what we experience in our own solar system is unique to it, and not reflective of their race as a whole.  Their appearance in our solar system differs from that of what they look like in other solar systems. 

    They customize their biological physical form to fit the region that they occupy. 

    So their form and appearance to us in our solar system is very different from the form that they take around another solar system.


    Biology

    “In After Disclosure, Dolan shares an experience he had with a politician who was deep underground in a military base.. He was briefed on the extraterrestrial reality and said that ET’s and UFOs are just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to information that’s concealed from the public.” 

    -http://www.afterdisclosure.com/2011/04/breakaway.html

    There are detailed studies of the biology of this species.  MAJestic has indeed studied this species in great exhaustive detail. They have collected large numbers of deceased entities and conducted forensic examinations on them.

    I was fortunate enough to be provided limited access to some of this information while <redacted> during the <redacted>. It was part of <redacted> that required that I <redacted>.

    Access to the information can be found at <redacted>, <redacted>, as well as <redacted>. I parsed through it, but couldn’t make much out of it.  Biology was never a great strength of mine. 

    Apparently their biology was fundamentally different from that of most terrestrial mammals.  Yet, paradoxically, it was still quite similar in many fundamental respects.  For instance, the proportions of the organs were unusual, but the layout was similar.  They had two eyes, two ears, a mouth, two hands, etc.

    The genetic makeup was different but also similar in many respects. 

    It was suggested in the <redacted> that we all, them and us humans shared some common DNA somehow.  (Please refer to the speculation of active biological seeding by the progenitor species in the remote past.)  Their organization, behaviors, and various elements of biology were strongly suggestive of that of an insect.  But again, that is only myself “reading between the lines” with no formal classes in biology. (Most approved quantum archetypes seem to follow that of an insectoid form.)

    Full Frontal View
    After the fall of the Soviet Union, a large cache of documents regarding their experiences with extraterrestrials were released to the public. The United States conducted an aggressive and largely successful campaign in capturing these documents and discrediting those that were successfully released. As part of this cache was a large number of documents relating to the capture and interrogation of type-IA grey extraterrestrials. The photos shown here are parts of that cache of documents. I cannot vouch for their, authenticity however, I can most positively state that the pictures that I have seen are completely accurate and detailed in the description of this race of extraterrestrials. For all practical purposes, whether genuine or fake, the pictures shown here are an (very) accurate representation of this race. I consider them genuine. I urge the reader to do so as well. This is an actual extraterrestrial photograph. The source and origin is unknown, but this is the actual creature and what it actually looks like.

    The biology of these creatures were extensively studied and detailed in manuals at the <redacted>.  Obviously, a number of biological specimens were obtained and dissected.  There were more than just a handful of manuals.  In fact, there was a rather complete full binder on these creatures.  Obviously, someone has spent the time to study them and their biology and compiled a very detailed work in this regard.

    Their biology was never really a significant aspect of my job description; therefore, I never studied the subject.  To this day, I find their biology (and the biology of other creatures and species) rather boring.  What I do know is from my direct contact with them, with some aspects of miscellaneous information thrown in for good measure.

    The reader should note that they were always clothed.  They were obviously like us in that regard.  The clothing appeared to be of metallic structure, but in reality, it was a complex polymer with metallic elements.  It was a woven cloth and fit them quite well.  They had some variation in clothing, but not much.  It was mostly functional in purpose. .

    Their “uniforms” had no obvious decoration, nor any kind of insignia. 

    There was not any kind of indication of gender information.  For the most part, the various types that most humans encounter are genderless and are NOT used for propagation, or breeding purposes.

    I seem to recall that according to the <redacted> there was speculation that at one time they did originally have genders just like earth animals, <redacted>. The differences and details in regards to this is still locked in the <redacted>.  They were not of my interest, nor part of my job description.

    They do not have distinct individuality. 

    They act in conjunction with each other, and do not show or act with any kind of individualized personality.  Unless you know them personally, they are very difficult to tell apart from each other.  Once you do get to know one specific entity, it becomes confusing because that particular entity might occupy different extraterrestrial type-1 physical bodies.


    Since they can do this; switch their individualized consciousness between different physical bodies, they are able to “travel”.  

    One physical body might be on the earth, and then they can instantaneously switch to another one on Mars. 

    That is pretty amazing, but not nearly so amazing as the concept that they occupy many such worlds all around the galaxy. 

    Thus they could, in an instant, move their individualized personality (focus) from say the earth to a planet around Gliese 876.  This, to me, is truly amazing!  Why bother with rocket ships?  Just inhabit and set up colonies on widely separated worlds and visit them at leisure.

    Vitals

    According to the <redacted>, the approximate height of a type-1A (also known as a big-headed Grey) is from 3.5 to 4.5 feet tall. According to autopsy results gained between 1951 and 1978, they have an average weight of about 40 pounds. 

    The proportions of the head to the body are similar to a human five month fetus.  They have no hair.  Their eyes are rather large, but seem to be covered with some kind of biological covering like a grown sunglass lens. 

    I agree completely with this assessment.  My physical interactions with them agree with this contention.

    Limbs

    They have unusual hands.  They have three long fingers, and a very long thumb.  The two longest fingers tend to be together like human fingers and are next to each other.  They are however, contrary to what you might find on the internet, completely separate digits.

    They are equally able to move all the fingers with equal dexterity.  They rarely spread them apart when standing at rest.  Thus it appears to the casual observer that they have a human like hand, but with extremely long fingers.  Their knuckles are more pronounced and obvious than human knuckles. They are very adept using these hands and are surprisingly agile and dexterous with them.  They seem to be capable of using either hand equally well.  From my personal experience, they are neither left nor right handed. Which is odd, as all animals that we know of eventually favors limb use through habitual use.

    They have very long arms.  The arms reach longer than human arms.  If they were to stand next to you, the hands would end up above the knee.  For humans, the hands would end in mind-thigh.

    Type-1A grey hands
    This is an actual and real hand print. I urge the reader to understand this. If this is a fake, then it is a well done fake. This is the kind of extraterrestrial that I had experience with. This is the way their hands looked. These are their hands and fingers.

    I do not know about their feet.  I do not know if they have four or five toes or how the toes look.  I would guess that they might have some kind of major digit which might be equivalent to our “big toe”, but that is speculation on my part. 

    They wore boots with their uniform. 

    I do not know if they wore socks with the boots or not.  My experience was never that personal with them. Obviously the books and writings in the <redacted> contained all this information and more.  While I actually did perform a rather cursory review of this species while I was <redacted>, I simply do not remember what it had to say about their feet, ankles, knees, or limbs.

    DNA

    A kind reminder that this information is directed to the class “A” sub-species configuration of the Type-1 extraterrestrial.

    Some researchers (on the internet) claim that the body shape is indicative of a very ancient species.  But how they can possibly come to this conclusion is beyond me.  They also claim that their DNA patterns lie within a pattern that is considered to be primitive.  

    I can neither confirm or deny that information. I would suggest to the reader that even if I were a doctor and conducting a forensic study on a type-1A body, that I would be unable to come to any of those aforementioned conclusions based on observation and our knowledge of DNA mapping.

    Further, researchers claim that the way the DNA is shaped is in the opposite direction than human DNA. 

    Supposedly they have extremely large lung capacity and a number of organs that seem to have some curious functionality.  Also, they supposedly have implanted “crystal appearing artifices”.  All of this information is interesting, but I cannot confirm or deny the accuracy of this.  It is all second hand information.  I know nothing about the biology of these creatures except what I have read and by comparison with what I have seen.

    The reader must remember that the physical body is a shadow or reflection of the densest parts of the quantum body.  Thus the DNA is a configuration that is manifested by the quantum soul archetype.  The reader must always keep this in mind.  The quantum body is the actual repository of shape and form, and the physical is the densest portion of that form.


    Skin Color

    As I have stated previously, every single time that I have spent time with this species it was under their preferred lighting conditions. This was a reddish light. Normal ‘natural” light that is preferred by humans was never available to me. Thus, any information that I have on their personal skin color is from secondary sources.

    According to secondary sources, including <redacted>, the species skin tone variation seems to be widespread, with skin colors ranging from bluish grey to beige, tan, brown or white.

    There are other factors which appear to affect skin color, and one of them is the state of general health of the entity. This is true with humans, dogs, cats, and rats.

    Supposedly, (according to the internet) skin color is known to change after they have consumed nourishment.  This makes sense to me, but I have never seen them consume food in my presence. 

    Some claim (on the internet) to see individuals that seemed to have arms of a slightly different color than their heads or rest of their bodies.  This would change periodically, but what this infers can only be speculated upon. I myself absolutely doubt this report, as they wear long sleeve tunics/coveralls and I have NEVER seen them roll up their sleeves in public. Since their arms are always covered, then how can a person see what their arms look like? Especially under that reddish light?

    Finally, the reader should note that as far as I am concerned, they all look similar with similar skin color, shape, size and appearance.


    Brain Capacity

    They have a larger brain capacity than humans, but the benefits of this, is of course, speculative.  According to the manuals, the brain capacity is estimated to be between 2500 and 3500 cc, compared to 1300 cc for the average human.

    You can come across all kinds of strange and odd conclusions about this species on the internet. Some people claim that they have artificially grown brains, or brain portions, while others claim that they can insert memories into the brains in what ever pattern they wish.

    This internet narrative shows a total ignorance with the technology of this species, their soul construction, the concept of mobile consciousnesses and the MAJestic role with them.

    Now, these writings on the internet are all wrong, or if they did have this technology, they certainly don’t use it.  The truth is that their memories are all shared, due to the nature of the matrix soul structure.  They do not need, nor require the insertion of memory patterns.  (After all, memories are controlled in the non-physical reality, not in the physical brain itself.) The vast bulk of soul compatibility and control is governed through associated quantum appliances located in the hybrid clones quantum soul body.

    Instead, what they insert is “learned skills” for the specific physical body to utilize. They do not insert “memories”.

    This is very difficult for humans to conceptualize. For we naturally associate memories alongside training. You learn something, by retaining the memories of your training.

    This is a false understanding.

    There are two completely separate things going on here. Firstly, there are memories. In the hive mind, these memories are compartmentalized into uniform-access, and personal-access. Humans only have one set of memories, and they are all personal-access only.

    Secondly, there are training memories. These are “trained skills”. Just because your mind can recall somethings, does not mean that your entire body recall it as well. You can have a false memory of being a ballet dancer, or playing the guitar, but your physical body will fail at trying to obey the commands from the brain.

    Nourishment

    “The Greys seem to be fundamentally different than humans with some having atrophied digestive tracts as discussed in alleged military autopsy reports and may be absorbing nutrients through the skin rather than through a digestive tract. 

    The skin may function like the inside of our digestive tracts, that’s why some feel clammy and damp and smelly when touched. There is some evidence and speculation that the mutilation of animals and even humans, where the bodies are drained of blood, that some kind of food mixture using blood, is being externally ingested into their bodies through the skin.”

    -Jeff Adams

    It is reported (from secondary sources) that the Type-1A consume nourishment through a process of absorption through their skin. The process, according to those who have witnessed it, involves spreading a biological slurry mixture that has been mixed with hydrogen peroxide (which oxygenates the slurry and eliminates bacteria) onto their skin. Waste products are then excreted back through the skin.  

    I never saw any of them do this.  So I do not know if this report is accurate or speculative.  I do know that they have mouths, and I do know that they have been able to drink water with them.  However, I have never seen any teeth.  I do not know if they have any.

    Odors

    Some people have stated that the Type-1A species have a distinct series of odors that appear to be similar to a mentholated cinnamon smell.  I do not know any of this. 

    When I went on my first off-world experience and I had my first exposure with the species, (as a human and an AOC in the US Navy) I did not smell anything associated with the Type-IA grey extraterrestrial species.  I do not recall smelling anything at all. 

    Later, during <redacted> and training, I interacted with them performing certain activities. During that time, I never smelled anything either.

    I have tried to wrack my brain and empty out all my memories of that time, but I must pitifully say that I cannot remember any particular smell associated with them.  There might be various reasons for this.  There are many possible reasons for my perceptions regarding this issue.  Which one is correct or accurate is up to the reader to determine.

    Communication

    Apparently, some of them can talk.  In fact, they seem to have a surprisingly good grasp of the English language.  But, they do talk in a strange way.  I think that it has more to do with the shape of their mouth and throat than anything else. 

    Personally, I have never seen anyone talk. Anything about the type-1A talking is beyond my experience. My experience simply is this, “They think – I react”

    Using what I know from personal experience, and what I have read on this issue, I have come to certain conclusions regarding this. The communication from them, if you listen to them, is via a combination of vocal sounds with an adjunct support of some latent telepathic ability.  The resultant effect is one of the ability to understand these creatures as they talk.  No matter how strange it sounds to your ears. 

    But they usually do not talk, and instead rely on instantaneous thought communication.  Their ability to use thought communication is always directed from a single designated person.  The others do not communicate to humans or others like myself otherwise.

    When I met them for the first time as an AOC in the Navy, they did not speak to me at all.  All communication was via instantaneous psychic thought control.


    This is a most pronounced fact, anyone who talks about their “language” and communicating through speech primarily is talking nonsense.  They communicate primarily through instantaneous telepathy to humans.  It seems strange that this is my experience.  But it is true.  

    Why they are able to do this and how they can leads to some interesting conclusions. One of the key points is that all of us who worked with this species possessed EBP within our brains.

    What we interpret as telepathy, could very well just be instantaneous radio telephony.

    Personalty

    They are not personal.  I was never able to have a one-on-one deep-hearted conversation with any of them.  Though there were times when I wanted to communicate with them, I had great difficulty in doing so.  I do not know why, perhaps it had to do with <redacted>. 

    I really don’t know. 

    From my first exposure to them, to my last, it was always a consistent method of communication; it was one way.  They initiated and directed the communication.  It was also instantaneous and through telepathy.

    Type-1 grey head shot
    This is a movie still from a released archive of former Soviet Union video depicting a Type-I grey extraterrestrial. How they obtained the photos and stills are contentious. Were they obtained surreptitiously from the United States or do they represent a untouched cache of documents that originated out from the former Soviet Union archive? Actually no one knows for sure. In my mind, of all the photos and documents found on the Internet and through other sources, this cache represents the best and most accurate portrayal of this race.In my opinion; this is an ACTUAL and REAL photograph of this extraterrestrial. I can actually confirm it to be valid. I suppose that some NSA debunker will come up with some elaborate creative story how this is a “fake” photo. But, I tell the reader that it is not. It is 100% real and actual. This is what they look like. Note the nose.

    It was a curious relationship.  Whenever I worked with them, I felt like I could communicate with them telepathically, but I never (at the time) felt like I wanted to.  Therefore, I never engaged communication with them.  They always engaged conversation with me.  This is a very, very important point, and it defines our relationship as humans with this race.

    They have a manner of interaction with humans that involves a degree of control over the human mental processes.  This is either natural, or through use of augmented internal processing appliances.  In this way they can control the human thought patterns, thoughts, memories and emotions.  They can do so in layers and degrees of ability. 

    For instance, when I was “off-world” for the first time, they were able to control my memories, and how I reacted to meeting this race for the first time.  They didn’t control my sight, but rather how I reacted to the sights before me.  How they were able to do this is not known to me.

    I strongly suspect that this kind of control is used on all humans that they interact with. 

    In fact, it is possible that they control the MAJestic leadership in this way.  And thus, the MAJestic leadership still continues to act and behave in a contrary manner than what would normally be expected of a “normal” and “typical” American in this decade and current cultural environment.  I was able to see the difference in use of this technique because I interacted with them as a <redacted>.  I could tell and see the difference in mental interaction.

    They do not know of individuality.  That concept is alien to them.  Both their physical bodies, with or without quantum appliances, and their quantum soul structures exist without individuality.  Some say that they are interested in the human concept of individuality, I know nothing of that.  If there is an interest, it is academic only.

    I suspect that any interest that they show is a feigned interest at best.

    Religion

    I have read some reports about this race “chanting” and being overtly religious.   That is complete nonsense. 

    This is such an obvious red flag that it is a guarantee that the person who is making this statement is either a hoaxer, profiteer or disinformation expert.

    They are not at all what we would consider to be “religious”.  I wish to make this absolutely clear.  They do not worship a deity.  They do not make icons or statues of any kind of deity or saint.  They do not chant.  They do not create paintings.  They do not create sculptured statues.  They do not create carved “fetishes”.  They do not hold special events in favor of any kind of spiritual expression of any kind.  There are no “ten commandments” or religious rituals that they follow.

    Here is an example of the kind of nonsense that one can find on the Internet about these beings.  This is all made up.  There isn’t a flake or spec of truth in it.  It is all pure dribble.  (I wanted to use stronger language, but I was afraid that it wouldn’t be appropriate to do so.)

    “The Ebens worship a God. The pope feels their God is the same as ours. The Ebens worship God differently, but NOT so much. In fact, OSG brought artifacts of the Ebens’ God that fits directly into OUR [Christian] God.   Several Eben paintings, sculptured statues and carved fetishes were similar to our God. In fact, the story of their God – appearing thousands of years ago on SERPO and setting up religious sects on their planet — is similar to our story of Jesus. The Ebens chant verses, which, when translated, are similar to OUR prayers. The Eben chants contain 26 verses which they repeat every day at their prayer hour, which is in the afternoon (SERPO day).

    The chants sound like Tibetan chants. On a particular Eben day of their year, the Ebens expand the chants to 38 verses. The extra 12 chants pertain to “angels” — which we have translated to mean “saints” – who have helped the Eben society.”

    -Serpo.org

    While their technology is quantum based, and their understanding of soul is substantially superior to ours, they do live a more or less spiritual life.  One that is by far superior to anything that we humans could possibly conceive of.   We would not recognize their spiritual activities as such.  They do not have a religious life at all.

    An understanding of how the soul works, to the level that transcends time and space, is a far superior spiritual understanding of the universe.  They truly understand their role and understand how humans can help them achieve their overall race goals in this regard.  They understand not only the quantum mechanical influences of the soul, but also the functional tracking of it through time, space and across the dimensions.

    Once should avoid getting swept up in human religious equivalents when discussing this species.  They are not at all applicable.


    Farming of Humans

    “The more you know, the crazier you look.”
    -Anonymous

    Perhaps the most accurate and poignant aspect that I can present about this race is that they tend to the nursery that we are part of. They are the gardeners, the policemen, the guardians, and the caretakers of sentient life on earth.

    GIF of a type-1 extraterrestrial
    A two second repeating GIF made from a section of the movie obtained from the KGB of a type-1 extraterrestrial from the former Soviet Union.

    In our section of the galaxy there are a number of solar systems that are used as a kind of incubator for the development of sentient life.  It is not only our solar system, but includes the Alpha Centauri system as well as a few others. 

    These environments are protected and monitored by a (sort of) federation of planets who has established that the <redacted> race as governing ability.  To this end, it is the Type-I grey extraterrestrials who are involved in “tending” and “cultivating” humans toward ultimate sentience.

    They have been doing so for some time.


    Their goal is to help shepherd the human race towards a more “perfect” or “ideal” form or spiritual soul archetype based on our biology.  But that is ultimately not possible, as entities such as mammalian humanoids tend to develop in different ways. 

    Therefore this species benefits significantly on a personal level whenever certain humans adopt an archetype direction that favors their spiritual intentions. 

    They, in other words, tend to this nursery to help cultivate the human race for the goals and objectives of the <redacted>.  But, in the case of wayward humans who’s archetypes do not fit into the ideal (as described by the <redacted> race), they can then possess and utilize them as they see fit.  Ultimately either [1] absorbing their soul quanta, or [2] farming them like a sort of cattle (to obtain their quanta and life experiences).

    This is very disturbing to me.

    In short, to put things in a very simple form, it boils down to two development choices.  (There are other kinds of sentience’s.  But for 85% of humans, they develop into but two specific kinds of sentience.) Both are a function of the “direction of” sentience.  (A kind of interim sentience that is not yet fully formed.)

    [Option 1] Service to Others Sentience

    If one becomes a “service to others” related entity they are able to evolve to a “purer” state. We can develop into a series of new forms and soul archetypes. As we grow and learn, we advance. We shed the old, and expand our mind, our spirit and our very being. We reach out towards God and work towards that goal.

    This is a good things, and doing so enables us to continue towards a development structure in accordance with the <redacted> race’s objectives.  

    This is, I believe a “pure” evolutionary path.  It is a path that is considered to be the ideal by the <redacted> race.  It is a harmonious path which will lead to great benefits to the human souls which strive towards this ideal.

    [Option 2] Service to Self Sentience

    If however, the human entity shows a strong propensity for “service to self” type behaviors that entity is permitted to evolve appropriately as well.  However the evolution will take on a much more “physically grounded” bent. 

    This is one of either two directions.  They are ether [1] absorption into the Type-I grey extraterrestrial hive, or to [2] evolve into a “farmed” creature.  The choice that is made is determined by the overall soul quanta configuration that is the ultimate result of the personal decisions, behaviors and actions of the entity during their reincarnations on the earth. 

    The differences between a service to self person as compared to a service to others person can be quite stark. 

    For example, here is a video that records an exchange between Congress and a member of the Obama Administrations GSA who was quite lavish in the spending of government money.  One of the events involved spending a large amount of money to assemble bicycles.  The official justified spending the money because they later donated the bicycles to children.  But, dear reader, that is a service to self activity.  A service to self person ALWAYS uses other funds, money, abilities, tasks, time, or people instead of their own in providing things to benefit others.  Go here.

    The better decision of the two options will lead towards absorption into the collective hive.  They will become part of the Type-I grey extraterrestrial collective.  This will be either as a member or as a subservient species.  The worse of the two options is to become that of farmed cattle for this race.

    This means that the human who chooses this path will choose an eternity of suffering.  This will happen in one way or the other.  They will experience an endless cycle of reincarnation events all directed towards pain, sadness and hurt designed to maximize collective experiences. 

    Then, the Type-I grey extraterrestrial collective would steal or farm these experiences though obtainment of the quanta.  The entity would then begin again as if they never had that experience in the first place.  It is, then a living hell for all eternity for that soul.  It becomes a endless cycle of reincarnation into difficult lives, where the entity would experience pain and sorry, only to have those experiences stolen from them; forcing them to relive that experience over and over again.  Often the same experience will occur time over time, but in slightly different manifestations.

    The Type-I grey extraterrestrials consider humans to be their “property”.

    The “service to self” sentience can be divided further into two sub-classes. The primary “service to self” sentience which behaves as the “management tier”, and a “lesser” sentience form known as the “service to another” sentience which are nothing more than drones that eventually serve the primary. There is a meme devoted to these individuals as they are rather well-known. This meme is known as the NPC meme.

    NPC
    This is the NPC meme that found it’s way out of the 4chan and into the internet blog-sphere.

    Species Longevity

    They are not a dying race.  

    Some of the disinformation that is floating about on the Internet makes this preposterous claim.  But there is nothing to substantiate it.  In fact, this claim has been repeated so often, and with such alacrity that it is part of the “myth of the greys”.  A guaranteed method to test that validity of the person reporting on this race is to see if they repeat this myth.

    There is no evidence that their race is dying or needs human support in any way to perpetuate their races existence.  We know that they have been involved with the human race for at least 30,000 years.  They have been visiting Earth for much longer.  Perhaps they have been visiting for hundreds of thousands of years.  (It is not unreasonable to consider 300,000 years, or even longer.) 

    They have also been visiting many other solar systems as well.  In fact, they have colonies all through our galactic region.  As strange as it seems, they prefer to occupy solar systems around cooler stars, mostly class K and M red dwarfs. 

    Our sun is, perhaps, a little too energetic for them [20].  However, I really don’t think that flare stars, or variable stars [21] are desirable.  Generally from their point of view, this is a habitable solar system for their race, but only marginally so

    [20] Energetic refers to both the physical environment and the great quantum level forces and tides that wash though our dimensional consciousness in this region.
    [21] Associated with the cooler K and M class stars.  These are generally associated and manifested as sun spots and jets of plasma and radiation.

    Their original parent race most probably has a different physical appearance than they do in our solar system.  They adjust their physical and soul bodies to accommodate the region where they inhabit.  Therefore, they are not dying, but rather in the long and drawn out process of adaptation to our solar system.  And our solar system is but one of the many [22] that they occupy

    [22] I do not know the true number.  No one does.  But to consider that they have had active spaceflight ability and interstellar flight ability for such a long time, it is absolutely conceivable that they occupy, in one way or the other, many other planets.  Perhaps these planets number in the hundreds or even thousands. 

    There is no element of desperation or urgency in their activities.  They perform their tasks with precision and infinite patience.  They do not appear to be ill or diseased.  Their equipment is always in excellent shape and working order.  They never seem to have traits characteristic of a dying race or a civilization in collapse.  They just appear different to us humans, with a different appearance, strange and unusual motives, and closed behavior.  This unusual demeanor is difficult for us humans to understand, so we try to rationalize it to with within one kind of role that we can understand.  Often, however, the understanding that we associate with it is wildly inaccurate.

    Technology Level

    They possess a far higher level of technology than humans.  Human technology is still fixed rigidly in classical mechanics.  They passed this level of understanding hundreds of thousands of years ago.  The ancestral relatives of proto-humans were proto-simian when this race first started exploring our solar system’s space.  They have been in our solar system for a long, long time.  In fact, they tend to think of humans as their very own creations, for some reason

    [It is a pervasive and perpetual position of possession.  To fully understand this belief that they maintain, you need to have had the same understanding and experiences that I have had with them. 

    To put that in perspective, imagine that this race was approximately 2000 years more advanced than we are currently today, but that was about 50,000 years ago.  Compared to them, we are still monkeys climbing trees.  Today, this race is galaxy faring [20], not simply solar system traveling. 

    [20] This is my personal opinion.  It is not verified or documented by anyone else in any way.  No drone pilot or extraterrestrial told me this.  It is just my educated opinion.

    They have mapped a good section of this section of the galaxy and maybe much more.  I do not know if they have conducted extended travel lanes or perforated space-time to provide travel to other galaxies, but it is entirely feasible.  Maybe they have colonies in the “nearby” Andromeda galaxy.  Wouldn’t that be amazing!

    To summarize this point, to wit;  [1] They have mastered interplanetary spaceflight most certainly.  [2] They have also mastered interstellar spaceflight as well.  The techniques between these two modes of travel are quite different.  They have mastered this ability and have various techniques and methods that they use.  It is possible, entirely possible, that they have also mastered [3] intergalactic flight as well.

    They offered trade of technological items in exchange for the freedom to move about unencumbered on “our” planet [21].  Essentially, they gave certain items of interest to the United States government with the promise that the United States would restrict the use of certain technologies.  These are the technologies that interfere with their crafts operation.  Additionally the United States agreed to provide protection against other humans whom might interfere in their tasks, and place certain areas and regions into guarantee for their benefit.

    [21] Why carry on so?  Why make these points?  Because, some of you readers will say this is all anecdotal. Some will attempt to refute each and every point. And others – the especially ignorant – will chime in with a “Well, you have nothing to worry about if you don’t break the laws”. The most retarded of all will opine, “Hey! Shaddup! This is all for our safety and security! (And, for the children…)” 

    Supposedly, according to the Type-I greys, themselves; their technology level is very advanced, but is apparently much easier to understand (by humans) than that of the<redacted>.  But, for some reason, the Type-I greys do not want humans to reverse engineer their <redacted>.  Why this is so is unknown.  This is one of those questions that must remain unanswered.) I believe, though I am not positively sure, that the anti-gravity mechanism being studied by PACL [22] as part of CARET was an Type-1 technology

    [22] Palo Alto CARET Laboratory.  This is the laboratory described in the Isaac media release. This lab apparently existed in 1986 in Palo Alto CA.

    Dimensional Portal Travel

    There are indicators that they can conduct dimensional travel to parallel dimensions.  I do not know much about this.  We know that they can move within our dimension quite easily. 

    They have mastered vehicular transportation, and dimensional travel through portals.  But the travel to other different universes is an entirely different matter.  (I have read from secondary sources that) (T)here is evidence that some of their technologies damage their bodies and cause them a level of trouble and concern.  Since their technology level is so advanced, it is possible that this might be due to dimensional travel outside our universe.  But this is only speculative on my part.

    This should be of no concern of ours, except for the rumors that changes in alternative world lines ultimately can influence our primary world line behaviors


    Quantum Programming of Materials

    They have the ability to program material behavior by writing on it.  This method of programming appears to be circles, spheres, curved lines and odd characters.  In actuality, the writing is the physical representation of a quantum based program that resides and coincides with the material. By using this programming method they can cause levitation, invisibility, material modifications, and dimensional transparency.  An unauthorized release of a fourth quarter report on re-engineering of the antigravity mechanism of one of the type-1 flight systems clearly shows this style of programming [23]

    [23] After the release of the information, there was a massive disinformation campaign against C.A.R.E.T. and it was labeled as a hoax by the major UFO organizations worldwide.  However, we now know from Mr. Snowden and confirmed by myself, that many, if not all, of the major United States UFO organizations are now fronts for the NSA.  They are involved in the collection of every leak regarding extraterrestrials, and participate in a massive disinformation campaign against any real serious disclosure of merit.  
    Example 1 code
    An example of the “programming language” that is utilized to alter the mechanical properties, both static and dynamic, of physical devices. This was provided by CARET through an unauthorized disclosure.
    example 2 code
    The type-1 extraterrestrial s have a hive mind and shared memory and soul. Because of that, the consciousness can easily understand purpose, function and utility of things. They instantly know their very own history as they all share the same memories. Thus there just sin’t any need for a written language, or even a language at all. They just communicate by shared thoughts. This is an example of a programmed substrate on one of the physical relics that MAJestic was involved in deciphering.

    Soul Fabrication & Manipulation

    This race, among a large number of other races, has the ability to create devices based on quantum physics principles.  They also have an understanding of what soul, memory and identity is.  Combined, they have the powerful tool-kit of quantum manipulation.  They are able to create soul-level quantum appliances (and appendages). 

    With soul-level quantum manipulation comes a great degree of powerful physical manipulation techniques.  For instance, they can modify and adapt their souls to mate with other entities.  They understand soul constructions and how a soul transcends the physical dimensions of time and space.  In so understanding, they can themselves switch between dimensions; transcend time, and travel without the limitations of space.  They can switch back and forth between soul level constructions and fabrications.  They can do this quickly; instantly and with great alacrity.  All of these skills are far beyond any level of technology that we can do or even recognize that exists.

    DNA & Genetic Manipulation

    This race is known to possess a great understanding of genetic engineering [23].  This understanding extends, not only to the physical biological component of the physical body, but into the quantum realms as well.  Thus, they have the ability to modify and create other races. 

    [23] Compared to contemporaneous humans, but far less than the progenitor race and the <redacted>.  This provides yet another mystery.  

    If they are working for (or in conjunction with) the <redacted>, and the <redacted> genetic manipulation technology is truly significantly advanced, then why do they insist on working with MAJestic to “improve” their understanding of the Human genome and it’s manipulation?  Certainly it must be for other reasons than just to optimize the <redacted>. 

    Are they doing a “run around” learning this technology without the “blessings” of the <redacted>?  What is the story behind this, and why is it being done in such a manner? 

    Perhaps I don’t have enough information at my disposal; they might be doing the MAJestic genetic research as a consequence as to improve the genetic pool of humans on the planet.  But even if that were the case, I would look askance at their motives.  I do not trust them.

    They are able to genetically modify the human race, as well as other plants and animals.  They are able to create and use and entangle souls with their DNA constructions.  They are able to animate biological creations, and move a given individual’s soul from one physical artifice to another. 

    They are able to create their own custom genetic bodies to reside on different planets and to live around other stars.  They have had this ability for thousands of years.

    Any appraisal of their technical ability is speculative.  We cannot make a determination of how advanced they are simply because our understanding of our universe is so primitive.  But for purposes of illustration, I consider them to be clearly five or more centuries ahead of human technological skill.  Which is pretty arrogant of me; seeing that they are hundreds of thousands of years older, as a race, than we are.

    Species Origination Point

    It is unknown where they originated from.  Anyone who states that they know where this race evolved from is wrong.  No human knows for sure.  The information provided for on the Internet is wrong.  What they state and say are most certainly lies and half-truths.  The fact, and the hard core truth, is that no one knows where their origination world lies.

    There are many who repeat the statement that they originated from the Zeta Reticuli solar system.  This is certainly a good candidate solar system for Earth like planets as it consists of two sun like stars (Class “G”). 

    However, I for one, wish to stand apart from the general consensus on this point.  I have my reasons, as stated elsewhere.  But perhaps the greatest reason for my reservations has to do with what I know while working in close proximity with them.  Generally, they tell us what we can understand.  They do not tell us the actual truth.

    Besides, their original point of evolution prior to achieving space-travel ability was around a much cooler and dimmer star. One that emitted light in the decidedly red spectrum.

    I disagree with the contention that they evolved biologically and naturally in the Zeta Reticuli system.  While I do certainly believe that they may have colonies or bases in the system, I do not believe that it is their home origination point. 

    Consider the possibility of an earth like planet around an Earth like star in a region of space that had been seeded by extraterrestrials for human-like beings.  It is far more likely that this system harbors human-appearing extraterrestrials than it is to harbor radically divergent species with a differing soul structure configuration.  (I think and believe, but this point of view is arguable.  I welcome other points of view and opinions on this.)

    What we do know that they have inhabited a large number of solar systems for hundreds of thousands of years. 

    Depending on the solar system and world that they inhabit, they must create a hybrid body to occupy and live in.  Thus, their appearance to us humans is the hybrid genetic container that they use in this particular solar system (A single “G” class star with moderately sized gas giants past the “frost zone”.).  Since the Zeta Reticuli system is similar to our solar system, the hybrid body that they would occupy, if they originated from this system, would be more human-like and not what we currently see them as.  (Again, this point of view is debatable.)

    We know that they use a hybrid container to visit this solar system with.  The bodies that we see are not their naturally evolved bodies.  Therefore, the planet and star that they evolved around is not like our sun or Earth. 

    Thus, I find it difficult to reconcile that Zeta Reticuli is their origination point.  If there would be a nearby race that would have originated from the Zeta Reticuli solar system, it is far more likely that it be associated with the <redacted> extraterrestrials.  Not the Type-I Grey extraterrestrials. 

    Type-I Grey Presumed Planetary Environment

    I really never read (MAJestic reports or journals found in binders) any specifics concerning the “home world” of this extraterrestrial specie.  However, their actions and behaviors that I have observed point to some undeniable conclusions regarding the influences in adaptation for their bodies in our solar system.  To this, I must add my disclaimer that what I present here is speculative based upon my knowledge and experience being entangled.  It is in no way reflective of official MAJestic belief.

    Apparently the species originated on a planet that was smaller than the earth, but larger than Mars.  The atmospheric composition maintained an oxygen / nitrogen atmosphere, but the percentage of oxygen was lower than it is on the earth.  That being said, the do seem to prefer a higher atmospheric pressure than what is considered normal on the earth.  Their “home planet” apparently orbits a much dimmer star than our Sun, and it is perhaps a K-class or M-class red dwarf.

    My personal and unique belief is that I would best suppose their origination point to be around a dimmer star than our sun.  This is because of their actions and activities.  They tend to conduct extravehicular forays out of their protective craft, on the Earth, at night or under dim lighting conditions.  Their interior lighting is dim and in the infrared spectrum. 

    Combined, these points indicate an unescapable conclusion; their biological processes tend to behave as if our star, a type G star, is too energetic for them. 

    The Zeta Reticuli system holds two stars and both stars are solar analogs that share similar characteristics with the Sun.  My guess and appraisal is for a parent home world that is around a much cooler star.  Perhaps their sun is a class K or M red dwarf sun.

    We do know that they have colonies in most of the solar systems that surround our solar system.  We do not know why they have so many colonies.  Nor do we know why they occupy these systems or what their ultimate objectives are.

    We are reasonably confident that they did not originate or evolve on the Earth.

    Slaves vs. Helpers

    slaves or helpers.
    Slaves vs. Helpers. Let’s consider the relationships that develop between different species. Like humans and dogs, or humans and horses, for instance. What is the relationship that humans have with cows, compared with the relationship that humans have with cats.

    Some individuals write that this species is a slave race to yet another race.  In fact, it has become the de facto “established” disinformation on the Internet concerning this race.  Just use your favorite search engine and type in “grey + slave race”.  You will get hundreds of webpages regarding this nonsense. 

    Most all of them say same the same thing.  It is often repeated, and it is all disinformation.  It is all bullshit[24].  It is not true.  It is not even remotely true.  It is wholly and absolutely in error.  How can anyone who has worked with these being come to that conclusion?  They simply cannot[25].  It is impossible.

    [24] It could be either intentional disinformation, ravings of a lunatic fringe that somehow entered the mainstream UFO community, or out and out results of a successful for-profit motivation.  Whatever it is, it is absolutely false.
    [25] I can understand a person misidentifying a terrestrial United States disc-shaped saucer as an extraterrestrial space-traverse-capable vehicle.  I can understand a person misidentifying a picture of rocket launch debris as a extraterrestrial object, possibly fabricated.  I can even forgive those who are “abducted” misidentifying the event as an attempt to thwart their quantum soul’s desires.  But there is absolutely no way to even remotely give credence to the Reptilian slaver nonsense.  This is just complete horse-shit.

    I do not believe this for one second.  They are NOT a slave race.

    There is no “wiggle room” in this statement.  It is absolute. 

    My experience indicates that the concept of a slave race is a human fabrication to describe a sub-species dominated by another species.  The relationships between different extraterrestrial races are complex.  We don’t understand them.  But the idea that the Type-1 greys are a slave race is not valid at all.  I saw no examples of this, or anything that would validate this belief or theory. 

    They are not slaves of some other race, such as the “Reptilians”[26], as some might have one believe.  Nor were they cloned by them to be a slave race.  

    [26] Reptilians (also called reptoids, reptiloids, or draconians) are purported reptilian humanoids that play a prominent role in science fiction, as well as modern ufology and conspiracy theories. The idea of reptilians on Earth was popularized by David Icke, a conspiracy theorist who says shape-shifting reptilian people control our world by taking on human form and gaining political power to manipulate our societies. Icke has claimed on multiple occasions that many of the world leaders are, or are possessed by, reptilians ruling the world.  I know nothing about this.  To me, this is all fantastical, and marginally believable. 

    There are many valid reasons behind this reasoning, but if this were to be true, then [1] we would be having dealings with the parent race of “owners”.  And, as far as I know, we do not have this relationship.  Nor is this kind of relationship ever [2] mentioned in the text that <redacted>.  Finally, [3] my interactions with this race was, for the most part, neutrally positive.  I never felt that any kind of subservient specie interplay was ever involved.  Anyone who has even spent five minutes with this race would be able to tell you, most assuredly, that they are certainly NOT a slave race.

    I have never seen a “Reptilian”.  If they were a slave race to this other race, I am pretty confident that I would have seen some of these “Reptilians” around.  I spent a large number of years working with this Type-1 Grey extraterrestrials, and I have never seen any other race of creatures ordering them about, directing them or treating them as a servant subspecies in any way [27].  From time to time, there would be an occasional race that would participate and direct a specific task, but the working environment was always mutually respectful.  It was always respectful

    [27] They do have a unique working “understanding” with the <redacted> race.  But that is a very complex relationship, one that I have a great deal of difficulty comprehending.

    Planetary Conquest

    “They concluded, in 1964, that there were at least four different groups coming here, observing us, surveying us, analyzing us, closely watching us, what we were up to, what we were doing.”
    -Robert Dean, Retired US Army Command Sergeant Major

    Some writers believe that the ultimate objective of the Type-1 grey extraterrestrials is to control and rule the world.  They are quite wrong.  This is a very simplistic understanding of how the universe works. 

    If they wanted to “seize” the planet earth, they would have taken it 200,000 years ago[28]

    [28] Technically, they already did so, and we are just humans living within their structured kennel.  But, that is perhaps too much for the reader to grasp at this point of time, and it is actually not entirely true.  The relationship and the issues involved are complex ones, indeed.

    If they wanted to fabricate their own sub-race of slaves, they would have done so before the building of the pyramids in Egypt[29]

    [29] Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. It is one of six civilizations globally to arise independently. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology) with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh. 

    The history of ancient Egypt occurred in a series of stable Kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods: the Old Kingdom of the Early Bronze Age, the Middle Kingdom of the Middle Bronze Age and the New Kingdom of the Late Bronze Age.

    They participated in the biological alteration of the human genome over 30,000 years ago, possibly much longer (the more or less exact dates are provided elsewhere in my writings).  They also played an integral part in the observation, monitoring and biological advancement of the human race over the centuries.  Their interest has always been formalized and consistent. 

    We could not resist any kind of forceful enslavement by them, or any warlike battles initiated by them.  They are indeed quite a formidable race, with extensive technological achievements under their belt[30], and they have the support of numerous[31] galactic federations. 

    [30] This is an American idiom that means that you have an experience or a qualification under your belt, you have completed it successfully, and it may be useful to you in the future.
    [31] There are more than just one “federation” of species on multiple worlds and planes of existence in our galaxy at this particular time frame.

    We could no longer repel and invasion by them, as could the Dodo[32] repel their ultimate extinction.


    [32] A flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Its closest genetic relative was the also extinct Rodrigues solitaire, the two forming the subfamily Raphinae of the family of pigeons and doves.

    They have no objectives relating to the conquest of Earth[33], nor do they have any interest in enslaving humans[34]

    [33] In a like manner; the United States Federal government has no interest in invading and seizing control of Tennessee.  Tennessee is part of the United States.  (Duh!)
    [34] Although they would be quite happy “farming” us for our experiences and quanta configurations.

    As best as I can relate to the reader; their role in this solar system is functional.  They are the “police men”; the “zoo keepers”, the “caretakers”, the “observers” who are entrusted by the <redacted> species to operate and monitor “our” solar system. 

    They do this because (functionally) our solar system is a (intentional and planned) nursery for evolving intelligences. 

    I do not know why it is such a place and why it has this function, but that is what it is. 

    These Type-I greys are the active guardians here and they help and guide the development of our species.  Their guidance might cause them to do and conduct operations that we, as humans, might find distasteful.  That might include [1] the precipitation of wars; [2] the elimination of certain human races, [3] the insertion of certain illnesses or diseases into the human population, or even [4] the complete destruction of the human race if it came down to that.

    They are the de facto rulers / owners of this solar system.  They control us.  They always have.

    Their Objectives

    Their objectives were never clearly announced to the MAJestic leadership.  They simply led us to believe what we wanted to regarding them.  Depending on the management structure in the MAJestic collaborative venture, their objectives were always suspect, but believed to be in the best interests of the United States, provided that MAJestic maintained control over information dissemination.

    This is not really actually true.  It is just what MAJestic believed.  However, their absorption of human-derived quantum envelopes and clouds to their quantum matrix is a decided possibility[35]

    [35] As to what their objectives are.

    They have a vested interest in this kind of acquisition.  It helps grow the collective so as to acquire a sort of “critical mass” enabling the group hive to attain a degree of dimensional instability permitting a higher energy form or state (overall for the collective).  This is the key reason and purpose for their machinations regarding the human race.  It does not concern physical obtainment of land titles and control, but rather the absorptions of preconfigured quanta in bulk and usefulness potential.

    They already control, or have “ownership” of everything on the earth[36].

    [36] From their point of view, we are like two dogs that are caged in a kennel.  Here we are; fighting over a bone or two thrown inside the fence.  We watch us fighting with disconnected amusement, and perhaps a slight amount of concern, but do not worry about us.  They know that eventually the fighting will end and a new cycle of life would begin.  Their only concern is the maintenance of the kennel and the overall value of the dogs inside the kennel.

    An organized quantum; that forms quantum clouds of quantum-dances and cloud-behaviors, are the currency of our galaxy, if not the universe. 

    Those races that can alter, modify, and manipulate quanta, do so for a purpose.  As such, they collect, harvest, manipulate and use these collections of quanta. 

    To farm organized quanta, a given race would need to (1) create a race of beings that would accumulate experiences.  Then, direct the race to act in a way (2) or behavior that results in a wide range of experiences; especially ones with the extremes of emotional attachments.  This is set in place so that they can collect (3) the quantum attachments so experienced by their human surrogates.  Then their collection process would involve the (4) absorption of the individual entities’ quantum clouds.  Finally, the collection of the quantum clouds are absorbed (5), along with the individual souls, into a new form or quantum configuration (6); one that is in alignment with their matrix or hive configuration.  This then, my friends, is what they are doing.

    Whether the human race will succumb to this kind of soul-stealing program will be up to the individual humans who live in this local regional sphere of influence.  We do have individual control in this matter[37]

    [37] Of the group behaviors of our race and sub-species.

    The greedy, materially oriented, selfish and self-centered will be absorbed[38]

    [38] There is nothing related to “good” vs. “evil” in this.  It is actually very simple.  A hive or matrix soul configuration is one that uses a set of particular quanta that is organized in a very exact manner.  It just so happens that the organization of their clusters is wholly compatible with individual soul archetype with quantum clusters organized by a “Service to self” individual.  Those who are generally selfish will find that their quanta are easy to absorb, steal, farm and utilize by other races.

    Those of differing persuasions will evolve along different paths.  All humans will all eventually evolve spiritually, and their souls will reconfigure themselves appropriately.  It is the nature of the universe.

    Perhaps, and it is my contention, that it is a strong possibility that their interaction with humans on the Earth is to assist in the evolution of the human biological envelope towards the creation of “experience vehicles”.  These biological modifications permit a hive or matrix soul to expand though collection or farming[39] of other entities experiences. 

    [39] In “farming”, one race sets up conditions that cause another race to acquire experiences.  Then, the parent race “farms” the individual for those experiences.  Thus the “slave” or “farmed” race is used like an apple tree.  

    Every couple of cycles the apples are collected, and the tree does not benefit from their collection.  It neither provides offspring that will grow into new tree, nor does the apples revitalize the ground surrounding the tree.  This is a particularly bad situation for a human with an individual soul construct. 

    The individual might find themselves getting into wars and battles and other horrible events, over and over again, but never learning from the situations and never remembering what had transpired. 
    They live a life of torture; to experience the worst of the world over and over again, never being granted release.  Never evolving beyond the experiences.

    The collection of the human experiences can only be acquired through absorption of the human modified quantum cloud.  As such, I can easily see a long term evolutionary program.  One that is designed to create herds of human or other biological creatures that would obtain experiences of various types[40] for a species (such as the type-1 grey) to utilize and capitalize on. 

    [40] Typically the events are painful, tragic, harmful and harsh.  For those are the treasured and valuable experiences that really help a quantum cloud soul evolve.  But when they are farmed, the soul which experiences the events never gets to benefit from them.

    As such, the greatest collection and diversity of experiences would be the most beneficial to the entities.  By steering these individuals toward “service to self” adaptive personalities, they could eventually, absorb the human quantum cloud into their own.  In so doing, the end result would be having the individual type human soul change into the hive or matrix soul of the Type I grey collective.  I can easily see this happening[41].

    [41] Every selfish act, every hurtful act derived through selfish behavior steers a soul toward a state of absorption by another race.  For humans, there are a number of races that greatly want to absorb or farm the human soul archetype.  

    It does not matter what the event was either.  That game that you cheated on when you were a child; the lies you told your wife to keep a selfish secret, or the pens that you hoarded from the work supply cabinet all contributes to a selfish derived quantum cluster.

    This, unfortunately, does happen somewhat already.  (Thus part of the reason why this nursery for evolving intelligences is kept isolated from the rest of the galactic federation.) 

    Every reincarnation; is a cycle of rebirth and death on the physical “battlefield” of experience attainment. 

    Currently, it is my understanding that there is a cost or a “fee” that humans must pay to undergo this cycle.  The “fee” is paid to the Type-I greys in terms of a kind of tax.  Certain clusters of experience from broad groups of humans are farmed, but at a very insignificant level; perhaps less than 3% of the total lifetime experience of a given individual.  Unfortunately, some individuals get more farmed, while other get less.  This is unfortunate, as it sets up a situation whereas the soul has to relive the experiences again over and over until they overcome the event sequence.

    Thus the truth of the entire picture and why the Type-I greys are involved, and why the <redacted> race is involved.  The <redacted> want the souls going through this intermediary (human) form to evolve into galactic federation approved forms; hopefully to be compatible or on the same level as they themselves are. 

    They cultivate us. 

    While the Type-1 greys farm us currently at a low level, and help precipitate experiences for us to endure so if we evolve into “service-to-self” sentience’s, then they can most readily farm our activities for organized quanta.  Organized quanta comes in different forms and shapes.  Some are more valuable than others.  And thus are prized. 

    The Type-1 greys tend to force certain souls and individuals to relive certain experiences over and over again so that they can “collect” these “ripe fruit” of quantum clusters.

    Species Goals and Objectives

    This species has overall objectives that appear to be founded on a rigid autocratic system based on a complex group thought process.  They appear to be a dominating survival-based social order, but that is not correct.  Their intentions are mysterious, but not incompatible with humans at all. 

    They are religious in the sense that they have made it a science.  Their science is in (an apparently) paired agreement with the (bulk of) earth’s major religions.  It is primarily quantum mechanics[42] based which is a science of applied thoughts. 

    [42] Quantum mechanics (QM – also known as quantum physics, or quantum theory) is a branch of physics which deals with physical phenomena at nanoscopic scales where the action is on the order of the Planck constant. 

    It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the quantum realm of atomic and subatomic length scales. Quantum mechanics provides a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter.

    Quantum mechanics provides a substantially useful framework for many features of the modern periodic table of elements including the behavior of atoms during chemical bonding and has played a significant role in the development of many modern technologies.

    They typically try to derive autocratic control of the major religious orders through various means that are unknown to the humans that they manipulate.  Luckily, these efforts are known by the <redacted> who curb their activities substantially. 

    Because of events in the past centuries, the Type-1 greys are absolutely forbidden to manipulate the Catholic church.  They had been manipulating that religious body for centuries, and the <redacted> put an end to it.  They are now manipulating another religious body in the middle east instead.  Their goals, purposes and objectives are unknown to me regarding this.

    Intentions

    "The type of UFO reports that are most intriguing are close-range sightings of machine-like objects of unconventional nature and unconventional performance characteristics, seen at low altitudes, and sometimes even on the ground. The general public is entirely unaware of the large number of such reports that are coming from credible witnesses... When one starts searching for such cases, their number are quite astonishing. Also, such sightings appear to be occurring all over the globe."

    -- Prof. James E. McDonald (past head of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Arizona), "Are UFOs Extraterrestrial Surveillance Craft?", talk given at AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), 1968

    They are not inherently evil.  They are a neutral race inhabiting artificial bodies to work and exist within our solar system.  Since they live in the solar system, they are particularly interested in the Earth and what occurs here.  We do not (officially) know for sure why they are so interested[43].  Of course, I have my own opinions that are stated here.  But they are not the “official” MAJestic belief. 

    [43] Their motivations are as stated previously.  They seem to be intent on the collection of advancing individual soul entities that are NOT successful in evolving in this solar system nursery for evolving races.  They seem to have a role as interstellar caretakers for this particular region and they seem to be operating under the control of a local galactic entity who utilizes the Mantid race as the local authorizes. 

    They have an active role in cultivating the human race.  This solar system is a nursery for evolving intelligences.  They are its caretakers.  The human race will evolve because of their actions.  What it will evolve into depends upon many factors, but whatever form the human species evolves into, both the <redacted> and the Type-1 greys will benefit.

    MAJestic Policy Position (dated to 2005)

    “If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans.”
    -Stephen Hawking

    Officially, according to <redacted>; they are interested in this solar system for their own reasons (which, according to the official writings, are suspect but not malevolent) and they have entered a treaty with the United States to enable them to pursue their own “mysterious” interests.

    What these interests are has never been disclosed to any MAJestic member short of those in the upper tiers of the organization.  (Their goals and intentions vary from species to species, but in regards to the central species; the <redacted> and their “helpers” the Type-1 greys, it is restricted to the highest levels of the MAJestic organization.  Us working “grunts” had no clue as to their assumed and true objectives with humans.)  The rank and file do not have a clue as to what these supposed goals are.

    However, in all the <redacted> (when collected as a whole), it has become abundantly and repeatedly clear (to me) that their true and real intentions have never been specifically vociferated  to the MAJestic management. 

    It is my opinion that the overall impression that we all maintained was a positive one, and that they were trying to help the human race through a period of uncomfortable growth.  I believe that most within the organization would agree with me on this appraisal.

    Officially; MAJestic believes that the Type-1 grey extraterrestrial specie is an emissary species that represents a larger “Federation” of intergalactic-travel-capable species. 

    They believe that this species is assisting the earth qualify for membership in this “Federation”. 

    To this end, the human race must [1] be patient [44].

    [44] The reader can forget any notion that mankind would be ready within our lifetimes. It will not be. We need to sort out our sentience first, and this will probably be a very ugly and uncomfortable event or series of events. 

    They do not care if we have a one-world government or not.

    All they care about is our majority sentience type configuration. Membership in any federation will not occur until our sentience is established. That way our RNA can be modified to fit a galatically approved archetype.

    Humans must [2] gain substantive control over nuclear armament [45].

    [45] This would be a near complete elimination of all nuclear weapons and control and delivery systems.  Further knowledge and manufacturing of such systems, as well as delivery and control systems would be maintained under the new federal centralized control.

    Humans must [3] significantly reduce pollution levels, and [4] have a significant reduction in the world-wide population level [46].  (As strange and horrific as this seems. [47]) 

    [46] According to my understanding; the global world-wide population is to be no greater than 1.5 billion humans at the time of successive entry into the “Federation” sphere of influence.  Currently it is almost 9x that value.  

    It is projected and expected that entry and qualifications for entry will engage within a 600 year time period.  It will not happen in the next 25 years.
    [47] Apparently, they accept the possibility of proving human leadership with various weapons of mass destruction as long as it will eventually result in world-wide decimation of the human race to more acceptable levels.  They do not want the mitigating factors to be nuclear, however, but rather biological or chemical as they are easy (relatively) to clean up and eliminate from the surface of the planet.

    In exchange for assistance in these manner, MAJestic will be (and is currently) being [A] rewarded with technology and science transfers, and given [B] sole control and authority in extraterrestrial control and visitation.

    At the same time, I am quite confident that the MAJestic leadership wants to protect the interests of humans and the American government.  They are careful and cautious with their dealings with all extraterrestrial species.  I do know that during periods of disagreements with certain species, humans did not fare well, and this put the MAJestic leadership on notice that they must indeed be cautious and careful.

    The more specific opinions that I have are solely my own, and not part of any MAJestic analysis.  I obtained them through a combination of experience and entanglement.  The reader should take them at face value and ascribe a value appropriately.  I personally believe that the MAJestic leadership belief is a simplistic one, and is not entirely accurate.

    Disclosure by a Scientist that studied these entities

    “This Man Went Missing After Creating A Single Reddit Post”

    This is a really great listen.

    From the late 2000s to the mid-2010s, I worked as a molecular biologist for a national security contractor in a program to study Exo-Biospheric-Organisms (EBO). I will share with you a lot of information on this subject. Feel free to ask questions or ask for clarification.

    This man went missing after a single Reddit post.

    Very few Reddit posts have sparked as many questions and theories as the one authored by the molecular biologist who claimed to have worked on Exo-Biospheric Organisms.

    The sheer depth of detail in the post, combined with the author’s apparent expertise and use of precise scientific terminology, captivated not only casual readers but also professionals in related fields.

    1) 1.28 Sub-contractor study. Correct. The research was outsourced from USA DOD Gov.

    2) 2.00 “Chimera” = many of the so called ‘Greys’ are biological constructs as I have said.

    3) 6.50 Location of research identified. (Note. The visuals of the piece are irrelevant fiction).

    4) 7.20 BSL 3 and BSL 2 Facility is underground as also reported by other sources before.

    5) 7.30 Storage of bodies is at – 80 c. (normal parameter).

    6) 7.45 Controlled environment. I too have worked under such conditions (normal).

    7) 7.55 ET Pilots are victims of crash situation. Consistent with ‘Snatch’ recovery protocol.

    8) 8.10 Cell cultures are grown. Hence in theory a body or organ could be ‘grown’ again.

    9) 9.20 Clear a long history of human/ET DNA cross breeding or genetic engineering.

    10) 9.45 Historically previous separation of environments of development, suggest they may have originated at some time from an Earth/Mars ecology but taken different evolutionary pathways to the present related but diverse configuration. Many Earth cultures were advanced.

    11) 10.10 They can interbreed with humans.

    12) 10.25 Normal procreation not possible. In interbreeding genetic IVA is necessary to bring on, hence the known foetus growing chambers as witnessed many times by abductees.

    13) 10.58 Radiation buffers useful if working in a partially radiated zone or ‘craft’.

    14) 11.30 Highly stripped down DNA for maximum efficiency indicates way ahead of humans.

    15) 11.50 Totally genetically engineered bodies.

    16) 13.20 Highly organised DNA – however built this knows what they are doing for light years.

    17) 14.00 Genetic interaction at foetal development so the bodies are system designed to purpose. They can ‘make’ any creature they need for a given targeted purpose in domain.

    18) 14.40 There could likely be twins or clones as seen many times in ET contact. They look alike and of any one ‘individual’ there could be a number, or even a large number (“I Robot”).

    19) 15.30 Genes from humans/animals and ET, hence the ‘strange harvests’ of Earth animals.

    20) EPIG 11 could indicate it may be possible to reproduce such a body in an Earth lab?

    21) 17.35 Bovine serum mentioned. Hence the cows acquired by ET in the USA and body parts.

    22) 18.00 Look like the ‘greys’ as reported.

    23) 18.30 The outer layer is like a divers ‘wet suit’ – under which is the actual ‘skin’.

    24) 19.00 They don’t ‘shit’, they sweat. Some greys have been noted to ‘stink’ sometimes.

    25) 19.20 No teeth. They don’t ‘eat’. You are not going to be ‘eaton’ by an ET.

    26) 18.40 They may not have a sense of smell like humans?

    27) 19.00 The airway arrangement is different may be somewhat like a cat (speculative?).

    28) 20.00 They wear contact lens ‘sunglasses’ and we know they are sensitive to UV light.

    The home origin environment is likely at a much lower light level than on Earth as they have ‘night vision’ and tend to operate on Earth at night. You could say in Earth terms nocturnal.

    29) 20.10 Suggests the home environment is constantly lit, no night time, possible twin stars.

    30) 20.40 They see colour differently to humans and with a wider spectrum.

    31) 21.00 Hearing ranges into low frequencies, like some Owls and Elephants and Whales.

    32) 21.10 Four brain zones as I have always said.

    33) 21.30 Bigger brain and better supplied with nutrients. They are smarter than humans.

    34) 21.40 Their brains interact directly with their technology, an evolution of ‘heads up’.

    35) 22.00 They don’t audibly ‘speak’.

    36) 22.20 No naval. They are not brought on in a biological womb. They are cultured in vitro.

    37) 22.30 Simpler bu similar hands to humans and they have ‘fingerprints’ (circles).

    38) 23.00 Feet show a greatly evolved time line. You could say the feet are slightly pig like.

    39) 23.10 Indications they live in a lower gravity or sometimes gravity free space. Weaker body.

    40) 23.50 Indictions the beings examined were very ‘old’ – much older than human lives.

    41) 24.00 They breath oxygen. The lungs are similar to birds and may indicate a dinosaur connection historically. Question? Where would dinosaurs be if they had not been exterminated?

    42) 24.10 They need higher oxygen brain support and ETs have been seen to use breathing support tubes when in an Earth environment. Their brains use more oxygen than humans.

    43) 24.20 They vocalise if they do by purring and may have sounds more like cats.

    44) 25,20 The heart has similarity to humans but the efficiency of the blood is higher and the body is more ‘electric’ in neurological voltages.

    45) 26.40 They excrete via the pores of their arms and legs. The skin of the ‘body’ may absorb nutrients as ETs have been observed to ‘bath’ in shallow vats of enzymes. Obtained from animals (and humans sometimes), also algae and sea life. They take showers of ‘broth’ to feed.

    46) 27.40 They don’t ‘eat’ as such like we do and they do not have the same sensory taste .

    47) 29.00 Food – ‘broth’ is rich in sugar and protein and may be not only taken but ‘absorbed’ via the skin of the body?

    48) 29.45 They have an immune system but cannot easily adapt to new viral infections (The death of the invaders in ‘War of The Worlds’ book/film).

    49) 29.55 The body may have micro mechanical machines in maintenance functions (bio bots).

    50) 31.20 They understand the ‘soul’ is a field like a gravimetric field and they can translate this field from one ‘body’ to another. They never die in an intellectual form. Neither do humans.

    51) Evolution of the intellect is magnified by group activity. ETs always operate in groups of two, three, six or nine and inter respond with each other. They rarely operate singularly.

    52) 32.00 This is similar to the ‘Jung’ concept of the ‘oversoul’ the total mind field of a species.

    53) 32.50 Some speculation here not born out by experience and observations. The overall motivation of the ETs is the expansion of complexity and seeking matrix evolvement (The Borg) in that respect they may view the Earth and humans as useful source of both DNA, cultural diversity and emotional experience as their somewhat ‘hive’ mentality may be fascinated by the human civilisation but they don’t see the investment into individual ego (Trump) as of value to the whole body of consciousness – as Forrestal asked, “Are they Communists?” – Yes.

    54) 36.00 The attempts to suppress the above information seems to be driven by the US need to gain some military or economic advantage from learning from the many years of research that has produced this report, however the rather paranoid mentality of the USA culture is further restricted by religious prejudice within the the elected members who fear that such matters beyond their ken originates from, ‘The work of the Devil’ similar to medieval thought.

    55) However ET seems more concerned with using Earth as a test tube or culture pallet and advancing their own evolution by cherry picking what they need from us and the ecology.

    56) From previous experience it is obvious that ET will NOT allow their test tube to be destroyed by human nuclear destruction on a Worldwide level even if some 2000 tests have been conducted in the past 79 years.

    60) The Genie is out of the bottle and cannot be put back in. As the author of the report states the longer the disclosure of the above facts is withheld from the public the worse the ‘blowback’ could be and the potential complete loss of faith by people in their governments.

    61) In closing the above research was within a Special Access Program (USA) and is not within the general oversight of Congress or even The White House at this time.

    Ends.

    Obvious Interests

    They do have obvious interests.  There are many examples of this.  They do not want the earth to be radioactive, or to be overly polluted [48].  And they will go at great lengths to guarantee that this will not happen.  They have, at other times, completely disabled the launch systems of ICBMs [49], the engagement of nuclear weapon arming systems, and the assignation of key leaders that they deem as dangerous to the general welfare of humans on Earth

    [48] The earth is valuable.  Even though it is a bit more energetic for most extraterrestrials to live in our solar system, it is still considered to be quite an important piece of real estate.  Perhaps, one in 25 systems or more have a planet that has a marginally habitable planet that orbits the parent star.  Thus the Earth is, indeed, quite important.  

    No race is overly concerned about the human race.  It is considered that humans will come and go.  Humans will follow the path of other emerging intelligences of races that shared the earth as a nursery proving ground.  Maybe in 30,000 years, humans might be extinct or will have evolved into something else. 

    Therefore, it is very important for extraterrestrials to make sure that humans do not damage the Earth irreparably.  The detonation of excessive nuclear weapons might damage the Earth biosphere irreparably. 
    [49] An Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a minimum range of more than 5,500 kilometers (3,400 mi) primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more nuclear warheads). Similarly conventional, chemical and biological weapons can also be delivered with varying effectiveness. Most modern designs support multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), allowing a single missile to carry several warheads, each of which can strike a different target.

    It is very possible that the “conflicts” or “disagreements” between MAJestic and the Type-I Greys during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s was a direct consequence of the “Three Mile Island” nuclear discharge [50]. 

    [50]The Three Mile Island accident was a partial nuclear meltdown that occurred on March 28, 1979, in one of the two Three Mile Island nuclear reactors in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was the worst accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history. 

    The incident was rated a five on the seven-point International Nuclear Event Scale: Accident With Wider Consequences.

    I do not think that there were any overt fighting, but I do know that the Type-I greys took a particularly “hard” stance on the need to secure nuclear sites around the world. 

    They considered this a serious issue, but the replacement president; Ronald Reagan (R) did not want to incorporate any of their suggestions.  This then (possibly) led to other more “heated” disagreements between MAJestic and the Type-I greys during the mid 1980’s. 

    I do know that when the Chernobyl event [51] occurred, the Type-I greys were quite distressed and they were put on “full-alert” during that time.  I can PERSONALLY confirm this. Their activities at the Oxia Palus Facility came to a complete stop[52] and their activities and resources were devoted to other areas during this time.

    [51] The Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine (then officially the Ukrainian SSR), which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities of the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere, which spread over much of the western USSR and Europe.
    [52] Because of the differences in planetary time tracks, what occurred on the Earth in 1980 influenced Mars site events decades earlier, in the 1960’s I imagine.  Time tracks vary from planetary influence to planetary influence.  Mostly due to gravitational influences in the passage of time.  Perception variances involve dimensional transitions (for a lack of any kind of equivalent terminology).

    As of 2003 they were increasingly disturbed by decrease in certain elements of the insect population; notably bees, and some other species.  They attributed a decrease in populations of these species as a direct consequence of human activities. 

    This was not the only element of human behavior that they found worrisome.  They also did not like the fact that many nations were adding Fluorine to the potable water supply.  These activities, and many others, were being monitored through biological sampling of livestock and (carefully engaged) biopsies of humans. 

    They monitored the earth environment specifically because of the actions of humans.  They strongly felt that humans were behaving in a very toxic manner that would have long term consequences to the earth habitat.  These kinds of activities, when adopted on a large scale, cause irreparable harm to the earth environment.  They did not like it.  They did not like it one bit.

    As the “caretakers” and “domestic police force” of this planetary nursery, they are obviously concerned with the long term habitability of this planet.  They are certainly more concerned about whether we (as humans) pollute the planet beyond sustainability, than they are worried about us fighting and killing each other for whatever reason or cause that (we as humans) consider important.

    There should be no question in the readers mind that all actions of humans on the earth is only done in behest of the Type-I grey extraterrestrial species.  It is in their best interest to help the development of the human form towards one of the other types sentience.  That would be either “service to self” or “service to others”.  Their charter is to do this without overt long term damage to the planet of solar system that we live in.

    Culling of problematic humanoid groups

    I do know that in the great past; perhaps 3000 years ago, they completely destroyed an entire sub-species of humans for the purposes of culling the current human lineage.  They have also “seeded” various genetic markers and alterations to humans over the ages.  While they have been doing this, they have eliminated any threat that would endanger their “crop” of subjects. 

    Part of their charter is to cull and assist in the development of the earth human form towards a stable archetype.  Genetic variations not in line with the “preferred” development path are culled from the planet.  They have no problems with this and do this quickly and without any ill will.  Their view is that the souls of the humans thus culled will reincarnate into “more approved” humanoid forms before there is any change of long term unsustainable damage taking place.

    For instance, they once cultivated a specific genetic marker in a human communal group in what is now Eastern Europe around 4000 years ago.  They spent decades tending to the humans and monitoring them.  After about 45 years, another group of humans; without the genetic modifications, encroached on this key group and started to attack them.  (I believe the group was advancing northward, but I do not know which group it was.)  The Type-1 greys, or course destroyed the encroaching humans.  They would do these kinds of actions from time to time as needed to preserve the environment and the subjects that they are in charge of.  Essentially, they just simply vaporized their settlements, and poisoned them through other means.  They have always found it easy to manipulate humans over the years.

    Utilization of controlled strife to achieve their objectives

    “Some contend that encountering a highly advanced civilization - even one whose technology is essentially comprehensible to us - would produce a traumatic cultural shock effect on man by divesting him of his smug ethnocentrism and shattering the delusion that he is the center of the universe.  

    Carl Jung summed up this position when he wrote of contact with advanced extraterrestrial life that the "reins would be torn from our hands and we would, as a tearful old medicine man once said to me, find ourselves 'without dreams'...we would find out intellectual and spiritual aspirations so outmoded as to leave us completely paralyzed. I personally don't accept this position, but it's one that's widely held and can't be summarily dismissed.”

    -Stanley Kubrick Playboy Interview (1968)

    They are not warlike.  However, they do seem to prefer a degree of strife in the world.  Their activity is generally hands off and ambivalent, but that is perhaps illusionary.  Their interest appears to be one of curious interest towards the complexities of the human condition.  They seem to want or prefer to have the humans interact in the Earth in a state of upheaval or confusion.  It is a hands-off interest.  We do not know why this is.

    The reader might be confused at this.  After all, this species does cull humanoids from time to time, and does interact with humans so that humans follow a specific pre-defined evolutionary path.  But the overall picture that I wish to present is one whereas the Type-I grey species watches and monitors the events and actions related to human development and evolution on earth. 

    From time to time, they take an active role and modify or manipulate humans or cultures or societies so that the humans develop and evolve in certain ways.  Most of the time, there seems to be a general component of violence and strife.  Whether that is due to the overall benefit of the evolutionary path that humans are on; or whether it is due to their personal desire to eventually “farm” the plump clusters of garbion’s that collect in the quantum souls of the humans is unknown.

    The reader should take note of this important point. 

    The Type-I grey extraterrestrial specie is intent in preserving a human lineage as long as it is in agreement with the preferred individualized soul archetype.  When it is not, they take an active role in culling it away; usually through war, violence or strife. 

    From their point of view; the following races of the earth human population has had the most “cleansing” or “evolutionary” activity necessitated to “purify” the quantum genetic encoding.  (I apologize to the reader for my lack of linguistic precision.) All of these races has suffered through centuries of strife and evolutionary crucibles.  The races are; [1] Chinese, [2] Polynesian, [3] Polish / Eastern European, [4] Jewish, [5] Selected South American evolutionary lines (which I cannot specifically identify).

    That being stated, the information is meaningless. 

    All it means is that certain groups or races of people have the quantum level garbions arranged in the “correct” or preferred sequence or order as preferred by the Type-I grey extraterrestrial species.  It does not mean that they are inherently good or bad, or will move toward a fantastic evolutionary path.  It just simply implies that certain groups of people are further along in the quantum connections between the physical and the soul according to the protocol as established by the <redacted> race.

    Actual Interests

    Their motivations are as stated previously.  I will repeat them yet again.  [1] They seem to be intent on the collection of advancing individual soul entities that are NOT successful in evolving in this solar system nursery for evolving races.  [2] They seem to have a role as interstellar caretakers for this particular region and [3] they seem to be operating under the control of a local galactic entity who utilizes the <redacted> race as the local authorizes.  Thus in this role that they participate in the nurturing of the human race towards its development, those individuals which cannot advance are absorbed by their collective in ways that we cannot fully comprehend.

    Long-term involvement with humans

    They have been involved with humans for at least 30 to 50,000 years [53] and possibly much longer.  They have been interacting with the Earth for at least 300,000 to 200,000 years.  They have, in the past, genetically modified humans into what we are today.  They have video and audio, 3D historical records [54] of their dealings with humans to prove this.

    [53] The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Paleolithic, Late Stone Age) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. Very broadly, it dates to between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago, roughly coinciding with the appearance of behavioral modernity and before the advent of agriculture. The terms "Later Stone Age" and "Upper Paleolithic" refer to the same periods. For historical reasons, "Later Stone Age" usually refers to the period in Africa, whereas "Upper Paleolithic" is generally used when referring to the period in Europe.
    [54] I have never seen or heard these recordings, but secondary sources have mentioned this a number of times.  I believe that they have these records.  If they could be involved in genetic engineering 200,000 years ago with the use of space-ships, I am sure that they had audio / visual equipment as well.

    There is also significant evidence that they have had contact and involvement with humans far earlier than this.  But I couldn’t find anything related to that in the <redacted>, nor in any Internet writings.  That doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen.  Truth be told, I have a strong fundamental and intuitive[55] understanding that they have been involved with the human race far earlier than a mere 30,000 years ago. 

    [55] For me, an “intuitive understanding” is an “entangled understanding” with the drone pilot, which may or may not lead to the hive central repository of memories.

    The fact and the truth is that they have been involved with other species of humans including the Neanderthals, and other archaic humans similiar to shuch types as Homo ergaster, Homo gautengensis, Homo habilis, and Homo rudolfensis.  To name just a few of the many branches of their involvement.  They were involved in many other humanoid variations as well, but I never took the time to fully investigate this avenue of investigation.

    (Incidentally; many of the pictorial “recreations” of these earlier humanoid forms tend to show them looking more like distant relatives of monkeys rather than distant relatives of humans.  This is wrong.  A number of them were not at all as “hairy” as described by conventional artists.  Imagine small hairless ugly monkeys with dark negroid skin, and the picture is more in tune with the reality concerning these other branches of the human race.)

    Compatibility with humans

    They have been involved in the evolution of humans for centuries.  One of their objectives appears to locate compatible quantum soul constructs on individual human subjects.  This is done to inject quantum level appliances in the human soul bodies.  Then these appliances are used to create human “agents” with the extraterrestrial race to work with them to complete mutually beneficial goals.

    Some of these individuals are known as “abductees”[56].  Unfortunately, due to [1] memory isolation, [2] compartmentalization, and the [3] human social background, the human involved forgets their true role or purpose.  This is really something that upsets me personally.  If there is one thing that I must make clear is that the Grey’s do not, absolutely, get involved with a human soul construct without prior approval.  They just do not; it only seems that way to the individual.

    [56] The terms alien abduction or abduction phenomenon describe "subjectively real memories of being taken secretly against one's will by apparently nonhuman entities and subjected to complex physical and psychological procedures". People claiming to have been abducted are usually called "abductees" or "experiencers".

    Due to a paucity of objective physical evidence, most scientists and mental health professionals dismiss the phenomenon as "deception, suggestibility (fantasy-proneness, hypnotizability, false memory syndrome), personality, sleep paralysis, psychopathology, psychodynamics [and] environmental factors". However, the late Prof. John E. Mack, a respected Harvard University psychiatrist, devoted a substantial amount of time to investigating such cases and eventually concluded that the only phenomenon in psychiatry that adequately explained the patients' symptoms in several of the most compelling cases was posttraumatic stress disorder.

    The approval to get involved with a human is a tedious one.  It involves not only the [1] individual human, who must approve the relationship in its entirety, but also that of the [2] human soul community.  (Like in the physical world, the human community is a complicated affair, with groups within groups; all with different hierarchies and levels of control.)  This is not done in the physical, but instead it is done in the quantum cloud where the soul dwells (Heaven). 

    The human soul community consists of humans with active physical bodies and those without physical bodies.  Some people call this community “heaven”, but that is really a simplistic term for a complex quantum field.  All humans possess souls, which is nothing less than the bulk of their being.  These souls are not perceptible by physical human senses as they consist of higher order quanta that move about, dance and flitter in and out of time and space. 

    In the human soul community (Heaven) are individuals who manage the development and advancement of the quantum soul.  It is an interesting subject, but beyond the scope here.  For a reasonably accurate portrayal of this environment, please read the works by Doctor Newton “Journey of Souls”.  Never the less, approval must be given by those whom manage the individual human soul.  The grey extraterrestrials will not work with a human unless they have this approval.

    Failure to obtain this approval will result in serious consequences for the Type-1 grey extraterrestrial race.  They run the risk of a soul-level conflagration involving very powerful quantum-level creatures and entities of far greater ability and vibratory frequencies than humans.  Their behavior is always kept in check by higher order entities.  That is why they must ask permission before getting involved in the soul quanta of a separate race.  No matter how advanced one race is, there will always be another race of greater abilities and powers.

    Truth be told, the amount of soul experience obtained by an “abductee”, or someone who works inter-species in this fashion is greatly rewarding for the individual soul. 

    While it might appear to be painful and problematic, the experience greatly balloons the depth, breadth, density and scope of the quantum cloud that is often called the soul.  In short, being an “abductee” is a great honor. 

    In fact, by simply being an “abductee”, the human soul prepares itself for rapid soul evolution to a reincarnation into something or some soul form beyond and above that of a human.  (Of course, the exposure to other soul forms and aged interplanetary species, expands the experiences of a given soul.  The expanded experiences expands upon the entangled quanta, and thus greatly and rapidly evolves the given soul.) This is much like the project that I was ultimately involved in.

    Known recent history

    This race has been very active on Earth.  But historically, they have been doing so with autonomy.  As far as we know, they never had treaties with humans until the first treaties with the Americans in the late 1940’s. 

    Prior to that time, activities and dealings that they had with humans were those of God to servant or subject.  During these relationships, they mostly stayed aloof and apart, when they did make contact it was always from a position of control.  This older relationship existed for many, many tens of thousands of years.  No treaties were necessary, they commanded and we obeyed.

    <redacted> records indicated that the type-1 extraterrestrials possibly had contact with the Nazi Germans in the early 1930’s.  But this is not true.  The Germans did have contact with an extraterrestrial race, but it was not this race.  It was the <redacted>  They are not similar at all, but from a cursory observation [57], one might make the (casual) mistake that they are identical. 

    [57] Made through dirty binoculars at a distance of three miles…

    After World War II, when the Germans were defeated, the Americans seized the vast bulk of scientific development from the Germans during “Operation paperclip”[58]. 

    [58] Operation Paperclip was the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) program used to recruit the scientists of Nazi Germany for employment by the United States in the aftermath of World War II. It was conducted by the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency (JIOA), and in the context of the burgeoning Cold War. One purpose of Operation Paperclip was to deny German scientific expertise and knowledge to the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, as well as inhibiting post-war Germany from redeveloping its military research capabilities.

    Experiments using the seized German radar installations [59] resulted in the de-cloaking of the vehicles that this race flew.  In addition, the radar interfered with the propulsion of these vehicles, and a number of these vehicles crashed and were seized by the United States Military.  That is how the United States first made contact with this race.  (More about this elsewhere.)

    [59] The seized German radar equipment included GEMA, Darmstadt, and Einheit für Abfragung (DFA - Device for Detection) technologies.

    Studies of the vehicles and subsequent attempts in (American initiated) communication resulted a number of treaties being signed.  The first was in 1964 about the time of the New York World’s fair.  This was about 15 years after the United States started to study the procured extraterrestrial technology. 

    This treaty [1] setup a route of communication between the two races, [2] enabled trade of technology, and [3] permitted them to study livestock and do biological research (not that they needed our permission, mind you, I think that it was more of a courtesy). 

    All of these activities were supposedly “harmless” activities.  At this time the United States[4] agreed to work with the rest of the nations on the planet Earth to create a one world government that would control (not end) widespread global infighting between nations. 

    (IMPORTANT NOTE: The goal was NOT to create a one-world government. But, rather to limit the use of nuclear weapons between powerful nations.)

    The extraterrestrial race representative [5] promised to allow the Earth to join a regional federation of races if we could do this. 

    Thus, the United States began a program of unity and manipulation to create an Earth that could be viewed as an active participant in this society.  Leading individuals and influential sources of (political, economic, military and financial) power were contacted at this time. 

    They were told of the personal benefits that they (themselves) would enjoy if they went along with this strategy.  (Humans in leadership positions tend to possess a “Service to Self” sentience.)  They, for the most part (with notable exceptions), were (intentionally and explicitly) not told of any (direct) extraterrestrial link, however. 

    Thus, at this time, there was a great cultural push in the USA for a unified world.  One of the most popular songs at this time was “It’s a small world”[60].  The United Nations, led by the United States, called for widespread decolonization and the creation of autonomous nations instead.  This thus began the embryonic beginnings of the often maligned “New World Order”[61].

    [60] It's a Small World (stylized as "it's a small world" by The Walt Disney Company) is a popular musical boat ride located in the Fantasyland area at each of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide: Disneyland Park in California, the Magic Kingdom (in Florida), Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland Park. 

    The ride features over 300 brightly costumed audio-animatronic dolls in the style of children of the world, frolicking in a spirit of international unity and singing the attraction's title song, which has a theme of global peace. "Children of the World" was the working title of the attraction.

    Its tentative soundtrack featured the national anthems of the countries represented throughout the ride all playing all at once, which resulted in a cacophonous noise. Walt showed a scale model of the attraction to his staff songwriters Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman, saying, "I need one song that can be easily translated into many languages and be played as a round." The Sherman Brothers then wrote "It's a small world (after all)"  Which eventually became a global success.
    [61] As a conspiracy theory, the term New World Order or NWO refers to the emergence of a totalitarian one-world government.  

    The common theme in conspiracy theories about a New World Order is that a secretive power elite with a globalist agenda is conspiring to eventually rule the world through an authoritarian world government—which replaces sovereign nation-states—and an all-encompassing propaganda that ideologizes its establishment as the culmination of history's progress.

    Significant occurrences in politics and finance are speculated to be orchestrated by an unduly influential cabal operating through many front organizations. 

    Numerous historical and current events are seen as steps in an on-going plot to achieve world domination through secret political gatherings and decision-making processes. 

    This belief is often maligned as fictional by the monolithic American media, but the actions and activities are actually real and valid.  The ultimate goal of the NWO is not as a totalitarian leadership, but rather as a global social democracy.  However, the very nature of those who aspire to lead; “Service to Self” sentience nearly guarantees that the organization will eventually evolve into a harsh totalitarian government.  The Type-1 greys would prefer this to occur, while the <redacted> strive for a more peaceful social democratic order.

    The treaties made between the United States and this extraterrestrial race were explicit in that only existing underground extraterrestrial installations on the Earth are considered to be the only sovereign areas under the treaty. 

    They, in turn, expressed a strong desire to limit the (public[62]) American exploration of the moon.[63] 

    [62] Americans are permitted to have space habitats and vehicles on other planets, but only as long as the grey extraterrestrials are involved.  This often times requires a physical presence.  Due to the secrecy of MAJestic, no American can know about these space exploratory efforts because in doing so they would expose the Type-1 grey extraterrestrial presence as well as the MAJestic organization.
    [63] We do not know why they wanted to limit exploration of the moon.  However, I speculate that they wanted to limit the advancement of our manned space sciences.  They do not want humans to explore the solar system, or space, unless we do so under their terms.  That is the only way that I can reconcile the fact that they are providing us with advanced technologies, but limiting our human explorative activities.  I personally believe that part of the reasoning behind these limitations involve the presence of extremely large extraterrestrial cities on the moon, as well as the belief that humans are property of the Type-1 grey extraterrestrials.

    In the early 1970’s, in response to their requests, the (public exploration of the moon by the) Apollo Moon exploration program [64] was terminated. 

    [64] The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the third human spaceflight program carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the United States' civilian space agency, and the program was responsible for the landing of the first humans on Earth's Moon in 1969. 

    First conceived during the Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower as a three-man spacecraft to follow the one-man Project Mercury which put the first Americans in space, Apollo was later dedicated to President John F. Kennedy's national goal of "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth" by the end of the 1960s, which he proposed in a May 25, 1961, address to Congress. Project Mercury was followed by the two-man Project Gemini (1962–66). The first manned flight of Apollo was in 1968.

    This was a surprise, as the entire program was in process and all the vehicles were fabricated and ready for launch.  The equipment was all in place, and the astronauts were all trained and ready to go.  The cancellation of the program was a most mysterious one, as it would have been far cheaper to simply let the program expire with no new programs, instead of scrapping those rockets already completed.  In fact, the most ambitious aspects of the program were canceled.  And thus, all subsequent manned space exploration ended or was limited to near Earth orbits and regions[65]. 

    [65] This is all APPARENT manned space exploration.  Since the advent of the treaties between the United States and the Type-1 grey extraterrestrials; apparently the technology development took on a new direction.  

    First a public display for the purposes of population control and propaganda was maintained.  This meant that NASA retained control of United States space exploration abilities, and it was here that provided the public illusion of the efforts that the United States was involved in.  But the true and actual space exploration and technological development became hidden. 

    It was, and still is, substantially larger in scope and budget than NASA is. This program is active in space exploration in our solar system, but it must be kept secret because it requires “holding hand” monitoring by the Type-1 grey extraterrestrials.  After all, I was <redacted>.  Space exploration has continued in secret.  There are MAJestic manned facilities on both the moon and on Mars as far as I know.  I do not think that there are bases or facilities anywhere else in the system at this time.

    However, actual space exploration by the United States did not cease.  Instead it became restructured and went “deep black” budget.  The military-industrial complex through MAJestic took over and space exploration continued in secrecy.  This was facilitated by the Type-1 greys.

    For we actually are; we are a sentience that is being incubated within a nursery for evolving intelligences in our solar system.  They must control our learning development and prevent us from harming our environment or developing non-approved soul configurations of sentience’s.  Because physical contact with new ideas and species renders absolute effects on a given species, the interaction between species must be completely, vigorously, and rigorously controlled.

    Large scale transfer of extraterrestrial technology began upon the termination of the Apollo Program.  Systems that were in place to collect, gather, sort, and study captured and obtained technology were expanded during the early 1970’s.  A number of gray extraterrestrial entities actually (physically) worked alongside American scientists in secure locations in California, Nevada, New Mexico and Ohio. 

    This is true.  They actually worked in the physical form inside secure American military installations.  As such they maintained their own quarters, facilities and abodes.  These facilities were constructed in specially fabricated deep underground chambers with extensive security measures put in place.

    Such as my training at China Lake.

    A great push toward utilizing their extraterrestrial technology occurred during the mid-1970’s and that resulted in an enormous increase in black-budget funding.  One of the primary architects of this funding impetus was President Jimmy Carter. 

    Though, it is not clear if he was aware of the extraterrestrial connections involved.  (Typically, and for reasons that are not clear to me, Democrats tend to be kept “out of the loop” in regards to MAJestic operations.  Perhaps it is because the MAJestic organization is an organization that was spawned from a military background, and Democrats are politically opposed to all elements of the American military-Industrial complex.  But that is only my opinion, and not verified in any way as the truth.) 

    Maybe that is changing with all the neocons that seem to be embracing the progressive liberals today in 2019. Ah... they are all fools. They seem to think that wars are always far-off affairs using guns. They seem to forget that smallpox can become very personal and very deadly very quickly.

    Subsequent treaties occurred under President Reagan in the 1980s.  As part of these treaties, the United States has agreed not to interfere with any alien operational plans in their trade for technology[66]. Since then, there have been a number of agreements and treaties signed with other races as well. 

    [66] These technology trades include and involve extraterrestrial supervised manned excursions outside of the near-earth orbit by Americans in the MAJestic program.  This includes not only the <redacted>, but a number of facilities <redacted>. 

    Conflict

    “ I gotta tell you, it’s a little disappointing. People always ask me about Roswell and the aliens and UFOs, and it turns out the stuff going on that’s top secret isn’t nearly as exciting as you expect.   In this day and age, it’s not as top secret as you’d think…”

    -President Obama in an interview with GQ magazine .


    There have been moments of disagreement between the United States and various extraterrestrial races. There were hostilities in May of 1975, and again in the early to middle 1980s. Indeed, there was a particularly bad period of hostilities during the middle 1980s . I do not know too much about any of it. I do know that it all was eventually resolved and all incidents forgiven (by all involved) as misunderstandings.

    According to Robert Lazar, an underground facility below Groom Lake was the sight of an intense fire-fight between Grays and U.S. Military personnel.  He said that this occurred after a human Security officer had challenged an alien dictate not to enter a certain alien-controlled area with a loaded weapon, and was subsequently killed as a result of his challenge. 

    This 'war' was actually a 'massacre' according to Michael Wolf. He claimed that the first outbreak of violence occurred in 1975. It occurred during a demonstration of an anti-matter reactor within an underground chamber. The Greys operating the demonstration ordered the human security officers to remove the bullets from their weapons.

    Thomas Castello claims that another battle occurred below Dulce four years later in 1979, after several scientists who had discovered a “horrible truth”.

    These are all sources of dubious claims. I know NOTHING at all about the battles and fights. They had nothing to do with me, though I “heard” tangential evidence of various events outside my range of control. This is all from secondary sources. They should be considered with some skepticism as when this species "tells you" to do something, you obey without question. There is no will power involved to question them or their requests.

    I caution everyone reading or studying this event not to color what they read with their own philosophies and experiences. There are those whom claim that the hostilities began at a military facility on the Earth, while others claim that it was the result of other events. I really do not know much about these events.

    I have never seen or been to the New Mexico facility that is often considered to be central to the conflict. But in general, the reader must understand the most significant of understandings in extraterrestrial – human interactions; War and fighting between races should not be equated with human to human conflict. They are not equivalent.

    From the point of view of the Type-1 grays, the physical body is only a very dense container. The destruction of the container appears to be an apparent death, but the soul persists. They were never concerned about the death of their colleagues, but rather interruptive behavior in their activities. (Since they are a hive/matrix soul structure, the death or obliteration of a single container is meaningless to the hive collective.)

    Once treaties were put in place to prevent future altercations, normal relations continued. I can positively affirm that this is the case.

    Cattle Mutations

    "The U.S. government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race, In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the public's eye."

    -Phil Larson of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy wrote in a statement (Nov. 4, 2011). During the Obama administration.

    This extraterrestrial race is interested in the general health of our planet and the solar system.  They view us as dangerous in our ignorance of how the universe works.  Thus, they monitor the earth and the biosphere that we interact in.  Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable to expect them to take biological samples, from time to time, as they conduct their monitoring efforts. 

    Dropped from above.
    There is a degree of carelessness in the discarding of livestock which have been sampled.

    Some people state that the phenomena concerning the mutation of livestock is due to this race conducting (unsanctioned[67]) experiments or evaluations on Earth.  I know nothing about any alleged experimentation[68]. 

    [67] Unsanctioned by the local human government where the “experiments” have taken place.
    [68] There is evidence that some of the cattle mutations are hoaxes and disinformation efforts by United States personnel for various reasons.  But the Type-I grey extraterrestrials do absolutely conduct periodic biological biopsies on cattle and other kinds of livestock.  They are interested in certain areas and regions and conduct specific types of tests in doing so.
    Tractor Beam technology is often used in Cattle Abductions.
    Tractor Beam technology is often used in Cattle Abductions.

    However, I do know that the United States has given them great latitude to monitor[69] the biosphere of this planet (in areas that are under the control of the American nation or aligned nations). 

    [69] According to treaty, they are permitted to gather biological samples, observe, and record their findings.  They are not permitted to harm or hurt any humans in the process.  They are specifically limited in the number and frequency in their collection efforts.  And they did agree to it.  

    Many of the cow abductions are not done by the Type-1 grey extraterrestrials but rather done by others, typically rogue military who conduct hoaxes for the humor derived from it.

    I do know that they are concerned about the health of our planet[70]. 

    [70] Aside from their general concern related to raising the level of consciousness of the human race, they have a vested interest in maintaining the usability of this planet for subsequent races in the future.  

    They do not consider the Earth to belong to mankind at all. 

    Instead they view this as a kind of kindergarten for the growth and cultivation of mammalian intelligences.  One the humans evolve, whether through extinction or through attrition, the world must be ready for other intelligences to utilize it.

    I also know that they have a responsibility towards making the biosphere healthy.  They also have a vested interest in the preservation of the Earth habitat.  It might be alien to their core biological processes, but human intervention as a result of pollution and nuclear debris are certainly undesirable outcomes.

    I also know that various hoaxers and government employees, whether independent or though direction, have also created fabricated cattle abduction events.  I don’t know why they would do such a thing. 

    It is a true waste to destroy cattle in this manner.  Certainly from the point of view of a steak lover, the loss of 1500 pounds of steak a pop just for the creation of the illusion of UFO cattle abductions is a true shame.  I do not care if the person is a general or a private; this kind of abuse is a travesty.  I speak with the wisdom of a true and real steak lover.

    If our extraterrestrial partners are involved in this cattle mutation, or abduction activity, I do not know anything specific[71] about it. 

    [71] <redacted> confirms that certain <redacted> were used as observers during these collection events.  I can confirm that.  I can also confirm that biological samples were obtained; both from animal and human subjects.  I can further confirm that the MAJestic organization is aware of this collection process and permits it to continue.  

    It is my firm belief that in all cases, the biological samples obtained from both the humans and the animal specimens were collected in a humane manner; sparing the person or animal any pain or anguish.

    The base library had nothing of substance in this area.  As far as the documents on the base were concerned, no information regarding these accusations were present[72]. The race is involved in monitoring the Earth environment, and collecting biological samples.  How they did this was not discussed[73].

    [72] Though other MAJestic members were actually involved in some of these collection efforts somewhat.  This information, collected through <redacted>, has enabled me to acquire a limited amount of information regarding this situation.
    [73] The collection of biological samples and cow and livestock abductions are not at all incompatible.  Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that these two separate events are connected in some way. 

    I also know that some <redacted> were also utilized for this biological sample collection effort.  To this end, their presence was sanctioned by the United States Government. 

    This was for purposes to monitor the actions of the Type-1 greys by human operators via <redacted>.  Apparently there were reports of irregularities in the collection process, and it was felt that the entire process should be monitored by representatives of the United States government. 

    Initially these observers were humans, but they soon were replaced by <redacted>.  Indeed, some of my colleagues were involved in this activity.  Thus they rode alongside the type-1 gray extraterrestrials to monitor their activities in behest of the American government. 

    Thus, the regulation of this collection process is maintained by MAJestic.  To this end, both humans in MAJestic and <redacted> monitor the biological collection missions.

    Bob Lazar

    Bob Lazar is also a former member of MAJestic.  I never worked with him, and my experiences are entirely different than his.  However he has made some interesting statements.  Like myself he has also read documentation on this species, though unlike me, he has never met them face to face.  Thus he parrots the “official” information regarding this species.

    According to Bob Lazar, the Government documents he reviewed stated that the aliens or Extraterrestrial Biological Entities (EBEs) were three to four feet tall and weigh twenty-five to fifty pounds.  Their bodies vaguely resemble a human toddler’s torso if emaciated from hunger.  They have grayish skin and large heads with almond shaped wrap-around eyes.  They have very slight nose, mouth, and ear positions and are hairless.  Bob Lazar was not able to give any detail from the lower abdomen down, and to date, any other information corroborating this description only refers to the EBE’s head.

    To me, this all sounds very close to the description of the type-1 grey extraterrestrials.

    Final Notes and Comment

    I must apologize for all the redactions. There are some things that I cannot elaborate upon. At least not at this time, and while I have provided a very generous amount of data, none of it is officially sanctioned from the human side of MAJestic as far as I know. I am just presenting what I am permitted to present, as I understand it to be. In cases of doubt or confusion I erred on the side of secrecy.

    The Type-1 extraterrestrials did not work in isolation. There were events and procedures that required the assistance of other species and relationships. I redacted everything regarding these other events, and I apologize for any confusion that might result from that decision.

    I have placed herein as much as I know about the very first extraterrestrials that I encountered. I placed it herein alongside with my understanding as part of my entanglement (as that was my ultimate role). There are many holes and mysteries here, as I do not have all the answers.

    While I have referred to secondary sources as questionable source, the reader must recognize that I too might be wrong in certain things that I believe most strongly in. After all, there are people who actually believe in “global warming”, I could just as easily be blinded by my own ignorance as well. It is up to the reader to decide.

    MAJestic Related Posts – Training

    These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    MAJestic Related Posts – Training

    These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    How to tell...
    How to tell -2
    Top Secrets
    Sales Pitch
    Feducial Training
    Implantation
    Probe Calibration - 1
    Probe Calibration - 2
    Leaving the USA

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Secrets of the universe
    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The Hammer inside the rock.
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    Mystery of the bronze bell.
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe
    Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
    The mysterious flying contraptions.

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    How MWI allows world-line travel.
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel
    Soul is not consciousness.

    John Titor Related Posts

    Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

    They are;

    Articles & Links

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.
    How to tell...
    How to tell -2
    Top Secrets
    Sales Pitch
    Feducial Training
    Implantation
    Probe Calibration - 1
    Probe Calibration - 2

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Secrets of the universe
    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The Hammer inside the rock.
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    Mystery of the bronze bell.
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel

    John Titor Related Posts

    Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

    They are;

    Articles & Links

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.







     




















    The “Passage of Time” is actually Observed MWI World-line Slides

    One of my contentions is that time, as we understand it, does not exist.

    Instead, what we view as time is actually a constantly changing “bubble” of reality. We view the passage of changing events as “time”. It is a direct arrow.

    However, that is an illusion. Our reality is a constantly changing bubble. Within that bubble, both our future histories, as well as our past histories (!) are subject to change. This bubble of reality is an environment, set up by soul, to create experiences by which the consciousness can be exposed to.

    It is customized to the consciousnesses that inhabit it. And also influenced by the thoughts of nearby or adjacent realities (world-lines). Each time we have a thought, our reality changes and reorganizes. Often we don’t see the changes. They only manifest later.

    In this post I will present two examples, caught on film, where our reality changes.

    What makes these observed actions, qualify for a change in reality, is that the changes are recorded by the observer. That’s right. Thoughts change our reality, and the thoughts of the observer is the mechanism for this. In both cases there is no clear view of what transpired. One micro-second the change happens, and the nexus of the change is hidden.

    The examples shown identify people leaving, and people entering our reality. Instead of consideration towards MWI slides or world-line changes, these examples stand alone as the angle of the observer recording the event are clearly showing something other than world-line egress or entry.

    Introduction

    The traditional model of the universe is well known. There is one physical world. We all live on it and share our experiences on it. When we die, we go elsewhere outside of our reality.

    In this traditional model, our behaviors while we are alive determine the manifestation of our experiences afterwards. Heaven or Nirvana if we are good, Hell or damnation if we are bad.

    This model has been fine for many centuries. However, the moment that we want to leave our reality, it all collapses. This is because our traditional model cannot explain the nature of the quantum realm, the behaviors of entangled particles and the duality of observed behavior due to thought influences.

    For us to venture outside of our reality, we must change the way that we look at things. We must recognize that the world, as we assume it to be, does not exist. Instead something else exists.

    How the Universe Works

    What everyone seems to think “Heaven” is, is the sum totality of what there is. It is all and everything. Including this blog post and you.

    Heaven is also graduated.  It possesses different regions and areas.  Each region or area have different concentrations of quanta. They form different densities. Some of which are very dense with one type of quanta, and others are dense with other combinations of quanta.  It is a complex “soup” or “stew” of quanta that pop in and out and move about all under the influence of other “influences” (I will discuss these later.).

    Consider "Heaven" to be everything. It includes the physical universe and the unseen "Heavens" often referred to in religious writings. It is a place where everything is composed of the smallest building blocks or components possible - quanta.

    Within this realm, are clumps and arrangements of quanta. The quanta naturally starts to entangle with other quanta. They form arrangements, and dance about in certain ways. Over time, they get larger and more complex. They form things. They precipitate into simpler, slower and coarser things such as physical rocks, dust and energy.

    Eventually, some of the quanta form into constructions that obtain sentience. The groups of quanta with sentience are called "souls".

    The souls realize that the way that they can grow and advance is to organize their quanta. There is only one problem. Quanta can only organize through entanglements. They need to entangle with other quanta.

    The way entanglements work is through association, or better yet, experiences.

    Our Bubble of Reality

    So, in order to obtain these experiences, the soul creates a bubble within Heaven.

    The soul creates a defined ψ -epistemic region. This region comes from a template of all the possible realities. It is chosen specifically for the kinds of experiences that its’ consciousness would acquire while within the bubble.

    It is an environment where the soul can obtain experiences.

    These “bubbles” are regions that can best be defined as a construction. They are constructed regions manufactured by a given soul to obtain experiences within. These regions are unique and custom for a given consciousness. They are unique.

    Soul creates a bubble
    A soul exists within “Heaven”. It creates a “bubble” and places a physical body within this bubble. This body experiences the bubble as “reality”. That is what our reality actually is.

    A soul would connect to this bubble of reality via a “tube” or an interface. We call that interface as “consciousness”. Souls can have multiple consciousnesses but only one consciousness may occupy a given reality at a time.

    A bubble of reality consists of four set “dimensions”. Three spacial dimensions and one of entropy; time.

    The "passage of time" is simply our reality bubble changing by our thoughts. Additionally, other nearby bubbles also move about and change. They can influence our bubble as well.

    The control over this bubble of reality is quite possible. That is because our reality changes with our thoughts. Each thought changes it.

    Since each thought changes our reality, you could very well come to the conclusion that thoughts create time. This is because a change in the state of our reality is perceived as time.

    Indeed, the thoughts of the consciousness within the reality can alter the reality. Thoughts can make or break the experiences of the consciousness.  As such the soul can learn from the consciousness and it’s decision making process. This is of course, through manipulation of the three dimensions plus the “dimension” of time.

    Consciousness experience events within the reality.  As such they generate thoughts.  The thoughts alter and create the reality that the consciousness exists within. As such, the consciousness obtains experiences and learns from them.

    Heaven - Basic Diagram
    A really basic diagram of the general organization of “Human” Heaven. Each individual soul constructs a “reality”. It them provides a conduit to the biological presence within that reality. This conduit is known as “consciousness”. Note that no two consciousnesses share the same reality. However, there can be influences in the non-physical reality aspects.

    “Seen” dimensions typically are referred to as the physical world.  While “unseen” dimensions are referred to as various levels or dimensions of Heaven.

    But, what exactly is heaven?

    Please refer to the image above. How “heaven” is organized. (above). This diagram if a simplistic version of what a human “heaven” looks like.  Let’s suppose you (the reader) is sitting down in your house reading this manuscript. That figure is the icon of the blue person shown by (B). You exist within this “bubble” or reality also shown by (R1).  This “reality” includes the chair you sit in, the television show that you are watching, and the coffee beside you.

    Illustration 1

    Extending beyond your (physical) reality is your “extended” (non-physical) reality (R2) which consists of your thoughts, memories and everything associated with it (also  known as the “quantum cloud”).

    Today, we recognize the “unseen world” to a degree. We recognize radio waves, for instance. We are studying gravitational waves, and have noted the end results of emotion on the physical body. Up until a few decade ago all this was considered the “unseen”. Which was part of Heaven.

    Over time, as science progresses, we will uncover more and more of the unseen. Item by item, we will get closer and closer to what our true reality actually is.

    Today, your thoughts regarding what you are now reading are moving about in this (R2) reality. This area contains not only thought, but emotion and other generated “influences” (far too complex to discuss at this time).

    illustration 2

    However, you have a soul (A) that is part of who you are.  This soul only partially occupies your reality. In fact, it spends the vast bulk of it’s time outside of your “reality”.  You know it exists, but you are unaware of it’s “day to day” experiences, challenges and behaviors.

    Your soul can create numerous “realities” with numerous “individuals” (of which YOU are but one of the people that your soul creates)  occupying those realities.  This can occur at different times and at different locations. However, for now, let’s keep it simple and suppose your soul has created only one “reality” (R1) and (R2) for one person (B), you the reader.

    illustration 3

    Now, let’s suppose that you are married to another person that is part of your life.  (A pretty common situation.)

    That person would be represented by (C) which is but a “quantum shadow” of another person. It is not the ACTUAL person.  It only seems that way. (Though in your reality, that person is just as real as anything else in your reality.)

    illustration 4

    What you see is their world-line version of where they married you and share your reality.  It is not an actual reality (from their point of view, but rather the world-line version of them). (Your quantum-shadow spouse is but one version of a near infinite number of world-line variations of that particular person.)

    That person (D) is actually living within their own “reality “just like you are.  They may or may not see a quantum shadow of you. It is all determined by their version of reality.  This of course is determined by their soul (E).

    illustration 5

    What is of most interest here is how their thoughts affect your reality (R1 & R2).  While we all have our own “bubble” or reality that we live and exist within, our reality is constantly in flux by the thoughts of others (G). We view these effects as the “passage of time”.

    Heaven - Basic Diagram
    A really basic diagram of the general organization of “Human” Heaven. Each individual soul constructs a “reality”. It them provides a conduit to the biological presence within that reality. This conduit is known as “consciousness”. Note that no two consciousnesses share the same reality. However, there can be influences in the non-physical reality aspects.

    The influence of the quantum-shadow of those nearest to us absolutely shape and mold the realities that we participate in.  We can alter their influence by having “strong personalities”, or trying to isolate ourselves from others.  However, the more we do so, the less likely we are to learn lessons and have experiences.  It is the overlap of thought influences that create the experiences that we learn from.

    Both your (A) soul and your spouse’s soul (E) exist within a heaven (F).

    Your soul’s can work out different “realities” or “adventures” for both of you to share to obtain experiences.

    Life Together.
    A given consciousness with interact with the quantum shadows of other consciousnesses. Together they share experiences. The experiences can be good or bad, but they ultimately help align quanta so that a soul can grow and learn. Thus, it is very important that a given consciousness get the BEST experiences while it is part of a given reality.

    The idea, of course, is to obtain experiences and configure the quantum clouds associated with the constructed realities that the soul utilizes.  As soul grows and configures itself, it can “improve” and evolve.  Hopefully towards an approved soul archetype and sentience.

    Heaven
    In the movie “What dreams may come” a Hollywood version of what Heaven might look like is provided. It’s a nice image. However, Heaven can be anything or nothing depending on the thoughts of the soul. Our sentience creates the type of Heavenly realm that our soul inhabits. Which is WHY it is important for humans to have a single defined sentience; one that does not disrupt the sentience’s of other species. In other words, an approved sentience and physical archetype.

    As it improves and grows, the vast bulk of it’s quantum configuration dwells at different energy states.  Each different energy state has a different place in heaven (F).  Two are indicated by (J) and (I).

    To prevent confusion, I would suggest that the reader consider “reality” as the first three dimensions, plus “time” as the fourth dimension.

    I would then suggest that the fifth dimension, as world-line swapping (alteration of the “reality” “bubble”). This is very easy to visualize by using the above-mentioned model. For to understand what is happening in this case, the “quantum shadows” within your reality are being rearranged.

    Fifth dimensional trave;
    Fifth-dimensional travel as world-line travel.

    In “world-line” travel, all that is taking place is that the “quantum shadows” are being rearranged within one’s “bubble” of “reality”.  This is fifth-dimensional travel. In the example above, Fifth-dimensional travel as world-line travel.

    Quantum shadow (C) changes to fit the new revised “realty”.  (It is now a yellow person instead of a red person.) We, as a participant within our reality look upon these changes as “world-line” travel.

    From this point of view, it should be clear.  That obtaining world-line dimensional travel is actually accessing our own soul and requesting it to alter our reality to fit our needs, while at the same time keeping the educational lessons that we are to obtain the same or better. This can be accomplished through certain techniques.  In my case, we utilized a biological artifice to bend reality (within the confines of my experience structure).

    So, in all actuality, there isn’t really any kind of “travel” at all. What is actually happening is the “reality” construct changes in accordance with the wants and needs of the soul.

    If a given person, within a “reality” bubble wants to change his “world-line” he would be able to do so with the proper technology.  However the changed “world-line” that manifests would be one that would either have the same and equal types of experiences for the soul, or that it would be one that would have more or “better” experiences.

    There are even more interesting nuanced versions of “world-line” travel at the “higher” dimensional values.  However, for our purposes, let’s keep it simple.  I would then suggest anything above the fifth dimension as the realm of “heaven”.

    Our Bubble is Constantly Changing

    Our reality bubble is constantly changing.

    Depending on your point of view, consciousness either [1] migrates from one bubble of reality to another, OR [2] the bubble itself changes into something different.

    I personally believe that the bubble itself changes. However that is too difficult a concept to help explain world-line slides. So, using the idea that consciousness migrates from one location to another (one world-line to another) as a temporary crutch that we can use to illustrate how this works.

    This is thus another 'secret of the universe". Time does not exist. Not mathematically, and not physically. It is the perception of our own individual consciousness as it moves from one "bubble of reality" to another.

    Think of a movie reel. It consists of individual photos that are strung together. By changing the images you obtain the illusion of movement. That is what time is.

    • Each world-line in the MWI is like a frame in a movie.
    • The movement of the frames is viewed by consciousness as “time”.
    What time actually is and how we naturally move through the various world-lines.
    This is an illustration of what time actually is. Time does not exist. It is a perception that our consciousness has as it moves and weaves in and out of different world-lines. Here we use an old-fashioned movie reel projector to help illustrate this understanding.

    Quick Review

    Before we need to go further, please note the summary of state regarding the universe. Originally found here…

    The Nature of the Universe
    • Depending on the scale of consideration, we have a threshold of consciousness.
    • Consciousness can not exist below that threshold.
    • Consciousness generates thoughts.
    • Below the consciousness threshold is a universe that is independent of thought.
    • Above the consciousness threshold we have a reality that is ruled by thought.

    Finally,

    • We exist within two (x2) universes simultaneously. One is the reality that our consciousness inhabits, and the other is the realm where our soul exists.
    • One universe is ruled by thought and the other is not.

    Additionally,

    • The ψ is a measure of how thought alters our reality.
    • Heaven is ψ-ontic.
    • Our reality is ψ -epistemic.
    • Tests seem to confirm this.

    Putting Everything Together

    The sum totality of everything is ψ-ontic. It contains a number of “Heaven(s)”. Souls, which are self-aware clusters of quanta in the form of garbons, create  ψ -epistemic “bubbles” of reality, and place consciousnesses there to obtain experiences.

    • Experiences plus thoughts create sentience.
    • Sentience is a building block that establishes garbon formation.
    • Garbon formation, configuration and utilization is how souls grow, advance and move toward the divine.

    As consciousness moves about within the  ψ -epistemic “bubbles” of reality, thoughts are created and action occurs. The very nature of this CHANGES the “bubble” of reality. We view this change as gradual. We call this the “passage of time”.

    However,

    Our reality is often changed by huge events, actions and decisions from significant sources. Not just adjacent trivialities such as thought and intent. When this happens, the reality is jolted and more radical change occurs.

    This can sometimes be observed.

    Man on a bicycle

    An old man on a bicycle appears out of nowhere in Penza, Russia.

    Penza, Russia
    Penza, Russia where this mysterious event was filmed. Aside from the historical reasons, this region is just a typical region within Russia.

    In a video that originates out of Russia, we can see a man pop into reality behind a person telling a story. That is the way it actually happens.  You pop into reality, and you pop out of reality.  In this case, it is obvious that there is no one behind the person talking.  As he is animated and turning about in such a way that it is very clear, that no one is behind him.

    via GIPHY

    Then suddenly a person riding a bike just simply rides out from behind him.

    Of course, there are those who would argue that it is simply just an unusual camera angle as the culprit.  Moreover, indeed that might be the case.  Alternatively, it could also be a well done fake and hoax.  Who am I to say?  However, I post this as a good example as to what reality switches are like.

    Notice that there isn’t any kind of flash, disturbance in the video recording, noise (that would startle the other people), gust of wind, unusual smell or anything like that.

    Man on a bicycle reality swap
    Here is an event where a man just pops into reality. One could argue that he used a world-line slide and entered our reality. As he apparently alters his vector upon arrival. This is a possibility. However, I argue that what is actually occurring is that the reality around everyone has changed. And he is now part of our new reality. Is the bubble changing or are people entering the bubble?

    One interesting point about this video is that as soon as the old man on the bike goes through the portal, he puts his left foot down to stop the bicycle (forward) movement, and then turns the bicycle to the left instead of going straight as he was obviously planning to do (when entering the portal). Also, take note that he instinctively pedaled away from the observers when he arrived.  It is almost like he was trained to do so.

    This leads me to believe that he has entered “our” reality, with the understanding that he is entering a new reality.

    via GIPHY

    If the “nay sayers” were correct, then for a good minute the bike rider rode the bike in a straight line heading directly for the animated man talking.  Given physics, this person should have ridden straight through the park behind the animated man, and avoided the trees without swerving.  Then, when he touched the pavement behind the animated man, he abruptly changed direction, and made a 100 degree left turn. If that is what actually happened as described by the “nay sayers”, I must posit the most basic of questions; “Why would anyone want to do such a thing?”

    Note who the traveler really is and how he appears.  He is not a youthful young man in his 20’s.  He is not dressed fashionably. He does not appear to be dangerous, wealthy, of importance, or beautiful.  He is average.  He is bland.  He is uninteresting.  He is the “real deal”.

    Trust me, when you enter a new reality, you don’t want to be noticed. You want to blend in with the wall-paper.

    This specific event can be viewed on the following video.  Please note that this video has other examples of fakes and hoaxes interspersed in it.  Also the voice over and music track leaves much to be desired.  Please turn off the audio and watch the video free of “Halloween style” or “B-grade movie” music. Ignore the other fakes and hoaxes. Just concentrate on this particular instance.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_Hwlws9b1g&feature=youtu.be
    Watch from 3:12 to approximately 3:32.
    Old Man
    Old Man petals away. This course correction is curious. It suggests an entry into our reality via world-line dimensional travel. yet, how that it be so simple when the observer cannot see the entry into the world-line?

    I argue that it is difficult to see what is going on. Is it that a man enters “our” reality, or is it that “our” reality changes to one where the man exists?

    Here is the most important point about this dimensional transport; it was NOT observed. Yes, the man was observed. We saw him arrive. What we did NOT see was him entering our reality. That was hidden. It happened BEHIND the other man with a hat.

    So, instead of focusing on a man on a bicycle entering “our” reality. Let’s focus on the fact that the observer did not observe the specific entry point.

    While the effect is similar, the methodology is not. Dimensional portal egress is a fifth dimensional technique, while MWI dimensional slides are a sixth or seventh dimensional technique. The bubble of reality is altered upon arrival.

    The Differences

    When I used the portal egress in Florida at the ELF facility, you could see the people entering the field. They would walk into nothing and disappear.  We watched people enter into the portal. We watched them disappear. This is portal egress.

    However, for MWI slides, the point of transition is ALWAYS hidden from the observer.

    For MWI slides, the point of transition is ALWAYS hidden from the observer.

    This tells me that this person was not involved in portal egress. They were involved in dimensional slides.

    Portal egress is a fifth dimensional activity. You enter and move within a fifth dimensional reality. Physical locations, times and places change. However, MWI world-line slides are another matter all together. While they appear similar, they are not. MWI slides are a sixth or seventh dimensional event. Realities change.

    In a fifth dimensional egress, such as the portal, you go from physical location “A” at time “a”, to physical location “B” at time “b”. Time travel is possible. Physical travel anywhere in the universe is possible. That is fifth dimensional travel.

    You can see people entering the portal, and you can watch them leave the portal.

    In sixth (or seventh) dimensional travel, the reality itself changes. Because reality is associated with consciousness, you will never actually see the egress moment. It will be obscured from sight. In the case with the old man and the bicycle, you cannot see the exact moment that the reality changes because it is hidden from view.

    Reality is connected to consciousness. When an outsider enters your reality, you will not be able to observe the entry if they are using MWI slide technology.

    That is seventh (or sixth) dimensional MWI slides. It is a control over the reality, that naturally changes with thoughts within and around that bubble of reality. Therefore, it is a much more capable mechanism for utility.

    In a sixth (and seventh) MWI slide you go from physical location “A” at time “a” and reality “AAA”, to physical location “B” at time “b” in reality “BBB”. Everything is possible. You go from one place at one time in one reality to another one in a different place and a different time.

    Girl disappears

    Woman disappears
    A video camera is interviewing a person at the airport. In the background a woman disappears in broad daylight. She just vanishes.

    Here is an interesting video.  A man is being interviewed in what is apparently an airport baggage claim.  In the background are two women.  As the one woman says good bye, the other woman disappears.

    Where did she go?
    Here we see a woman disappear. Of course, there are other explanations. Maybe she put on a “cloaking device”. Or, perhaps she suddenly exited our reality. I posit that this is reflective of a change in the bubble of reality, rather than a specific egress of a specific person.

    In frame, 0166 a man is being interviewed by a camera crew.  We see that in the background to his right (our left) are people collecting their baggage and leaving the area.  In particular are two women both shown chatting in a friendly manner typical of strangers in an airport. See frame 0167. As the woman departs in frame 0168, we discover that the woman that she had just been chatting to has disappeared in frame 0169.

    The girl is gone.
    The girl is gone. What happened to her? Did she egress from our reality, or, as I posit, our reality is constantly changing all around us. Maybe this is all just academic. What does it matter, if the bubble of reality changes or the individuals entering or leaving the reality changes?

    Where is she?  Frame 0014 and frame 0015 taken less than a millisecond or two later shows her completely missing.

    Playing the "devils advocate"...
    
    Perhaps there are other physical reasons for this strange disappearance.  Maybe this was a strange camera angle that caused this effect, or maybe she was playing a prank or trick.  However, if the woman intentionally wanted to hide, she would have to had immediately fallen to the floor to get out of the view of the camera.
    
    What this represents could be anything.  However, if I were to put a technological spin or attempt to interpret what I see, I would suggest use of an invisibility device, or a dimensional shift.  This type of strange event is not suggestive of a time portal or similar device.

    The reader should also take note that all of the people so presented in this post are all “normal” and “average” appearing.  She is just simply a friendly stranger. Not one that would cause a person to make a “double take” or take notice of them in any way.

    Disappearance of a woman
    Normal woman. One minute she is present, and the next minute she is gone. Where did she go? I argue that he disappearance is tied with the observer. Therefore, this is obviously evidence of a MWI seventh dimensional slide.

    This specific event can be viewed on the following video.

    Other articles and videos regarding this particular event can be found at these links…

    Examples of Seventh Dimensional MWI slides

    For what ever it is worth, a sixth or seventh dimensional slide will have variances. No two realities are identical. When you try to target a specific location, the mere thoughts that you have (“I’m going to a different reality”) will result in changes to your target reality.

    While my role involved this kind of travel, my personal experiences were not that radically different from what you would expect. Here’s a couple of examples. They are nothing stunning, or even noteworthy. They just serve as a constant reminder that when a person enters a reality, the thoughts alter that reality in different ways.

    The World-line without Zippers

    Most world-lines looked like every other one. If you did not know better, you might not realize that your reality was different.

    When you slide, you just cannot notice any difference.  Once, I did a slide and everything looked the same. No big deal.  As always, I just continued to do my work.  My work assignments were the same, and my friends were the same and my wife was the same.  My pets were the same.

    As always, I wore a polo shirt and loose tan slacks. I was pretty typical in my role within the corporate working environment. I wore my badge on a lanyard that hung around my neck. I wore brown laced up shoes. I had a brown belt, and a pretty empty wallet (heh heh.).

    However, I did notice something different when I went to the bathroom to take a pee.

    My trousers did not have a zipper.  Instead of a zipper were buttons.  That’s correct.  There were three buttons that I had to undo to go and pee. I don’t know if I liked having a button front, or a zipper front.  I think a zipper front is much more convenient, but there was something clean and simple about having buttons…

    This serves as a pretty good example of the kinds of differences you might expect when you conduct a seventh dimensional slide. Here’s another one. This one is much more radical.

    The Plastic Surgery World-line

    Most of the world-line slides occurred within hours or days.  This period of time, a mere few hours, is not long enough to determine what the differences are in a new world-line.  That is because, and I remind the reader, that most of my world-line slides were very similar to the previous world-line.  This was by intention and was necessary for a host of reasons.

    I well remember that I once went into a new world-line that looked identical to the previous one.  However there was one noticeable difference that I well recall.  It was so odd that I will never forget it.  There was an advertisement for a plastic surgery hospital.  On the billboard was an attractive woman who was cradling her tummy as she was obviously nine months pregnant.  The words in the advertisement went something like this;

    “Let Doctor XXXXXX sculpt your body for the expectant mother look.”

    WTF? In that world-line you could have plastic surgery that would make you look like you were nine months pregnant. Talk about doing a “double take”!

    Since that time, I have never seen anything like that. Heck, I don’t even know how you would actually do that in practice.  WTF?

    What can we Learn?

    • Fifth dimensional travel enables us to travel geographically anywhere in the universe. That includes the other side of the planet. That includes a planet around a distant star. That includes a planet in a very distant galaxy.
    • Fifth dimensional travel enables us to travel anywhere in time and arrive at any date. That includes travel to (projected possible) future. That includes (assumed possible) pasts.
    • Fifth dimensional travel influences world-line realities trivially. While thoughts are influenced by our thoughts and actions, the influence is not significant. Resultant observations and associated thoughts do not change the structure of destination realities.

    As such, now let’s look at the more complex MWI slides. (Personally, I am shaky on the differences between sixth and seventh dimensional slides. So I use both interchangeably. You can chalk that up to my ignorance. I know that there are differences, but as far as my exposure was concerned, it’s almost like I jumped over 6th dimensional travel and went straight to seventh dimensional egress.)

    • 6th/7th dimensional MWI slides affect consciousness.
    • As such, they have a significant influence in the construction of our reality.
    • The shape of the reality that our consciousness inhabits affects the thoughts that we have.
    • Our thoughts directly influence our sentience.
    • Sentience is a tool that shapes garbon and swale configurations in the soul

    How does the thoughts that we have influence WMI slides?  That is a very complicated issue, and something for an entire series of posts. For now, just realize that there is a relationship present.

    Conclusion & Take Aways

    Many of the unexplained events that we come across is easy to explain when you have a comprehensive understanding of how the universe works.

    • The passage of time is the name that our consciousness give to understand an ever changing reality.
    • There is a significant difference between fifth dimensional portal egress, and seven dimensional MWI slides.
    • Thoughts influence reality. The level of influence depends on the dimensional changes inherently involved.

    FAQ

    Q: Why does higher order dimensional travel (7th compared to 5th) have a greater thought influence?
    A: Research suggests that the human brain is almost beyond comprehension because it doesn’t process the world in two dimensions or even three. No, the human brain understands the visual world in up to 11 different dimensions. The brain processes visual information by creating multi-dimensional neurological structures, called cliques. The cliques have up to 11 different dimensions and form in holes of space, called cavities. Once the brain understands the visual information, both the clique and cavity disappear.

    The cliques work with memories to generate thoughts. The level of activity involved interfaces with the reality as accessed by consciousness. The strongest interactions are at the sixth and seventh dimensional states.

    At every moment you are thinking, multiple multi-dimensional structures arise in your physical three dimensional brain.  It is an open system interacting with much higher dimensional realities that cannot be encompassed in the material 3-d world. As such, higher order topologies are necessary to describe thought. Thought does not occur in the three dimensional material stuff of life solely or exclusively, but outside it, as something coupled with it.

    Q: Why is the man on a bicycle and the woman at the airport considered to be seventh dimensional MWI slides?
    A: In both cases the absolute point of transition into our reality is obscured. The observer cannot notice the change. I argue that this is a fundamental aspect of our reality that does not permit the observer to observe seventh dimensional egress.

    Q: Why do both the woman and the man who transported into the reality seem normal and plain?
    A: A person who does utilize any type of dimensional transport does not want to bring attention on to them. Instead they want to be forgotten and not be noticed as they go about their various tasks.

    MAJestic Related Posts – Training

    These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    Probe Calibration - 1
    Probe Calibration - 2
    How to tell...
    How to tell -2
    Top Secrets
    Sales Pitch
    Feducial Training
    Implantation

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The Hammer inside the rock.
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    Mystery of the bronze bell.
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel

    Links about China

    Business KTV
    Dance Craze
    End of the Day Potato
    Dog Shit
    Dancing Grandmothers
    When the SJW movement took control of China
    Family Meal
    Freedom & Liberty in China
    Ben Ming Nian
    Beware the Expat
    Fake Wine
    Fat China

    China and America Comparisons

    SJW
    Playground Comparisons
    The Last Straw
    Diversity Initatives
    Democracy
    Travel outside
    10 Misconceptions about China
    Top Ten Misconceptions

    Learning About China

    Pretty Girls 1
    Pretty Girls 2
    Pretty Girls 3
    Pretty Girls 4
    Pretty Girls 5

    Posts Regarding Life and Contentment

    Here are some other similar posts on this venue. If you enjoyed this post, you might like these posts as well. These posts tend to discuss growing up in America. Often, I like to compare my life in America with the society within communist China. As there are some really stark differences between the two.

    Tomatos
    Mad scientist
    Gorilla Cage in the basement
    Pleasures
    Work in the 1960's
    School in the 1970s
    Cat Heaven
    Corporate life
    Corporate life - part 2
    Build up your life
    Grow and play - 1
    Grow and play - 2
    Asshole
    Baby's got back

    More Posts about Life

    I have broken apart some other posts. They can best be classified about ones actions as they contribute to happiness and life. They are a little different, in subtle ways.

    Being older
    Civil War
    Travel
    PT-141
    Bronco Billy
    r/K selection theory
    How they get away with it
    Line in the sand
    A second passport
    Paper Airplanes
    Snopes
    Taxiation without representation.

    Stories that Inspired Me

    Here are reprints in full text of stories that inspired me, but that are nearly impossible to find in China. I place them here as sort of a personal library that I can use for inspiration. The reader is welcome to come and enjoy a read or two as well.

    Articles & Links

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Notes

    1. Composed 4NOV18
    2. Completed 5NOV18
    3. SEO review 5NOV18.
    4. Published 5NOV18.

    ProfessorPhate as an Example of MWI Crossover

    Do we live in an engineered reality? In 1999, an individual by the name of “ProfessorPhate” shared what he claimed to be the “truth” about our world-line. His narrative was one in which we are the unsuspecting players of a hidden “reality war” that could one day doom us all. Yikes!

    Sound farfetched? You betcha it is!

    It’s a somewhat confusing story, I’ll admit.  It sounds outrageous and very, very strange. It involves world-line travel, and time travel. It involves secret government experiments and (maybe even) Nazi’s. Wow, oh wow.

    It’s a perfect storm of conspiracy theories, evil monocled Nazi leaders, alternative world-lines and top secret plans. I do not know about this character, but his curious messages contained some very interesting remarks on time travel and world-line divergence.

    The basic premise is this: there are those who believe that individuals working on some project have discovered the ability to time travel, and have used this ability to manipulate past events. By doing so, however, they have created multiple eccentric world-lines, one of which is our own.

    My Personal Comment

    I do NOT endorse this, nor any statements made by this individual (or groups of people). What is presented is for the reader consideration only.

    • I was not involved in anything called “Montauk“. In fact, I don’t know if this dialog as has anything to do with that issue. For some reason, this dialog is associated with it. Probably because some people want that association.
    • I was not involved in “time travel” except as a consequence of MWI movement.
    • The issues discussed are alien to me. I know nothing at all about them. As far as I know, everything stated is alien to me, and what I have experienced.

    However…

    • The MWI is real. Using the proper techniques, “world-line” travel is possible.
    • Often when you change a world-line, the speech patterns are different. You still speak English, but do so differently. This, I can confirm.
    • The need to utilize the MWI for apparent “Time Travel” is a stretch. There is really no need for it. Not, at least as far as I can tell.
    • Yes, changing past world-lines will create alternative future histories.

    All that being said. I present the information for consideration. I do not agree with it, nor disparage it. It just “is”. Enjoy and learn from it.

    Introduction

    The following posts were sent by an individual who claims to be native to a “world-line” where The U.S.A. did not take part in World War II. Instead, the United States handled things quite differently, and a different world-line emerged. That world-line is supposedly the one that we inhabit.

    Now, I don’t want to pollute my narrative with too many ramblings by other sources.  Especially other sources that I can’t verify.

    As such, I am just as incredulous as you the reader (should be).

    Whatever the case, read on and form your own conclusions. I am just presenting it in it’s RAW form so the the reader can come to their own conclusions. Remember, just because I place this information here in this blog DOES NOT IMPLY that I had similar experiences, or that I agree with the statements made.

    The following source believes that HIS timeline is the original due to various inconsistencies that he has observed in our world, and that OURS is an engineered reality. Which means that our world-line is not the “true” world-line.

    Heh heh. There is no such thing as a "true" or "real" world-line. Our reality is constantly changing.

    Disclaimer

    The only thing valid about this narrative that I can see is that it discusses MWI world-line egress. Other than that, nothing else is recognizable to me.

    Their reality does not resemble anything that I have been exposed to. As such, I want to remind the reader that even though I post this discourse within my own narrative, it does not mean that I support it. It is placed here for the lone and sole purpose of describing a POSSIBLE narrative describing a world-line egress and entry into our reality template.

    For that matter someone could construct a fictional narrative. For instance, one describing a world where the Mayans invented space travel. Or one where New England broke away from America and became a colony of Canada. Or, even one where Washington D.C. was relocated to Argentina. In the various world-lines, there are a near infinite number of alternative realities.

    In all my MWI slides, I have never been in one as described herein.

    My slides were, aside from my training, were of very slight deviance’s. Often less than 4%. A building moved or changed. Some minor changes in fashion. A television commercial that did not exist. An event that did not happen. A change in the road path. A alternative in governance. McDonalds breakfasts that served a Styrofoam cup of pork and beans instead of hash browns. A world-line where there aren’t any HB pencils. The deviance’s were, for the most part, slight.

    This narrative, however, describes a seriously different world-line deviation. It is, for the most part, beyond my experience. Theoretically, I realize that this thing does exist on some level, but why anyone would want to play around with it, is beyond my comprehension.

    I urge the reader to read all this with a degree of skepticism. The only thing that I can say about it in a positive way is that world-lines DO exist, and travel between them is possible. The distortions between any two world-lines, and the resultant deviations are normal. They are the consequence of differences in our individual stored memories.

    The individual source of this information will be identified only as “ProfessorPhate”.

    Enjoy traveling down the rabbit hole.

    Overview

    This individual claims that he was born on one world-line, and then an unspecified organization relocated his consciousness to another world-line. This organization moved him periodically between the two world-lines for their own purposes. The reason for this is not discussed.

    Full original transcripts can be found on the Anglefire website found HERE.  I urge the reader to visit the site when they finish this post.

    Post Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 10:37:43 -0600 (CST)

    Thank you for your gracious if overwhelming reply. I can only hope that I have the intellectual stamina to co-ordinate the expression of my thoughts as well as you have deployed yours. Because of other demands I will be obliged to respond to your e-mail in a piece-meal fashion, but eventually I will address, in however a circuitous route, as many of the topics as I can.
    
    The paucity in my personal experience of different world-lines makes me incapable of attributing the primacy of origin or determination to one as opposed to another. Indeed, as I am increasingly coming to suspect, that may be ultimately a meaningless question. Although, by circumscribing one's set of references, a diligent observer could discern a geneology. 
    
    Any person who has transposed from their aboriginal world-line to an alternative can automatically, by virtue of their discrepant nature, evaluate the comparative stability or 'solidity' of the two. At least, this is my vouchsafed experience. This natural talent or expertise is perhaps not germane to, and probably obfuscates, any attempt to ascertain a family-tree.

    Post Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 14:25:58 -0600 (CST)

    To continue.... Another aptitude that is acquired by a transposer is a psychic sensitivity which I call (and this is possibly a misnomer) chronopathy, i.e.: the ability to detect locales where there is a temporal discontinuity. 
    
    This has a variety of formats. What might be indicated is a site of unusual temporal integrity or intensity in comparison to it's surroundings. Or a configuration that is peculiarly related to a counterpart on another time/world-line, and thus has a higher potential to facilitate a physical transfer between the two tracks. 
    
    There are doubtlessly other determinations which can be gleaned and a superintending gestalt that I do not yet understand. In my experience, an overcast day is the most conducive condition or prerequisite for reliable and repeated observations; but, on the other hand, the absence of sunlight, that is to say, the evening obliterates any sensitivity. 
    
    On one or two occasions I have discovered in the full bore of unfiltered sunlight one of these outstanding sites or overlaps. Whether this was due to a unique emanation or an unusual degree of discrimination on my part, or some other variable or combination of the aforementioned, I cannot say. 
    
    This year I intend to begin a cartographical record of these areas. 
    
    Lastly, alas, I must acknowledge that in my case I can only espy those emplacements that are synchronized (in whatever manner or quality) with my own world-line. As to whether this reveals an intrusion of one domain upon the other, or a natural or artificial network of gateways...I do not know. Although I am prone to rampages of speculation, about this entire matter I am trying to be as circumspect as possible. Soon.

    Post Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 09:59:10 -0600 (CST)

    Deleting, for the sake of narrative simplicity, my own intricate and confusing story (that will have to be recounted later), let me expatiate upon my home world-line.
    
    It is 25 years behind this time-line.
    
    Perhaps the most glaring departure between the two is that the United States never participated in the Second World War. After the conquest of Metropolitan France by Germany (and Italy), the British Empire signed an armistice and subsequent peace-treaty with the Axis powers. 
    
    A matter has occurred which unfortunately obliges me to curtail the account very prematurely. I will resume as soon as I can. Thanks for your patience.

    Post Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 13:20:09 -0600 (CST)

    The provisions of the settlement were actually quite lenient.
    
    There was to be no occupation and the British army was promptly repatriated (there was no Dunkirk-the war party in the Parliament toppled when the B.E.F. was bagged in France). And in return for German 'guidance' in British foreign (and to a lesser degree, domestic) policy and the contribution of a modest expeditionary force (mainly naval) to the great anti-Bolshevik crusade, Hitler, to the extreme annoyance of the Italians, personally guaranteed the integrity of the British Empire (a point not lost on the Japanese either).
    
    Although Hitler was very partial to Mussolini as an individual, the German military established a far more intimate relationship with the English than they ever desired to with their ostensible Italian allies. Nevertheless, the remnants of the war party, in the guise of a British-first movement, was able to survive, after a fashion, as the loyal Parliamentary opposition.
    
    Punctuated with violence, the socialist and labor coalition was suppressed, intimidated, co-opted, or bought-off. They remain to this day however the source of the English Resistance (by way of comparison, they are to the United Kingdom what the Basques are to contemporary Spain in this world-line).
    
    WW II was much less damaging to Britain than was the case here. A number of nations, especially Australia and New Zealand, were more pro-Empire than even the English!
    
    South Africa became the 'fascist comscience' of Great Britain, while Canada became the haven for the disloyal (albeit ineffectual) opposition. India remained the jewel in the crown; but the sub-continent was a much more fractious place than it was in the pre-war period. This took longer than I anticipated. It's time for me to move along again.
    
    More later....

    Post Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 02:03:06 -0600 (CST)

    Before I continue my historical background briefing tomorrow, let me quickly answer a few of your latest questions.
    
    If you regard any of my information or conjectures meritorious enough, then by all means post whatever you wish.
    
    On my world-line, during the war many thousands of Jews were surreptitiously ransomed by concerned parties in the Western Hemisphere. Otherwise, they and others were gradually exhausted as slave-labor. It was the maw of inhuman economics that consumed their lives rather than occultic monomania.
    
    From my 15 year research effort I have concluded that whereas the Germans may have lost the war on this world, the Nazis and their allies in the United States definitely won.
    
    Although I learned in 1974 how to physically transfer myself back to my aboriginal world-line (an opportunity of which I fortunately did not avail myself), agents there 'grafted' my consciousness upon a duplicate in this world. A simply made remark that plasters over a great many stumbling blocks of detail.
    
    I am in general agreement concerning your assertion that dreams can be a medium of insertion or transference. But if I may use myself once again as a totally unrepresentative statistical sample, in my experience (which I have undergone only a few times), it is a 'trance' state even deeper than the usual oneiric condition that actually propels one into an authentic alternative world. 
    
    One would realize that you have transposed if, in your dream, all of your senses, self-awareness, and perhaps most importantly critical reflectiveness are as active as they are when you are 'awake'. 
    
    Ordinarily, these faculties are non-existent, suppressed, or diminished in the dream-state. In any case, when an 'immigrant' returns their consciousness to their home world-line they experience an ineffable re-synchronization or 'aptness' that throws into glaring relief how 'unreal' their other life has been.

    Post Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 12:13:10 -0600 (CST)

    As if attempting to subdue China wasn't a sufficient strain upon Japan's resources, beginning in May 1939 they found themselves in an ever expanding war with the Soviet Union. Being so preoccupied on the the mainland of Asia the Japanese Empire couldn't even seriously entertain a general offense against the United States or even the vestigial European colonial powers (particularly since they were now the clients of Germany).
    
    With Britain and Japan thus removed as instigators, the interventionist cause collapsed in America. 
    
    Even after the invasions of the Soviet Union the consensus of the citizenry was: "It's far away...they might all kill each other off... what about us?" A degree of artificial prosperity was generated by the expansion of the armed forces (less than undertaken by your country during WW II, but stupendous compared to the pre-war levels of either world-line) and more decisively by the elaboration of the armaments industry. 
    
    The dominant isolationist faction accepted the conversion of the United States into Fortress America, and the internationalists had to be content with arranging for the hemispheric defense.

    Post Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 20:00:09 -0600 (CST)

    It wasn't until approximately 1960 that the United States was able to surmount the pitfalls created by the Great Depression.
    
    We did not enjoy the unique and tremendous economic advantages that allowed the America of this world-line to so spectacularly flourish. There was little transfer of hard assets (principally undertaken by Great Britain in your time-line) to our coffers. There was no post-war worldwide captive market for our exports and investments. And there was no returning throng of potential consumers prepared to re-vitalize the domestic economy.
    
    Consider the ramifications of that last absent phenomenon. We didn't have a baby-boom!
    
    There was no demographic displacement to the suburbs (of course there was some inevitable expansion in that direction)! On the other hand, we too have an interstate highway system-and one completed earlier than yours (facilitates troop-movements you know).
    
    Our material quality of life would seem spartan, somewhat shabby, and rather technologically unsophisticated to you (even allowing for the 25 year discrepancy in our 'temporal velocities'), but a preservationist would regard my U.S. of A. as a paradise.

    Post Date: Sat, 20 Mar 1999 18:21:50 -0600 (CST)

    I can quickly reply to two of your previous questions before I describe contemporary conditions on my world-line.
    
    America participated in WW I as it did in your history. And I have no idea if JFK was assassinated or even if he entered politics. My knowledge of personalities is non-existent. I have a conjecture as to why that is the case, but I must cogitate upon it further before I will hazard a thesis.
    
    Currently my world-line has dire expectations for it's future. Imagine your own world's cold-war at its most truculent-with the equivalent of a Cuban Missile Crisis occurring two of three times a year. Nerves are frazzled beneath the surface of denial. The final war is expected-if not tomorrow or even the day after, then someday and soon. At least in the United States, people eagerly (if not desperately) lose themselves in the intricacies of ordinary life.
    
    Let me set the international scene.
    
    After the conquest of European Russia, the gruesome colonization of their frontier-the Ostmark, the giddiness of recasting the architectural face of Greater Germany, the self-indulgence abetted by plunder and triumph, and the glorification of the fatherland not experienced since 1871, the Third Reich is obviously the pre-eminent, if not pre-dominant, world power. And although the technocrats believe the future for Germany is in continuing it's monopoly of space exploration and colonization, the latest generation of occultic ideologues are on the verge of successfully promoting a renewal of war in order to acquire the sacred Aryan homeland of Central Asia.

    Post Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 11:25:53 -0600 (CST)

    To continue and I hope complete my most generalized recounting of the international situation on my world-line....
    
    India has become a running sore for Great Britain. Very little of the Indian Army would be available for overseas deployment and that otherwise large military assets is just about the only enticement for the British to remain. Everyone expects them to abandon the sub-continent soon and let (greater) India return to it's pre-conquest Balkanized condition. 
    
    Canada is independent in all but name; and, of course, a somewhat dismembered France (at the connivance of the Germans) is attempting with considerable success to incite the secessionist sentiments of Quebec. Justifiably, the Empire has become increasing paranoid about Japan.
    
    The 'new Roman Empire' of Italy has settled (or sunk) into quiescense.
    
    Of all the former Axis powers, Japan suffered the greatest losses, expenditure of capital, and realized the least from its victory. The Japanese fought the Soviet Union the longest and with the least success. The spoils of Siberia have not been extracted as thoroughly as they might because of the under-capitalized Japanese economic infrastructure. Although as an outlet for the excess population from the home islands, the 'Northern Frontier Zone' has provided one of the few untarnished consequences of victory.
    
    China has been subdued but in it's subjection has become a tremendous burden for Japan to control. Perhaps in reaction to a less than satisfactory (especially compared to Germany) post-war recovery and as development of pre-war sociological trends, the Japanese have become even more hysterical in their racial chauvinism than even the Nazis! 
    
    The ruling class has immersed itself in a nihilistic spiritual creed. Think of a North Korea in command of the manpower and potential wealth of the Far East and you will have an image of the condition that obtains in contemporary Japan. It is widely assumed that the British Empire in the Pacific will be their first target, followed by the Americans.
    
    One more installment should do it.
    
    with best regards, ProfessorPhate.

    Post Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 21:14:13 -0600 (CST)

    America is a garrison state, it has ruthlessly, if not always nakedly, enforced it's hegemony of the Western Hemisphere. The chronic and occasionally acute demands of national security have provoked restiveness in a potion of the public, but for many Americans this is the first era of relative affluence they have enjoyed since the fabled 1920's and so they're willing to overlook the fact that the United States is a cryptofascist country.
    
    Along this world-line Roswell evidently never happened and thus Col. Corso (or his counterpart) didn't insinuate retro-engineered alien technology into our commercial infrastructure. The subsequent social revolution that this world-line underwent never occurred on my home-world. Although the sophistication of our computers is many technical generations behind yours, my America is our world's leader in the development of 'electronic calculators'.
    
    A frantic Great Britain has at last succeeded in prying the United States loose from it's official foreign policy of autarkic isolationism (of course we regard South America and the rest of North America as our economic and political preserve-and there has been for 50 years a tight, if unacknowledged, collusion between the plutocracies of Germany and the U.S.A.). There is a de facto alliance between the British Empire and America to repel the impending Japanese onslaught.
    
    Germany is expected to opportunistically revive it's drive to the east bringing it on a collision course with the Empire of Nippon. However oblique the motives and goals of the 'allies' may be they have the power to defeat Japan. But defeat isn't enough. Japan is sufficiently strong to be a vortex capable of dragging everyone else down. And on my world-line there will be no hesitation about depleting the super-weapons in every combatant's arsenal.
    
    I have now at last finished conveying the highlights of my homeworld's modern history and contemporary situation. I apologize for any pedantry, but without providing some background my own story is incomprehensible.
    
    as always, with best regards, ProfessorPhate

    Post Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 23:53:31 -0600 (CST)

    If one must identify a single divergency-tangent (a descriptive model that I am increasingly coming to regard as a distorting over-simplification) between our world-lines, it would be the Japanese reaction to the humiliating defeat inflicted upon them by the Soviet Union in the battle of Khalkin-Gol or the Nomohan Incident that concluded on the 31st of August 1939.
    
    I just don't know if there was a Montauk Project or even a Philadelphia Experiment on my world-line. It is obvious to me however that some party or parties in that United States has the power to implant my psyche into this world-line and to communicate with me as required. I was dispatched on a mission and I can only presume, let me reiterate, presume that I wasn't sent here alone. I'm just the tip of a very long tail.
    
    _______
    
    Perhaps my remarks concerning the issue of the primacy and derivativeness of world-lines was elliptical, too off-handed, or so embedded textually as to be understandably overlooked. I never intended to imply that I regarded my homeworld as the original; in fact, I have come to consider the question of which time/world-line was the first as a meaningless one. However, for reasons previously mentioned, I have ascertained that this world-line, compared to my own (the only basis of comparison I have) is profoundly far-fetched and volitile.
    
    Insofar as I can determine, if one must ascribe a single initial divergence (another practice about which I have become highly dubious) it would be the success in your history of the Dee-Kelly Enochian Workings (1582-87).
    
    This instability has been subsequently reinforced by the passing of the Dark Satellite (1881), the Montauk Project (insert your own dates), the detonation of a teratological bomb by the U.S. (1993), and God knows what else. As for being a multiversal cross-roads....whatever this world-line was originally, it sure is one now.
    
    If I can keep up, more latter and best regards, ProfessorPhate

    Post Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 19:36:18 -0600 (CST)

    We certainly have our nuclear arsenals (and the United States possesses a 'Maginot Line' of particle beam towers-which I suspect is what has principally deterred Germany from attacking America).
    
    I am unaware of a Bermuda Triangle or its counterparts on my world.
    
    This is an expression of my ignorance-nothing else is implied.

    Post Date: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 09:25:43 -0600 (CST)

    The question of doubles is a vexing one. Although I am very inclined to answer no, I feel that if I did so an important qualification or aspect would be swept under the rug. I'm sorry that I don't have a facile reply, but this is another mystery about my situation which perplexes me.
    
    No PBS or cable, but our commercial networks are more numerous. The broadcasting emphasis is upon local and national 'niche-programming' much as it was in the early 50's on this world-line. In content, it's never moved too far away from it's foundation in radio. A rut I guess, however we never had to wait for the latest programming fad to receed either. By the way, the movie studios received an anti-trust exemption (it was in the 'national interest' to have that propaganda mill undisturbed) and so the movie industry never underwent the wrenching restructuring that here it suffered through for 30 years.
    
    Insofar as I can ascertain, our industrial style and the pace of alteration is extremely modest or conservative compared to flurry of change and temporary domination of a given fashion that we experience. On my world-line, the American civilian economy, although robust, just doesn't have the elasticity and self-indulgent abundance that is so staggering on your world.
    
    sincerely, ProfessorPhate

    Post Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 17:35:01 -0600 (CST)

    Our most advanced American cars are lower, wider and more curvaceous than those with which we are familiar. The new Beetle is very reminiscent of our automobile designs. We didn't have to endure fins, compact cars, or...ahh...Japanese imports.
    
    In apparel, societal strictures have prevented the flood of informality that has inundated the costuming here. The uniforms of subcultures (Goth, gangsta, etc.) that have proliferated in this America are, insofar as they exist at all, marginal and when they surface regarded with suspicion by the mainstream culture. What we know as 'casual dress' is about as casual as it gets.
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Post Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 11:04:45 -0600 (CST)

    I have previously alluded to the fact that on my world-line there is a substantial collaboration between the American plutocracy and the technocratic faction of the German ruling-class. I am, of course, not privy to the intimate particulars of this arrangement.
    
    Ironically, it was probably this alliance that forestalled fatal conflict between the Third Reich and the United States. So your intuition Alan is quite correct.

    Post Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 22:42:40 -0600 (CST)

    To reiterate: the most valuable resource 'possessed' by this planet, the one which attracts in ever increasing numbers visitors from throughout the multiverse, is its metaphysical and empirical eccentricity.
    
    The strain of improbabilty, indigenous to all world-lines, is unusually and significantly pronounced in this one. Activities can be undertaken here that are prohibitively difficult on the operator's homeworld, Discoveries, inventions, experiments, etc., which, if possible at all, would require exorbitant time and labor to even attempt on another-more staid-world can be performed on this planet, at this time, with comparative ease. Unfortunately, every such act (and indeed the insertion of the 'alien' perpetrator himself) increases the instability of this world-line. Improbabilities compound themselves until, if you will, the speculative bull market crashes. I would be surprised if there weren't numerous native-born humans who aren't exploiting this condition as well. Whatever else obtains that would contribute to the explanation of this planet's current condition, this is the situation as I understand (and have been given to understand) it to be.
    
    ProfessorPhate _______

    Post Date: Mon, 5 Apr 1999 19:00:56 -0500 (CDT)

    Regretably [****], I am unable to answer the vast majority of your questions, and the rest only in a generality. For example, organized religion in my America still has an elaborate and intimate community or neighborhood presence generally throughout the country.
    
    Remember, the Sixties never happened on my world; and the social alterations which happened so precipitously and irresistibly here have proceeded, shall we say, more sedately or diffidently from where I come. But as to the details of how our scriptures differ from yours... I have no idea. I presume-or take for granted-that until the divergency in 1939 the minutiae of daily life were identical on both worlds.
    
    This is my problem (well, one of them): something more substantial than my consciousness but (I presume-once again, as usual) something less encompassing than my soul was 'transferred' involuntarily from my aboriginal world to this one. This happened when I was six years old (on both worlds). I first became aware of my 'dislocation' when I was eight years of age (on this world-line of course). How much does a six year old remember about anything? How much can anyone fortysix years later reliably remember of one's infancy? And how much survived the 'abolition' I underwent? Besides, I am now a fully integrated personality. The only direct knowledge I have of my homeworld has been gleaned from those few occasions when my astral body has been retrieved by my 'superiors' in order to reinforce my conditioning (it isn't my intention to convey the impression that this is a sinister procedure - the grief engendered by ontological nostalgia is more than sufficiently persuasive in cementing one's attention). The historical information that I have imparted devolves from a 'briefing' that those responsible for my condition and mission 'super-imposed' upon me (again, as reinforcement). So my knowledge is maddeningly general and abstract on the one hand, and overly particular but severely constrained on the other. So, although I will try to be as forthcoming as possible, I hope you will appreciate my limitations.
    
    with the very best of regards,
    
    ProfessorPhate
    
    [Note: the following post was in response to claims made by Alex Collier that the Germans created a time/space rift in 1931 as a result of time-travel experimentation, allowing the "Greys" to enter our reality from the future {of an "earlier" time/world} and begin to engage in temporal manipulation along this worldline]

    Post Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 00:35:56 -0500 (CDT)

    Okay, I'm not quite sure if I am most directly addressing Alan or Alex, but in any case....
    
    When I first read this post I apriori dismissed the possibility raised within. However upon reflection, my initial reaction was prejudiced and hasty.
    
    IF the Germans are experimenting with time machines upon my world-line (and I have no indication that they are, but there is also no reason for me to be privy to such machinations - I couldn't resist the pun), I imagine that the means of acquring temporal technology was as follows.
    
    Presuming that the Germans (whoever that might really be - for example, instead of the Nazi's equivalent of the Manhattan Project, it could be the undertaking of an isolated faction) are aware of this world-line and can also insert their agents into it, at some junction along the post-1931 timeline of this earth, they contact those Germans engaged in chrononautical research. Because, as I have previously posted, your world-line is much more susceptible to paranormal exploitation the possibility of succeeding in such experiments is significantly greater and easier. After learning all they can, these hypothetical agents are then extracted and returned to my homeline...and the mischief begins anew. Elements of this scenario could be altered for it to be equally plausible, but this version seems to be the most sensible to me.
    
    However, let me reiterate, I know of no evidence to justify it's supposition. Quite frankly, although I must begrudingly intellectually concede the possibility described in your post, emotionally I don't want to have anything to do with it. But that's a bad reflection upon me, not you.
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Post Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 11:57:32 -0500 (CDT)

    Dear Alan and et al,
    
    Regretably, my specific knowledge of my homeline depends upon a collage of childhood memories, casual re-observation, 'attuned' inferences, and the statements of my superiors.
    
    I am unable, therefore, to reply directly to your inquiry; but obliquely I can say this: it is my impression/understanding that most other worldlines, are above all else, concerned with maintaining their own stability, their own hum-drum persistence and progression, if you will.
    
    This worldline (and others like it) is regarded as a fascinating, useful, and horrible example of what happens when temporal/ontological manipulation escalates.

    Post Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 11:37:06 -0500 (CDT)

    Since the discussion of parallel worlds, including most of the concepts and terminology associated with this topic, originated in the popular culture of science-fiction and comic books, I thought I should bring this to your attention.
    
    The role-playing company TSR for its game Alternity has published a supplement entitled Tangents. It is a source book which describes in considerable detail their theory of alternate worlds and the technology used to travel from one world-line to another. Of course, most of the material is only pertinent to and phrased in terms of the game system; nevertheless, some of you might find the conjectures contained therein to be stimulating and useful.
    
    best regards,
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Post Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1999 23:42:32 -0500 (CDT)

    Dear Alan, friends, and lurkers,
    
    My apologies for the tardiness of my reply to the question you posed on the 18th of last month, but I have been recovering from a nasty spot of pneumonia.
    
    My 'overseers', as you have felicitously characterized them, treat me as a more or less involuntary agent, and thus, I can only make informed inferences about their nature and purpose. I have been told that the American government will be the beneficiary of the information that I accrue upon this world. From this I surmise that they are, to some degree at least, working for the government in some intelligence gathering and/or military capacity. Their purview seems to be circumscribed to these areas of interest and whatever I (and others sent from my original world-line) glean will be dedicated to the impending war effort [against the Germanic 'empire' which threatens the 'other' worldline? - Alan]. They may have the know-how to be a 'quantum police force', but insofar as I can tell, they have no motivation or inclination to behave as such.
    
    with best regards,
    
    ProfessorPhate
    
    [Note: the following are more recent posts from Professor-Phate, to the members of a 'time travel email list years ago]

    Post Date: Mon Jul 31, 2000 11:39am

    Subject: Re: Inquiries was Re: Al Bielek video
    
    To all that this may concern,
    
    I haven't, until about five minutes ago, taken the time to read the messages posted on this forum for the last two days. I believe that Joni is, with gracious reticence, referring to me as the one who has asserted that I am a transplant from an alternate Earth. 
    
    It was not my intention (rather my inattention) to artificially create suspense concerning when or if I would reveal my identity. If Mr. Hamilton and the others who have expressed interest in my story (for which, honesty in advertising compels me to admit I have not an iota of evidence) would consult the archives of this list (perhaps the listmaster could be of assistance) many of their inquiries should be addressed; if not, I think (cross your fingers) I have my primary statement on file and could arrange to reproduce it here for general edification (or entertainment, as the case may be). 
    
    There is not much more that I currently have to add to the aforementioned archived report except to say, that based upon a certain series of disclosures which have been tendered to me in the last year, I am becoming persuaded that this Earth may have more exiles, agents, or what-have-you from alternative Earths walking around than I have hitherto believed. If I can be of any assistance in providing further elucidation about my own situation or this topic in general I am at your disposal.
    
    best regards,
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Undated Post #1

    Dear Mr. Hamilton, et al,
    
    As I read your recent message I couldn't remember posting such interesting material, and then it occurred to me that perhaps you are alluding to Mr. Walton's (and may he soon rejoin us) remarks which became entangled with my own; this is understandable since my supplementary elaborations appeared in a dialogue with the estimable Mr. Walton. Nevertheless, although we will have to await his exposition of the 'Time War' and the 5th dimension, I can address your other inquiries.
    
    Once again, I shall try to clarify a misunderstanding which hitherto I have never been able to correct: to the best of my knowledge I never claimed that my Earth was the prototype-indeed, I recall declaiming (perhaps a mite too dismissively or at least testily) that such a search is impossible and pointless. However...I did assert that from my perspective this Earth is an artificially or unnaturally deviated counterpart in comparison to, if you will, the set of 'natural' permutations. I, of course, can reasonably be accused of special-pleading but that is the situation as understand it to be.
    
    Chronologically, my Earth is about a quarter of century behind this one; technologically, with a number of exceptions, perhaps forty years behind yours-well, ours-and in its culture generally between forty and fifty. If you have found it, the particulars are dealt with in my 'position paper'.
    
    Although I am hesitant to employ terminology gleaned from pop-culture, simply because the allegorical correspondences begin to break down rather quickly and it becomes, in any case, a narrow and inhibiting framework for discussion (loved the movie though!-and Dark City is a must see!!), let me just baldly state that as a principle I regard the astral domain as 'The Matrix' (although with no imputation of malevolent Neo-Gnostic deception and oppressiveness) and in its fundamental function the equivalent of the state vector of quantum physics. And from this (he said in his best imitation of Orson Welles as The Shadow) many portentous consequences follow. Well, I hope some of this helps.
    
    best regards,
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Undated Post #2

    ( Woman complained about his lingo ) Superfluous, Judith...never, convoluted...so a number of my friends say. Okay, at the risk of stepping into the same beartrap that I kept telling myself to avoid....
    
    Let me try this: the astral domain is The Matrix, the archetypal program that can be re-programmed to project any given simulation of reality into the minds of its percipients. My earth, our earth, an earth where Mickey Mouse rules the world, and all the other conceivable and inconceivable, possible and impossible earths are specific concrete variations of this astral software. 
    
    Now left to itself this entire process proceeds according to natural metaphysical laws, or so metaphysicians and theologians reassure us. But the human, inhuman, and non-human will can, according to the same sources, intervene and alter the code. This can amount to a violation of, a temporary suspension of, or if he or she or it is really good, the reconstitution of 'natural physical laws'. 
    
    When this happens it's called magic, divine intervention, Montauk, and a thousand and one other things (depending on the originating agent(s) or agency); or as a contemporary scientist might say (and as the relatively-in these circles-conservative physicist Evan H. Walker did say)-here comes the jargon-highly sustained willpower results in the collapse of the state vector on the macroscopic scale at an extremely improbable level. 
    
    Now, if you have one or more parties in command of the psychological technology (in want of a better phrase), on this world or any other, necessary to so re-order the reality of any given group of sentients you don't have so much, as Mr. Walton says, Time-Wars, as Reality Wars. That, in a nutshell-perhaps one with a very thick covering and a very small nut-is why we are experiencing the real Battlefield Earth. Okay, any better?
    
    best regards,
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Undated Post #3

    Dear Maverick,
    
    Because you were the first to submit a daunting list of questions to I shall address this response to you, although of course all who have expressed interest in my statements are being kept in mind (and yes Judith I do speak like this, sometimes to the consternation of my friends-I guess I am a hopeless captive of a 19th century literary temperment). 
    
    I see that Starfire Tor also has some co-ordinated inquiries, and if I may ask for his indulgence, I will try to answer his at the soonest available opportunity. My place of business is starting to move this week, wonderfully coinciding with a quarter of the staff leaving for vacation so I am suddenly having to cover the shifts of a number of other workers and so I'm afraid my stamina is being a bit over-taxed. So my apologies to all if my replies are even less satisfactory than usual.
    
    A prefactory note: I'm afraid that drove Mr. Walton to a state of disappointment and exasperation (if not aggravation) when I attempted to answer his questions. Regretfully, and no one feels this more keenly than I do, any elucidation of mine is severely constrained by the amount of information that I can bring to bear on the questions mustered by the list members. Irrespective of whether or not my assertions are judged to be self-delusional (if not indicative of a psychotic fugue), a hoax, a egomaniacal campaign to stimulate attention, or what-have-you, my storehouse of 'facts' or 'information' is almost devoid of goods; and I cannot confabulate anything beyond that limitation. I will try to, as thoroughly as I can, answer any questions but the data you seek just may not be available to me (this is why I contacted Mr. Walton in the first place and joined this list, i.e., in the hope that in the recounting of someone elses story I might find something to illuminate the very dark corners of my own). So if my responses seem to be unresponsive, vague, abstract, mere generalities, I can only express my regret for having falsely inflating your expectations and then wasting your time.
    
    I infer from the context of my experience that my 'superiors' (and I place the italic marks around that word to indicate my ironic and very ambivalent attitude towards them) are a quasi-government group in my homeworld America. By this I mean they are, as best as I can judge, either a deep black-ops agency deliberately lost in the bureaucratic paperwork, or an independent association with intimate one-way (them-to-it) ties to the government. It is my impression that the latter is closer to the truth.
    
    Our communication is entirely initiated from their end. On those rare occasions when it has occurred the medium of transmission has been my dream-state. Now, I don't have to be psychic to predict what may now be the reaction of the more skeptical among you. Believe me, if I was in your position my head would be shaking as well and what follows would be classified as "Case Closed". But, in order to preserve the integrity of my experience and the feasibilty of my claims let me, at this time, hope that this clarification is sufficient to offset the understandable qualms one or more of you may be having about the bother of reading further. 
    
    When I have these 'episodes' the panoply of my senses are engaged (very much unlike the ordinary dream-state, at least mine) and indeed, at a pitch of lucidity and vivacity greater than my waking-state. 
    
    This condition is exclusively extant during these times. It is as if, and this is how I interpret it or choose to interpret it, I am returning to the psycho-physical matrix to which I was aboriginally atturned and to which I am briefly re-integrated. It's a peculiar form of a heightened state of consciousness. Without further flailing about in, what must shortly become for all of you, a tedious attempt to describe this singular state, let me just conclude by saying that it's nature is such as to throw it into contrast with every other state of consciousness that I ordinarily experience. 
    
    So, unless I am dealing with an eccentric neurological disorder-a possibility which I must acknowledge even if I vehemently reject it-the phenomenal validity is vouchsafed for me because of the aforementioned comparisons which I can tabulate. Well, as Judith, my stylistic conscience, might point out I am becoming garrulous-and here I haven't even finished answering your second question! I beseech your patience and I will resume soon.
    
    best regards,
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Undated Post #4

    To resume,
    
    It would be helpful if I replied to your questions Maverick in the order given...ahh, literacy-what a concept-I've got to try it some time. I jumped from inquiry number one to three. I will try to be more attentive in the future.
    
    Most specifically, my sponsors (if you will) want me to discover what methods have been developed on this fraternal earth (if I may expropriate C.D. Hoit's most felicitous characterization-kudos!) to biologically enhance the human body/mind to suprahuman levels. Or to render it another way, to deliberately punctuate Stephen Gould's 'evolutionary equilibrium'. If Marverick you have been able to download my historical overview I think you would join me in concluding that they wish to apply whatever I have gleaned to improving the military capabilities of their America. Frankly, I don't begrudge them this at all.
    
    more soon, and I won't be reading any more posts on this list until I answer your questions, otherwise I will be spinning off on so many digressions that I'll never get back. And then on to Starfire Tor. If you and he have taken the time and effort to solicit my responses (however inadequate and unsatisfying they may be), the least I can do is to stay focused on one compendium at a time. Oh, and best regards,
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Undated Post #5

    Dear Maverick and all,
    
    At the risk of, as usual, leaving myself hanging from an expostulary thread, let me slip in a few remarks before I go to work.
    
    The contact in my sleep might be more exactly described as an extraction. I believe (and their might be a more accurate explanation of this phenomenon but this is the one which makes the most sense to me) that a very deeply embedded hypnotic program is stimulated by my superiors on these occasions which enables them to 'pull out' the self than originated on my fraternal earth, realign its frequency of being so that it conforms to the resonance of their reality, and then communicate whatever it is they wish to impart; presumably the process is then reversed and my aboriginal self is then 'reinserted' or allowed to flow back into the host-my doppleganger on this world. 
    
    That is why I am sympathetic towards and prejudiced in favor of at least some of Al Bielek's assertions (Mr. Hamilton's disquietude about his account not withstanding), especially those concerning the 'soul-grafting' (my phrase not his, and probably a poor one) which he and others have had performed upon them. Well, I'm up against the unyielding clock and I'm off for the day. I wish, oh do I dearly wish, I could be more exact and detailed in my rendition Maverick but this is about the best I can do. Maybe when I take on your further questions I can give a more satisfactory reply.
    
    best regards
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Undated Post #6

    Good morning Maverick and whomever else is still slogging through this with me,
    
    To provisionally conclude my reponse to your question about the "communication pathway", let me hasten to add that my reversions to my homeworld are hardly frequent or periodic. I
    
    n my entire life I have only been returned three times, although on the first occasion, the episode was protracted over several weeks. However, I have (again, technically in a dream state) subconsciously projected my self into, or been supinely attracted by the 'gravitational pull' of, or whatever, my fraternal planet. 
    
    The second time I was withdrawn by my superiors I was admonished that such a spontaneous, involuntary, or surreptitious 'snapping-back' was very reckless and hazardous (to me, to the mission, to them, to the space-time equilibrium-I don't know, as usual, I was told as little as necessary) and not to do it again-for whatever reason I haven't.
    
    This might be the right place to interpolate the sequence of the procedure whereby I 'arrived' on the world. On my fraternal earth I was an adult (and no, I don't remember any personal details-when I have made an unauthorized return I seem to be incessantly touring my home city-a rough analogue to the one I live in here- I think in an attempt to 'touch-base' with something tangible,familiar, in the hope of recovering some personal information from that period of my life), that personality was distilled and regressed to the age of six (this is about to become even more bizarre, inconsistent, and demented sounding but this is what they told me). 
    
    I was then projected into, or grafted upon (insert your own preferred designation) the being of my doppleganger, who was approximately the same age (I can 'verify' this because I acutely recall the exact instant-literally-when I realized, at the age of eight, that I wasn't from this world and that something was very askew'; I don't know if the epiphany coincided with the introduction of my base or previous personality or if that fact had taken that long to percolate to the top of, ahh, my consciousness. 
    
    Then I was informed that when I obtained the information they sought I would be extracted, rejoined with my six year old self (although with the intellectual maturity of a ten year old, I suppose due to the subconscious presence of the life-time experiences of two adults) allowed to naturally age to about the age of fourteen and then debriefed and my 'package' retrieved. 
    
    Sounds stupid, doesn't it. 
    
    And as for all those loose ends...I have absolutely no idea what happens to them or how to reconcile the multiple paradoxes. I am equally ignorant concerning the instrumental details of how all this is done, or why it is, or has to be, done that way. As I have said before, I am the very tip of a very long tail, so my perspective isn't the most panoramic.
    
    best regards,
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Undated Post #7

    Dear Maverick, and all whose further inquiries and comments I hope to address in order of appearance before the expiration of the decade,
    
    Apropos your recommendation of the term 'aberrant'. As I've indicated, upon reading C.D.Hoit's characterization ('fraternal world'), I have adopted his usage in lieu of the one you proposed. Nevertheless, your own coinage is an especially apt description of this earth's categorical status, and if I might, without sowing terminological confusion, I would like to reserve for potential application the adjective 'aberrant' for worlds (I hope few in number) that can be so classified.
    
    Apparently, I am indeed asserting that these aberrant worlds (in your sense) are inhabited by soul-filled entities, just as the 'real' (?) world does. Of course, although I have had recourse to this designation myself, it's presence in this conversation makes me uncomfortable, simply because so many sects, denominations, philosophers, and spiritual traditions have so many differing definitions of this ontological component-the existence of which is for so many people, in any case, hypothetical at best. But the barn door was imprudently opened by me, so....
    
    When you asked: "What is the interface that allows for the detection of and the connection to targeted souls to fuze?", I am moved to clarify the entire context of this issue. All of the material dealt with by me in that post concerns a secret society on this world. 
    
    The last time I was 'summoned home' I had a very anomalous encounter with my superiors. On this unique occasion, the discussion had nothing to do with my standing mission. I was shown a film, accompanied by a briefing (the sources of the content of that post), and told to garner as much additional information as rapidly as possible. 
    
    I inferred that another agent or agents furnished them initially with what data they possessed because the topic was a surprise to me. 
    
    I surmised that they were very disturbed by the scope and activities of this fraternity because of its potential to destabize the existential adamancy of their own world. Perhaps they also are trepidatious about the competitive prowess of this group. I threw out what they knew in the hope that someone could fill in a blank there, add a detail here, etc. Nothing came of it; and to me it was just another job, and a digressive one at that. But I must acknowlege, in my judgement, their acute concern is justified.
    
    "Are your 'superiors' using souls, in the aberrant world, to restructure the matrix in the aberrant world...the real world?" I'm sorry but I cannot begin to answer that question. I doubt if any conjecture on my part, which you weren't soliciting anyway, would be much more insightful than your own.
    
    more soon and with best regards,
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Undated Post #8

    Hello list members,
    
    "Please identify and expand. Only through specifics can we share a useful communication." ( Maverick was so pushy he repeated this throughout his entire grilling of Prof. he was so specific he got kicked off dragonslayers.N) And if they were to be had they would be yours. 
    
    The only meager addition, a clarification actually, is that this secret society has franchises, if I can be excused the flippancy, at the time of the original post, on four fraternal worlds, including this earth where it apparently originated. I would presume, given what information I did receive (imparted to me with unusual thoroughness), that in the interim they have considerably expanded. 
    
    This briefing was the last, or latest, contact I have had with my home-world. As the perspicacious have noticed, there is a very messy issue of differing temporal flow-rates, so if my assumption is factually correct, my sponsors may have an altogether different perspective. I can only reiterate that, at the time ( :-) ) it was sudden and very apprehensive development.
    
    Well Maverick, in the absence of an autobiography, that's the rest of the story insofar as your (initial?) list of questions is concerned. Perhaps contained therein something of value or interest was gleaned by you and the others. All complaints are to be directed to parties unknown on a world far far away.
    
    I will now return to the message board and reply, in rotation, to any further inquiries submitted by the list members. Thank you all for your courteous interest and I hope I didn't find my way into too many kill-files.
    
    best regards
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Undated Post #9

    Well Starfire, they have never used the Internet to communicate with me, probably because the Internet, PC's, and even Webtv have not, I suppose, even been imagined on my homeworld. No Roswell, no Corso, no transitors...nifty death-ray citadels though. But if you will read the last chapter of "The Electric Connection: Its Effects on Mind and Body" by Michael Shallis I think you will discover some germane, albeit disquieting, observations on the topic of what can use the Internet to initiate communication.
    
    I trust that I have been able to elaborate upon, if not satisfactorily answer, a number of your subsequent questions. As to whether or not I believe that "...magick and the occult sciences play a real role in the working of the matrix.", I most emphatically do, especially here!
    
    To the best of my knowledge (and this only refers to the research that I have conducted) only the works of John Bennett (sp?) bear some relevance to the issue of the historical origins of this secret society; I am reasonably confident in asserting that the Freemasons, Illuminatti, etc. are not involved. Their objectives (as claimed by themselves or by their detractors) and methodologies don't seem to be pertinent.
    
    best regards,
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Undated Post #10

    Dear Maverick,
    
    Just let take a moment to reassure you that I am not a member of the Bielek claque. Unlike Mr. Hamilton, or perhaps yourself, I do not have the competence (nor frankly, the inclination) to examine the veracity of his claims. His personal account, nor even his rendition of the P.E./Montauk Affair (sounds like an old Man From U.N.C.L.E. episode) has any intrinsic bearing upon my own experiences. 
    
    To paraphrase what you said, just because one can usefully segregate discrete elements from the accounts of the Montauk Three (or is it Four now?) doesn't compel one to endorse the remainder. 
    
    If posterity confirms his version of events, then good for him; if not, then I trust he realized he couldn't take it with him. Certain aspects of his story resonate with me but it is those similarities and not necessarily the man himself which arouses my attention
    
    best regards,
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Undated Post #11

    Dear Maverick,
    
    My apologies for the tardiness of my replies, and I am afraid they will continue, for a while, to be sporadic; because of the relocation of my workplace I have recently been pulling down sometimes triple shifts and when I return home even turning on the Internet seems to be an unbearable chore.
    
    In your message of 8/4/10:57 A.M., you postulated that there may have been episodes which I can no longer consciously retrieve. Insofar as the unilateral initiatives of my superiors are concerned, I don't think so, the ambience of the event is much to singular for me to forget one. 
    
    However, it is possible, although I have tried to monitor these experiences as assiduously as I can, that I have forgotten one or more of my 'unauthorized' returns. It also seems to me that the psuedo-physical process of retracting me to my home-world is the only method available to those responsible, at least there has been no indication of any other means hitherto employed. And yet...I must admit that it would be reasonable to infer that they have some way to keep themselves apprised of my situation.
    
    "Do you have a preference of worlds?" To most baldly put it: at least subconsciously, the compulsion to return is the leitmotiv of my life; a fact about which I am both rueful and considerably ambivalent.
    
    Alas, I must shortly leave for work and I am unable to continue. I hope, upon my return this evening, I will be able to resume and reply at greater length.
    
    best regards,
    
    Prof Phate

    Undated Post #12

    Dear Maverick,
    
    In your letter of 8/4/10:57 A.M. you asked for a clarification of my relationship with those I have dubbed 'superiors' and if I am implying a more specific subordination. Because they were responsible for my situation, imprinted and reinforced my motivation, and claim to possess the means of restoring a facsimile of my aboriginal life, I have deemed them my superiors or sponsors. Nothing else is (knowingly) intended. In schematic terms, it may not be the most fitting but it seems subjectively the most apt designation.
    
    I really don't remember a single detail about my adult life on my homeworld; and I truly cannot imagine that any aspect of any of my vocations has the slightest concordance (other than the sheerly coincidental and trivial) with any professional attainment upon my fraternal earth. I do however believe that my avocational interests have been substantially influenced by my subconscious 're-education'.
    
    You have asked me to untangle some of the sequential conundrums. When I was an adult on my homeworld that state of being was regressed to the person that I was (on the fraternal earth) at the age of six. This 'composite' was then alloyed with my counterpart on this world; this had to have been done before my epiphany at the age of eight (now whether this was done one second or n-years beforehand, I can't say). It is my impression that I no longer subsist as an adult on my homeworld-indeed, if one could in synchronization observe both worlds at this moment I don't know what (if any) tangible presence I would have on my original earth.
    
    You are correct in your recapitulation of the sequence of temporal and biological relationships which I was told that would eventuate upon my restoration. Apparently, the "plan to retrieve and terminate the mission...." has not yet reached the phase of implementation.
    
    I must concede that I am not unsympathetic to the reasonablesness of situating my experience within the psychological model of abuse but it is not entirely satisfactory to me, after all, for example, a soldiers relationship to his superior officer can be justly so described but you must acknowledge there is an extenuating context that undermines the literal accuracy of such a characterization. Nevertheless, your words bear reflection on my part.
    
    Let me address the remaining portions of you thoughtful e-mail in the near future.
    
    best regards,
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Undated Post #13

    Dear Starfire Tor,
    
    I am in-between business trips and as I was trying to swim against the tide of reading my messages before the heat death of the universe occurs I encounterd yours. And to you as well I hope you will excuse my laggardness in replying.
    
    The reason why I wanted to draw your attention to "The Electric Connection" by Michalel Shallis was because in the last chapter he applies Rudolf Steiner's concept of the Ahrimanic principle to the nature of cybernetics. He asserts that whereas raw electricity is the substantial body of Ahriman (a necessary but adversarial Spirit insofar as the evolution of the human species is concerned) the computer (and by implication, I suppose, our entire electro-mechanical infrastructure) it It's functional body. As you might imagine he does not draw warm and fuzzy inferences from this supposition. Our computer network is demonically possessed (to imitate a headline writer for The World Weekly News). So, if your local library has a copy of this book, a perusal of the last chapter (although the entire book is worth one's attention) might lead you to some interesting conjectures about what forces or agencies can inhabit the Internet, other than the evils of spammers and trolls of course.
    
    I will respond to the other questions of your letter of the 8th as soon as I can.
    
    best regards.
    
    ProfessorPhate

    Undated Post #14

    ProfessorPhate@webtv.net wrote:
    
    Dear Bruce, Nicky, et al,
    
    A few weeks ago, I received a new communication from my 'contacts' (a woman and two men) on my aboriginal world/time-line. I wish to take this occasion to impart-for what it is worth-the following information.
    
    I have, in those posts that the redoubtable Nicky recovered and consolidated several months ago, written of the alleged 'artificiality' or 'unnaturalness' of this world/time-line. 
    
    I have also commented upon the fecund susceptibility of this cosmos to existential errosion which manifests itself in, and is stimulated in turn by, literal paranormal phenomena. And how the resulting ontological contradictions or incompatibilities will eventually result in the dissolution of this world/time-line. 
    
    A perusal of the relevant digests will amplify upon and detail my remarks. Let me direct your attention to those archives.
    
    My handlers told me that what Vernor Vinge and others refer to as the Singularity will trigger the aforementioned event. 
    
    A bit of background before you all bring up your search engine of choice. In the early 90's, the science fiction writer, Vernor expropriated a term from astrophysics and applied it to an impending and inexorable event. According to his-and others- calculations, in the year 2035 (although, in the opinion of the woman in the group, the year 2025) the ever accelerating climb of the plotted curve of knowledge and technological implementation of those discoveries will become vertically ascendant. 
    
    That point when the curve becomes perpendicular Vinge called the Singularity. 
    
    At that juncture, the pace of change in innovation will become so rapid and unassimilatible that the world as we knew it becomes unknowable and unpredictable. Although, believe it or not, there are groups, such as the transhumanists and the extopians, who salivate over this liberation from the fetters of history, I'm afraid the sociological implications are very dire.
    
    As any number of academic specialists in the asundry fields of personal and collective psychology can tell you, when an individual or group is under the pressure of the stress of unsuccessfully trying to adjust to a barrage of unanticipated changes, they tend to have a nervous breakdown. 
    
    My liaisons believe we, on this world/time-line, will be witnessing and/or experiencing a catastrophic psycho-demographic collapse which will powerfully intensify the aforementioned attrition of our existential stability. 
    
    Now, let me hasten to clarify, they aren't asserting that one second after midnight on Jan. 1, 2035 (or whenever) the universe disappears in a puff of smoke-and then the smoke disappears. It is one of those a-journey-of-a-thousand-miles-begins-with-a-single-step sort of things. 
    
    When the Singularity occurs, the final irrevocable countdown starts.. How long it take to reach zero is ours to guess. There is a further sub-text to this phenomenon which I need to address latter. I just thought that someone might want a heads-up.
    
    sincerely,
    
    Professor Phate

    Conclusion

    Fantastical and outrageous. That is my opinion.

    So why post such nonsense?

    I have provided all this information to the reader to assess and come to their own conclusions.  I do know that the universe is a strange one and that reality is far removed from what our perception of it is.  I also do know that the MWI is valid.

    This all might be nonsense, or might have some validity.  I do not know.

    I post it here precisely for ONE reason; there are others who enter and leave this world-line. Most do so incognito. No one knows their true histories, means of entry and egress, technology or purposes. While they might describe things that seem outlandish to us, the truth is that our reality is NOT what we think it is. It is something else entirely.

    We need to open our eyes to the reality of the MWI.  Our reality and our universe is not at all what we think. World-line travel and MWI egress is easily performed when our consciousness transitions from particle behavior to wave behavior. That then permits migration within the Heavens to other world-lines; a MWI slide, if you will.

    The Nature of the Universe
    The individual reality that our consciousness observes is ψ-ontic in nature. By the manipulation of particle duality, we can travel within the ψ-epistemic totality. Yes. That is how it is done.

    We can accomplish this in different ways;

    • We can “connect” with a species that already has this innate ability, and migrate with them using their duality ability.
    • We can utilize technology that would enable us to control the wave / particle duality of behavior for our consciousness.
    • We can utilize technology that enables us to temporarily suppress our particulate behavior of consciousness into wave behavior.

    This last method has two techniques that I am aware of;

    • [1] A large fixed portal. Resulting in portal to portal travel.

    • [2] A mobile mechanism. Resulting in a “bubble” where the bubble changes the reality surrounding it.

    Vehicular world-line travel

    Take Aways

    • An individual recounted his narrative on consciousness migration (world-line travel) on the Internet in 1999.
    • He described a world-line that differs from our present reality.
    • He made some interesting comments regarding his impressions.
    • Information regarding the organization involved in this matter, and driving purposes was not provided.

    MAJestic Related Posts – Training

    These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    How to tell...

    How to tell -2

    Top Secrets

    Sales Pitch

    Feducial Training

    Implantation

    Probe Calibration - 1

    Probe Calibration - 2

    Leaving the USA

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Secrets of the universe
    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The Hammer inside the rock.
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    Mystery of the bronze bell.
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe
    Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
    The mysterious flying contraptions.

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    How MWI allows world-line travel.
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel
    Soul is not consciousness.

    John Titor Related Posts

    Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

    They are;

    Articles & Links

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    The Disclosure of the CARET program at PACL

    Let’s look at the disclosure of element of the CARET program at PACL. It is actually a very informative disclosure, and as such it was denounced as a hoax by the NSA and related MAJestic support organizations.  However, the reader should not be confused.  This is a valid disclosure, and as such, it is useful to “smoke out” which UFO and investigative organizations have been compromised by the USA government. 

    I cover this disclosure exactly as it was presented.  Today, of course it is pretty difficult to find the actual disclosure, at least in the United States.  I also present some commentary and related information that is spawned off this disclosure.

    Introduction

    “We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.”
    
    ― Stephen Hawking

    This is the entire text of the “C.A.R.E.T. disclosure”.  I place it here in complete verbatim as was provided on the Internet.  This disclosure is perhaps the most authentic extraterrestrial disclosure made public in the five decades of secrecy.  (Aside from MJ-12)

    While it is well known that major UFO and debunking organizations have derided this disclosure as a fraud, I happen to know that it is not a fraud at all.    Instead it is a valid disclosure of a small part of one of the myriad of extraterrestrial reverse engineering efforts of the 1980’s.

    C.A.R.E.T. is a VALID and ACTUAL disclosure of (associative) MAJestic documentation.

    The disclosure contains an explanation, with selected pages from three separate reports; [1] A Research Report, [2] An Inventory Review, and [3] a Linguistic Primer.  Also included were some actual photographs.  Additionally some Q&A dialog occurred prior to the disclosure source going “x-ray” (silent).

    This disclosure is not a fraud, fake or hoax.  It is a real and valid actual disclosure.  The reader should read the section concerning the United States disinformation efforts to fully appreciate the magnitude of the disclosure.  If the reader chooses to believe that, it was just an elaborate hoax, fine.  But it isn’t, and I am the “real deal”, so I tell the reader that if you believe me, then you must also believe the validity of C.A.R.E.T..  Alternatively, if you do not believe me, then you can’t possibly believe the C.A.R.E.T. disclosure.

    “It is my view that most people dismissed the (C.A.R.E.T.) phenomena without bothering to look at the weight of evidence and testimony in it’s entirety and instead allowed forum debunkers and pseudosceptics to decide the evidence for them. Don’t let anyone live in your head rent free – as the saying goes.”
    
    -will galison May 1, 2014 at 11:37 am

    The US government has devoted a lot of time and money and resources to denounce this disclosure as a hoax.  In fact the NSA has even set up numerous denouncement websites and organizations.  Obviously someone is deeply offended.  Look at all the time and effort that was put into this.  Someone obviously had [1] a lot of money, and [2] a lot of time on their hands.  There was a lot of effort to debunk this “hoax”.  Why?  Here is just one of the many websites;

    http://www.dronehoax.com/drone_history/isaac_additional/caret.htm .

    I ask the reader this; how many hours do you think went into writing all these articles (on this website)?  How much time and money went into the design (of the website).  Is this website a simple hobby site written by a concerned blogger?  All of this is for a mere sighting and the release of a mere handful of pages?  Look at the effort behind this.  Do you, dear reader, have the time and energy (after work) to do the same concerning an article that you read about.  This is an obvious; absolutely OBVIOUS example of NSA redirection and suppression.

    (Working people, with families, and a life outside of work do not have the time to devote to pages and pages of website generate denouncements.  Pulling one or two hours a night was a really difficult thing to do.  But these websites sprung up within weeks of the disclosures.  All of which is highly suggestive that time, money and effort were purposefully devoted to this effort. Just what kind of person devotes such time to a mere hoax?)

    The following is the actual disclosure.  I am presenting it exactly as it was released.  However, certain foot notes and minor editing corrects might be present for the purposes of understandability.  Header and address information is provided in a different font for readability purposes.

    First Disclosure

    Explanation of the Recent "Strange Craft" Sightings
    
    by "Isaac" from CoastToCoastAM Website
    
    Greetings Coast to Coast AM,
    
    I have information that can explain a great deal of what is going on in the photos provided by Chad, Rajman, the Lake Tahoe witness, as well as the photos taken by Jenna and Ty in Big Basin, CA…
    
    I'm going by the alias "Isaac" while I release this information. I'm an electrical engineer and computer scientist and used to work in a program called "CARET" that was concerned with research and development based on extra-terrestrial technology. Many key elements of the technology I worked with during my time with CARET are clearly visible in these crafts. This work was done in the 80's in Palo Alto, CA, so it's no surprise to me that these sightings are taking place within such proximity to that area.
    
    Attached to this email you will find numerous scans of photographs and documents from my CARET days that pertain to what I'm going to tell you, and would like to share with your audience. In addition, I have put up a small website that has very high resolution copies of all of these scans, as well as a lengthy letter that explains a lot about me, the CARET program, and these sightings. I've been listening to your show since 2002 and would like to work with you to get this information out there. Please read the text at the website for the rest of the details, as I am taking a fairly significant personal risk and would like to make sure it's worth it: isaaccaret.fortunecity.com
    
    All I ask in sharing this information is that it's kept together. There are 4 photos and a total of 15 pages of scanned documents. If you'd like to resize them for your website, that is fine... I want people to have easy access to this information IN FULL. I feel this is reasonable and it is all I ask. I am NOT trying to sell anything and the only reason I created this very simple website is to ensure all the information is presented correctly and in one place.
    
    --Isaac

    Isaac and his photographs from CARET
    The mysterious photographs of the materializing drone as photographed by “Chad” as placed on the Internet resulted in the C.A.R.E.T. disclosure by Isaac. The former middle manager released to the public a limited series of documents that helped to explain the craft that caused such consternation on the Internet.

    My Experience with the CARET Program and Extra-terrestrial Technology

    by "Isaac"June 2007 from IsaacCaret Website
    
    This letter is part of a package I've assembled for Coast to Coast AM to distribute to its audience. It is a companion to numerous document and photo scans and should not be separated from them.
    
    You can call me Isaac, an alias I've chosen as a simple measure of protection while I release what would be called tremendously sensitive information even by today's standards. “Sensitive” is not necessarily synonymous with “dangerous”, though, which is why my conscience is clear as I offer this material up for the public.
    
    My government has its reasons for its continual secrecy, and I sympathize with many of them, but the truth is that I'm getting old and I'm not interested in meeting my maker one day with any more baggage than necessary! Furthermore, I put a little more faith in humanity than my former bosses do, and I think that a release of at least some of this info could help a lot more than it could hurt, especially in today's world.
    
    I should be clear before I begin, as a final note: I am not interested in making myself vulnerable to the consequences of betraying the trust of my superiors and will not divulge any personal information that could determine my identity. However my intent is not to deceive, so information that I think is too risky to share will be simply left out rather than obfuscated in some way (aside from my alias, which I freely admit is not my real name).
    
    I would estimate that with the information contained in this letter, I could be narrowed down to one of maybe 30-50 people at best, so I feel reasonably secure.

    Some Explanation for the Recent Sightings

    For many years I've occasionally considered the release of at least some of the material I possess, but the recent wave of photos and sightings has prompted me to cut to the chase and do so now.
    
    I should first be clear that I'm not directly familiar with any of the crafts seen in the photos in their entirety. I've never seen them in a hangar or worked on them myself or seen aliens zipping around in them.
    
    However, I have worked with and seen many of the parts visible in these crafts, some of which can be seen in the Q3-85 Inventory Review scan found at the top of this page. More importantly though, I'm very familiar with the “language” on their undersides seen clearly in photos by Chad and Rajman, and in another form in the Big Basin photos.
    
    One question I can answer for sure is why they're suddenly here. These crafts have probably existed in their current form for decades, and I can say for sure that the technology behind them has existed for decades before that. The “language”, in fact, (I'll explain shortly why I keep putting that in quotes) was the subject of my work in years past. I'll cover that as well.
    
    The reason they're suddenly visible, however, is another matter entirely. These crafts, assuming they're anything like the hardware I worked with in the 80's (assuming they're better, in fact), are equipped with technology that enables invisibility.
    
    That ability can be controlled both on board the craft, and remotely. However, what's important in this case is that this invisibility can also be disrupted by other technology. Think of it like radar jamming. I would bet my life savings (since I know this has happened before) that these craft are becoming visible and then returning to invisibility arbitrarily, probably unintentionally, and undoubtedly for only short periods, due to the activity of a kind of disrupting technology being set off elsewhere, but nearby.
    
    I'm especially sure of this in the case of the Big Basin sightings, were the witnesses themselves reported seeing the craft just appear and disappear. This is especially likely because of the way the witness described one of the appearances being only a momentary flicker, which is consistent with the unintentional, intermittent triggering of such a device.
    
    It's no surprise that these sightings are all taking place in California, and especially the Saratoga/South Bay area. Not far from Saratoga is Mountain View/Sunnyvale, home to Moffett Field and the NASA Ames Research center. Again, I'd be willing to bet just about anything that the device capable of hijacking the cloaking of these nearby craft was inadvertently triggered, probably during some kind of experiment, at the exact moment they were being seen. Miles away, in Big Basin, the witnesses were in the right place at the right time and saw the results of this disruption with their own eyes.
    
    God knows what else was suddenly appearing in the skies at that moment, and who else may have seen it.
    
     I've had some direct contact with this device, or at least a device capable of the same thing, and this kind of mistake is not unprecedented. I am personally aware of at least one other incident in which this kind of technology was accidentally set off, resulting in the sudden visibility of normally invisible things. The only difference is that these days, cameras are a lot more common!
    
    The technology itself isn't ours, or at least it wasn't in the 80's.
    
    Much like the technology in these crafts themselves, the device capable of remotely hijacking a vehicle's clacking comes from a non-human source too. Why we were given this technology has never been clear to me, but it's responsible for a lot. Our having access to this kind of device, along with our occasionally haphazard experimentation on them, has lead to everything from cloaking malfunctions like this to full-blown crashes.
    
    I can assure you that most (and in my opinion all) incidents of UFO crashes or that kind of thing had more to do with our meddling with extremely powerful technology at an inopportune time than it did mechanical failure on their part.
    
    Trust me, those things don't fail unless something even more powerful than them makes them fail (intentionally or not). Think of it like a stray bullet. You can be hit by one at any time, without warning, and even the shooter didn't intent to hit you. I can assure you heads are rolling over this as well. If anyone notices a brilliant but sloppy physicist patrolling the streets of Baghdad in the next couple weeks, I'd be willing to guess how he got there. (I kid, of course, as I certainly hope that hasn't actually happened in this case)
    
    I'd now like to explain how it is that I know this.

    The CARET Program

    My story begins the same as it did for many of my coworkers, with graduate and post-graduate work at university in electrical engineering.
    
    And I had always been interested in computer science, which was a very new field at the time, and my interest piqued with my first exposure to a Tixo during grad school. In the years following school I took a scenic route through the tech industry and worked for the kinds of companies you would expect, until I was offered a job at the Department of Defense and things took a very different turn.

    The TX-0, for Transistorized Experimental computer zero, but affectionately referred to as tixo (pronounced “tix oh”), was an early fully transistorized computer and contained a then-huge 64K of 18-bit words of magnetic core memory. The TX-0 was built in 1955 and went online in 1956 and was used continually through the 1960s at MIT.

    My time at the DoD was mostly uneventful but I was there for quite a while. I apparently proved myself to be reasonably intelligent and loyal. By 1984 these qualities along with my technical background made me a likely candidate for a new program they were recruiting for called “CARET”.
    
    Before I explain what CARET was I should back up a little. By 1984, Silicon Valley had been a juggernaut of technology for decades. In the less than 40 years since the appearance of Shockley’s transistor this part of the world had already produced a multi billion dollar computer industry and made technological strides that were unprecedented in other fields, from hypertext and online collaboration in '68 to the Alto in '73.
    
    Private industry in Silicon Valley was responsible for some of the most incredible technological leaps in history and this fact did not go unnoticed by the US government and military. I don’t claim to have any special knowledge about Roswell or any of the other alleged early UFO events, but I do know that whatever the exact origin, the military was hard at work trying to understand and use the extra-terrestrial artifacts it had in its possession. While there had been a great deal of progress overall, things were not moving as quickly as some would have liked.
    
    So, in 1984, the CARET program was created with the aim of harnessing the abilities of private industry in silicon valley and applying it to the ongoing task of understanding extra-terrestrial technology.
    
    One of the best examples of the power of the tech sector was Xerox PARC, a research center in Palo Alto, CA. XPARC was responsible for some of the major milestones in the history of computing. While I never had the privilege of working there myself I did know many of the people who did and I can say that they were among the brightest engineers I ever knew.

    PARC (Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated), formerly Xerox PARC, is a research and development company in Palo Alto, California, with a distinguished reputation for its contributions to information technology and hardware systems. Founded in 1970 as a division of Xerox Corporation, PARC has been in large part responsible for such developments as laser printing, Ethernet, the modern personal computer, graphical user interface (GUI) and desktop paradigm, object-oriented programming, ubiquitous computing, amorphous silicon (a-Si) applications, and advancing very-large-scale integration (VLSI) for semiconductors.

    XPARC served as one of the models for the CARET program’s first incarnation, a facility called the Palo Alto CARET Laboratory (PACL, lovingly pronounced “packle” during my time there). This was where I worked, along with numerous other civilians, under the auspices of military brass who were eager to find out how the tech sector made so much progress so quickly.
    
     My time at the DoD was a major factor behind why I was chosen, and in fact about 30+ others who were hired around the same time had also been at the Department about as long, but this was not the case for everyone. A couple of my co-workers were plucked right from places like IBM and, at least two of them came from XPARC itself. My DoD experience did make me more eligible for positions of management, however, which is how I have so much of this material in my possession to begin with.
    
    So in other words, civilians like myself who had at - at most - some decent experience working for the DoD but no actual military training or involvement, were suddenly finding ourselves in the same room as highly classified extra-terrestrial technology.
    
    Of course they spent about 2 months briefing us all before we saw or did anything, and did their best to convince us that if we ever leaked a single detail about what we were being told, they’d do everything short of digging up our ancestors and putting a few slugs in them too just for good measure.
    
    It seemed like there was an armed guard in every corner of every room. I’d worked under some pretty hefty NDAs in my time but this was so far out of my depth I didn’t think I was going to last 2 weeks in an environment like that. But amazingly things got off to a good start. They wanted us, plain and simple, and our industry had shown itself to be so good at what it did that they were just about ready to give us carte blanche.

    Non Disclosure Agreement.  A non-disclosure agreement (NDA), also known as a confidentiality agreement (CA), confidential disclosure agreement (CDA), proprietary information agreement (PIA), or secrecy agreement (SA), is a legal contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict access to or by third parties. It is a contract through which the parties agree not to disclose information covered by the agreement. An NDA creates a confidential relationship between the parties to protect any type of confidential and proprietary information or trade secrets. As such, an NDA protects non-public business information.

    Of course, nothing with the military is ever that simple, and as is often the case they wanted to have their cake and eat it too. What I mean by this is that despite their interest in picking our brains and learning whatever they could from our way of doing things, they still wanted to do it their way often enough to frustrate us.
    
    At this point I'm going to gloss over the emotional side of this experience, because this letter isn't intended to be a memoir, but I will say that there's almost no way to describe the impact this kind of revelation has on your mind. There are very few moments in life in which your entire world view is turned forever upside down, but this was one of them. I still remember that turning point during the briefing when I realized what he'd just told us, and that I hadn't heard him wrong, and that it wasn't some kind of joke.
    
    In retrospect the whole thing feels like it was in slow motion, from that slight pause he took just before the term “extra-terrestrial” came out for the first time, to the way the room itself seemed to go off kilter as we collectively tried to grasp what was being said.
    
    My reflex kept jumping back and forth between trying to look at the speaker, to understand him better, and looking at everyone else around me, to make sure I wasn't the only one that was hearing this. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, it's a lot like a child learning his parents are divorcing. I never experienced that myself, but a very close friend of mine did when were boys, and he confided in me a great deal about what the experience felt like.
    
    A lot of what he said would aptly describe what I was feeling in that room.
    
    Here was a trusted authority figure telling you something that you just don't feel ready for, and putting a burden on your mind that you don't necessarily want to carry. The moment that first word comes out, all you can think about it is what it was like only seconds ago, and knowing that life is never going to be as simple as it was then. After all that time at the DoD, I thought I at least had some idea of what was going on in the world, but I'd never heard so much as a peep about this. Maybe one day I'll write more on this aspect, because it's the kind of thing I really would like to get off my chest, but for now I'll digress.
    
    Unlike traditional research in this area, we weren’t working on new toys for the air force.
    
    For numerous reasons, the CARET people decided to aim its efforts at commercial applications rather than military ones. They basically wanted us to turn these artifacts into something they could patent and sell. One of CARET’s most appealing promises was the revenue generated by these product-ready technologies, which could be funneled right back into black projects.
    
    Working with a commercial application in mind was also yet another way to keep us in a familiar mind state. Developing technology for the military is very different than doing so for the commercial sector, and not having to worry about the difference was another way that CARET was very much like private industry.
    
    CARET shined in the way it let us work the way we were used to working. They wanted to recreate as much of the environment we were used to as they could without compromising issues like security. That meant we got free reign to set up our own workflow, internal management structure, style manuals, documentation, and the like. They wanted this to look and feel like private industry, not the military. They knew that was how to get the best work out of us, and they were right.
    
    But things didn’t go as smoothly when it came to matters like access to classified information.
    
    They were exposing what is probably their single biggest secret to a group of people who had never even been through basic training and it was obvious that the gravity of this decision was never far from their minds. We started the program with a small set of extra-terrestrial artifacts along with fairly elaborate briefings on each as well as access to a modest amount of what research had already been completed.
    
    It wasn’t long before we realized we needed more though, and getting them to provide even the smallest amount of new material was like pulling teeth. CARET stood for “Commercial Applications Research for Extra-terrestrial Technology”, but we often joked that it should have stood for “Civilians Are Rarely Ever Trusted.”
    
    PACL was located in Palo Alto, but unlike XPARC, it wasn’t at the end of a long road in the middle of a big complex surrounded by rolling hills and trees. PACL was hidden in an office complex owned entirely by the military but made to look like an unassuming tech company. From the street, all you could see was what appeared to be a normal parking lot with a gate and a guard booth, and a 1-story building inside with a fictitious name and logo.
    
    What wasn’t visible from the street was that behind the very first set of doors was enough armed guards to invade Poland, and 5 additional underground stories. They wanted to be as close as possible to the kinds of people they were looking to hire and be able to bring them in with a minimum of fuss.
    
    Inside, we had everything we needed. State of the art hardware and a staff of over 200 computer scientists, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, physicists and mathematicians. Most of us were civilians, as I’ve said, but some were military, and a few of them had been working on this technology already.
    
    Of course, you were never far from the barrel of a machine gun, even inside the labs themselves (something many of us never got used to), and bi-weekly tours were made by military brass to ensure that not a single detail was out of line. Most of us underwent extensive searches on our way into and out of the building. There it was, probably the biggest secret in the world, in a bunch of parts spread out on laboratory tables in the middle of Palo Alto so you can imagine their concern.
    
    One downside to CARET was that it wasn't as well-connected as other operations undoubtedly were. I never got to see any actual extra-terrestrials (not even photos), and in fact never even saw one of their compete vehicles. 99% of what I saw was related to the work at hand, all of which was conducted within a very narrow context on individual artifacts only. The remaining 1% came from people I met through the program, many of which working more closely with “the good stuff” or had in the past.
    
    In fact, what was especially amusing about the whole affair was the way that our military management almost tried to act as if the technology we were essentially reengineering wasn't extra-terrestrial at all. Aside from the word “extra-terrestrial” itself, we rarely heard any other terms like “alien” or “UFO” or “outer space” or anything.
    
    Those aspects were only mentioned briefly when absolutely necessary to explain something. In many cases it was necessary to differentiate between the different races and their respective technology, and they didn't even use the word “races”.
    
    They were referred to simply as different “sources”.

    The Technology

    A lot of the technology we worked on was what you would expect, namely antigravity.
    
    Most of the researchers on the staff with backgrounds in propulsion and rocketry were military men, but the technology we were dealing with was so out of this world that it didn’t really matter all that much what your background was because none of it applied.
    
    All we could hope to do was use the vocabulary of our respective fields as a way to model the extremely bizarre new concepts we were very slowly beginning to understand as best we could. A rocket engineer doesn’t usually rub elbows much with a computer scientist, but inside PACL, we were all equally mystified and were ready to entertain any and all ideas.
    
    The physicists made the most headway initially because out of all of our skills, theirs overlapped the most with the concepts behind this technology (although that isn’t saying much!)
    
    Once they got the ball rolling though, we began to find that many of the concepts found in computer science were applicable as well, albeit in very vague ways. While I didn’t do a lot of work with the antigravity hardware myself, I was occasionally involved in the assessment of how that technology was meant to interface with its user.
    
    The antigravity was amazing, of course, as were the advances we were making with materials engineering and so on. But what interested me most then, and still amazes me most to this day, was something completely unrelated.
    
    In fact, it was this technology that immediately jumped out at me when I saw the Chad and Rajman photos, and even more so in the Big Basin photos.

    The “Language”

    I put the word Language in quotes because calling what I am about to describe a “language” is a misnomer, although it is an easy mistake to make.
    
    Their hardware wasn’t operated in quite the same way as ours. In our technology, even today, we have a combination of hardware and software running almost everything on the planet. Software is more abstract than hardware, but ultimately it needs hardware to run it.
    
    In other words, there’s no way to write a computer program on a piece of paper, set that piece of paper on a table or something, and expect it to actually do something. The most powerful code in the world still doesn’t actually do anything until a piece of hardware interprets it and translates its commands into actions.
    
    But their technology is different. It really did operate like the magical piece of paper sitting on a table, in a manner of speaking. They had something akin to a language, that could quite literally execute itself, at least in the presence of a very specific type of field. The language, a term I am still using very loosely, is a system of symbols (which does admittedly very much resemble a written language) along with geometric forms and patterns that fit together to form diagrams that are themselves functional.
    
    Once they are drawn, so to speak, on a suitable surface made of a suitable material and in the presence of a certain type of field, they immediately begin performing the desired tasks.
    
    It really did seem like magic to us, even after we began to understand the principles behind it.
    
    I worked with these symbols more than anything during my time at PACL, and recognized them the moment I saw them in the photos. They appear in a very simple form on Chad’s craft, but appear in the more complex diagram form on the underside of the Big Basin craft as well.
    
    Both are unmistakable, even at the small size of the Big Basin photos. An example of a diagram in the style of the Big Basin craft is included with this in a series of scanned pages from the [mis-titled] "Linguistic Analysis Primer". We needed a copy of that diagram to be utterly precise, and it took about a month for a team of six to copy that diagram into our drafting program!
    
    Explaining everything I learned about this technology would fill up several volumes, but I will do my best to explain at least some of the concepts as long as I am taking the time to write all this down.
    
    First of all, you wouldn't open up their hardware to find a CPU here, and a data bus there, and some kind of memory over there. Their hardware appeared to be perfectly solid and consistent in terms of material from one side to the other. Like a rock or a hunk of metal.
    
    But upon [much] closer inspection, we began to learn that it was actually one big holographic computational substrate - each "computational element" (essentially individual particles) can function independently, but are designed to function together in tremendously large clusters. I say its holographic because you can divide it up into the smallest chunks you want and still find a scaled-down but complete representation of the whole system.
    
    They produce a nonlinear computational output when grouped. So 4 elements working together is actually more than 4 times more powerful than 1.
    
    Most of the internal "matter" in their crafts (usually everything but the outermost housing) is actually this substrate and can contribute to computation at any time and in any state. The shape of these "chunks" of substrate also had a profound effect on its functionality, and often served as a "shortcut" to achieve a goal that might otherwise be more complex.
    
    So back to the language.
    
    The language is actually a "functional blueprint". The forms of the shapes, symbols and arrangements thereof is itself functional. What makes it all especially difficult to grasp is that every element of each "diagram" is dependent on and related to every other element, which means no single detail can be created, removed or modified independently.
    
    Humans like written language because each element of the language can be understood on its own, and from this, complex expressions can be built. However, their "language" is entirely context-sensitive, which means that a given symbol could mean as little as a 1-bit flag in one context, or, quite literally, contain the entire human genome or a galaxy star map in another.
    
    The ability for a single, small symbol to contain, not just represent, tremendous amounts of data is another counter-intuitive aspect of this concept. We quickly realized that even working in groups of 10 or more on the simplest of diagrams, we found it virtually impossible to get anything done. As each new feature was added, the complexity of the diagram exponentially grew to unmanageable proportions.
    
    For this reason we began to develop computer-based systems to manage these details and achieved some success, although again we found that a threshold was quickly reached beyond which even the supercomputers of the day were unable to keep up.
    
    Word was that the extra-terrestrials could design these diagrams as quickly and easily as a human programmer could write a Fortran program. It's humbling to think that even a network of supercomputers wasn't able to duplicate what they could do in their own heads. Our entire system of language is based on the idea of assigning meaning to symbols.
    
    Their technology, however, somehow merges the symbol and the meaning, so a subjective audience is not needed. You can put whatever meaning you want on the symbols, but their behavior and functionality will not change, any more than a transistor will function differently if you give it another name.
    
    Here's an example of how complex the process is. Imagine I ask you to incrementally add random words to a list such that no two words use any of the same letters, and you must perform this exercise entirely in your head, so you can't rely on a computer or even a pen and paper. If the first in the list was, say, "fox", the second item excludes all words with the letters F, O and X. If the next word you choose is "tree", then the third word in the list can't have the letters F, O, X, T, R, or E in it.
    
    As you can imagine, coming up with even a third word might start to get just a bit tricky, especially since you can't easily visualize the excluded letters by writing down the words.
    
    By the time you get to the fourth, fifth and sixth words, the problem has spiraled out of control. Now imagine trying to add the billionth word to the list (imagine also that we're working with an infinite alphabet so you don't run out of letters) and you can imagine how difficult it is for even a computer to keep up. Needless to say, writing this kind of thing "by hand" is orders of magnitude beyond the capabilities of the brain.
    
    My background lent itself well to this kind of work though. I'd spent years writing code and designing both analog and digital circuits, a process that at least visually resembled these diagrams in some way. I also had a personal affinity for combinatorics, which served me well as I helped with the design of software running on supercomputers that could juggle the often trillions of rules necessary to create a valid diagram of any reasonable complexity.
    
    This overlapped quite a bit with compiler theory as well, a subject I always found fascinating, and in particular compiler optimization, a field that wasn't half of what it is today back then. A running joke among the linguistics team was that Big-O notation couldn't adequately describe the scale of the task, so we'd substitute other words for "big". By the time I left I remember the consensus was "Astronomical-O" finally did it justice.
    
    Like I said, I could go on for hours about this subject, and would love to write at least an introductory book on the subject if it wasn't still completely classified, but that's not the point of this letter so I'll try to get back on track.
    
    The last thing I'd like to discuss is how I got copies of this material, what else I have in my possession, and what I plan to do with it in the future.

    My Collection

    I worked at PACL from 1984 to 1987, by which time I was utterly burned out.
    
    The sheer volume of details to keep in mind while working with the diagrams was enough to challenge anyone's sanity, and I was really at the end of my rope with the military's attitude towards our “need to know”. Our ability to get work done was constantly hampered by their reluctance to provide us with the necessary information, and I was tired of bureaucracy getting in the way of research and development. I left somewhere in the middle of a 3-month bell curve in which about a quarter of the entire PACL staff left for similar reasons.
    
    I was also starting to disagree with the direction the leadership wanted to take as far as the subject of extra-terrestrials went. I always felt that at least some form of disclosure would be beneficial, but as a lowly CARET engineer I wasn't exactly in the position to call shots.
    
    The truth is, our management didn't even want us discussing non-technical aspects of this subject (such as ethical or philosophical issues), even among ourselves, as they felt it was enough of a breach of security to let civilians like us anywhere near this kind of thing in the first place.
    
    So, about 3 months before I resigned (which was about 8 months before I was really out, since you don't just walk out of a job like that with a 2 week notice). I decided to start taking advantage of my position. As I mentioned earlier, my DOD experience got me into an internal management role sooner than some of my colleagues, and after about a year of that kind of status, the outgoing searches each night became slightly less rigorous.
    
    Normally, we were to empty out any containers, bags or briefcases, then remove our shirt and shoes and submit to a kind of frisking. Work was never allowed to go home with you, no matter who you were. For me, though, the briefcase search was eventually enough.
    
    Even before I actually decided to do it, I was sure that I would be able to sneak certain materials out with me. I wanted to do this because I knew the day would come when I would want to write something like this, and I knew I'd regret it until the day I died if I didn't at least leave the possibility open to do so. So I started photocopying documents and reports by the dozen. I'd then put the papers under my shirt around my lower back, tucked enough into my belt to ensure they wouldn't fall out.
    
    I could do this in any one of a few short, windowless hallways on some of the lower floors, which were among the few places that didn't have an armed guard watching my every move. I'd walk in one end with a stack of papers large enough that when I came out the other end with some of them in my shirt, there wouldn't be a visible difference in what I was holding.
    
    You absolutely cannot be too careful if you're going to pull a stunt like this. As long as I walked carefully they wouldn't make a crinkling noise. In fact, the more papers I took, the less noise they made, since they weren't as flimsy that way. I'd often take upwards of 10-20 pages at once. By the time I was done, I'd made out with hundreds of photocopies, as well as a few originals and a large collection of original photographs.
    
    With this initial letter I have attached high resolution scans of the following:
    
    A page from an inventory review with a photo that appears to depict one of the parts found in the Rajman sighting and parts very similar to the Big Basin craft
    
    The first 9 pages of one of our quarterly research reports
    
    Scans of the original photographs used in that report, since the photocopies obscure most of the details
    
    5 pages from a report on our ongoing analysis of the “language” (inappropriately titled “linguistic analysis”), depicting the kind of diagram just barely visible on the underside of the Big Basin craft
    
    This material is the most relevant and explanatory I could find on short notice.
    
    Now that these are up, If I decide to release more in the future, I'll be able to take my time and better search this rather large collection of mine that I've sadly never organized.
    
    I'm not sure what I'll be doing with the rest of the collection in the future. I suppose I'll wait and see how this all plays out, and then play it by ear. There are certainly risks involved in what I'm doing, and if I were to actually be identified and caught, there could be rather serious consequences. However, I've taken the proper steps to ensure a reasonable level of anonymity and am quite secure in the fact that the information I've so far provided is by no means unique among many of the CARET participants.
    
    Besides, part of me has always suspected that the government relies on the occasional leak like this, and actually wants them to happen, because it contributes to a steady, slow-paced path towards revealing the truth of this matter.

    Since Leaving CARET

    Like I said, I left PACL (Palo Alto CARET Laboratory) in '87, but have kept in touch with a great many of my friends and coworkers from those days. Most of us are retired by now, except of course for those of us that went on to get teaching jobs, but a few of us still hear things through the grapevine.
    
    As for CARET itself, I'm not sure what's become of it. Whether it's still known by the same name, I'm quite sure it's still active in some capacity, although who knows where. I heard from a number of people that PACL closed up shop a few years after I left, but I've still yet to get a clear answer on why exactly that happened.
    
    But I'm sure the kind of work we did there is still going strong. I've heard from a lot of friends that there are multiple sites like PACL in Sunnyvale and Mountain View, also disguised to look like unremarkable office space. But this is all second-hand information so you can make of it what you will.
    
    Around 2002 or so I came across Coast to Coast AM and have been hooked ever since. I admit, I don't take most of the show's content as anything more than entertainment, but there have been occasions when I could be sure a guest was clearly speaking from experience or a well-informed source. For me, there's just something very surreal about hearing all this speculation and so-called inside information about UFOs and the like, but being personally able to verify at least some of it as being true or false.
    
     It's also a nightly reminder of how hectic things were in those days, which helps me enjoy my retirement all the more. Knowing I'm not part of that crazy world anymore really is something I enjoy on a daily basis, as much as I miss some of it.

    Conclusion

    What I've shared so far is only a very small portion of what I have, and what I know.
    
    Despite the very sheltered and insulated atmosphere within CARET, I did ultimately learn a great deal from various colleagues, and some of what I learned is truly incredible. I'd also like to say that for what it's worth, during my time there I never heard anything about invasions, or abductions, or many of the more frightening topics that often pop up on Coast to Coast AM.
    
    That's not to say that none of it is true, but in my time working alongside some of the most well-connected people in this field, it never came up. So at the very least I can say my intent is not to scare anyone. My view on the extra-terrestrial situation is very much a positive, albeit still highly secretive one.
    
    One thing I can definitely say is that if they wanted us gone, we would have been gone a very, very long time ago, and we wouldn't even have seen it coming. Throw out your ideas about a space war or anything silly like that. We'd be capable of fighting back against them about as much as ants could fight back against a stampede of buffalo.
    
     But that's OK. We're the primitive race, they're the advanced races, and that's just the way it is. The other advanced races let them live through their primitive years back in their day, and there's no reason to think it will be any different for us. They aren't in the market for a new planet, and even if they were, there are way too many planets out there for them to care about ours enough to take it by force.
    
    To reiterate my take on the recent sightings, I'd guess that experimentation done in the last couple months on a device that, among other things, is capable of interfering with various crafts onboard invisibility has resulted in a sudden wave of sightings. It may not explain all of the recent events, but like I said, I'd bet my life that's exactly what happened at Big Basin at least, and it's probably related in some way to the Chad, Rajman and Tahoe sightings.
    
     So, despite all the recent fanfare over this, I'd say this doesn't mean much. Most importantly, they aren't suddenly “here”. They've been here for a long time, but just happened to turn unintentionally visible for brief periods recently.
    
    Lastly, there are so many people selling books, and DVDs, and doing lectures, and all that, that I would like to reiterate the fact that I am not here to sell anything. The material I'm sharing is free to distribute provided it's all kept intact and unmodified, and this letter is included.
    
     I tend to question the motives of anyone charging money for their information, and will assure you that I will never do such a thing. And in the future, just to cover all the bases, anyone claiming to be me who's selling a DVD or book is most certainly not going to be me.
    
    Any future releases from me will come from the email address I've used to contact Coast to Coast AM, and will be sent to them only.
    
     I'd like to make this clear as well to ensure that people can be sure that any future information comes from the same source, although I must be clear: at this time I do not have any future plans for additional information. Time will tell how long I will maintain this policy, but do not expect anything soon. I'd really like to let this information “settle” for a while and see how it goes.
    
     If I find out I'm getting an IRS audit tomorrow, then maybe this wasn't too smart.
    
     Until then, I'm going to take it slow. I hope this information has been helpful.

    27JUN07 Update from Isaac

    From: Isaac
    
    Subject: Re: "Drones"
    
    Date: June 27, 2007 Received 1:34 PM, Albuquerque, New Mexico
    
    To: earthfiles@earthfiles.com
    
    Isaac: "There are a few misconceptions that I have noticed so far and would like to clear them up, and will also answer your questions:
    
    1) I realize now that I did not make this clear, but I should clarify that I am not responsible for the blacking out of the Q4-86 report. Most of the copies I was able to make came from documents that were already archived, which meant that they had already been censored for use by outside parties that needed access to some, but not all, of CARET's information. I'm trying to share this information, not hide it, but if I did feel that if a given topic was too sensitive for some reason, I would make it clear that I had personally covered it up and probably try to give a reason why.
    
    2) I do not understand the question about why the diagram would be "formatted for 8.5 x 11"... As I mention in my letter, the diagram is a reproduction, not the original. We had a team of technical artists painstakingly copy the diagram from its original source, which was a slightly curved panel not unlike the one seen in the Big Basin craft, although this one was apparently inside the craft, not on the outside. We copied it into a drafting program over the course of about a month.
    
    Our software was understandably primitive by today's standards, but it was still orders of magnitude more powerful than a pencil and paper would have been. This made a task that would have otherwise been nearly impossible relatively feasible, albeit extremely time-consuming. I can assure you, "they" did not make anything particularly convenient for us. One of the reasons we chose to reproduce that particular diagram was because out of all the diagram-artifacts we had access to, it was on the flattest surface.
    
    Since the geometry of the forms is extremely important, curvature of the surface it's printed on must be "corrected" if it is to be reproduced in a surface with a different contour (such as a flat page). This can be done in a number of ways, by either using a mathematical model to reverse the effect of the surface curves on the diagram's shapes, or by methods of physical measuring that allow precise measuring of irregular surfaces. In either case, however, it adds a significant new dimension of labor to an already extremely labor-intensive task, so it's avoided whenever possible. We really just needed one or two accurately copied diagrams to serve as convenient examples for our own work in decoding and reproducing it, so luckily this was not something we had to do often. Some experimentation was being done on ways to "scan" the diagrams as well, using an almost completely automated process that could automatically account for curved surfaces, but during my time there, very little progress was made on this front.
    
    3) I think the confusion over the quality of the documents stems from the fact that he (critic) is under the impression they (CARET document) were typeset. They were not. First of all, I'm no guru when it comes to graphics or design, but being in close contact with numerous people from places like XPARC will give you enough background to know the lay of the land. What's first important to note is that systems capable of desktop publishing had been in development for many years before CARET, mostly starting with the Xerox Alto (in 1973), which XPARC developed themselves.
    
    In fact, I once remember hearing from someone related to the original Alto team that Boeing (I believe) used the Alto to lay out and print the documentation for one of their planes (or something to that effect, I heard the story years ago). The joke was apparently that there was so MUCH documentation that the plane itself could essentially be filled with the pages. Furthermore, laser printing itself had also been around for many years (albeit in an extremely expensive form), and was also developed within XPARC (more or less). Other systems, such as PERQ and Lilith, also came out around the late 70's and while none of them turned into major commercial products, they were not uncommon among large companies and [mostly] universities and were put to very productive use.
    
    These systems were also the inspiration for the Apple Lisa and Macintosh, which was of course perhaps the biggest factor in the consumer-level desktop publishing boom of the late 80's and early 90's. By 1984, there were quite a few options available for producing these kinds of documents, they were just ABSURDLY expensive, so they weren't on every street corner. Obviously it was nowhere near as turnkey and simple as it is today, but it was a very crude approximation of the same process with similar tools. We just had far less features and everything was a hell of a lot slower. But the point I'm trying to make is that while our method of documentation was somewhat advanced for its time, and also somewhat uncommon, it was hardly unattainable by a sufficiently motivated, financed, and well-connected organization.
    
    I had very little contact with the technical writers for the most part, but I do know that we were using this kind of technology for both page layout and printing. CARET was expected to produce a massive amount of detailed, well-formatted documentation that could be easily modified and re-used for numerous drafts and revisions, and we would not have been able to keep up using traditional page layout and typesetting techniques. The mid-1980's were a very transitional period for these fields, and I would suggest that people do not assume we were using run-of-the-mill standards.
    
    One of the things I appreciated most about CARET was that if the technology was available, and we needed it to work better or more effectively, it was given to us with little debate. But typesetting and digital page layout are apples and oranges, so I think most of this is a moot point anyway.
    
    The bottom line is that many people both inside and outside the engineering world frequently underestimate how long we've had a lot of the technology we have. 99% of the algorithms we use today were developed decades ago, they just didn't have the same practical applications immediately available. Most of the engineers of the 60's and 70's would have been right at home with today's developments and technologies. The only difference is that things have gotten smaller and faster. In the vast majority of technologies, that is the only thing that REALLY changes from one era to the next. If I told the average person that we had speech-synthesizing technology in 1936, they probably wouldn't believe me.
    
    I could show you a prototype of a simple drafting/design system that was operated by a light pen directly on a screen from the 1960's. You could draw a shape freehand, then immediately rotate it, modify it, duplicate it, or whatever. You could draw lines connecting different objects, then erase them by simply drawing a squiggly line over it. The computer could interpret the squiggles as a sign to erase something, all in real time. And this was half a century ago, and decades before CARET. Think about that for a moment. The point is, most of what we have today is much older than we think. The only differences are that it's faster, cheaper, and a marketing team has given it a glossy finish and found a commercial application for it. But if you take away some of the speed, power, ubiquity and consumer appeal, you'll find a lot of today's technology scattered throughout much of the 20th century. I hope this is helpful.
    
    Isaac"

    27JUN07 Update from Isaac

    More from Isaac:
    
    From: Isaac
    
    Subject: Re: "Drones"
    
    Date: June 27, 2007 Received 4:28 PM, Albuquerque, New Mexico
    
    To: earthfiles@earthfiles.com
    
    Isaac: "1) While I wasn't a major player in the (CARET) organization, I was hardly 'some worker.' My middle-management position is the only reason I was able to make out with what I did. Bear in mind that even someone in my position would never get the chance to leave with even the smallest of actual artifacts, but paperwork smuggling was feasible for anyone who wasn't subjected to the frisking.
    
    Also, let's not forget that paperwork only proves so much. I'll be the first to agree that everything I've provided could be faked, I suppose. It is, after all, just a series of images. While the powers that be obviously don't want this material leaking if they can help it, they're certainly aware that scans of documents aren't in the same league as UFOs landing on the White House lawn. I'm not the first person to leak a document or a photo, and I won't be the last. The information I've shared is very unlikely to change the world, and this is the reason I'm not worried about being literally murdered if I'm identified. I'll face consequences to be sure, but it's not the kind of thing they kill for.
    
    2) Of course the manual doesn't look anything like typical government and military documents. The entire purpose of CARET was to recreate the look and feel of silicon valley private enterprise, populate it with private industry engineers, and let it tackle the problem of extraterrestrial technology research. Style manuals were among the numerous things we brought with us from the 'outside world.' I'm not sure what else can be said about this. I agree it's uncommon for non-standard documents to come out of this kind of research, but it's even more uncommon for people like myself (and even more so for many of my co-workers) to be brought into this kind of project in the first place. Most of us were decidedly not military men. I find it a lot more bizarre than the fact that we were able to design our reports a certain way. CARET was an exception to many of the usual rules.
    
    3) If he (one of many critics who emailed Earthfiles and which I shared with Isaac) believes the pictures are fake, I certainly can't do or say anything to prove otherwise. He sounds very sure of himself.
    
    4) Most importantly, be very wary of anyone who claims to 'know the mind' of extraterrestrials. The comments he's made are, to put it lightly, naive and extremely presumptuous. Firstly, he's referring to 'the aliens' as if there is a single collective group of them. The universe is not split into 'humans' and 'non-humans,' any more than Earth is split up into 'Spanish' and 'non-Spanish' or something equally arbitrary. There are numerous races - and again, like our own races of humans here on earth, they do things in very different ways.
    
    His comment that 'the aliens don't do this or that' is akin to saying 'humans don't speak Japanese.' Well, many humans don't, but Japanese humans certainly do. The point is not that his statement is right or wrong, but simply that it's phrased illogically. He then goes on to suggest that the design of the drones is wasting space, which is again, alarming in its arrogance. We had some of the brightest minds in the world spending years just to understand a single facet of their technology, while this individual claims to be able to assess basically every detail of a given design after looking at a single photo and conclude that it's inefficient. I'm not even sure such a statement should be dignified with a response, and I'm sure you can understand why.
    
    To be honest, whoever this person is, I wrote him off as soon as he said 'the aliens would never design as these pictures depict.' That's about as presumptuous (if not ignorant) as a statement on this subject can be, at least coming from a fellow human. Unless there's an alien engineer on the other side of this email, there's simply no way such statements could have merit. I'm really only writing this as a courtesy to you.
    
    At best, he's been exposed to technology from a radically different race, and at worst, he doesn't know what he's talking about. This individual may have access to real information, and he might not. If he is a fellow 'whistle blower,' then I'm not interested in attacking him. If he's not, and is simply making things up, then I'm even less interested. Whatever he is or isn't is not for me to say, but judging by the way he talks about this issue I have my doubts.
    
    It's a big world and these are complicated issues. A sense of humility and the admission we don't know everything is one of our greatest assets.
    
    Isaac"

    20JUL07 Update from Isaac

    July 20, 2007
    
    Update: Since posting this Earthfiles report, I have received several emails from professionals such as this one on July 28, 2007:
    
    "I note that several readers have expressed reservations about Isaac’s hard-copies of the research material on the basis of page layout and the sophistication of the word processing. Typically the claim runs along the lines of 'couldn't do that back then.' I find it interesting that some people claim such authority when clearly they do not really know.
    
    The fact is this: The Xerox 860 was in wide use in the early to mid-80's as was the top-of-the-line dedicated Word Processor. It wasn't a PC or a general purpose computer though; all it did was WYSWIYG word pro (in fact pre-dating the WYSIWYG feature of the Mac which came a couple of years later). By today's standards it was huge, very expensive and was somewhat complicated to use. I was in the publishing business at the time and we sold newsletters to the accounting and legal profession. They were produced on the Xerox 860 by our dedicated '860 Operator' and resulted in very high quality documents that looked typeset. The layout could be 100% controlled including justification, although the fonts were mechanical font wheels that had to be swapped in and out. The printers were huge and very high-end in quality. (As a note: photocopiers were very high-end even then, although in the mid 80's were still electrostatic/toner based).
    
    Given that CARET was 'next door' to XPARC I see nothing unusual in the quality or layout of the documents and any skepticism raised on that account should be declared completely invalid. Here is a link to a reference page re the X860:"
    
    http://www.digibarn.com/collections/systems/xerox860/index.html

    27JUL07 Update from Isaac

    July 27, 2007 Albuquerque, New Mexico - After the Isaac letter and CARET document were released on June 26, 2007, one of the criticisms was expressed this way:
    
    "Looking at the so-called 'documentation' that goes with this stuff, the text-formatting is obviously done with relatively recent vintage page-layout software. You can tell by the perfect nature of the block justification.
    
    "That type of extremely precise (even in word-spacing), indeed perfect, text-formatting DID NOT EXIST IN 1985, particularly in a laboratory or even corporate environment. After looking at all of the fancy 'documents,' including the Macromedia Freehand or Adobe Illustrator-designed 'alien diagrams,' I state now and for the RECORD that this whole thing is a HOAX, and will be proven to be such."
    
    Another critic wondered why the extraterrestrial diagrams were formatted for 8.5 x 11-sized paper? Other repeated criticism was that if Isaac really wanted the public to see some of the research facts behind the aerial "drones," why did he blacken some of the CARET document text?
    
    One of many critics emailed these comments, which Isaac addressed in 2nd reply below:
    
    "This is a big hoax. For one thing, the US Government would NEVER allow this information to left in the hands of some worker. Another thing, the manual does not look anything like a legal NASA or a government document either. The pictures of the 'artifact' are photo-shopped and I can tell you that the aliens DO not label every single part as pictured. The anti-grav unit pictured is fake. The photos of the drone on the floor are model parts. The configuration of all the drones sent in to you and others is something the aliens would never design as all these designs pictured show gross misuse of space. All their ships are based on the use of space. Not one inch to them is wasted and if you look at the history of 'probes' from EBE's they are SMALL and fast. I think you have been had. I am surprised that you and George Noory etc. are easily tricked by this. I would definitely check with your reliable contacts deep in the 'Know' and find out for yourself."
    
    I emailed these issues to Isaac and on June 27, 2007, I received his replies in two separate emails indicated by receipt times, which Isaac gave me permission to share in an Earthfiles follow-up. My delay in reporting these emails is that I had an indication from Isaac that I might be able to interview him by phone. So, I waited, hoping the interview would occur. But to date, that has not happened.

    Communication from Issac Ended after 27 July 2007

    Isaac initiated his disclosure in June 2007.  It created a firestorm of denunciation and ridicule.  Suddenly at the end of July 2007, all communication stopped abruptly.  All went silent after 4-5 weeks from the first disclosure.

    Approximately 4 to 5 months later CGI versions of the CARET images made their debut.  By the end of the year, a music video was released and heavily promoted by the mainstream media.  This effort proceeded in parallel with a debunking effort by the NSA.  Spelunking though the website archives one can easily see that the debunking websites all sprung up at about the same time (within weeks) and were very active through 2008 effectively trying to rewrite history and disparage the disclosure.

    While Isaac was not in the same program that I was in, there is no doubt that he violated confidentiality restrictions that he had agreed to back in the 1980’s.  I am confident that he suffered the consequences for this disclosure.  I lament his loss.  We all should realize that if we have information we need to do what Edward Snowden did and provide a mechanism so that all of the information might be disseminated properly upon our demise.

    Pages from the Q4-86 Research Report

    Cover page Q4-86 Research Report
    The report that was the primary subject matter of the “C.A.R.E.T. disclosure” was the December 1986 Q4-86 Research Report for the “Commercial Applications Research for Extraterrestrial Technology” (C.A.R.E.T.) from the PACL staff at the Palo Alto Caret Laboratory. This report was presented in a three-ring binder format. Note the author’s name is censored out as well as the street address for the Palo Alto Caret Laboratory.

    CARET scan page 2
    This is the first page of the fourth quarter report for the year 1986 of the Palo Alto CARET Laboratory. In it is a “executive summary” of the projects and an overview of the rest of the documentation. The goal of the research has been to “…achieve a greater understanding of extraterrestrial technology within the context of commercial applications and civilian use.” It describes that what is commonly referred to reverse eingineering of extraterrestrial technology which is known as “extraction”. It delineates a specific goal with is an “extraction package” that can be used as a sort of building block by which other technologies might be built upon.

    CARET scan page 3
    This is the third page of the December 1986 Q4-86 Research Report for the “Commercial Applications Research for Extraterrestrial Technology” (C.A.R.E.T.) from the PACL staff at the Palo Alto Caret Laboratory. It contains the executive summary of the contents in the report. “…virtually all aspects of most extraterrestrial craft seem to incorporate its use in some way.”

    CARET scan page 4
    This is page 4 of the December 1986 Q4-86 Research Report for the “Commercial Applications Research for Extraterrestrial Technology” (C.A.R.E.T.) from the PACL staff at the Palo Alto Caret Laboratory. “Additionally, PACL has been provided with a small device capable of controlling A1 by activating and deactivating it, as well as switching between its three primary modes of operation. This device, assigned the identification code S1, is of particularly sensitive importance, as it is the only known method of controlling A1.”

    CARET scan page 5
    This is page 5 of the December 1986 Q4-86 Research Report for the “Commercial Applications Research for Extraterrestrial Technology” (C.A.R.E.T.) from the PACL staff at the Palo Alto Caret Laboratory.

    CARET Scan page 6.
    This is page 6 of the December 1986 Q4-86 Research Report for the “Commercial Applications Research for Extraterrestrial Technology” (C.A.R.E.T.) from the PACL staff at the Palo Alto Caret Laboratory. “Research in the internal functionality of A1 began in late (1986) and as such, little is currently known. What is certain, however, is that the device contains no moving parts whatsoever, does not feature any kind of control interface in the form of buttons, switches, or levers, and, apparently, can only be manipulated by the technology contained in S1.”

    CARET Scan page 7
    “While initial experimentation indicated that the artifacts were composed of a consistent solid material, experiments on A1’s component mode suggest that the artifacts are more internally complex…” Page 7 from the Palo Alto CARET Laboratory 1986, fourth quarter research report.

    CARET scan page 8
    This is page 8 of the December 1986 Q4-86 Research Report for the “Commercial Applications Research for Extraterrestrial Technology” (C.A.R.E.T.) from the PACL staff at the Palo Alto Caret Laboratory. Most of the text has been redacted from the manuscript leaving only one visible photograph

    CARET scan page 9
    This is page9 of the December 1986 Q4-86 Research Report for the “Commercial Applications Research for Extraterrestrial Technology” (C.A.R.E.T.) from the PACL staff at the Palo Alto Caret Laboratory. Most of the text has been redacted from the manuscript leaving only one visible photograph.

    Pages from the Q3-85 Inventory Review

    Page 56
    Part of the disclosure featured segments from other documents as well. This is a page from the Q3-85 Inventory Review of the components being reverse engineered at PACL at CARET. I must remind the reader of the NSA efforts to downplay or disparage this disclosure. After all, they developed a complete MTV Video Music track and supportive CAD models to the public to “prove” that his release of information was nothing more than just a “publicity stunt”. I should hope that the reader knows otherwise. Look at the pictures above. Does this “isolated page out of a report” look like part of a “publicity stunt”? Do these objects look like CAD files placed upon a photographed background? Think people! Think!

    Pages from the Linguistic Primer

    CARET page 119 from the linguistic primer
    This is page 119 from the Linguistics Primer by PACL for the CARET project. This page features figure 14.11 which is a full view of diagram D39-08-117c. This page has penned in notations made by one of the researchers. The researcher who made the notations was obviously European as they did not use conventional American notation for numbers. (The number seven and the number one are obviously written in the European style.)

    Page 120 from the linguist primer.
    This is page 120 from the Linguistics Primer by PACL for the CARET research project. In it, figure 14.12 describes an “Isolated view of a three-node AB-type semaphore cascade, extending from an exterior vertex of an octal junction.”

    Page 121 from the linguistics primer
    This is page 121 from the Linguistic Primer by PACL for the CARET project. In it figure 14.13 clearly describes a “Rotary junction with orbital sub-junction connecting to an octal switch”.

    Page 122 from the Linguistic Primer
    This is page 122 of the Linguistic Primer by PACL for the CARET project. In it, figure 14.14 is described; “Compound junction in a dual-link union with heavy-state tri-switch and diffuser”. The reader should note that the tri-switch is unbalanced. The angles between each of the three “arms” do not equal 33.3333 degrees. In fact, the tri-switch is perhaps the most interesting object in this report.

    Page 123 of the Linguistics Primer.
    This is page 123 from the Linguistic Primer by PACL for the CARET project. In it is described figure 14.15; “Parent junction with three non-orbital child junctions”. This page shows a series of junctions below a tri-switch. I am most interested in the interface in the lower right of the octal junction.

    The Photographs

    CARET Photograph 1
    The reader should note that at no time during the NSA rewriting of the C.A.R.E.T. narrative, did they provide a physical model of this device shown in the picture above. Nor did they provide the supposed CAD drawings that described it. Again, the debunking of this disclosure was “full-on”, loud, boisterous, but incomplete. There were serious omissions from the debunking efforts.

    CARET photograph 2
    If the entire C.A.R.E.T. disclosure was all a CGI publicity stunt, then where are the CGI models of the above item? Where are the actual physical models that this photo came from? Obviously they would have to provide the models, and the software files. But they didn’t because it was too complex and too expensive to do. The belief that they could overwhelm the mass public with the disinformation effort was largely successful. Nothing is ever 100% successful, and MAJestic and the NSA realizes this. They strive for a mere 80%success effort. Their goal is to bury the disclosure from exposure to the vast bulk of the American population. They are not concerned with the handful of “true” believers, as they view them as largely impotent.

    CARET photograph 3
    This is a closeup of the two I-beams that are connected to the antigravity device.

    CARET photograph 4
    This is the fourth photograph that was part of the disclosure. Here we have another closeup view of the two I-beam structures that are part of the antigravity device.

    CARET photograph 5
    Here is the fifth photograph of the personal antigravity mechanism showing the two I-beam structures. Note that both I-beam structures are “floating” above the surface and are connected to the main unit without any physical attachment.

    Other Opinions

    Many different witnesses came forward at the time of the disclosure, from all different professions and walks of life and sightings spanning as far back as 1985.  The testimony of these individuals is very hard to ignore.  However, the subject matter has been largely ignored thanks to a deliberate debunking campaign.  Tht campaign centered around the misinformation that these craft were simply products of CGI manipulation.  Yet the sincerity, depth and breadth of the witness testimony obliterates the theory that this was CGI and / or viral marketing.  Some CGI videos appeared, but they were obvious fakes and have nothing in relation to the truth of this subject.

    Even some die-hard believers fell for the debunker propaganda and still to this day MOST people are not familiar with the many hours of recorded interviews conducted by Linda Moulton-Howe on this subject, and so simply cite “something they heard in a forum” or “I heard that…”.  I urge those people to THINK for THEMSELVES.

    Internet Searches

    This might be the last repository of information concerning the C.A.R.E.T. disclosure in the world.  The NSA has been very busy erasing every evidence of this disclosure.  Today, it is just about impossible to find anything regarding this.  (In the United States.  Elsewhere in the world it is still possible to dredge up some information.  But it is not at all easy.)

    Pretty amazing for a “hoax”.

    Typically, the NSA wants as many hoaxes as possible to self-propagate on the Internet.  This serves the important purpose to “prove” that there is nothing to disclosures and other information regarding extraterrestrials.  Obviously the NSA is not treating this disclosure as a hoax, but rather is trying to eliminate all evidence of its existence.  Obviously the United States government has devoted time, finance, and every media resource at it’s disposal to disparage this disclosure.

     Just a kind reminder, as if the reader doesn’t realize this by now. The media itself is part of the Deep State. They all are educated in the same universities by professors with horrible values, and taught the same things. They go to the same clubs. They socialize with each other. They have the same basic psychological, political, economic and philosophical underpinnings. So, of course, they look at the world through the same lens. And avoid mention of things that might be inconvenient, or conflict with their worldview.

    Bing

    The Microsoft search engine, out of the United States; Bing.com cannot find anything associated with C.A.R.E.T. at all!  This is in every form that I tried.  This is absolutely amazing.  Absolutely zero hits.  In fact, the absence of any kind of hit is indicative of some kind of filtering or omission software; one that specifically censors a given word or phrase.  If the reader dares investigate, they will find some text at the bottom of the page that reads “Some results are removed in response to a notice of local law requirement.”

    My conclusion is that the website absolutely targets the phraseology and omits every discovery from disclosure.  Thus, someone, or some organization specifically censors the Bing Search Engine for C.A.R.E.T. terms, words and phrases.

    This included “CARET”. “C.A.R.E.T.”, Isaac, UFO, extraterrestrial, “unspecified” reverse engineering, and all kinds of combinations of the aforementioned statement.

    Wikipedia

    There used to be a page in Wikipedia concerning C.A.R.E.T. but it has since disappeared.  Initially, I believed that it was relocated to some other aligned page, but this was not the case.

    Someone deleted the information on Wikipedia.  They did so expertly.  I sent an e-mail to Wikipedia concerning the deletion.  (Not all deletions are so expertly done.  There is often some residue of raw links left in the code.

    Not in this case.  This website was WIPED CLEAN and then SCRUBBED, DISINFECTED, and then POLISHED afterwards.)  When I queried about the deletion to the website, I received no response back.  That is, in itself unusual, as Wikipedia always have responded to my inquiries previously.  The reader should note; they never responded back to me.  Therefore, I have no idea what happened regarding it.

    To visit Wikipedia to search for this listing go HERE.

    Google

    • In 2011, there was no problem at all finding anything on the Internet regarding C.A.R.E.T.. At that time, it never occurred to me that it would be censored by the US government.
    • In 2013, when compiling some information, I discovered that it was getting difficult to find the information. Google search results almost uniformly submitted debunking statements in every search result.
    • As of 2014 you could still locate information concerning C.A.R.E.T. on Google, though you would have to go three or more pages deep before you could find anything of interest.
    • As of 2015, all traces of C.A.R.E.T. has disappeared from Google and are unable to be found using that search engine.
    • In 2016, I again attempted to use Google. Absolutely zero hits.

    Yahoo

    Yahoo is a very famous website.  They provide news, e-mail services, and various other services such as Yahoo.Answers.  What is not so well known is that they are also a search engine.  Since it is not a “priority” search engine, there is every belief that they could find information on this subject.  To my surprise, this was true.  The American search engine; Yahoo, was very successful in finding hits for this subject.

    It is my guess that the NSA doesn’t think that Yahoo! is a viable search engine any longer.

    Other Sources

    The reader does not have to rely on using American-censored Internet search engines to find information on this disclosure.  Here is a collection of sites and sources that one can use directly.  It is my sincere hope that they are not blocked in the United States.  If they are, I would strongly urge the reader to take a vaction to another nation and use the Internet there (As well as the local search engines.  Do not use Google.).

    Read Isaac’s original whistle-blower testimony on the C.A.R.E.T program. This is the best site to obtain full resolution scans of all his provided documentation.

    http://droneteam.com/isaaccaret.fortunecity.com/index.html

    Hours of podcasts of witness testimony

    http://www.earthfiles333.com/

    Wiki Drone Site & Forum

    http://www.droneteam.com

    CARET Dragonfly Drones – Lake Tahoe Sighting

    http://truthfall.com/caret-dragonfly-drones-lake-tahoe-sighting/

    Weird Dragonfly Aerial Drones – The Chad Photos

    http://truthfall.com/weird-dragonfly-aerial-drones-the-chad-photos/

    The reader should be aware that you might have to use a VPN to tunnel through the Internet blocking software that is installed in most ISP’s in the United States today.  Or, alternatively visit a different country than the USA and access these sites.  The United States government does ABSOLUTELY block websites that it considers “hostile” to “national interests”.  I do not know if these websites fall under this cloak, but I would not put them out of the loop by any stretch of reason.

    Our rulers
    Here are the people who operate the enormous bureaucracy in the United States. You know, the ones that say one things and do the other. John Brennan. James Clapper, and their ilk.

    Alienware

    “ What of the characters appearing on the drones being used by Dell for their Alienware computer line? I always tended to think that Dell was approached by the government and used as part of their disinformation campaign. The company was doing poorly before the release of Alienware; if the government or someone posing as an investor were to approach Dell with large a large sum of startup money for a subsidiary, on the condition that the name Alienware and a given “font” be used, how could they refuse? Does anyone know anything about this?”
    
    -Jonas July 1, 2014 at 8:58 am
    “I knew about the alienware use of the symbols and graphics of the Caret stuff. It was a clear opportunistic use of the mystery behind this at the moment.”
    
    -truthseeking2015 July 27, 2014 at 10:51 pm

    The company Alienware uses the C.A.R.E.T. disclosure as a screensaver and wall paper.  Nice, but it tends to make people think that this is not a legitimate disclosure.  (BTW; what they provide is anything but accurate.  The artwork is disconnected nonsense and has and illustrates no constructive purpose. It just looks attractive.  It is similar to the writing utilized, but not functional in any way.)

    Alienware fake CARET image
    CARET images used for profit purposes.

    It is important to note that, in general, the misdirection and disinformation strategy for C.A.R.E.T. was a success.

    Many people, even ones who you would think would know better, fell for it.  As soon as some sort of “reasonable excuse” was presented, everyone went to that solution mindlessly.

    Conclusions

    During the 1980’s into 2007, various strange objects were viewed hovering, floating and moving about in the sky silently. These objects were photographed and discussed.

    Odd object or drone.
    Strange object that was found floating and hovering silently in the sky. It was photographed as shown.

    An entire write up on the various sightings of these drones can be found at TRUTHFALL. They pretty much befuddled everyone who encountered them. No one knew what they were. They look like mechanical contrivances, most certainly but they have no known writing or anything that can be used to identify them.

    Hovering drone photo from underneath.
    Another photo of this mysterious drone object. It was taken by a different person at a different location at a different time.

    Then, a fellow known as Isaac said that he knew what these items were. He submitted the photos, documents and the text reproduced herein. Other people have also contributed various curiosities…

    “I cannot remember whether they told him what it did, or if he discovered it, but he said the characters had to be on this metal, in this order, and in a particular electromagnetic field, they cloaked themselves. He said it worked by bending light. He said that the thing I had taken a picture of was simply malfunctioning, and that is why I saw part of it for a moment. He said it worked on the rods and cones in our eyes,in that it bent light. He said some animals could still see them, but if working properly, they would be nearly invisible. He called it “clear jello”.

    Other people piped in…

    “From what I gathered in my email correspondence from Isaac, he indicated that I was seeing them only because they were being tested by the U.S. and, had they been working properly, I would never have seen it.  He said some folks only see the boom or the cage, due to a malfunction of the apparatus that bends light around it; he said that is why sometimes we will swear we just saw something in the air, then suddenly it is gone. He also indicated that dogs may be able to see them even as cloaked, and when we look at what they are barking at, we see nothing.”

    After the sightings came to prevalence in 2007 a series of badly thrown together CGI YouTube movies and photographs then emerged. Some were produced by fame-seeking photoshop junkies desperate to showcase their ‘talents’, some by copycats and those desperate for viral video status. However, absolutely none of the CGI hoxers came even remotely close to resembling the original images. Nor could they explain the ever growing number of witnesses, from all ages and walks of life and geographically separate locations in the United States.

    There are websites that really go all out to convince everyone that this is all just  hoax. You can go visit them if you want. They are wrong.

    This is an actual disclosure of technical information related to the reverse engineering of extraterrestrial technology forty years ago. To understand the level of technology that MAJestic is dealing with, please kindly take a moment to study the linguistic primer.

    Mysterious drone.
    Strange drone taken at a different time and place by a different person.

    Take Aways

    • There was a disclosure of reverse engineering efforts made during the 1980’s of acquired extraterrestrial technology.
    • This disclosure included excerpts of various documents, photographs, and an explanation.
    • Following the disclosure, there was a massive debunking effort that involved everything from multiple websites, a small army of trolls, to a music video with CGI effects. Today, most well-known UFO and similar websites consider this to be a hoax.
    • This is NOT a hoax. It is a real disclosure.

    FAQ

    Q: Is CARET and PACL a hoax?
    A: No. Throughout the 1980’s MAJestic had numerous reverse engineering efforts in process. There were also efforts related to providing support to our extraterrestrial benefactors. I cannot directly comment on specific issues, but I can confirm that the information that Isaac provided back in 2007 rings true based on my experiences.

    Q: What happened to Isaac?
    A: He’s probably dead. He gave away and published unacknowledged special access program documentation. He was under the assumption that maybe the worse that would happen to him would be an IRS audit. No. I am afraid that he is probably dead.

    Q: What about Metallicman disclosures?
    A: My role at this time is doing exactly as I am told. I could not prevent it if I wanted to. And, for what ever it is worth, I hate doing things for free. Yet, I am fucking compelled to do what I am doing. If MAJestic wanted me to stop they would do so.

    MAJestic Related Posts – Training

    These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    How to tell...

    How to tell -2

    Top Secrets

    Sales Pitch

    Feducial Training

    Implantation

    Probe Calibration - 1

    Probe Calibration - 2

    Leaving the USA

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Secrets of the universe
    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The Hammer inside the rock.
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    Mystery of the bronze bell.
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe
    Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
    The mysterious flying contraptions.

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    How MWI allows world-line travel.
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel
    Soul is not consciousness.

    John Titor Related Posts

    Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

    They are;

    Articles & Links

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    The Oil Lamp Discovered inside a Block of Coal

    Our world is filled with all sorts of mysteries. For the ignorant, they are mere curiosities. However, for those who have a better understanding of how the universe works, they serve as signposts towards the make up of the true reality that we live within.

    Let’s take a look at a an OOPART; and Out Of Place ARTifact. In this case, let’s look at how a cast oil lamp found it’s way into a block of coal. Coal, mind you that formed a long… long… long time ago.

    Let’s look at the function of the object, let’s study the processes used to make the object, and let’s try to understand the time when the coal was formed. For by understanding these characteristics, we can better understand the item in question, and thus in the process, understand our reality as well.

    Introduction

    Wilbert H. Rusch published an account in The Creation Research Society Quarterly 7, 1971 of a rough, cast iron pot that was found in a chunk of coal. The coal came from a mid-Pennsylvanian coal seam. The coal seam was located at the Municipal Electric Plant in Sulphur City, OK.

    Oil Lamp
    The object in question in a early-style oil lamp. This is a typical dish common during Roman, and Egyptian time periods to illuminate the rooms at night. The object is an OOPART simply because it was found within a block of coal. Coal that formed millions of years before proto-humans appeared on the earth.

    The artifact is now archived at Creation Evidence Museum.

    This small implement was embedded inside a single large lump of coal. While other coal artifacts have been found, very few have been well documented or analyzed. As most of the time, a typical and average person discovers the item once they crack open the coal to heat their homes. Typically the item is discarded and forgotten. I, myself, have found screws, nails, small metal objects and such inside of coal when I worked in the coal mines, and was involved in sorting debris out from under the rock crusher there.

    In this case, there is a notarized letter documenting the authenticity of the find.

    The document states the following:

    Sulfur Springs Arkansas
    Nov. 27 – 1948
    
    While I was working in the Municipal Electric Plant in Thomas, Okla. in 1912, I came upon a solid chuck of coal which was too large to use. I broke it with a sledge hammer. This iron pot fell from the center, leaving the impression, or mould of the pot in a piece of the coal. Jim Stull (an employee of the company) witnessed the breaking of the coal, and saw the pot fall out. I traced the source of the coal and found that it came from Wilburton, Okahoma Mines.
    
    Frank J. Kennord
    
    Sworn to before me, in Sulphru [sic] Springs, Arkansas, this 27th day of November, 1948
    
    Julia L. Eldred
    
    N.P. My commission expires May 21, 1951 – Benton Co.

    Artiface and statement.
    Artifact with the statement. This object is now safely located in a museum so that it won’t get misplaced or lost by others who are unaware of its’ significance.

    Other Curiosities

    Working in the coal mines, we all knew that these objects would appear from time to time. I myself have found rods, screws, nails, twisted and bent mental pieces.  In additions there would be rust nodules in the shape of long pipes, rods, and clumps of unknown objects that would rest near the coal in the adjacent rock, typically limestone or sandstone in type and appearance.

    A handful of other such artifact-in-coal accounts have been recorded (Sanderson, Ivan T., Uninvited Visitors, 1967, pp. 195-196.), including an intricate gold chain found in coal. The Morrisonville, Illinois Times, on June 11, 1891, published a report that Mrs. S. W. Culp found a circular shaped, eight-carat gold chain, about 10 inches long, embedded in a lump of coal after she broke it apart to put in her scuttle. The chain was described as “antique” and of “quaint workmanship.” The story said only part of the chain was revealed when she first broke open the coal, and that the rest of the chain remained buried within the coal. The coal came from one of the southern Illinois mines. Unfortunately the artifact has since disappeared.

    Dating of the coal

    The coal is from a coal seam that has been positively dated to the Carboniferous Period, of which case, the particular seam was dated to the Pennsylvanian Sub-Period. This is positively dated to 299.0 to 318.1 million years ago.

    For our purposes, let’s just say it comes from 300 million years ago.

    For those of you who are unaware, this was a very, very long time ago. It was not only long… long… before humans were out and about, it was before hardwoods. At that time, the earliest trees were at best softwoods, while the bulk of the trees looked more like overgrown ferns and bamboo strands.

    The earliest trees were tree ferns, horsetails and lycophytes, which grew in forests in the Carboniferous period. The first tree may have been Wattieza, fossils of which have been found in New York State in 2007 dating back to the Middle Devonian (about 385 million years ago). Prior to this discovery, Archaeopteris was the earliest known tree.
    
    Both of these reproduced by spores rather than seeds and are considered to be links between ferns and the gymnosperms which evolved in the Triassic period. The gymnosperms include conifers, cycads, gnetales and ginkgos and these may have appeared as a result of a whole genome duplication event which took place about 319 million years ago.
    
    -Wikipedia

    This period of time was that of a calm water world. There was a large continent Gondwana  which was mostly covered in glaciers on the Southern hemisphere. The equator was a hot, steamy lush area filled with all kinds of early plant life.

    Map of the earth at 300Ma.
    This is a map of what the earth looked like around 300 million years ago. The coal seams that the oil lamp was found in originated at the equator. Obviously, the person who used this oil lamp needed to see at night within a lush tropical environment.

    What the Earth was like at the time

    The earth was mostly a water wold. There was one singular landmass known as Gondwana.  The land was mostly arid, and dry. At the Northern and Southern climates it was cold, and there was a nice lush band of tropical climate at the equator. Any (land based) life worth noting was at the equator.

    Climate map
    The equator was an area of lush hot tropical growth of early trees and primitive plants. This area was one of swamps, bogs, and hot environments that were conducive to rapid evolutionary vectors.

    We do know that the region was not only tropical, and warm with lush and extensive primitive flora, it was also an area of wet-lands, bogs, swamps and low-shallow seas. The terrain, now called Oklahoma, was a tropical coastal area. There were many low lying areas, and it probably looked something a little like the swamps of Louisiana, or the low lands of Florida.

    Environment 300 Ma
    Here is a map of the paleogeography of the United States during the Pennsylvanian time period approximately 300 million years ago. Source from Levin 8e/Wiley fig 11-10 w220

    Swamp.
    During the Pennsylvanian period the equator was covered in swamps and bogs. It looked something like this.

    Function of the Object

    The object is a lamp. Typically these lamps either sits on a table, or hangs from a chain on a stand. Oil, is placed inside the lamp, and a small fire is lit at the edges that look like tea spouts.

    Roman lamp
    Ancient Roman lamp. The oil would be placed inside the container, and openings would be placed at far ends of the lid. Then a fire would be lit at the exposed ends.

    We rarely see this kind of lamp today. It is of a style and utility that is long obsolete. This kind of lamp was very popular in the ancient world. Both the Romans, and the Egyptians used these lamps and they are commonly depicted in carvings and reliefs from that time.

    Manufacture of the Object

    lamp found in a block in coal
    This pot was found within a block of coal. This was a coal seam located in Oklahoma.

    This object is made out of iron. Notice that it is not corroding or rusting. Conventionally, this is known as “white iron”.

    The basic strength and hardness of all iron alloys is provided by the metallic structures containing a crystalline allotropic form of carbon.  Almost all irons have some graphite inside of it. The carbon graphite gives the iron the properties that we so know and love about steel.

    By controlling the type of carbon, and how it is added, one can significantly improve and enhance the properties of the metal. It can range from those of soft, low-carbon steel (18 ksi/124 MPa) to those of hardened, high-carbon steel (230 ksi/1,586 MPa). Indeed, the modulus of elasticity varies with the class of iron, the shape of the cast part (sphericity) and volume fraction of carbon inside of it. All of which is a knowledge base that helped to greatly expand the steel industry in Pittsburgh and the Ohio valley.

    Other minerals can be added to iron to add other properties as well…

    "Huge amounts of iron are used to make steel, an alloy of iron and carbon. Steel typically contains between 0.3% and 1.5% carbon, depending on the desired characteristics. The addition of other elements can give steel other useful properties. Small amounts of chromium improves durability and prevents rust (stainless steel); nickel increases durability and resistance to heat and acids; manganese increases strength and resistance to wear; molybdenum increases strength and resistance to heat; tungsten retains hardness at high temperatures; and vanadium increases strength and springiness. Steel is used to make paper clips, skyscrapers and everything in between."
    
    -It's elemental (Iron)

    Iron typically will not corrode, that is, until you add carbon…then it starts to rust. So that is why Stainless Steels were such a big thing back in the day. It was a method by which carbon could be added to the steel, to make it hard, and a process put in place to reduce corrosion.

    Iron casting process
    A simple diagram on how cast iron is made. This process is very similar, if not identical, to the one that made the OOPART.

    From what I can gather from the photos, this looks like an object made out of “pure” cast iron. With only some trace amounts of impurities that would give it a “white” iron composition. Though, the reader should be aware that this speculation on my part. In short, it is a cast object made out of iron.

    A mold was made.

    Iron ore was smelted and iron was extracted from the rock. It was then heated until it was liquid and then poured into the mold. This is “Iron Age” technology. Which, by extension, means that whatever civilization made this object passed through the copper, and bronze ages of technology.

    Form and Shape

    One thing that I noticed about this object is how well formed it is. The top and the bottom are both apparently well-formed circles. The spouts are also well formed and well done. The person who made this object was an expert. Not only in skill, but also had an “eye” for Industrial Design and utility.

    The design for the object is “clean”. It is unadorned and simple. It is “no nonsense” and is quite unlike that of most historical objects.

    This object was designed for in paper first and then a mold was created. The precision and lines are completely suggestive of pre-planning and not that of a hand-made model that was used to make a mold cavity.

    Speculations and Considerations

    What can we learn from this object? Here are my thoughts…

    • There was a “Iron Age” civilization at the equator 300 million years ago.
    • They utilized lamps. We know that both the ancient Egyptians and Romans used similar style lamps inside their domiciles.
    • The design of the lamp shows a level of expertise that is suggestive of a large complex civilization.
    • The civilization that created this object was not human. What ever they were, and what form or shape they had, is unknown. Humans did not come into being for over 299 million years later.

    Carboniferous globe.
    The globe during the Carboniferous period around 300 million years ago. There were ice caps at that time. Probably at both, though evidence is suggestive that the North pole was covered in an ice cap.

    Opinions of the Statists

    Statists typically believe in a Newtonian reality. It is one where time is a strict linear path, and that everything that exists can be observed and measured by man.

    It’s a rather bleak existence. As we know from quantum physics that that is absolutely NOT the way the universe works. I guess that they never got the memo.

    They also believe in the inherent superiority of humans over all creatures. They believe that there is only one intelligent species; human. They also believe that the government can be trusted; that they would tell everyone immediately is there were extraterrestrials, or if they had treaties with other kinds of beings or creatures.

    Statists are proud of their ignorance.

    Personally, I find their knowledge of reality trivial.  their understanding of the universe wholly inadequate, and their understanding of the nature of man, impossibly tiny.  They are like the book-worm misfit who has no social life and locks themselves inside a room alone to construct a reality from which they can find solace within.

    Statist
    A statist tries to make everything fit into the latest accepted theories. They are the PC police for the status quo. They are what prevents true advancement in scientific discourse as they keep rejecting anything that lies outside their narrowly accepted understanding of the world. Being statists, they never really accomplish anything. They just support the standing of accepted scientific theory.

    Anyways, they have come to certain conclusions on this particular object…

    "The cup appears to be cast iron, and cast iron technology began in the eighteenth century. Its design is much like pots used to hold molten metals and may have been used by a tinsmith, tinker, or person casting bullets... 
    
    The cup was likely dropped by a worker either inside a coal mine or in a mine's surface workings. 
    
    Mineralization is common in the coal and surrounding debris of coal mines because rainwater reacts with the newly exposed minerals and produces highly mineralized solutions. 
    
    Coal, sediments, and rocks are commonly cemented together in just a few years. It could easily appear that a pot cemented in such a concretion could appear superficially as if it were encased in the original coal. Or small pieces of coal, including powder, could have been recompressed around the cup by weight (Isaac, 2005).
    
    Thus, a person who broke open such a nodule might mistakenly conclude that it was part of the host formation, rather than a secondary product of the mining environment. 
    
    This phenomena has been documented with objects as modern as soda bottles and World War II artifacts (Al-Aga, 1995; McKusick and Shinn, 1980), and thus cannot be used as anti-evolutionary evidence. 
    
    One might object that we do not know that this was the case in regards to the iron pot in question. True, but more importantly, we don't know that it wasn't. In short, even if the workers were telling the truth as far as they knew it, we have no reliable evidence that the pot was actually part of the original coal formation.
    
    -Alleged Iron Pot in Coal

    Yup. You read that correctly. Since there weren’t any “experts” or “blue ribbon panels” under the fucking mountain when the object was extracted, that it should be automatically discounted. Yup. That’s what the conclusion is;  the deplorable non-college educated coal workers are either lying or confused.

    It just HAS to be that, otherwise the nice organized history of the world will come tumbling down. And that is all the time that I will devote to the statists on this subject.

    I think perhaps the biggest problem with these statists is that they absolutely have no idea what they are talking about. They have never seen a chunk or coal, picked one up, tried smashing it with a sledge. They seem to have the idea that coal is somewhat like a clump of clay…

    Coal

    Coal is a rock. Yes, boys and girls, it is a rock. Things don’t migrate into rocks like they might migrate into clays. For you can have things underground that would, over time, displace and find themselves inside chunks of clay. Not so with coal. Migration only occurs when the coal is not yet formed and it is in a still malleable state.

    Pieces of coal
    Here are some smaller pieces of coal. This i s a nice size to throw into a furnace or in a fireplace to keep the fire burning long and bright in the midnight calm. These are rocks. However, they can be smashed into smaller pieces. However, an ordinary hammer won’t do it. You will need a hand sledge as the coal is typically quite hard.

    If something is inside a block of coal, you can be assured that once broken, the coal will have two (or more) mold halves, from which the object was readily apparent.

    Coal is mined in seams. Often it is found in a thin layer between other rocks such as sandstone, limestone or maybe even granite.  You see, geologic pressure turns loose sand, rock and gravels into hard stone over the years. To consider that somehow a pot accidentally found it’s way into a coal seam is stunningly ridiculous. Surrounded by miles of rock, how in the Lord’s name is it supposed to get there?

    Coal mining in a seam.
    Here is a photo of a coal mine in 1932. The seam is mined between layers of rock. While the coal itself is not as hard as the surrounding rock, it is sufficiently hard to require mining with pickaxes and sledge hammers.

    Of course, the statists have their ideas. Maybe the thing is a hoax. Or, perhaps maybe there was a tunnel in the coal seam, and the lamp was left by a previous miner… Though no thought is given to why anyone would want to use 4000 year old technology to dig deep into a coal seam, or that how the contemporaneous miners would somehow overlook an existing mine shaft.

    Instead of trying all kinds of convoluted excuses to fit the statist narrative, why not call it was it is and then move on with your life? Jeeze!

    Take aways

    • A cast iron object that is apparently an oil lamp was found in a lump of coal.
    • The coal was dated to 300 million years ago.
    • It was manufactured.
    • It was designed and intended for use.
    • Since there is no evidence that humans existed 300 million years ago, the object had to have been made by non-humans.

    FAQ

    Q: What is the purpose of the object found inside the block of coal?
    A: It is similar to a primitive oil lamp. Oil would be placed inside of the object, a lid would be placed on top, and the holes above the spouts lit to form a lamp.

    Q: Why hasn’t there been other artifacts found around the lamp?
    A: We do not know. There probably has been other objects, but most were probably burned within furnaces and ovens and not even noticed by those who shoveled and handled the coal. I would suggest that the coal seam might be laden with various artifacts that might serve as a nice window into the past.

    Q: What do the Statists think the object is?
    A: They think that somehow, somebody was using a ancient oil lamp design contemporaneously. That they somehow dug a hole inside a seam of coal, and left the object there. Later on, maybe a few months later, some coal miners dug some coal out.

    The people who discovered the object inside the coal were too ignorant to see that it was an impossible item. In their ignorance, they mistakenly believed that it was formed when the coal was formed.

    Obviously anything that does not fit the contemporaneous theories that are in vogue should be ignored until an official explanation is assembled from a “Blue Panel” committee of learned scientists and government officials.

    via GIPHY

    Posts Regarding Life and Contentment

    Here are some other similar posts on this venue. If you enjoyed this post, you might like these posts as well. These posts tend to discuss growing up in America. Often, I like to compare my life in America with the society within communist China. As there are some really stark differences between the two.

    Link
    Link
    Link
    Tomatos
    Link
    Mad scientist
    Gorilla Cage in the basement
    Link
    Pleasures
    Work in the 1960's
    School in the 1970s
    Cat Heaven
    Corporate life
    Corporate life - part 2
    Build up your life
    Grow and play - 1
    Grow and play - 2
    Asshole
    Baby's got back
    Link
    A womanly vanity
    The Warning Signs
    SJW
    Army and Navy Store
    Playground Comparisons
    Excuses that we use that keep us enslaved.

    More Posts about Life

    I have broken apart some other posts. They can best be classified about ones actions as they contribute to happiness and life. They are a little different, in subtle ways.

    Being older
    Link
    Civil War
    Travel
    PT-141
    Bronco Billy
    r/K selection theory
    How they get away with it
    Line in the sand
    A second passport
    Paper Airplanes
    Snopes
    Taxiation without representation.
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Make America Great Again.
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    1960's and 1970's link
    Democracy Lessons

    Stories that Inspired Me

    Here are reprints in full text of stories that inspired me, but that are nearly impossible to find in China. I place them here as sort of a personal library that I can use for inspiration. The reader is welcome to come and enjoy a read or two as well.

    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link

    MAJestic Related Posts – Training

    These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    How to tell...

    How to tell -2

    Top Secrets

    Sales Pitch

    Feducial Training

    Implantation

    Probe Calibration - 1

    Probe Calibration - 2

    Leaving the USA

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Secrets of the universe
    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The Hammer inside the rock.
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    Mystery of the bronze bell.
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe
    Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
    The mysterious flying contraptions.

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    How MWI allows world-line travel.
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel
    Soul is not consciousness.

    John Titor Related Posts

    Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

    They are;

    Articles & Links

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    The Mystery of the Bronze Bell encased within a Block of Coal

    The world around us is fascinating and very interesting. Many times we have discovered things that expand our horizons and our way of thinking. Each and every time that we see something that is new, strange or unusual we should pay attention to it. That is how we grow.

    Only fools try to fit everything into a narrow prepackaged reality that explains everything away in a nice neat wrapper.

    When we encounter “impossible” realities, we actually really need to pay attention to what we discover. For the knowledge of what we find, and the resulting theories can greatly expand and increase our knowledge of the world around us. We need to take a good hard look at OOPARTS and study them in detail.

    With this in mind, let’s take some time to investigate a seemingly impossible item; a brass hand-bell found within a lump of coal some 300 million years old. Let’s look at it in some detail so that we can try to figure out a little bit more about our life and the history that surrounds us…

    Introduction

    In 1944, world war II was not yet over. The Germans were taking a beating in Russia and the Japanese armies were still strong and fighting. Back home, people rationed their food, and saved up “for the war effort”. In a small town in West Virginia, a ten year old boy, named Newton Anderson dropped a lump of coal when he was getting it from his basement. (In those days, homes were heated by coal furnaces in the basements, and they were fed from a “coal chute” nearby.) The chunk of coal broke in half. To his surprise he found that it contained an object inside. The object was a diminutive sized hand-bell made out of bronze.

    The mysterious bell with hand to show comparative sizes.
    When the block of coal was cracked open, this bell fell out of it. Finding things in blocks of coal has a WELL KNOWN history in Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. I myself have even found things encased within blocks of coal, though they were mostly junk like pieces of rod, screws and nails. My old tipple supervisor had a collection of objects that resembled tiny oil lamps, metal “teakettle lids” and tiny cups.

    Where Found

    Minging community in West Virgina.
    Here is a typical mining community in West Virginia. It should be well understood that working under the earth and mining coal is not something where casual contemporaneous junk can find their way into the ore that is mined.

    The bituminous coal that was mined near his house in Upshur County West Virginia. The mine where it was obtained has been dated by geologists to be about 300 million years old.

    Location of Upshur county in West Virginia.
    The location of Upshur county in West Virginia. It is here, in the mountains of West Virginia that coal has been mined that possess “impossible” OOPART objects.

    Age

    "...300 million years ago and was a funky time that saw relatives of club mosses grow to the size of trees while insects also reached comparatively gigantic proportions due to the higher-than-modern oxygen concentration."
    
    -Arstechnica

    We are forced to date this object from the coal that it was reported to come from. There just simply isn’t any other way to date this object. We must rely on the reported statements from the discoverer of the hand-bell.

    Coal is formed by the compression and decay of plant life. Under heat and pressure, due to the typical weight of tons of earth, plant residue squeezes together and forms coal. Obviously, the bell was buried inside a huge pile of organic plant life and over the millions of years found itself encased inside a block of coal.

    Coal fields exist all through West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

    Coal fields of West Virgina.
    The coal fields of West Virginia and Pennsylvania. It is a wide belt of land that contains coal of different sulfur content.

    A study of the region clearly points to the coal being of “Pennsylvanian” geologic structure. This does not mean that the rock grew some legs and walked South from Pennsylvania. Rather it refers to the date when the primary geologic landforms were created.

    Here is a map of the geology of West Virgina. Obviously, Upshur county is smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvanian geology.

    Geology of West Virgina.
    Here is a geologic map of West Virgina. Note that the vast bulk of the geology is described as “Pennsylvanian” in nature and origination.

    Here is what Britannica has to say about this time period;

    Pennsylvanian Subperiod, second major interval of the Carboniferous Period, lasting from 323.2 million to 298.9 million years ago. The Pennsylvanian is recognized as a time of significant advance and retreat by shallow seas. Many nonmarine areas near the Equator became coal swamps during the Pennsylvanian.
    
    -Britannica.com
    
    

    This was an interesting time for certain.

    • 323.2 to 298.9 million years ago.
    • The retreat of shallow seas enabled lush plant growth.
    • The geographic area was on the equator during this time.
    • Those areas above the water became the coal fields that we mine today.
    • This was a period of time long before dinosaurs, let alone humans.
    • There were some small lizards, but for the most part the dominant (land-based) lifeforms were insects.
    The major forms of life at this time were the arthropods (insects). Due to the high levels of oxygen, arthropods were far larger than modern ones. Arthropleura, a giant millipede relative, was a common sight and the giant dragonfly Meganeura "flew the skies".
    
    -Wikipedia

    The Dominant Life

    During this period of time, the world was warm, lush and semi-tropical. The plant life was simple, with ferns and other plants that looked like bamboo strands. The planet had a far higher percentage of oxygen in the air than what we have today. This larger quantity of oxygen permitted the creatures to grow to enormous size.

    The reason all that oxygen was present, by the way, is the vast burial of organic material before it could be eaten by oxygen-respiring organisms. And while oxygen rose, atmospheric CO2 fell, eventually leading to glacial conditions. It was a massive carbon-cycle experiment that mirrored our current one but with carbon moving in the opposite direction, from the atmosphere into the ground, where it formed the coal we’re now burning into atmospheric CO2.
    
    -Why was most of the Earth's coal made all at once?

    Personally, I would be afraid to live in this kind of environment. Can you imagine the mosquitoes, or cockroaches? Heck, a dragonfly would be able to bite off a thumb-sized chunk of skin off your arm! Yikes!

    Big horse fly.
    The insects were huge during the Pennsylvanian era. They flew above and fed on other insects. M. permiana, would have deserved the name “dragon.” It was probably the largest insect that ever lived: its wingspan could exceed two feet (60cm), and its body grew to nearly 17 inches (40 cm). M. permiana’s immense size has led researchers to think that it may have fed on animals as large as frogs and squirrels in order to sustain itself. The seas were filled with all sorts or marine life, but the land life was limited to insects and very small reptiles.

    All the insects grew to enormous size. In fact, some that we know of were larger than many mammals. As in all cases, there are probably instances where there were much, much larger insects that we are unaware of simply because it is difficult to reconstruct history from invertebrates. However, what we do know, is indeed quite frightening!

    Large Pennsylvanian creature.
    Some creatures grew to enormous sizes. Arthropleura lived from the Carboniferous to the early Permian period (throughout what is now North America and Scotland) around 300 million years ago. These insects fed on the other insects and plant life during the Pennsylvanian era. Scientists aren’t exactly sure of this creatures diet. But even the modern giant centipede, which only reaches about ten inches (25 cm) in length, can prey on birds, snakes, and bats. Imagine the kind of prey a eight-foot-long version could bring down. This is the era where the OOPART bronze bell was found in. How could large insects make such a casting? Impossible it seems; just impossible.

    The World was Quite Different

    This was a long time ago. The earth was covered with water, and the planet was blessed with an enormous amount of oxygen and hot tropical temperatures.

    Map of the Carboniferous era
    Here is an estimation of how the earth was mapped out during the Pennsylvanian period. The overriding era was the Carboniferous period. It was from the coal and rocks that we have since hauled out from their imprisoned underground lairs that we have arrived at this strange OOPART object that resembles a bronze hand-bell.

    The planet was mostly covered by large shallow oceans. The temperature was hot, moist and tropical (in the area where the bell was discovered). This was a period where there were all kinds of interesting sea life, but most land based life were yet to evolve. There were plants, and there were insects. There were some small reptiles, and snails. However, mammals were nonexistent.

    It was a time that looked quite different than today.

    Ancient earth during the Pennsylvania period.
    The world was covered in thick simple forests, and hot shallow seas and inlets. Insects were everywhere and they grew to enormous sizes.

    So, what did the earth look like? Yes it was different, it was warmer and the plants were quite different. Well, for starters, it smelled different. The plants didn’t apparently get much of a chance to decay like they do today, so the huge forests tended to pile up into a landscape of mush. There wasn’t any kind of forest floor like we see today. Instead it would be a soft and very thick bed of debris that would pile on top of each other over years.

    The forest floor more realistically resembled a thick brush pile of leaves and plants that more resembled bamboo and ferns more than anything else. Beneath this pile was a thick and black oozy moist pile of sludge that was nearly impossible to walk through. Above was a thick canopy of fern leaves that towered high up into the sky.

    So the reader should understand that the wooded forests and green areas more likely resembled a bog more than anything else. Everything was thick, moist and dank. Here would be swampy lands on the floors of the huge forests that populated the landmasses.

    bog and swamp
    This is a photo of a Louisiana bog / swamp. While there are hard and soft woods in this picture, the fact is that a large portion of the lands that are now part of West Virgina and Pennsylvania looked much like this 300 million years ago when the area was on the equator. The only difference is that the trees were more like ferns and bamboo strands.

    There would be sunrises, and sunsets, of course, but the appearance of them would vary by the different atmospheric composition. It might have been a little hazier on the horizon, but perhaps clearer when you looked upwards. It would have been a very, and I do mean, very different environment.

    The layout of the earth.
    The world would not only look and feel differently that what we know of, but it would have a totally different shape as well. The contents would have a far different shape and over all appearance. It would be completely different to us.

    Thus the Mystery

    How can a bell be manufactured, and used at a time when the dominant lifeform on Earth were insects?

    Thus we have an OOPART. It is an object that cannot be explained using our current understanding of history, science or mankind.

    We are then faced with confronting some uncomfortable possibilities, one or more of the following should be considered;

    • The way we date things is wrong.
    • Our understanding of history and evolution is wrong.
    • Our assumptions on mankind and technology are wrong.
    • The assumption that man is the only and first intelligent life on earth is wrong.
    • The idea that insects were the highest most advanced form of life during the Pennsylvanian era is wrong.

    Perhaps there are other solutions. These other solutions make us question everything that we know, and think that we know.

    • Is time travel possible?
    • What about dimensional travel, and possible cross-dimensional migration?

    Now, there are always theories that might mitigate some of these ugly confrontations somewhat. For instance, we might believe that extraterrestrials transported non-native intelligent life to populate the earth during the Pennsylvanian era. Or, perhaps, we have underestimated just how intelligent large sized insects could become.

    Regardless as to what theories one presents, we must confront the fact that the world, as we expect it to be, is all together something else entirely.

    Item Description

    With that being stated, maybe the object itself might shed some light on the mystery.

    The reader should notice the overall construction of this object. Note that the handle grip on the bell does not match that of a contemporaneous hand. Instead, it is much smaller.

    If one were to assume that, the handle grip was to match that of the hand of the user, than that would support the contention of a diminutive sized humanoid. One that was probably not much larger than a meter tall. Thus, we make the first discovery.

    The user(s) of the bell were of small size and had small sized hands.

    Figurine on the bell handle - front view.
    Figurine that is on the handle of the hand-bell. It is a casting of a crude carving with elements that have been sawed, hacked or filed in place.

    The reader should also note the figure at the hilt of the bell. This figure is depicted having two arms clasped together, and two legs spread apart (on one knee like a protesting football player). Note that the figure has what appear to be wings. The figure is dressed in a robe like garment that flows all the way to the ankles and feet.

    How can this be? As we know, at this time, the only creatures that had wings were insects. There were no birds yet. There were no feathers.

    "The evolution of birds began in the Jurassic Period, with the earliest birds derived from a clade of theropoda dinosaurs named Paraves."
    
    -Wikipedia

    Since the Jurassic period didn’t get started until 200 million years ago, this strange figurine and bell was manufactured some 100 million years before the first appearance of birds with feathers. At this time, the ONLY creatures that had wings were insects. Thus, we make our second important discovery;

    The figurine possibly depicts an intelligent insect. As there were no birds, no feathers, and no wings at the time the bell was manufactured.

    Why would someone want to make a brass hand-bell with an insect figurine on the handle? Either the person who made the bell was an insect themselves, and thus created a likeness of their ilk, or they “worshipped” or “honored” a large insect-like creature. (Much the same way that the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Chinese would honor deities of other species.)

    Casting Bronze

    Let’s take a look at the bell from the point of view of someone manufacturing it.

    Certainly, the bell shape is balanced. Obviously, the mold that the bell came from was derived from a (Lost Wax) investment casting technique that utilized a bell shape that was (possibly) formed on a pottery wheel. This is no mean feat, as it implies that not only was the bell cast, but also that it was cast from a mold that utilized pre-made components of a degree of complexity.

    Now, we tend to use a Lost-wax casting to make bronze parts like this bell. There is no reason not to use this technique. Here, the process is such that the object (in this case a bell with a small statue at the handle grip) is cast out of wax. In industry, today, the modern process is called investment casting.

    It is a truly ancient practice. Today, the process varies from foundry to foundry, but the steps which are usually used in casting small bronze sculptures in a modern bronze foundry are generally standardized.

    Typically a model of the object (the bell in this case) was made in clay. I strongly suspect that it was turned on a pottery wheel, and then other aspects of it were added, such as clay balls to form the handle, and a small clay figurine to adorn the end of the bell with.

    This clay is permitted to dry and harden. Typically it could be left in the sun, or placed within a kiln to make the object hard and solid.

    Then, a mold is created.

    Lost Wax casting process
    Lost Wax casting process © 2013, McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

    The mold is typically made by using a plaster that is wrapped around the hardened clay object. Once the plaster is permitted to dry, it is then carefully broken into halves, and the image of the cast bell (or object) is preserved intact. This plaster is now a “production mold” that can be used to create multiple objects. Of course, the material used to make this mold (such as plaster) can only be used a finite number of times.

    Once a production mold is obtained, a wax is then cast from the mold.

    For a hollow sculpture, a core is then cast into the void, and is retained in its proper location (after wax melting) by pins of the same metal used for casting.

    One or more wax sprues are added to conduct the molten metal into the sculptures. These are nothing more than pathways for the liquid metal to pour into the mold with. These sprues typically directs the liquid metal from a pouring cup to the bottom of the cavity.

    Typically, the mold is then filled from the bottom up in order to avoid splashing and turbulence. If you are not careful you will get imperfections that are the result of an uneven pour into the mold.

    Lost Wax casting process.
    The elements of the “Lost Wax” casting process. From left to right, an image is made out of clay and then the proper steps are followed to make it into the final cast part on the far right.

    Additional sprues may be directed upward at intermediate positions, and various vents may also be added where gases could be trapped. (If you are not careful, it would look like tiny air ball or bubbles were in the casting.)

    With this completed, the complete wax structure (and core, if previously added) is then invested in another kind of mold or shell, which is heated in a kiln until the wax runs out and all free moisture is removed. The investment is then soon filled with molten bronze. The removal of all wax and moisture prevents the liquid metal from being explosively ejected from the mold by steam and vapor.

    Students of bronze casting will usually work in direct wax, where the model is made in wax, possibly formed over a core, or with a core cast in place, if the piece is to be hollow. If no mold is made and the casting process fails, the artwork will also be lost.

    After the metal has cooled, the external ceramic/clay is chipped away, revealing an image of the wax form, including core pins, sprues, vents, and risers. All of these are removed with a saw and tool marks are polished away, and interior core material is removed to reduce the likelihood of interior corrosion. Incomplete voids created by gas pockets or investment inclusions are then corrected by welding and carving. Small defects where sprues and vents were attached are filed or ground down and polished.

    In the case of the bell, it is obvious that this was done, as the cutting and filing marks are clearly visible on the “arms” of the figurine.

    What this tells us is a interesting third point;

    The bell was made by someone who had previously worked with bronze investment casting processes to some degree of proficiency.

    Bell Clapper and Link

    The bell clapper also indicates some rather interesting features as well. While the weighed ball is missing, the linkage is intact and indicates that a wire was NOT utilized to hold the ball in place. Instead, a specially designed link was used. That implies that wire, string or metal cords were not drawn and available at the time of manufacture. Instead, the link was formed by pouring the liquid metal into a long rectangular slot. Then allowed to cool, finally bent into the twisted shape shown.

    Link inside the bronze OOPART bell.
    The link that connects the clapper to the bell is quite interesting. It is a bent strip of bronze. This means that drawn wire was not available at the time of manufacture. This is quite telling.

    The reader should note that the hook, which holds the link, is not in the center of the bell, but rather off to the side. The significance of this is unknown, but does seem to lend a degree of credence towards post molding assembly and the possibility of repair over long periods of utilization.

    Considerations in Mold Fabrication

    The reader should also take particular note to the overall construction of the figurine. While the bell, and handle were apparently molded from a clay mold, the figurine was not. It was apparently ground by file or abrasion into the shape that it was found in. No eyes were molded. No mouth was cast. Instead these facial features were filed off to the shape that it was found as.

    Rear view of the figurine on the handle of the bronze bell.
    This is the rear view of the figurine that is on the OOPART handle. Notice that the bird-like creature is kneeling on one foot, and it’s wings are extended.

    Finally, while it is difficult to make out, the figurine wears a hat, or has it’s hair in a style at the top of it’s head. Further it’s face seems to possess facial features more resembling a beak or a pointy face rather than any kind of nose. These are curious features, and not without their own mysteries.

    Material Composition

    This strange and unique object stayed in the Anderson family for many years, until it was eventually purchased by another organization. The organization that purchased it was The Institute for Creation Research. They are an organization that searches for inquiry towards and support for creationism; the belief that humans are a product of the divine.

    The Institute for Creation Research

    Investigators for the organization had the bell submitted to the lab at the University of Oklahoma. There a nuclear activation analysis revealed that the bell contains an unusual mix of metals, different from any known modern alloy production (including copper, zinc, tin, arsenic, iodine, and selenium).

    An unusual mixture tells us many things. Firstly, that this object was not made or cast from contemporaneous raw materials.

    Secondly, that the object probably was cast from either a formula that had no known conventional human analog, or was cast by amateurs using whatever materials those they had on hand. (I tend to believe the second theory.) Given the construction, shape and appearance, it seems to be an early casting; one suggestive of a society in the early throes of metallurgy.

    Manufacture

    This object consists of three components. They are;

    • The bell
    • The link
    • The clapper

    The bell was cast from a mold. The mold was made from a model that was turned on a lathe or formed on a pottery wheel. The details on the figurine on the handle was obtained by filing, clawing or other related abrasive activity.

    The link was made out of a sheet of bronze. Long thin strips were cut out of the sheet. These strips were then bent into the necessary shape to form the link.

    The clapper is missing. It is unknown what has happened to it.

    Implications of Use & Purpose

    Assuming that the dating methodology is correct, and that this object is exactly as it appears to be, what does that tell us? It tells us that intelligent, tool-forming humanoids, existed during the carboniferous period.

    It tells us that they carved an image of what appears to be a winged bird with a beak onto a bell. Since we know that birds did not exist at the time of the manufacture of the bell, that the image is more likely that of a flying insect with a pointy shaped face.

    Given the purpose and utility of a bell, one must assume that it is used to call, or signal for some purpose.

    The construction techniques used implies an early metal working culture that was capable of pottery, molds, smelting, and blacksmithing. They possessed “bronze age” technology.

    We believe that the creatures were of small stature, and given the time period, existing during the time of great lush forests and great diversification of life. (Compare the hand hilt on the bell. It is designed to fit a much smaller hand. Perhaps the hand of a person the size of a small juvenile female.)

    One can easily imagine entire communities of individuals that (perhaps) farmed and were more agrarian in nature. There is really not much of need for hunter / gatherers to possess a bell make pottery, mine ores, smelt, or call groups of individuals together. Thus, one can imagine small communities connected by diminutive roads or trails in the dense lush forests. All of whom existed at this time in the area now known as West Virginia.

    I posit that the remains of these communities; those which possessed metal fabrication technology, and whom farmed the land in the Carboniferous period now lie buried deep inside the earth. To discover them, one must dig down deep, deep inside the bowls of the earth.

    Impossibilities

    These points must be made clear to the reader. During the Carboniferous period were numerous humanoid communities. None of them were Homo Saipan. We did not evolve until 300 million years later (give or take 25,000 years). These communities evolved over time and thus the archeological records would transcribe various technological levels to the communities. We, for example, might discover primitive hand tools, pre-industrial metal fabrications, and industrial technology all within a one million year stratum. Indeed, that is identically what future archeologists would see of humankind. That is what we view today when we unearth the ruins and remains from the Carboniferous period.

    The figurine on the bell compared to an insect.
    Could the OOPART brass hand-bell actually represent a large human-sized insect? If the bell is not a hoax, and it actually did come from a block of coal, then this can be the only conclusion possible. Either that, of course, or we need to throw out all of what know about history and the sciences. If so, and it does actually represent a large insect or creature that wears clothes, then what is the actual significance? Other than to deify a creature?

    Resembles the Mantidae

    The image as depicted on the bell handle resembles an insect that we commonly refer to as Mantises. Contemporaneously, they are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They have triangular heads with bulging eyes supported on flexible necks. Their elongated bodies may or may not have wings, but all Mantodea have forelegs that are greatly enlarged and adapted for catching and gripping prey; their upright posture, while remaining stationary with forearms folded, has led to the common name praying mantis.

    A triangular head is quite evident on the creature that is depicted on the bell handle.

    Triangular head of a Mantis.
    The mantis has a very well defined triangular shaped head with eyes at the far two corners of the triangle, with the mouth at the third corner.

    Of course, the question must be asked why would anyone want to depict a small insect; a mantis like creature, wearing a robe, with wings outstretched, and hands in prayer. Unless that creature is man-sized, much larger than what we see around us today.

    Mantis.
    The most common structural feature of the Mantis is the triangular head. Perhaps that is why they are classified as they are. Perhaps.

    Could, for what ever reason, the bell handle represent a large Mantid or insect resembling a Mantis? If so, why would it be depicted praying with clasped arms, spread out wings, on a knee, and wearing a robe? Could this bell represent a time substantially different from what we know of today; one where the insects are the dominant species?

    Mantis 3
    Another Mantis showing the very distinctive triangular head, hands that seem to be in prayer, and crouched as if on a knee. Curious, and worthy of consideration.

    Could this be a Hoax?

    Yes it could. That is always a possibility. If it is, then we must accept the idea that a ten year old boy constructed his bell himself, and for whatever reason chose not to announce to his parents that he made the bell himself. Instead he wanted to create a hoax.

    DIY

    Making your own parts is a fantastic DIY project. Nothing lasts like metal or stone does. Why not make a small statue for your friends? Heck, you can get a Barbie doll, or another doll-body and use that as your base object.

    I would suggest an introductory kit for starters. Go to “Create a Cast” and make your own.

    I like this kit because you design the sculpture at home, and mail it to them using the postage provided for in the kit. They then use their foundry to make your work of art. Pretty cool, huh?

    Now, once you made one of two castings, and maybe you want to start doing the entire process yourself by investing in a furnace and the like, you can do so. But remember, you need to start somewhere. Here is a great starting point.

    Takeaways

    • A brass hand-bell was found within a block of coal.
    • The only way that any item can be encased within coal is if it was placed there while the coal was still soft and wet organic material.
    • This dates the object to 300 million years ago.
    • Humans did not exist until around 25,000 years ago, and historic humans, not until 6,000 years ago.
    • Thus this item is an OOPART. It is an intelligently produced object that predates mankind.

    FAQ

    Q:  What is the OOPART bronze bell?
    A: It is a hand-bell, made out of bronze, that was found within a block of coal in 1944. It is considered an OOPART because the manufacture of the bell predates mankind.

    Q: What does the figurine tell us?
    A: That the user of the bell placed some sort of significance on a winged (flying) creature that had a beak or triangular face, and possessed human-like attributes such as wearing clothing, kneeling, and clasping hands.

    Q: Why is this important?
    A: The acceptance of the age of this object strongly implies that a technological civilization existed on the earth 300 million years ago. This civilization might have had arms, legs, and other human attributes, but it was NOT human.

    Q: If this bell was the product of an intelligent non-human race, 300 million years ago, then where are they now?
    A: The human species has only been around for 25,000 years, and of that, only 6,000 years has been part of our recorded history. Proto-humans date back as far as 300,000 years. Thus we could argue that entire civilizations can come and go, replete with their proto-evolutionary forms at least three times (3x) every million years. If this is indeed the case, then we could theoretically have 300 x 3 = 900 separate intelligent non-human civilization develop independently on the earth long before we (as humans) ever gained sentience.

    Q: Why are bells, especially hand-bells, made?
    A: Typically, bells, especially hand-bells, are used to call and announce things. Secondary uses include religious gatherings and as musical instruments.

    Q: Will we ever know the true story behind this OOPART object?
    A: We probably will not ever know. However, that is just fine. Sometimes the purpose of an object is to create a mystery for us to follow and learn from. Personally, I would really welcome someone gifted with Psychometry to provide us some insight into this object.

    MAJestic Related Posts – Training

    These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    How to tell...

    How to tell -2

    Top Secrets

    Sales Pitch

    Feducial Training

    Implantation

    Probe Calibration - 1

    Probe Calibration - 2

    Leaving the USA

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Secrets of the universe
    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The Hammer inside the rock.
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    Mystery of the bronze bell.
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe
    Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
    The mysterious flying contraptions.

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    How MWI allows world-line travel.
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel
    Soul is not consciousness.

    John Titor Related Posts

    Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

    They are;

    Articles & Links

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO

    Consider “the Baltic UFO”. This is an “object” that was discovered by sonar in 2011. I have to tell you, this is quite an interesting object, and the story, itself, is also quite interesting. When the story broke in 2011, the Internet was “alive” with buzz concerning the discovery of an undersea “UFO”. The interest peaked throughout the year and then slowly died off into obscurity when it was announced that nothing unusual was found under the water…

    Well, the true and real story is much more interesting and curious than what one can find today on the Internet. (Remember, the Internet is constantly being rewritten and history retold with every passing day. The reader should never forget that.)

    Indeed, a crashed object was actually found, by sonar, in the Baltic sea on June 19, 2011. It is true, and what’s more, the object had a disc shaped form (60 meters in diameter). From the sonar images it looked identical to an (typical saucer shaped) extraterrestrial UFO. Thus, people began to assume that this object was a sunken crashed mystery UFO.

    Map of the location of the Baltic Sea UFO.
    Location map for the Baltic Sea Anomaly.

    Further, a debris track and path was clearly visible on the sonar images.

    The debris field and impact path were clearly visible on the sonar images released to the public, as well as on the first initially released pictures. But yet, today this is all forgotten. It is believed that nothing lies under the sea, and that only a small cluster of rocks were found.

    What make this example of NSA cover-up so interesting is that it was completely unexpected by the NSA. Both Sonar and close up pictures were released to the Internet before a (United States government) task team could be sent to the site to acquire the wreckage. They clearly show a circular disc shaped, (aircraft sized) object, resting on the floor of the Baltic Sea. The images clearly depict a long debris field and associative carved-out track over 360 meters long.

    This amazing discovery has been “hushed up” and “repainted” as just a normal ordinary rock of no unique interest to anyone. All of the initial photographs of the object have been deleted from the Internet. The only remaining photos that can be found are the topographical sonar images of relatively low quality. What happened to them? Why are they missing? How could this happen? Are all the photographs and sonar images wrong?

    Crashed objects possess characteristics such as debris fields, crash and path marks of linear shape unless they hit a rebounding surface, (underseas) settlement fields that account for drift of submerged objects, and impact mounds. Since this object possessed all these characteristics, it is considered to be crashed.
    Debris field of the Baltic UFO object.
    Here is the original sonar scan of the “Baltic UFO object” as initially detected. It is an object, located underwater, which possesses a debris track and skid marks.

    Background

    Baltic Sea UFO infographic.
    Screenshot of an infographic when the Baltic UFO object discovery was first released.

    Let’s just start at the beginning.

    The Baltic Sea anomaly is a 60-metre (200 ft) circular formation on the floor of the Baltic Sea. It was discovered by Peter Lindberg, Dennis Åsberg and their Swedish “Ocean X” diving team in June 2011.

    The team reported that the sonar has detected a 60 meter in diameter spherical object resting on the floor of the sea. Trailing behind it was a “track” or debris field that extended for 360 meters. In addition, there were “clumps” or groups of other associated objects in the debris track suggestive of a breakup of the rear of the spherical object.

    The discovery was made on June 19, 2011 by the team during a dive in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland while searching for an old shipwreck.

    Sonar-picture-of-the-Baltic-UFO
    Here is the original sonar scan of the object resting on the sea floor under the Baltic sea. It clearly resembles a circular shaped structure.

    Upon discovery the investigation team immediately dove underwater to photograph the object. (This was done before anything was posted on the Internet.)

    What they found was not a strange rock formation, as subsequent reports have stated, but rather the presence of a [1] submerged spherical object suggestive of a “flying saucer”. It was [2] clearly circular and had a [3] curved shaped underside. There were [4] rectangular and box shaped areas that were [5] obviously removed or ejected from the rear or aft of the object upon descent. Furthermore there was the [6] presence of a “dome” or tear-drop shaped canopy on the top starboard side of the object.

    They immediately released two photographs on the Internet.

    The first [1] was the sonar scan of the object as it rested on the sea floor. It showed the object as well as the debris field and “skid” track that the object made when it “crashed”.

    The second photograph [2] was of the object itself, as taken by the divers who went down to the object to study it. While one can occasionally find photos of the sonar scan on the Internet today, it is much more difficult to find the close-up photos of the object that was released, as they keep on getting deleted from the Internet servers (!).

    In fact, I urge the reader to try to search for the original photographs on the Internet. Try it. They cannot be found.

    See the attached picture below. It is a “screen-cut” of the (first) object photo along with the associated commentary of the frustrated person who kept on trying to repost to the Internet. Every time he posted the photo to the Internet, it would “mysteriously” get deleted.

    Very first photo as posted on the Internet of the Baltic UFO.
    This is the true initial photo that was placed on the Internet that raised all the consternation with the United States government. They immediately kept pulling it off the Internet. It became so problematic that UFO enthusiast commented on their inability to keep this photo on line. This picture is a screen capture of the original photo along with the UFO enthusiast’s commentary concerning it.

    Now, just WHY would the photo be constantly deleted off the Internet? After all, there is no such thing as a UFO. Right?

    It’s just a normal event that is misunderstood by the observer. Right?

    Well, lucky for us, there are actually photos of the object that you can readily find. Why, my goodness, just look at the “approved” and released photos. Hum. Big change from the initial photo release.

    Here is what we are expected to believe the object actually looks like;

    Baltic UFO as currently seen today.
    This picture clearly shows the site as it looks today. There just simply isn’t any kind of disk shaped object, whether it be rock or spacecraft there. All that remains at that site is a circular pile of rocks and debris of where a disc shaped object once lay. Where did it go? Who took it? Why did they take it? Why is the United States government so intent in keeping the story behind this object so secret?

    History Rewritten

    A comparison of the two photos above tells the entire story. The first picture to the left is the original photo of the object as first found. This photo was released to the Internet and disseminated quickly. But every time it was posted or re-posted, it would be deleted. This is the object that was discovered in the Baltic sea. Note that it is indeed spherical and appears to have a curved underside body that is apparently resting on the silt.

    The photo next to it is the “official” post-NSA version of the wreckage. Obviously there isn’t any object there. All that remains is just an odd and simple rock formation. The formation looks like a ring of stones with a circular central area devoid of debris. The point is that the two photos are the same place. The second photo show the area with the apparent UFO-shaped object removed. All that a person can see is the circular debris field that surrounds where the object once lay.

    Obviously someone came and removed the object because it is no longer there.

    Commentary

    Through the control of the Internet, the government has rewritten history. They have make access to most of the original photos of the object impossible to procure. Thus the only things that can be found are what the government wants the population to believe. Their now official story is that the objects are but a simple natural rock formation of no significance in any way. Thus, through control of the Internet, media and history, people are now convinced that the Baltic UFO was just a misidentified rock formation.

    In a like manner; the professional divers, the professional archeologists, the professional sonar operators and the professional photographers who were on the investigative team onboard the boat were all wrong. They made “honest” mistakes. They could not tell the difference between a scattered pile of rocks and a large saucer shaped object. They did not have the necessary skill to make accurate judgements as to what the object was.

    The Actual Story

    What happened is that, for reasons entirely unclear, the United States has taken it upon itself to hide all information related to extraterrestrial technology, or unexplainable events, even if it is outside the United States sphere of influence.

    The pure truth , and the reason why this example is so special, is because the release of this information and information to the Internet was an unexpected surprise. The immediate reaction by the NSA was to procure ( and then investigate) the object, and rewrite the history surrounding its discovery. The information however, was already irreversibly released, still had to be suppressed. The (MAJestic) acquisition team went out to the site, and had numerous meetings with the owner of the ship and crew that discovered this anomaly. A combination of [1] substantial cash incentives along with [2] time-honed scare tactics was able to suppress any further release of information, and rewrite the discovery into a more conventional explanation.

    Obviously a “weather balloon” or “swamp gas” explanation was not a suitable conventional explanation. Instead, the official explanation became one of an “unusual” pile of rocks.

    Some interesting links…

    Using a technique known as Infrared Spectroscopy,  a sample taken from the anomaly by one of the divers was brought back  and then subsequently sent for analysis to the Weizmann institute in  Israel. The results are very unexpected indeed. The results  indicate  that a piece which was from the circle anomaly is made of Limonite and Goethite. These materials are part of the  Iron oxides/hydroxide family – “that it is metal” and that “these materials would most likely to be found in a modern construction”. 

    Currently

    As it stands today, this object has been “officially” identified as an unusual geologic formation. Mysterious in the way the known geologic process might have caused it to be formed, but not at all associated with extraterrestrial aircraft of any type. All investigations and analysis of this object are through samples, and images provided by NSA front organizations. No purely independent investigations are involved with this object at this time.

    “It’s not obviously an alien spacecraft. It’s not made of metal.”
    - Peter Lindberg

    Currently, one can search the Internet for information on this object. There one will find a great deal of analysis and discussions on the samples provided by the NSA. But not one of the discussions and the samples are the originals as obtained directly, and independently from the site itself. What is provided, instead, are the “approved” photos and samples as provided by “official” sources. The NSA writes the reports. The NSA controls and disseminates all the samples. The NSA rewrites and modifies the histories published on the Internet.

    This is how the NSA and their MAJestic umbrella controls the dissemination of information that it wants suppressed.

    It works. Today, the “Baltic Sea anomaly” refers to “interpretations of an indistinct sonar image“. It does not refer to actual photographs of a disc shaped object lying on the ocean floor.

    Baltic Sea anomaly. (Redirected from Baltic Sea UFO) The Baltic Sea anomaly refers to interpretations of an indistinct sonar image taken by Peter Lindberg, Dennis Åsberg and their Swedish "Ocean X" diving team while treasure hunting on the floor of the northern Baltic Sea at the center of the Bothnian Sea in June 2011.
    
    -Wikipedia

    Takeaways

    • An object was discovered under the water in the Baltic sea.
    • The object had the shape of a conventionally understood “extraterrestrial source” UFO.
    • The discovers posted detailed photos and sonar scans of the object on the Internet.
    • The detailed photos were taken down, and it is nearly impossible to find them on the Internet today.
    • Someone removed the object from where it was found.
    • Once the object was removed, photos of the empty debris field was posted on the Internet.
    • Today, the Baltic UFO is considered a trivial misunderstanding of a discovery of some normal rocks on the sea floor.

    FAQ

    Q: What is the Baltic UFO?
    A: It is a large saucer shaped object that left a long crash skid mark and debris field. It was found under the Baltic sea in 2011.

    Q: Is the object actually a UFO?
    A: No. It is called a UFO simply because it resembles a saucer-shaped UFO.

    Q: Who moved the object?
    A: That is unknown. However, the person or organization that did so had the financial resources to do so, and the political pull to erase and rewrite history. It certainly seems to be the work of elements of the United States government. If so, then the hand of the NSA could possibly be at work. I cannot positively state that it was MAJestic. However, I am sure that some elements of MAJestic might have been aware of the effort.

    Q: Why was the object moved?
    A: There are two reasons. [1] To reverse engineer, study and record the object. [2] To keep all knowledge of extraterrestrial technology, and events secret from the general populace.

    Q: What is the statist explanation of the Baltic UFO?
    A: It’s just a normal pile of “everyday” rocks on the bottom of the seafloor.

    MAJestic Related Posts – Training

    These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    How to tell...
    How to tell -2
    Top Secrets
    Sales Pitch
    Feducial Training
    Implantation
    Probe Calibration - 1
    Probe Calibration - 2
    Leaving the USA

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Secrets of the universe
    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The Hammer inside the rock.
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    Mystery of the bronze bell.
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe
    Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
    The mysterious flying contraptions.

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    How MWI allows world-line travel.
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel
    Soul is not consciousness.

    John Titor Related Posts

    Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

    They are;

    Articles & Links

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    The Fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls

    There is evidence of an extraterrestrial presence all around us. All we need to do is look at what we see with new eyes. Indeed, the earth has been visited many, many times over huge spans of time; hundreds of millions of years. We have evidence of buildings, constructions, debris, interaction(s), and ruins.

    Today, I would like to concentrate on the discovery of the remains of a fuselage embedded deep within the sandstone rock of Victoria Falls.

    Of course, the statists don’t consider this anything other than naturally formed rocks. After all, the argument goes, humans are the most advanced species in the entire universe. It has always been that way, and it will always be that way. Anyone who thinks differently is just a simpleton.

    Don’t ya know…

    More reasonable people suspend judgement. They recognize that a mystery is exactly that; it is a mystery. They understand that nothing ever fits “nicely” in a set easy-to-label box. They understand that there are things older than us, that there are mysteries that are suggestive of technologies beyond our comprehension. To them, rather than labeling something “solved” with a nice “pat” answer, they label it as an OOPART and hope that someday, someone will be able to illuminate the truth behind the objects in question.

    Enter Metallicman…

    Here we get to shine some clarity on this mystery, based on other things that are understood within MAJestic.

    Crash Debris

    This relic is what I like to refer to as “crash debris” or if not precisely vehicular in nature, then “ruins in isolation” that I am sure had an interesting history.

    It is considered an OOPART; an “out of place artifact” simply because it is “inconceivable” that anything was able to design, fabricate, assemble, train, fly, and crash a vehicle hundreds of millions of years before proto-proto-humans ever set foot on the earth. Humans have only been in possession of a written language for 6,000 years. While there have been various evolutionary stages of humans, it’s contemporaneously understood that the most significant contributions of humans has only been within the last 2,000 years.

    Humans are, the statist belief goes, the smartest and most capable beings in the entirety of the universe. Anything that suggest otherwise is inconceivable.

    It is simply, and in every other way, inconceivable.

    It is inconceivable.
    Truly, what is written herein is just inconceivable. It just doesn’t match anything that is customarily associated with reason or understanding. It is far too outrageous for the typical reader. It is all fantasy. For, if humans don’t have the technology to do something, no one does.

    Some History

    Victoria Fall is Scotland today.
    Victoria Falls in Scotland. It is a nice waterfall formation that is lush and is a great place to visit with friends and family.

    On June 13, 1880, a reporter for the Inverness Courier named Walter Carruthers was vacationing near Loch Maree and Victoria Falls, in Scotland.  We can well imagine that he went on various walks and climbs. The area is very scenic and is a great place to walk, smell the air and explore. Being an amateur rock hunter (like my brother) he decided to explore the geology of the area.

    During the day he went into the surrounding countryside and collected stones of personal interest to him.  After a while he went towards waterfall in the area; Victoria Falls.  Between 300 and 400 yards above Victoria Falls (the part were the water tumbled down the cliff), and immediately beside the last of the three lesser falls on the west side of the stream, Carruthers noticed peculiar impressions in the rock there.  These impressions were obviously not natural.  Indeed, and most perplexing; the rock was a 16 x 16-foot exposed surface of Torridon Red Sandstone, dated to the Cambrian age.

    In geology, the term Torridonian is the informal name for the Torridonian Supergroup, a series of Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic arenaceous and argillaceous sedimentary rocks, which occur extensively in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland.
    Map of the Victoria Falls region in Scotland.
    Overhead view of the Victoria Falls region in Scotland. It’s a beautiful area and well worth a visit.

    The Discovery

    The impressions consisted of two continuous flat bands side by side.  They were about 1.375 inches wide and about 0.25 inch deep.  They ran in a  unnaturally straight line through the flat layers of sandstone in situ.  This was perfectly distinct for 16 feet, disappearing on the west side under the superimposed rock, and broken only where portions of the sandstone had been weathered out.

    A few weeks later the curious “bands” were also observed by a colleague of Carruthers;  Mr. William Jolly.  He wanted an expert opinion from an authority in the region. Mr. William Jolly was exactly that. He was Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools for the region.  He was specifically invited to observe the curious feature and offer his opinions.

    Carruthers had thought the impressions to have been the creation of some highly unusual living creature, but Jolly recorded that;

    "the continuous even breadth and square section of the bands would seem to render this impossible."

    Jolly further noted,

    "The double band resembles nothing more nearly than the hollow impression that would be left by double bars of iron placed closely together."

    Iron Bars Placed Close Together

    Clearly, the expert at the time, Mr. Jolly felt that this was exactly what it appeared to be. He believed that the evidence was strongly suggestive of double bars of iron placed closely together in parallel.

    Jolly’s observation was corroborated years later when micro-specks of iron oxide were taken from the impression cavities.

    So, low and behold, the forms were actually made by some form of iron. Now, the reader should note that iron is not naturally pure. it comes from iron ore. Thus, the irons bars were [1] smelted from iron ore, and [2] formed into bars, and [3] obviously alloyed with something to make them useful, that were [4] placed evenly and exactly. Further, somehow, they [5] managed to find themselves embedded within rock and stone that is (around) 640 million years old.

    Since it is inconceivable that this could have been smelted, fabricated, assembled, arranged, placed long before proto-proto-humans ever walked the earth, other solutions must be presented. Always a cautious man, Mr. Jolly offered some ideas on what they could actually be.

    Alternative Speculations

    The superintendent thought, however, that perhaps the iron bands had at one time been inserted into the rock, “to clasp some structure to it”. It seems like a reasonable explanation.  Metal, particuliarly steels, are often embedded within stone and rock to mount other structures to them. We see this all over the world.

    Unfortunately, other findings discount this.

    1. First, the bands occur high above the Falls in an almost totally inaccessible place, where a “structure” would serve little purpose.
    2. Second, the bands are only one-quarter of an inch deep, so that anything “clasped” to them would not hold for long.
    3. Third, parallel on either side of each band are tin-like ripple marks in the sandstone, indicating the presence of the original iron bands had caused turbulence patterns in the sand during the time the sand had been laid down by water, and before it had turned to stone.
    4. Fourth, the sandstone in the impressions show tiny striations which are really the preserved grain marks of the iron – again, indicating the metal had been impressed in the primordial sand, before solidification took place.
    5. And finally, fifth, one portion of one of the bands bends back into the subsurface, and careful excavation revealed the presence of iron oxide totally encased by the surrounding sandstone.  Thus the (partially complete) actual original iron band was actually found inside the rock where the band bent inward.

    Other Evidence

    The expert, Mr. Jolly, also found other band impressions in the same locality:

    1. There is a third band that runs alongside the other two, but is much less distinct and is not continuous.
    2. Two more lines, about 2 feet lower down on the rock surface, are only 7 feet long, and two more are higher up, running 3 feet long.
    3. Jolly also saw still more bands on an outcropping of the same sandstone on the other side of the stream, again parallel to one another – one 3 feet, another 6 feet.
    4. He also found smaller portions of several others nearby.
    The Victoria Falls OOPART layout.
    The Victoria Falls OOPART as discovered. All elements from the debris site are not shown. Only the aspects relative to this article are shown.

    Suggested Layout

    All of this suggests a number of broken sections of panel with supporting iron alloy bands evenly spaced.  The panel had apparently broken up in numerous places and the parts all lay near each other in disarray.  Upon the corrosive activity of time, the panel disappeared, leaving the supporting rib members to tell the story of what once must have been the side of a vehicle or wall panel of some sort.

    What other purposes these iron bands served, we can only guess.

    What we do know, however, is that all the bands were very uniform in width and thickness, with squared edges, and the grain marks they left indicate they were rolled and cut – all of which points to precision manufacturing by machine production.

    There are numerous constructions that employ square cross sectional tubing. These include such things as fences, specialized mechanical and processing equipment, and vehicle walls (marine and aviation). From an engineering point of view, there are many structural reasons for incorporating long transverse bars to strengthen walls in vehicles. That is why they are used in both marine ships and aircraft (and spacecraft) contemporaneously.

    Vehiles always utilize walls that are reinforced with long cross members.
    This photo is of a 747 showing the cross section during demolition at a scrap yard. The transverse bars used to strengthen the walls are clearly indicated. It is possible that the Victoria Falls debris came from some vehicle similar in wall cross section as this.

    By reading this report, I have come to imagine what the area must have looked like when the iron fabrications were still intact.  I have come to the conclusion that numerous structures were lying on the sandy ground at that time. They all possessed long frames constructed of steel (and iron alloy containing small amounts of carbon by percentage).

    These constructions, whether they were part of a construction site, or portion of wreckage, is unknown.  But clearly, the impressions were made by the heaviest items deposited in the sand at that time.  Given the possible location of the geology, it seems to me that the anomalous items found are but a sandy impression of washed up flotsam on an ancient Cambrian beach.

    As such, since Iron or steel is heavy, the impression is supportive of a large panel or bulkhead with metal reinforced ribbing.  For that is the only way the metal bars could have been washed up on to the beach.  It would need a large surface area to keep the heavy metal rods buoyant. The panel itself has long since disappeared, but the heavy ribbing has survived in the impressions in the sand.

    Formation of Sandstone

    "Sandstone forms over the course of centuries, as deposits of sand accumulate in rivers, lakes or on the ocean floor, and the sand blends with calcite or quarts and then undergoes compression. After enough time goes by, the pressure pushes all of these elements together to create sandstone. Because not all sand is identical but instead comes in a variety of colors and grain textures, each formation has a unique appearance."
    
    -How is Sandstone Formed

    The forms in question, the rocks of Victoria Falls, were formed by the buildup of beach sand over many millions of years. As things were washed up by the ocean currents of that time, they became encased within the sand, and eventually buried within it.

    Over time the metals rusted away leaving only the impressions made by the thickest and heaviest parts. The cavities made by thin wall sections would have collapsed many millions of years ago and there would be no trace of them today.

    We do know that when the debris settled in place, that water splashed upon the surfaces of it. The impressions of the erosion and paths of water were at once clearly evident all around the impressions. This tells us that the debris was influenced by the water borne movement of sand on a shore.

    Example of a modern day fuseladge.
    Here is a section of fuselage found around the midway islands. It is approximately 75 years old. I contend that the remains might have looked something like this prior to compete corrosion.

    What the Sandstone can tell us

    Like any good forensic detective, we can identify the environment of the rocks to tell us a little about the history of the objects in question. The following insights are from ThoughtCo

    • The sand grains in sandstone give information about the past:
    The presence of feldspar and lithic grains means that the sediment is close to the mountains where it arose.
    
    Detailed studies of sandstone give insight into its provenance—the kind of countryside that produced the sand.
    
    The degree to which the grains are rounded is a sign of how far they were transported.
    
    A frosted surface is generally a sign that sand was transported by wind—that, in turn, means a sandy desert setting.
    • Various features in sandstone are signs of the past environment:
    Ripples can indicate the local water currents or wind directions.
    
    Load structures, sole marks, rip-up clasts and similar features are fossil footprints of ancient currents.
    
    Liesegang bands are signs of chemical action after burial of the sand.
    • The layers, or bedding, in sandstone are also signs of the past environment:
    Turbidite sequences point to a marine setting.
    
    Crossbedding (truncated, tilted sandstone layering) is a rich source of information on currents.
    
    Interbeds of shale or conglomerate may indicate episodes of different climate.

    Using this information, we can infer that the impressions were made by some object that was washed up on a sandy shore, that later became hard sandstone. We can tell that the object displaced the movement of the water in such a way that the wave and water washed in and around the heavier sections of the object. This gives us the impression that the heavier bars were attached to a lighter section that is no longer obvious to us.

    To understand how the sand at a beach would eventually turn into a rocky outcrop and a water fall, we need to take a look at the time when that rock was formed.

    The Cambrian Age

    "The Ediacaran and Cambrian periods witnessed a phase of morphological innovation in animal evolution unrivaled in metazoan history, yet the proximate causes of this body plan revolution remain decidedly murky. 
    
    The grand puzzle of the Cambrian explosion surely must rank as one of the most important outstanding mysteries in evolutionary biology. 
    
    Evidence of early representatives of all the major animal phyla first appear abruptly in the Cambrian (starting 542 million years ago). 
    
    This spectacular morphological diversity contrasts strongly with Precambrian deposits, which have yielded a sparse fossil record with small, morphologically ambiguous trace fossils or the enigmatic but elegant creatures of the Ediacaran fauna. Following the Cambrian, despite a rich fossil record that documents impressive morphological diversification among animals, no new body plans have been revealed, leaving the Cambrian as the apparent crucible of metazoan body plan innovation."
    
    -Creation / Evolution Headlines

    The rocks and strata are highly suggestive that the remains date from the Cambrian period. That is a very long time ago. In fact, it is around 541–485.4 million years ago. (Let’s simply refer to the date as 540 million years ago.) At that time, the earth was mostly ocean. The continents were, as we can best tell,  centered around the south pole. Leaving a comfortable bulk of the world covered by ocean.

    The earth was, at that time, a ocean world with some notable mini-continents.

    The earth during the Cambrian period.
    The earth at the time of the cambrian was of a mostly ocean covered world. The major land mass was centered at the South pole.

    It was a mild time. The overall world weather was rather mild. There wasn’t any glaciation.  The various landmasses present at that time were scattered about. (This all was a result of the fragmentation of the super-continent Rodinia that had existed in the late Proterozoic.)

    There were a number of (more or less) significant landmasses. Though, most of the of the continents were joined together to form the super-continent Gondwana

    The Cambrian map at around 500 Ma.
    A map of the Cambrian at around 500 Ma. The world was mostly an ocean covered world with mild climates, calm seas, no glaciers or ice covered poles. The land masses were mostly devoid of life. The oceans, however, were teeming with life. (Image Source.)

    Prior to the Cambrian, the earth was not at all like we would assume it to be. It consisted of a very lively aquatic biosphere, and a terribly barren terrestrial land biosphere. The land masses were all barren and devoid of most life.

    There were no animals. There were no insects. There were no flowers. There were no trees, nor grasses. There might have been a moss or two about, but that was about it. The differences between the two biospheres were too extreme. Nothing in the aquatic biosphere could breach the shore and make it’s way onto land.

    Then suddenly something happened…

    The Cambrian Explosion

    This period of time; the Cambrian Period, was a very important point in the history of life on Earth. It was notable in that it was the time when animals first began to appear. This event is sometimes called the “Cambrian Explosion,” because of the relatively short time that the animals began to appear.

    It was around a half a billion years ago. (I would say that 540 million years is pretty close to half a billion years.) Now, this is a very, very long time ago.

    Prior to this time, most life came from the seas and oceans. There, the life grew and flourished. However it took some time for the life to leave the shores. At that time the oceans were teeming with life. There were jellyfish, marine creatures of all shapes and sizes and fishes. Yet the land was barren except for some life near the coasts.

    Then SUDDENLY, out of the blue, life began to appear. It wasn’t that it started to appear from zero to full and dense populations. No. Instead, when we refer to life appearing; we actually are referring to “life appearing on land”.

    You see, up until the Cambrian period, the earth consisted of two completely separate biospheres. There was the [1] aquatic biosphere, and there was [2] the land biosphere. They were independent and distinct. Fish did not walk on the land, no shellfish climbed up on the hot rocks near the water. No life was on the land.

    The [1] aquatic biosphere was relatively easy to start early life within. It was a crucible. We know, now today, that when you have water and heat, you can generally generate microorganisms.  Over time they can increase in number and diversify.

    The [2] land biosphere was something different. There just wasn’t any kind of crucible or nursery for the growth or evolution of land life. The only way that this could occur was through transport from the [1] aquatic biosphere. That could not happen.

    There was no mechanism to ignite life on the barren soil of the [2] land biosphere.

    A Need for Tides

    The time immediately before the Cambrian period is suggestive of a period when there just wasn’t any moon present. The earth sat alone without any large orbiting bodies. As a result, there were no tides and no waves. The ocean was a large still body. The only movement on the water was through the sea and ocean currents and the climate at the time.

    Tides are created when a large planetary body is near another planetary body. This can be like the moon orbiting the earth, or more commonly, like a planet in close orbit around a red dwarf or class K star. The gravitation of the nearby body causes the liquid on the neighboring planet to move. This in turn, causes tides that ebb and flow. It causes periods of wet and dry surfaces where creatures from the [1] aquatic biosphere can evolve to move to a [2] land biosphere. Indeed, large planetary masses are necessary for biological evolution.

    Large planetary masses are necessary for biological evolution.

    The moon influences the tides of our earth.
    The moon works with the sun to create tides. The tides create movement of the world’s oceans. This causes a rise and fall of water. This exposes aquatic creatures to brief periods outside the water. The creatures evolve, and eventually leave the aquatic environment.

    I contend, for many reasons not listed here, that the moon was “placed” in orbit around the earth during the Cambrian. This placement created an environment that was friendly for the evolution and porting of life from the [1] aquatic biosphere to the [2] land biosphere.

    • I would suggest any one interested in following this “theory” further, please read my blog post about The Hollow Moon.
    • It also explains WHY there was a sudden and rapid “Cambrian Explosion“.

    Beginnings of Land-based lifeforms

    Indeed, there is strong evidence that numerous softshelled Ediacaran organisms ventured onto land during the Cambrian. In so doing they produced the trace fossils Protichnites and Climactichnites . These trace fossils are not of any specific creature, but rather the tracks made by them when they ventured forth in the sand. These tracks indicated that they had legs, tails, and perhaps some kind of articulated arms or claws.

    Sketch of an euthycarcinoid.
    Sketch of an euthycarcinoid. The top left (the left front) is removed to show the inner construction. This was a soft shell creature that was able to leave the seas and venture on land.
    Protichnites is an ichnogenus of trace fossil consisting of the imprints made by the walking activity of certain arthropods. It consists of two rows of tracks and a medial furrow between the two rows. This furrow, which may be broken, set at an angle, and of varying width and depth, is thought to be the result of the tail region contacting the substrate.

    Fossil evidence suggests that euthycarcinoids, an extinct group of arthropods, produced at least some of the Protichnites.

    Tracks of euthycarcinoids.
    Climactichnites are the tracks of euthycarcinoids (we think). Because these creatures were soft-shelled, we have no idea what they actually looked like.

    Fossils of the maker of Climactichnites have not been found; however, fossil track-ways (see above) and resting traces suggest a large, slug-like mollusk. Probably with a soft caprice or shape that is not readily mineralized. One should imagine a large (football sized) slug that looked a little like a “potato bug” but without a shell; crawling along the sand with gecko like speed.

    Climactichnites is an enigmatic, trace fossil of a slug-like organism, thought to have moved by crawling to on-shore surfaces, or near-shore, or burrowing into the sediment.

    I personally like to consider these creatures proto-trilobite creatures.

    Life in The Cambrian

    At that time, we can well imagine that the world was  just beginning to experience the gravitational effects of a nearby moon. The contents began to migrate over time, and the effects of the tides began to result in the movement of sea life onto land. At that time, life began to form near the oceans and the rivers.

    The oceans, of course were well populated with life. Reefs, coral, and sea life were in abundance.  The first early life on the land masses were just starting. This would include such things as early ferns, mosses and basic plants. Simple land creatures became dominant, of which my personal favorites, the trilobites became abundant.

    Some trilobites under the water doing trilobite stuff.
    Some Cambrian trilobites on the shallow seas. Their legs enabled them to scurry about under the sea. Then when the moon started the movement of tides, the trilobites began to move about on the coast. They were one of the first species to move on land from the aquatic biosphere. (Image Source.) BTW, I would strongly advise the reader to visit the amazing artwork of this artist in Deviantart; go HERE.
    "Trilobites are one of the few major groups of organisms that span themajority of the Paleozoic Era. The greatest numbers of trilobite speciesoccurred during the Cambrian and Ordovician periodsafter which trilobiteextinction trends exceeded radiation events."
    
    -Trilobite Geological Time Scale
    I have always had a special place in my heart for these little guys. I like to think of them as what the first hardly life looked like when ambulatory creatures started to leave the [1] aquatic biosphere and enter the (off limits) [2] land biosphere. They were tiny things. In a lot of ways, sort of like a non-insect version of the cockroach.
     
    They were a hardy and long lived species.
     
    They ranged in size from small insect-size “Potato bug” appearing creatures to larger ones that look like large tail-less horseshoe crabs. Some species became rather large. As shown here…
     
    The trilobites could get awfully large. Yikes!
    The trilobites could get very large. Here is a very nice graphic of some of the larger of this species. (Image Source.) The website is one of the BEST sources for trilobite information. I would strongly suggest the reader visit it.

    The Presence of the Moon Changed Everything

    In contrast to later periods, the Cambrian fauna was somewhat more restricted; indeed free-floating organisms such as jellyfish were actually rare during this time. This was quite unlike the earlier era where there were large swarms of jellyfish, in many sizes (including super-jumbo).

    Those earlier life forms that did survive ended up living on or close to the sea floor. Due to catastrophic events that affected the native life forms, mineralizing animals became rarer than in future periods. This was due, in part, to the unfavorable ocean chemistry prevalent at the time.

    One of the mysteries of the Cambrian is why there was a jump in the concentration of sulphate in the world's oceans. However, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Canfield and Farquhar attribute the rise in sulphate to the onset of bioturbidity. 
    
    Or in other words, the burrowing, sluicing, pumping and mixing caused by masses of worms, clams, crustaceans and other animals that began to appear around this time in Earth's history. 
    
    Personally, I sit amusedly on the sidelines on this argument. I think all the theories are quite interesting, though a bit over my head. I graciously leave the arguments to those scientists that are far better versed to make these determinations than I am.

    The Big Picture

    With all this being said, let me color in the situation as I understand it to be. Please stick with me as it will sound absolutely outrageous.

    Inconceivable!
    The way things actually are has no bearing on what everyone thinks. In most cases, what everyone things is absolutely and positively in error. Many times it is based on assumptions that are flat out WRONG. Thus, when someone is exposed to the possibilities of truth, they recoil back in horror and dismay.

    If this is too much for your sensibilities, I would suggest you put on some Robin Trower, King Crimson, Yes, Traffic, Gentle Giant, Stone Temple Pilots, or Led Zeppelin.  Chill out. Listen to the music for a spell. Break the hold of contemporaneous knowledge and assumptions. Just break it. Realize that we grow and change. Change is good. We need to see where we can from to understand what we are doing were we are today.

    Ediacaran Earth

    Around 600 million years ago, the earth was a planet that held great promise. This was the Ediacaran period (630 million years ago).  The reader must understand that at this time the Earth was a bare and desolate place. Our solar system was mostly free of the huge dust disks and debris field of the earlier 2 to 3 billion years. (Although most of the dust and debris dissipated within the first billion years or so, there were elements of concern for at least a billion years later.)

    Our star had matured during that time and became much more stable. But stability is a relative thing; the earth was cooling down. The core and mantle were settling down. Indeed, the surface of the earth was cooling and a thick gaseous envelope of various dusty gasses surrounded it.

    Outside the Earth, the other rocky planets were also beginning to cool down and life was just beginning to form in the most unlikely of places. This included the smoggy Mars, and Venus, as well as some of the larger moons of Jupiter (because Jupiter was somewhat closer to the Sun then as it is today).

    It showed promise.

    Ediacaran Life

    Now, the reader should well understand, the earth was a pretty barren world, but the oceans were teaming with all sorts of life. It was a jellyfish world. There was a great diversity of, and sizable numbers of, all sort of soft skinned creatures who roamed the oceans.

    The oceans provided the environment that was a common crucible for naturally evolved life.

    It was during this time that the (so called) Ediacaran biota flourished. Then the world consisted of very large and shallow seas. These shallow seas permitted the growth of various simple organisms. Simple trace fossils of possible worm-like creatures; known as the Trichophycus became common, as well as the very first sponges and trilobitomorphs (the early ancestors of trilobites).

    The creatures of the earth at this time were simple in design and structure. They were the earliest naturally evolving creatures of the earth and consisted of very simple proto-fungi and very simple proto-creatures.

    At this time there were no insects, birds, or even flowers. The earth was a land of proto-fungi and small simple creatures. The reader should consider the land at this time to be rather bare and rocky, with the earliest fungi and simple creatures clustering around the shorelines.

    Now, just because the earth had native and naturally evolved life in the oceans, does not necessarily mean that it would be a viable candidate for long term habitation and perhaps colonization. Many planets go through stages of evolution that eventually die out. (This is due to many causes.)

    Contrary to what you might see on a Hollywood movie or read in a science fiction story, there are many planetary and solar system influences that affect who we are. Migration to other planets in other places is not as easy as the Star Wars movie franchise might give the impression of.

    Enter the Progenitors

    Other species, much older and technically advanced, saw promise in our solar system. I said “promise”, I did not say “perfect environment”. Yah, the star was warmer and more energetic than most of the (at that time) known inhabited solar systems, but it possessed a singular world that could be brought into the fold with some planetary modifications.

    The creatures, we can call them “The Progenitors” for now,  decided to do what they had done on other similar solar systems. They decided to re-engineer the solar system to increase the potential for naturally evolved intelligence’s.

    They, using their advanced technologies, moved the moon and placed it in orbit around the earth.

    It is inconceivable.
    It is absolutely, positively, undeniably, and in every other way, inconceivable.

    The Earth gets a Moon

    At a time, around 540 Million years ago, plus of minus 20 million years or so, the presence of the moon created the Cambrian explosion where life began to exist upon the barren landmasses of earth. The moon did not suddenly come into being. It entered orbit with long elliptical swings coming close to the surface of the earth and then swinging away from it. This period of orbital instability lasted millions of years.

    There is evidence, of course considered to be outrageous and inconceivable, that the moon was purposely relocated into a perfectly circular orbit to support (and improve) the habitability of the earth. At that time, there were all sorts of support vehicles and craft that assisted in this effort.

    During the movement of the moon, there was a great deal of vehicular traffic in and around the earth.

    One of these vehicles had an accident and the debris washed up on a sandy beach shore. It eventually was buried by the sand and turned into sandstone. When discovered it became a much overlooked OOPART.

    It became our Victoria Falls OOPART.

    The Extraterrestrial Narrative

    “Americans Can’t Handle The Truth.”
    
    -George Bush Senior On UFOs. In October 2015, a man asked former President Bush if he had any information on UFO’s and extraterrestrial life.  The man that asked the question has been identified as Adam Guelch, an active member of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), which credits itself as being the world’s oldest and largest UFO phenomenon investigative body.

    Now, the reader should well recognize that everything stated here is my own opinion. Officially, there are no extraterrestrials. The United States has no relationship with any of them simply because they don’t exist. Therefore there really isn’t a need for any kind of secret organization in support of that relationship. Don’t you know…

    However, were they to exist…

    1. They would have achieved spaceflight capability billions of years before our solar system solidified into rocky planets. (Our solar system is only 4.5 billion years old, while our universe is around 15 billion years old.)
    2. They would have had enough time to fully explore this galaxy. (At least 6 billion years, if you assume that it took them four billion years to evolve during the first generation of stars. We are now at the fourth generation of stars, in case you were not aware.)
    3. As such, they would have settled and cultivated this galaxy to suit their needs.
    4. They would have developed their technologies on a grand scale.
    5. The movement of planets to improve the habitability of specific regions would be within their grasp and ability.
    6. As with any and all species, accidents and mistakes can and do happen.
    7. We can see, detect, and observe some of these mistakes around us. All we need do is listen close enough to what the stones at our feet are trying to say.

    However, this is all speculation. Don’t you know.

    “Not every discovery has been announced.”
    
    — Dr. Farouk El Baz, NASA scientist.

    Summary

    There are ruins and debris suggestive of intelligent manufacture all around us. By looking at it with new eyes, we can add it to a collection of other things that we know. Thus, based on some pretty broad assumptions, we can compile some theories that describe answers to our reality.

    The Victoria Falls artifact is one such object.

    • A vehicle crashed or broke up in the oceans of the Cambrian.
    • Fuselage debris washed up on the sandy beaches of what is now Scotland.
    • Over millions of years, the debris became encased in sandstone.

    As such, let it be understood that…

    • The time associated with the accident is associated with the Cambrian explosion.
    • The time of the accident is associated with the general time period where the moon entered earth’s orbit.

    An Adventure Trip

    One reader decided to take a trip out to the falls to see the oopart up close first hand. This is her story...

    Hi MM

    Thought I would share our expedition to discover the oopart at Victoria Falls as mentioned in your article.

    One article I had overlooked, thinking that Victoria Falls related to Africa not Scotland,  so a recent read about the fuselage fuelled our interest and now that lockdown is easing in Scotland, time to travel north (merely over an hour or so away from home!) 

    Wow, it turned into an epic adventure!

    Off we go in the camper, heading through the ancient landscape of Torridon and along Loch Maree to the car park at Victoria Falls.  Members of the party included me and my partner and our elderly collie who made a phenomenal effort through the tangled and thick vegetation which grows around the bed of the river above the falls – horsetails, heather, birch and rowan, long grasses, woodrush and the company of dragonflies.

    First afternoon we clambered over deadwood, fallen trees and all with our beloved dog who has a partially paralysed back leg disappearing in the undergrowth.  We searched the riverbed up from the falls until we reached a hydro station which seemed abandoned, with powerlines trailing in the river. 

    It is here that we abandoned project, and my partner took a walk further upstream to look, while I waited with our tired collie.

    Nothing was particularly visible to us apart from the noticeable changes at the side of the bank where the hydro station stood – this was approx. 300 to 400 yards up from the falls.  So we returned to the camper and had a refreshment and then I went back for another look further upstream past a deer fence and explored the river up there (photos incl.)  This was high above the falls now and it was spectacular with the rocks and small falls plunging down, a female red deer disturbed by my presence ran uphill.

    So we abandoned the project, went down to Loch Maree where we camped at Slattadale, and vowed to take another look in the morning.  Midges were ferocious but the setting overlooking Slioch is spectacular so we hung out by the lochside as long as we could.

    In the morning, we returned to the falls and our dog refused to go!  So my partner went back by himself armed with the camera, and walked from the top of the falls up the river bed 300 to 400 yards and more. At this point is the disused hydro and approximately 70 yards of the west bank have been built out with large boulders covering the bedrock.

    So our assumption is sadly that the oopart may be buried under the boulders on the west bank where the hydro site is.  We researched a little about the hydro and found it was built late 80’s and abandoned for a new project with a greater MW further downstream below the falls.  We can’t help but wonder if the building of this old hydro on possibly the very site of the oopart might have been intentional to conceal it.  But this obviously is unprovable.  It seemed to us more than a coincidence that the hydro now abandoned was deliberately placed.

    Thank you for your article as it encouraged us to have a wilderness adventure and a great time had, although disappointed not to be sharing the oopart pictures with you – and certainly sad for Scotland loosing a significant piece of prehistory yet again.

    I enclose some pics for you
    all the best

    Anonymous Jane

    RFQ

    I would really appreciate a field trip to Victoria Falls to take pictures of the various objects and features. I would really like to see samples of the iron oxide, and to have a chemical analysis conducted of it. I would welcome a study of that entire area to see if there were any other elements of debris that could tell us much more than what has been handled down to us.

    To me, a forensic study of this area might tell us some very interesting things.

    But, then again, you can follow the statist explanation. It’s nothing. It’s just a natural formation, and the grooves are just geological fracture lines, or paths made by some kind of long extinct animal… that shit out iron oxide.

    What ever makes your boat float. You define your reality. If you want to live a nice settled comfortable lie, go for it.

    FAQ

    Q: What is the Victoria Falls OOPART?
    A: This is an impression in the sandstone rock. The rock was formed during the Cambrian, so the object that made the impression had to rest in and on the sand at that time. The pattern that was made in the sand is suggestive of only on thing; a torn up section of aircraft fuselage. Since this object (which made the impression) predates mankind, it is considered an Out of Place Artifact (OOPART).

    Q: Why are the grooves at Victoria Falls considered an OOPART?
    A: There simply isn’t a natural explanation for the manufacture of the kinds of impressions and features discovered in this object. Since it cannot be explained, more reasonable people don’t try to explain it. They name it as an OOPART and leave it at that.

    Q: Are there other explanations for the Victoria Falls grooves?
    A: Some explanations include [1] a fossil trail by an unknown extinct animal, [2] a hoax, [3] an unknown but natural geologic process, [4] carved structures made by man for purposes unknown, [5] natural weathering.

    Q: Why was the moon relocated in orbit of the earth during the Cambrian?
    A: Our solar system was chosen by the Progenitors as a crucible for intelligent evolution. Once the various life forms evolved, some became intelligent, and the Progenitors worked with other entities (not mentioned at this time) to help direct and guide the evolution of the emergent life.  Today, the earth remains part of a cluster of “nursery” solar systems used to assist in the evolution of man. The biggest issue before man today is sentience. Our species can have only one sentience.

    Today we have three sentience’s, and that mixture has resulted in all kinds of problems and turmoil over the years. In a way, you can simplify the sentience’s as this;

    • Service-For-Others – Be good and kind. Help others. Be generous. Be saintly. This is “Heavenly” behavior and it results in a well adjusted soul within a stable “Heaven”.
    • Service-for-Self – Do everything for your own personal benefit. You can do anything. There are no limits. If people and others suffer, there are no consequences. This can be considered evil or “Hellish” behavior. This behavior is associated with a different “kind” of “Heaven”. The way the quanta group themselves together for this kind of sentience is different, and evolutionary migration has a different vector to travel upon.
    • Disrupted – You think that you are a Service-for-Others sentience, but your actions and motivations are Service-for-Self. This is a disrupted sentience, and it is the most dangerous as it adversely affects the soul composition and structure.

    Q: What was the Cambrian Explosion?
    A: The term the Cambrian Explosion refers to a short period of time when the moon tides permitted life (adapted to an aquatic biosphere) to migrate up onto land. As it did it began to evolve quickly.

    Q: What are the Projenitors?
    A: They are a non-human species that preceded mankind. They are very old, very wise and are tasked with the growth of mankind. Physically they are quite different from humans. They are invertebrates.  They are biologically similar to insects, but you wouldn’t know that from meeting them. They are often considered to be angels. Yes, in the Biblical sense; “angels”.

    “Angels therefore are not vertebrates or derived from vertebrate stock. The implications of this are profound. The only winged invertebrates are in the Class Insecta insects [Insecta].”
    
    - A theologian discusses the etymological implications of biblical angels.

    Do you want more?

    I have more articles in my MAJestic and OOPART Indexes here…

    MAJestic
    Mysteries Explained

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

    [wp_paypal_payment]

    The Hammer inside the Rock – The “London Hammer”

    There are many mysteries in this world. Naturally, people yearn and search for nice tight and straight answers to these mysteries. No one wants to feel small, insignificant or living within a world run amok. We want a safe and orderly world. We want a world where everything has a nice answer, and has a place within our world that we well understand and accept.

    Alas, not everything is so orderly and clear. Some things are. But not everything.

    There are things that appear to defy our understanding of reality, but they are only illusions. For instance, the Dorchester Pot Artifact seems to be a misidentified smoking lamp holder. There are other OOPART objects that also just misidentified hardware. It is not just objects that have been discovered. Some discoveries actually revise our understanding of history. For instance, there have been many visitors to the Americas before Columbus “discovered” it.

    However, some artifacts are not so easy to explain away. I would like to take a moment to look at one such artifact, an “OOPART” artifact that seemingly has no place in our tight and ordered world. I would like to take a look at the so-called “London Hammer” artifact…

    A Quick Introduction

    This particular OOPART came to my attention by the highly unusual material used in the object. Until this post was first written, no one gave the unusual material any thought. The contemporary statists were all over the place arguing that this was just an everyday steel hammer.

    It’s not made of steel.

    Steel is an alloy of iron with carbon.

    The Hammer is six inches (15.24cm) long with a diameter of one inch.  The metal has been identified as consisting of 96.6% iron, 2.6% chlorine, and 0.74% sulfur.  Believers point out that this hammer has not rusted since its discovery over sixty years ago.  This is certainly a unique blend of metallurgy which some claim be a lost technology of ancient man.
    
    -Historic Mysteries

    And that is what is interesting.

    It’s made out of a highly unusual alloy of iron. This material contains no carbon, but contains a sizable percentage of the highly reactive chlorine. Which pretty much points to a very special and unique metallurgical process in the manufacture of the object.

    By looking at the unique and unusual metallurgical properties of this OOPART we can learn a lot. We can understand the manufacturing process used, and the technologies invested in the creation of a corrosion-free iron hammer.

    A Hammer found inside a Stone

    In June 1936 (or 1934 by some accounts), Max Hahn (1897-1989) and his wife Emma were hiking along Red Creek near London, Texas. They discovered a rock while they were walking. Rocks are not typically something that you would pick up. They are heavy. They are dirty. Moreover, if you like the rock, you would need to haul it back home, which would be a major exertion. Most people leave rocks alone. Especially big ones.

    Except for geologists, and rock hounds, like my brother…

    Anyways, the Hahns found this odd rock sitting loose on a rock ledge beside a waterfall.  We can assume that any possible abutment in the area was compromised by the waterfall. The general area primarily consists of Eocene (33.9 to 56 million years old) rock. This differs from all other reports available. Other reports state much older dates for the rocks. (Which could possibly be true. There are areas of much older strata within the general area.)

    According to the GIS database, London Texas sits in the middle of Eocene strata. You can see the geology of Texas using this viewer. Here is the location of London, Texas on a geologic map as provided by the Texas Almanac;

    London, Texas is in a defined geological zone that strongly suggests an age around 40 million years.
    The geologic map of Texas showing the location of London, Texas relative to the prevalent geology in the region.

    The Hahn’s, noticing that this weathered rock had petrified wood protruding from it, went and collected the stone.  Like anyone else, once they saw the wood protruding out of the rock, they proceeded to break the wood free of the rock. As such, they broke the stone open, exposing what was clearly a hammer head affixed to a wooden handle. Thus, the tale of the so-called “London Hammer” artifact was born.

    Battle Lines are Drawn

    Well, we cannot have our nice ordered life thrown out of kilter, now can we? “Everyone knows” that a metal hammer cannot possibly be found within a rock. Most especially within a rock that is many tens of millions of years old. Thus, we have the OOPART presented; an object that is impossible to explain away using conventional explanations.

    The London Hammer as found with petrified wood handle and encased within a stone.
    This is the (more or less) famous “London Hammer”. An OOPART that is claimed to resemble an ordinary mining hammer.

    However, that doesn’t stop the Scientific Statists.  They hurriedly hopped up upon their great white horses and began to beat the drums loudly.  They shouted “This is just an ordinary hammer. The age of the rock is incorrect. Everything else is nonsense.” They went to great lengths to explain this object away. However, they tend to miss the obvious.

    My definition of scientific statism;

    A concentration of a set scientific theory in the hands of a closed elite group of people. Often they have direct ties to a highly centralized government. To alter or change that theory to revise it to meet new discoveries or data often requires government derived politics and peer-group approvals.

    They failed to study the manufacturing process. In this particular case, to the statist investigators, a steel is “just” a steel. Wood is just a “typical ordinary” wood. A shape is just a shape. A hammer is “only” a hammer. There is nothing else that be derived through observation of composition, shape and shape.

    They are wrong. There are many things that can be learned through study of this object. Most notably HOW the hammer HAD to be made tells us a great deal about the hammer itself.

    Thus, this particular post…

    There are metals, and there are steels and there are “high end” specialty grade materials. Utility steel is made using the most common and easiest processes. More durable and corrosion resistant steels require extensive processes. They take time, are expensive and difficult to manufacture. In fact, many of the specialty steels were just being invented at the time of the discovery of this artifact.

    How it was made is important.

    Any hammer made out of metal would have been produced within a mold. The mold would have been used at a factory using the available technologies to make that particular composition of metal. Further, wood cannot be fossilized in less than one hundred years. (Maybe a few thousand years, yes. Not in a few decades.) Finally, radio carbon dating has limits that make dating this artifact impossible.

    Ah, then we have the other extreme point of view.

    In this opposing point of view, anything that does not fit the established narrative must fit snugly inside THEIR narrative. So as a result you have people who believe in “The Great Flood”, “Biblical Historical Reality” and “Spacemen who came to Earth” using this artifact to justify their versions of reality.

    I counter that the reality is somewhere between the never-changing very-organized world of the (government-sponsored) scientific statist and the out-of-the-mainstream alternative “fringe” theorists. I do not know what the truth is. Both could be correct, and both could be wrong. One could be correct while the other could be very wrong.

    I counter that reality is not at all what we think it is. As such, this object can be used as a “sign post” to show us the way towards the true reality. (Whatever it may be.)

    "Always be suspicious of those who pretend to know it all, claim their way is the best way and are willing to force their way on the rest of us."
    
     -Walter E. Williams

    The Arguments

    In almost every OOPART object, the process is always the same.

    An object is discovered that does not fit the established narrative. People, often well-intentioned, but lacking in resources try to come up with answers and theories to try to explain the object. They announce their ideas to the public. The public responds with ridicule, and a handful of scientific statists work hard at denouncing the theories.

    That is certainly the case with the London Hammer.

    What we know of the Surrounding Rock

    The first place we need to look at is the rock strata where the artifact originated from. Unfortunately, there is confusion as to the age of the rock strata where the hammer was found.  Here is a quote from a scientific statist attacking the evolving theory related to the age of the rock found;

    “A report in Creation Ex Nihilo (Mackay, 1983) stated the hammer was "in limestone dated at 300 million years old" (which would make it Pennsylvanian).
    
    A subsequent CEN article (Mackay, 1984) stated that the hammer was in "Ordovician rock, supposedly some 400 million years old" (although that age would make it Devonian, not Ordovician).
    
    In yet another CEN report (Mackay, 1985) stated, "the rocks associated with the hammer are supposedly some 400-500 million years old" (which would include part of the lower Devonian, all of the Silurian, and most of the Ordovician Period).
    
    Baugh and others (Wilson and Baugh, 1996) continued to claim the rock was in Ordovician or "Ordovecian [sic]" rock, even after researcher John Watson, according to Helfinstine and Roth (1994) pointed out that the rock outcrops at the Red Creek site were actually Lower Cretaceous (Hensell [sic] Sand Formation), to which they ascribed (incorrectly) an orthodox age "near to 135 mybp."”
    
    - Glen J. Kuban

    Where is a good geologist around when you need him?

    To me, this all looks more than just a little silly. It is like a man going to eat dinner at an expensive restaurant, and gets up screaming and throwing plates about and yelling at the waiter simply because his toothpick is broken. Ya, it is broken, and the point is what?  In this case, yes, there are different dates. What does this prove, or show? Why, it only shows that the theories evolve over time.

    That’s a good thing, right?

    Anyways, does it really matter? If you left the cake out in the rain, would it matter if it were out for one week or one year? Or, a decade? After a point of time, the relative value of the article no longer becomes an issue. A wet cake that is one year old as opposed to a wet cake that is ten years old has the same value. Which is… absolutely worthless.

    Now, based on data from the GIS database, most of the strata around the London, Texas area are associated with the Eocene. This is a time period that is from 33 to 56 million years ago.

    But, what does this mean?

    Who’s to say that the rock was formed just exactly where it was picked up, or that it traveled along the water and fell from the nearby water? Who’s to say that some wandering native Indian didn’t pick up the rock and carried all over Texas as a good luck charm, and dropped it when he encountered a rattlesnake? (Which would have been either a Caddo, Atakapan, or a Tonkawa Indian.)

    We just don’t know.

    Whenever you encounter an odd object, you need to study it just as it is found. That is not always possible. In the case of this artifact, it was removed from where it was found, broken open in place, and the parts of interest were returned home.

    If we had studied the area of whence it was found we would be able to make a determination as to how this object became encased in stone. We could determine, for instance, how a fifty-year-old hammer (or so) could get encased inside of clay, and then come up with theories on how the clay turned into stone. We could see the geology of the strata that it was removed from. We could identify various aspects of the material that surrounds the object, instead of saying that it was found in a rock outside of London, Texas.

    The broken off portion of the hammer clearly shows that the hammer was indeed encapsulated within the rock, and that the rock contained seashells.
    This photo shows the London Hammer with the part that was initially broken off when it was first discovered.

    London Hammer Object. (Image Source)

    All we know is that the rock was nearly identical to the nearby strata. (If not absolutely identical.) As such, give it’s placement, it is assumed to tumble out of the strata as some point in time, and was picked up at a place not too far from whence it has been entombed. All of which is a pretty reasonable assumption.

    Don’t you think?

    Age

    For our purposes, let’s simply keep with the standard narrative and state that the regional rock was “old”. For Pete’s sake the hammerhead does look ancient, doesn’t it? It is not your typical rusty hammer sitting in the basement. (Hint; the way metal corrodes can tell us quite a bit. Just like how a dead body decays. Ever watch the television show “The Forensic Files”?)

    The appearance hasn’t changed much since it was discovered. How a scientific statist can look at this object and say that is a normal contemporary hammer that is only a few decades old just boggles my mind.

    Have they EVER been to a junk yard?

    Yunk yards around in America. Often they are specialized with common, automoble and industrial junkyards being the most common.
    American junk yard showing components that have been exposed to the air for a few decades. The iron and the steel are obviously rusted. they are old, but are NOT aged. (Image Source.)

    While the London Hammer does appear “old”, it more accurately appears “ancient”. The photo of a junkyard above shows the rust and weathering effects of some fifty years exposed to the elements. In any and all events, the hammer appears much older than the fifty year old metal in the photo above.

    Further, we can elaborate and say that the rock surrounding the hammerhead appears older than 500 years, and thus predates the production of any conventional mining hammer. Thus, unless someone can prove that native Indians used similar hammers, we can say that the object appears to be an OOPART were it to come from the surrounding strata.

    It could be as old as 33 million years if we date to the youngest strata that are found in the area. Or, we could date to and age of 56 million years if we date to the oldest strata in the local area. We could, if we wanted to, point to older outcrops scattered all through Texas and lay claim to various other dates. (Which is what has often been done previously.)

    The date from the start of the Eocene to the end consists of a pretty long time period. A lot can happen in 23 million years. Since it is impossible to provide an exact date for this object, I suggest that we date it to the local strata found nearby. (We can always revise later on.) I suggest a date of 44.5 +/- 11.5 million years before present if we measure to the local strata.

    Ai Ya! That is a HUGE span of time.

    In so doing, we can further state that it appears that the rock belonged to the strata nearby, but that it was not found in it. Therefore, there is the possibility that the object might be in some kind of rocky inclusion formed amongst older strata formations. That inclusion could be as young as 1936, the date the rock was discovered.

    At this point in time we can say that the object can either be...
    
    [1] contemporaneous to 1936, or 
    
    [2] an OOPART ancient to 44.5 +/- 11.5 million years before present.

    What we can do is study the object

    The object in question is a hammer.

    As such, it has a metal head that is used to pound or hit an object using muscular force. It also has a handle that appears to be made out of some kind of wood. The handle is broken. We do not know it’s true length. The material in it is fossilized. The design and shape of the hammer can also tell us things about the purpose of the hammer and what it was used for. Within the little of what we do know about this object, we can study the knowns, and come to some conclusions about how the hammer was made, what it’s purpose was, and maybe why it was found where it was.

    What we do know is that the formation that it is in is actually stone. It is not hard clay, cement or some kind of tough dirt. The stone has the shells of aquatic creatures on it. The area that the rock was found has similar strata that are dated to around 40 million years ago when the area was under the water.

    We know that it was found in the 1930’s in the Texas desert near a waterfall.

    Studies on the Metal Used

    To verify that the hammerhead was actually made of metal, the investigators cut into one of the beveled sides with a file. The bright metal in the nick is still there, with no detectable corrosion. The unusual metallurgy of the hammerhead is 96% iron, 2.6% chlorine and .74% sulfur.

    • 96% – iron – Fe
    • 2.6% – chlorine – Cl
    • 0.74% – sulfur – S
    • 0.0% – Carbon – C *** NO CARBON ***

    This is not “typical” or “everyday” steel. This is NOT an everyday utility hammer. The hammer head is NOT made out of steel, which is something very special and very, very rare.

    This is a specialty iron metal alloy that requires a very comprehensive and exacting equipment to produce.

    The hammerhead material is uncommon and unique.

    This is an odd chemical composition.  In fact, it is an extremely odd combination, as for one to create a hammerhead of this style; one would have to have an unusual understanding of metallurgy, and the advanced technologies to forge it.

    Typically, iron is a very soft metal, and it is mixed with small quantities of carbon to make steel.  Yet this alloy has no carbon in it at all! There are other alloys, of course. Yet none of these other alloys match the composition of this odd hammer.

    Why it was alloyed with chlorine and sulfur remains a mystery. 

    Alloying elements can play a dominant role in the susceptibility of cast irons to corrosion attack. 
    
    Silicon is the most important alloying element used to improve the corrosion resistance of cast irons. Silicon is generally not considered an alloying element in cast irons until levels exceed 3%. Silicon levels between 3 and 14% offer some increase in corrosion resistance to the alloy, but above about 14% Si, the corrosion resistance of the cast iron increases dramatically. 

    The most common alloys with iron include the aforementioned carbon, silicon, manganese, chromium, nickel, copper, and magnesium. 

    If one wanted to make a strong and durable hammerhead, one would certainly use one of the more common materials to alloy with it.  The use of the chlorine as an alloy is a significant mystery as it is difficult to mix and work into a usable alloy because chlorine is a strong oxidizing agent.

    People, this is not “rocket science”.

    Contemporaneous Hammer Design

    • Iron is inherently corrodes.
    • If you add carbon to it, you make it hard, and it becomes steel.
    • But steel rusts just like iron does.
    • So you can add chromium to it to prevent it from rusting.

    But this is NOT the product development route used in this OOPART object. The makers of the hammer did not intend it to be hard-at-all-costs like steel. They wanted reasonably-hard with ductility. They wanted a corrosion-less utility grade hammer with ductile properties.

    Unique and Unusual Hammer Design

    • You take a soft ductile iron.
    • You make it hard and durable by adding sulfur.
    • Then during processing you add chlorine, and the material no longer rusts.

    If you are going to make a common utility object (such as a hammer), you would make it using utility grade materials. You would not make it out of rare alloys that require specialized and expensive facilities and materials. The material composition is very odd. As such it is either suggestive of a special purpose, or a society that considers this particular material composition to be used in common utility.

    I find it hard to believe that a Texan or a Mexican would treat a chlorine infused iron as a utility grade material.

    Unusual Sulfur (S) Content

    Sulfur is always present in iron ore in small quantities. Typically a small percentage of sulfur in both iron and steel is inadvertently introduced through iron ore and fuel (coal and coke). This smelting process results in the creation of small quantities of sulfur. To remove the sulfur is a very tedious and difficult process. Therefore, it is typically left in just as is.

    Conventionally, the acceptable rates of sulfur in iron and steel are rather low. For instance, common alloy steels contain no more than 0.04 % Sulfur. Anything over 0.04% is considered excessive.

    The percentage of sulfur in this hammer however is larger than an residual sulfur inclusion.  Instead of 0.04% it is 0.74%. It is much, much higher.

    When I make the statement that this sulfur percentage is rare, I mean that it is unheard of.

    The closest examples that I can find regarding the use of sulfur in iron and steel is this…

    Iron
    
    The effect of sulfur on gray cast iron
    
    (1) Because sulfide can be used as the base of eutectic graphite  nucleation, and at the same time can inhibit the growth of eutectic  cluster, but sulfur is an element that promotes the formation of white  mouth in cast iron, therefore, an appropriate amount of sulfur is  beneficial. From the perspective of reducing white mouth, when the  sulfur content is 0.041%, the white mouth width is the smallest, whether  it is inoculated or not, but the number of eutectic clusters is in an  intermediate state.
    
    (2) The test of the influence of sulfur on the mechanical properties of  gray cast iron shows that whether inoculated or non-inoculated cast  iron, when the content of sulfur not more than 0.04%, the brinell  hardness increases rapidly with the increase of sulfur content, when the  content of sulfur more than 0.04%m the hardness is the increase slows  down, when the sulfur content is 0.06%, there is 40% pearlite in the  matrix, and when the sulfur content is 0.04%, the pearlite content is  100%. Regardless of the inoculated or non-inoculated gray cast iron, the  tensile strength is SO, it reaches the maximum value between  0.04-0.06%, and the relative hardness reaches the minimum value, at the  same time, experiments have shown that when the sulfur content of gray  iron is less than 0.04%, it is difficult to make Sr-containing FeSi play  a role in incubation.
    Steel
    
    There are no commercially made steels, of any type, in any nation, that makes this composition with such a high concentration of sulfur. Here are some of the designations for high sulfur content in American steels; Free machining resulphurized carbon steels in the AISI/SAE 11xx series contain 0.08 % to 0.13 % Sulfur, but the AISI/SAE 12xx series carries up to 0.24 % to 0.33 % Sulfur (and 0.04 %  0.09 % P). Resulphurized stainless steels, such as types 303 and 416, contain up to 0.35 % Sulfur. And, that’s about it folks.

    Those stainless steels that are used all over the world have high sulfur content. However, this hammer has double that sulfur content. It is extraordinary. And it isn’t even a steel.

    We we do know is that the hardness of iron increases rapidly with an increase in sulfur content. Thus, given [1] that this is an iron with no carbon, and [2] that the percentage of sulfur is extraordinarily high, we must conclude that…

    The sulfur was intentionally added to make the iron very hard.

    Intentional Metallurgy

    This strongly suggests that the percentage of sulfur was increased intentionally.

    While not commercially used in the manufacture of irons, we know what happens when it is added to steels.

    Many steels are intentionally resulphurized to allow for post casting machining. It allows for proper chip formation. Thus, the parts are easier to cut and shape on a lathe.

    Resulphurization is normally performed in the steel teeming ladle. It is added under strict quality controls, and can be controlled relatively easily, though it tends to stink to high heaven. Typically, the sulfur is added as wires, blocks or sodium or in other forms.

    The problem with steel with high sulfur content is that the sulphide inclusions lower weldability and corrosion resistance. The presence of sulfur may also lead to development of tear and cracks on reheating the steel. Once you add sulfur, your ability to weld decreases. So parts made out of high sulfur steels are intended to be standalone castings. They cannot be welded or have any other post casting process.

    What the sulfur in the hammerhead tells us is that the head was cast and then machined. Because of the uniqueness of the material composition, it was used in a batch process. As such, the hammerheads were mass produced in a batch and machined to shape.

    The Presence of Chlorine (Cl)

    Another curious aspect of this hammerhead is the percentage of chlorine in it. 

    The addition of chlorine is used to improve the “stainless” properties of corrosion-less steel.  Typically, one can expect around 12% of Chlorine to be present in a stainless steel. However, the chlorine levels in this metal object aren’t that at all. It is only 2.6%.

    The use of Chlorine during the melting processes improves the passivation of the iron. This is something that has not been well studied, and it is something that we learn from this OOPART.

    Passivation, in physical chemistry and engineering, refers to a material becoming "passive," that is, less affected or corroded by the environment of future use. 
    
    Passivation involves creation of an outer layer of shield material that is applied as a microcoating, created by chemical reaction with the base material, or allowed to build from spontaneous oxidation in the air. 
    
    As a technique, passivation is the use of a light coat of a protective material, such as metal oxide, to create a shell against corrosion. 
    
    Passivation can occur only in certain conditions, and is used in microelectronics to enhance silicon. The technique of passivation strengthens and preserves the appearance of metallics. 
    
    In electrochemical treatment of water, passivation reduces the effectiveness of the treatment by increasing the circuit resistance, and active measures are typically used to overcome this effect, the most common being polarity reversal, which results in limited rejection of the fouling layer. Other proprietary systems to avoid electrode passivation, several discussed below, are the subject of ongoing research and development.
    
    -Wikipedia

    All the evidence points the to Chlorine to be used in a very reactive process during the melting of the iron ore. This resulted in substantive anti-corrosion properties to the iron without the addition of carbon, or chromium.

    I have yet to find a standardized SAE or related standard that calls out such an odd percentage of chemicals in either an alloy of steel or an alloy of iron.

    What the reader needs to understand is that in our reality everything is standardized. That plastic in your microwave is specified by standard and meets testing requirements by government approved testing labs (UL, ESL, NOM, and CSA for example.) Steels, aluminum, and all metals are made to exacting specifications and tested as such. Factories do not go “hog wild” and develop their own formulations “willy nilly”. They use handbooks and select the best alloy for the application in question. These handbooks, notes, and rules have been honed over the centuries since the Industrial Revolution. Every material formulation is use today has an identification number, a test specification, and manufacturing protocols.

    While it is true that they might have been some early formulations developed before the standards were released and set in place, it is unlikely that they would do so using the materials in question. Chlorine is a very difficult material to work with. It requires very elaborate and specialized equipment. There would be very exacting specifications for this material were it to be commercially viable.

    You ever look at the appliances in your home, the cellphone, and the electronics? Do you know what the ESL mark means, the FCC mark, and the UL mark means? They all mean that the design, systems, production, and material specifications are all safe and approved for use by the public. If this hammerhead was made during this last century, it would have been made to commonly available metal standards.

    That means that the zero carbon iron was hot forged, possibly oil quenched, and heat treated. If it does not fit the known technology of the 1800’s then it truly is an OOPART.

    Why not Chromium (Cr)?

    Well, for starters… there isn’t any carbon in it. It’s not a steel.

    It’s an iron alloy.

    Duh!

    It’s a common enough misunderstanding. A young “wet behind the ears” high-school know it all pops in with a Holier-than-thou attitude and says that somehow I am mistaking the chemical composition.

    Without carbon, chromium isn’t going to be of much benefit as an alloying element. Go enroll in university and take a few classes in basic metallurgy. The secret is in the carbon.

    DUH!

    Chromium is critical in the manufacturing of stainless steel.

    Most stainless steel contains about 18 percent chromium; it is what hardens and toughens steel and increases its resistance to corrosion, especially at high temperatures. The chromium oxidizes quickly to form a protective layer of chromium oxide on the metal surface. This oxide layer resists corrosion, while at the same time prevents oxygen from reaching the underlying steel. Other elements in the alloy, such as nickel and molybdenum, add to its rust-resistance.

    Oddly, the material has no chromium in it,

    Which is WHY this particular post was written.

    But let’s talk about steel…

    …You know, if there was carbon in the alloy…

    …which there isn’t

    …but what the fuck….

    Eh?

    The dominant corrosion-free iron in use today is a steel using a percentage of chromium.

    The corrosion resistance of austenitic stainless steel is mainly due to the fact that…

    … chromium in stainless steel promotes the passivation of steel…

    … and maintains the steel in a stable and passive state under the action of meeting material.

    In austenitic stainless steel, chromium is an element that strongly forms and stabilizes the ferrite, narrowing the austenite zone, as the content of the steel increases, ferrite (δ) can appear in the austenitic stainless steel Organization, research shows that in chromium-nickel austenitic stainless steel, when the carbon content is 0.1% and the chromium content is 18%, in order to obtain a stable single austenite structure, the minimum nickel content is required, about 8%.

    In this regard, the commonly used 18Cr-8Ni chromium-nickel austenitic stainless steel is the most suitable one for chromium-nickel content.

    Chromium steel : According to IFL SCIENCE, an invention that  dominated the late-20th Century was in fact made 1000 years ago, not 100  years ago as historians originally thought.
     
    It turns out that Chromium steel (which is very similar to what we  now consider tool steel) was actually made in Persia, not Europe,  according to a new study led by UCL researchers.
     
    The discovery was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science,  and was supported by a number of medieval Persian manuscripts. Dr.  Rahil Alipour (UCL Archaeology), who was the lead author on the study,  said, ‘Our research provides the first evidence of the deliberate  addition of a chromium mineral within steel production. We believe this  was a Persian phenomenon.’
    
    As well as providing the only known evidence of chromium steel dating  back to the 11th century, it is said that this research also provides a  chemical tracer that could help identify crucible steel artefacts in  museums or trace archaeological collections back to their origin in  Chahak or the Chahak tradition.
     
    According to several historical manuscripts from the 12th to the 19th  century, Chahak was once famous for its steel production. Although it  is the only archaeological site known to exist in Iran at that time, its  location is still a mystery, as several villages have the same name.
    
    Today, stainless steel plays an important role in our lives. The use of steel mixed with chromium and other metals provides protection against rust, which means it is used in ways that could never have been imagined in the past.
    
    It was originally thought that this way of using steel was first discovered in the 1800’s and became more popular during the mid-19th century. However, evidence proves that advanced steelmaking actually came into play much earlier.
    
    Previous discoveries of trace amounts of chromium in ancient steel  weapons and tools have often been thought to be an accident. But  according to Dr. Rahil Alipour, the Persians were steelmakers for  hundreds of years and were very adept at it.
     
    The evidence doesn’t just come from the ancient steel itself. It is  also apparent in a manuscript titled “al-jamahir fi Marifah al-Jawahi”  (‘A Compendium to Know the Gems’, 10th-11th c. CE), written by the  Persian polymath Abu-Rayhan Biruni.
    
    This manuscript was particularly important to researchers, since it  provided the only recipe known for making steel in a crucible. It is  also the only existing document dating back to an era in which  steelmakers were largely illiterate.
     
    Professor Marcos Martinon-Torres (University of Cambridge), the last  author on the study, said that the process of identification can be  quite long and complicated.
    
    Mainly because the manuscript is recorded in a different language,  but also because the terms used to describe the technological processes  or materials may not be in words that we would use today.
     
    Also, at that time, writing and education were usually reserved for  the social elites. You wouldn’t usually find a tradesman who was  literate, which means there may have been errors or things missing from  the text.
     
    Abu-Rayhan Biruni (author of the manuscript) referred to a vital  ingredient for steelmaking. But, due to the passage of time, it has been  unclear to scholars which ingredient he was referring to. However, in  the Journal of Archaeological Science, Dr. Rahil Alipour argues that the  vital ingredient was chromite.
     
    He says, ‘Our research provides the first evidence of the deliberate addition of a chromium mineral within steel production.’
    
    1000 years ago, rust resistance wasn’t important in the way that it is today. At that time, it was more important that the goods made from steel (such as weapons for soldiers) were sturdy rather than rust-resistant. However, if the ancient method had been preserved, modern steel-making techniques could have been developed long before they eventually were, in the 19th Century.
    
    -Chromium Steel was NOT Invented in Sheffield: Persians Added the Element to Steel 1,000 Years Before

    In austenitic stainless steels, with the increase of chromium content, the formation tendency of some intermetallic phases (such as δ phase) increases.

    When the steel contains molybdenum, the chromium content will increase and x will form equal, as before as mentioned, the precipitation of σ, x phase not only significantly reduces the plasticity and toughness of the steel, but also reduces the corrosion resistance of the steel under certain conditions.

    The increase of the chromium content in the austenitic stainless steel can make the martensite to hydrocarbon temperature (Ms ) Decreases, thereby improving the stability of the austenite matrix. Therefore, high-chromium (for example, more than 20%) austenitic stainless steel is difficult to obtain a martensite structure even after cold working and low temperature treatment.

    Chromium is a strong carbide forming element, and it is no exception in austenitic stainless steel.

    Generally comes, as long as the austenitic stainless steel pipe maintains a complete austenite structure without the formation of delta ferrite, etc., only improves content of chromium will not have a significant effect on the mechanical properties, and chromium will affect austenite.

    Chromium improves the performance of steel’s oxidation resistance medium and acid chloride medium; under the combined action of nickel, molybdenum and copper, chromium improves the resistance of steel to some reducing media, organic acid, urea and alkaline media; chromium also improves the resistance of steel to localized corrosion, such as intergranular corrosion, pitting corrosion, crevice corrosion, and stress performance under certain conditions.

    It has the greatest impact on the sensitivity of austenitic stainless steel intergranular, the factor is the carbon content in the steel, and other elements.

    In the MgCl2 boiling solution, the role of chromium is generally harmful, but in aqueous media containing Cl- and oxygen, Under high temperature and high pressure water and stress corrosion conditions with pitting corrosion as the origin, increasing the chromium content in the steel is beneficial to stress corrosion resistance. Chromium can also prevent austenite stainless steel and alloys that are prone to appear between the grains due to the increased nickel content. The tendency of type stress corrosion, the effect of chromium on stress corrosion of open causticity (Nq0H) is also beneficial.

    Sanity Check

    One way that we can prove that this hammer was contemporaneous to 1933 or earlier is to identify a local factory producing chlorine infused white iron. Then, from there, we could identify the mold shops that would turn the ingots into utility grade tools.

    The closest is Texas Iron and Steel. But, they are a new factory, and they were established in 1990. At that, however, they do not work with any kinds of chlorine infused iron, as it is far too exotic a material to work with. To see what kinds of iron were produced or manufactured prior to 1933 that might be applicable to this hammer, we need to look deeper.

    Now, during the American civil war there were many iron factories and steel mills in the South. They produced many types of carbon steels and decorative iron used in grillwork’s, and such things as bathtubs. For instance, there was the Birmingham Iron and Steel Company. There was the Sloss Furnace Company, and  The Tennessee Coal, Iron, and Railroad Company (TCI), from the Sequatchie Valley near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Others included The Woodward Iron Company, Pioneer Mining and Manufacturing Company, and The DeBardeleben Coal and Iron Company. They maintained the “cutting edge” iron and steel mill technology at that time.

    To further investigate the potential of factories to make this type of specialized white iron, the reader is encouraged to go to the “Foundry Database” and point out which foundry had the ability to cast such a unique hammerhead prior to 1933 This is of course, as comprehensive list as you can get today. As such, however, it is not 100% complete.

    Since the technologies used to make chlorine infused iron, are rather elaborate, only the larger and more established mills would even have a “shot” at.  With this in mind, the reader is encouraged to study the following mills. I have not been able to identify any one that had that ability. Maybe you could. Seriously, go for it.

    A&N –
    A&W Mfg. Co. – Chicago IL
    Ahrens & Arnold – Wapakoneta OH
    Abbott & Lawrence – Philadelphia PA
    American Brass & Iron – Oakland CA
    The Ace Co. – St. Louis MO
    Adams –
    The Adams Co. – Dubuque IA
    Adams & Britt – Cincinnati OH
    ADCASCO – Goshen IN
    Advance –
    Aga Stove Co. – Elizabeth NJ
    A.G.P. – Columbus OH
    A.H.W. & CO. – Pittsburgh PA
    Alabama Pipe Company – Anniston AL
    The Alb Co. – Bellville IL
    Albert Mfg. Co. – Los Angeles CA
    Albert & Zola Mfg. Co. – Los Angeles CA
    AMICO –
    A.M. Andersen & Co. – Chicago IL
    Alfred Andresen & Co. – Minneapolis MN
    Arcade Mfg. Co. – Freeport IL
    Arcole Foundry – Buffalo
    Arnold & Bacon – RI
    A.S.& N.W. Co. – Philadephia PA
    Atlanta Stove Works – Atlanta GA
    The Atlas-Ansonia Co. – New Haven CT
    Attalla Fdy & Mch Co. – Attalla AL
    Auger & Lord Chester – CT
    Aunt Jemima Meal –
    “Axford” – San Francisco CA

    B&P –
    Baccellieri Bros. Mfg. Co. – Philadelphia PA
    L.S. Bacon –
    A. Baldwin & Co. – New Orleans LA
    C.W. Ball & Co. – Cincinnati. OH
    Ball & Davis – Cincinnati. OH
    Ballard & Ballard Co., Inc. – Louisville KY
    E.T. Barnum Iron Works – Detroit MI
    Barrows Savery & Co. –
    Barstow Stove Co. – Providence RI
    J.G. Baxter – Louisville KY
    Baxter Kyle & Co. – Louisville KY
    Baxter & Davis – Cincinnatti OH
    Baxter & Fisher – Louisville KY
    B.E. & Co. –
    E.L. Beale – Springfield OH
    W.E. Beckmann B. & C. S. – St. Louis MO
    Belknap Hardware And Mfg. Co. – Louisville KY
    Joseph Bell & Co. – Wheeling WV
    C.S. Bell Co. – Hillsboro OH
    Joseph Bell & Co. – Wheeling WV
    “Belmont” – Louisville KY
    Albert Benchoff – Menard TX
    “Best Made” – Chicago IL
    Beveridge Mfg. Co. – Baltimore MD
    Birdsboro Casting Co. – Birdsboro PA
    Birmingham Stove & Range Co. – Birmingham AL
    Blackhawk Product –
    Blacklock Foundry – South Pittsburg TN
    Blue Valley Fdry. Co. – Kansas City MO
    Bluff City Stove Works – Memphis TN
    S.H. Boardman – Boston MA
    Bonnet, Duffy & Co. – Quincy IL
    Boothmac –
    Bowers & Snyder – Richmond VA
    A. Bradley & Co. – Pittsburgh PA
    Brendlinger & Co. – Boyertown PA
    Bridge Beach & Co. – St. Louis MO
    Bridgeford & Co. – Louisville KY
    Brighton –
    Brilliant –
    Brinkmeyer & Co. – Evansville IN
    Britt & Folger – Cincinnati OH
    Brooklyn Broiler –
    Brown-Bowman – Troy NY
    Bennet, Sloan & Co. – New York NY
    Buck & Wright – St. Louis MO
    Francis Buckwalter & Co – Royersford PA
    Bussey Clexton & Co – Troy NY
    Bussey & McLeod – Troy NY
    Buxton Co. – Milwaukee WI

    C. Mfg. Co. – Rocky Hill CT
    CA –
    Charles Cage – St.Louis MO
    Cahill Iron Works – Chattanooga TN
    Campbell Foundry Co. – Harrison NJ
    Cannonball Ware –
    Canton Cake Griddle Co. – Canton OH
    F.S. Carbon Co. – Buchanan MI
    Carlisle –
    Cast Iron Products Inc. – Richmond VA
    Central Oil & Gas Stove Co. – Gardner MA
    C.F. & M. Co. – Providence RI
    Job Chandler – New York NY
    Chattanooga Roofing And Foundry Co – Chattanooga TN
    Chemung Hollow Ware Works – Elmira NY
    Chicago Hardware Foundry Co. – North Chicago IL
    CLENO –
    Cleveland Stove Works – Cleveland TN
    Cline & Co. – Philadelphia PA
    Club –
    C. N. & CO. –
    Cochran, Hackett & Co. – Louisville KY
    Colbertson & Fisher Foundry – Wheeling WV
    The Columbus Hollow Ware Co. – Columbus OH
    Columbus Iron Works – Columbus GA
    Comstock & Co. – Quincy IL
    C.W. & C. – Conklin, Willis & Co. – Baltimore MD
    COOK N TOOLS – Tulsa OK
    Corning & Goewey – Albany NY
    A.&J. Cox – Philadelphia PA
    Cox Foundry – Atlanta GA
    Cox, Whiteman & Cox – Philadelphia PA
    M.H. Crane & Co. – Urbana OH
    Wm. M. Crane Company – New York NY
    Crescent Foundry Co. – St. Louis MO
    W.P. Cresson – Philadelphia PA
    Cresson, Stuart & Peterson – Philadelphia PA
    S.J. Creswell – Philadelphia PA
    L.B. Crittendens –
    Cruso –
    Culbertson & Fisher Foundry – Wheeling WV

    John P. Daleiden Co. – Chicago IL
    Dandy –
    Dangler –
    J. M. B. Davidson & Co. – Albany NY
    F.P. Davis & Co. – Cincinnati OH
    W.C. Davis & Co. – Cincinnati OH
    J.H. Day & Co. – Cincinnati OH
    Israel Derr – Hamburg PA
    Detroit Iron & Brass Mfg Co. – Detroit MI
    Detroit Stove Works – Detroit MI
    Dighton Furnace Co. – Taunton? MA
    Dixie Foundry Co. – Cleveland TN
    Dixie Mfg. & Sales Co. – Kansas City MO
    G. W. Dodsons –
    I. Droege & Co. – Covington KY
    Durawear –

    Eagle – Hope AR
    Eagle Foundry – Greensboro NC
    Eagle Stove Works – Rome GA
    Early Fdy. Co. – Dickson PA
    Eclipse – St. Louis MO
    E.F. Co. –
    Wm. Enders – St Louis MO
    “ERIE” – Erie PA
    The Estate Stove Co. –
    Eureka Griddle –
    Excelsior Mfg. Co. (G.F. Filley) – St. Louis MO
    Excelsior Stove & Mfg. Co – Quincy IL
    Excelsior Stove Works – Quincy IL

    Fair, Day & DeKlyne – Knoxville TN
    Falkirk –
    Famous Stove Ware –
    Fanner Mfg. Co. – Cleveland OH
    Favorite Stove And Range Co. – Piqua OH
    “THE FAVORITE” – Columbus OH
    “FAVORITE COOK WARE” – Chicago IL
    “FAVORITE PIQUA WARE” – Piqua OH
    F B & Co –
    “G. F. Filley” – St. Louis MO
    R.R. Finch s Sons – New York NY
    Fischer, Leaf & Co. – Louisville KY
    B. Fisher. Star – Foundry – Wheeling WV
    Fisher Bros. & Co. – Lewisville KY
    Florence Machine Co. – Florence MA
    Ford & Co. – Concord NH
    Foster Stove Co. – Ironton OH
    Foxell & Jones – Troy NY
    Foxell, Jones & Millard – Troy NY
    Foxell, Woodnorth & Jones – Troy NY
    Francis, Buckwalter & Co. – Royersford PA
    Freidag Mfg. Co. – Freeport IL
    Frimaster The Kitchen King – Lansdale PA
    F.S. Co. – Reading PA
    Fuller, Warren & Co – Troy NY

    A. J. Gallagher – Philadelphia PA
    Garfield Cake Griddle Mfg Co. – Boston MA
    Garland Ware – The Michigan Stove Co. – Detroit MI
    Gasco –
    E.B. Gates –
    Gay Nineties Wafer Iron Company – Columbus GA
    Geddes & Marsh – Lewisburg PA
    General Housewares Corp. (GHC) – Sidney OH
    Gibson & Lee Mfg. Co. – Chattanooga TN
    Gibson Love Mfg. Co. – Chattanooga TN
    The Gladd Co. – Minneapolis MN
    G.T. Glascock & Son(s) – Greensboro NC
    J.A. Goewey (John A. Goewey) – Albany NY
    Gene Goff – Dallas TX
    Graff & Mugun – Pittsburgh PA
    M.N. Grasby – Lacrosse WI
    Gray & Dudley Co. –
    Greenwood Stove Co. – Cincinnati OH
    J. Greer & Co. –
    Greer & King – Dayton OH
    Griswold Mfg. Co. – Erie PA
    G & S Metal Products – Cleveland OH

    H & Co. Limited – Pittsburgh PA
    William Hailes – Albany NY
    J. Hamilton & Co. – Wheeling VA
    Hamilton & Clark – Wheeling VA
    Hanks – Rome GA
    Harbster Bros. – Reading PA
    Harco –
    Hardwick Stove Co. – Cleveland TN
    Hare, Leaf & Co. – Louisville KY
    John B. Harker & Co. – Minneapolis MN
    The Harker Mfg. Co. – Columbus OH
    Chas. L. Hartmann –
    Hartue – Wiley Co. – Pittsburgh PA
    Harwi –
    Haslet, Flanagen & Co. – Philadelphia PA
    Haverty s –
    Frank W. Hay & Sons – Johnstown PA
    “Hearthstone” – Sidney OH
    Hemenway s –
    HF Co. – Highland Foundry Co. – Boston MA
    Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. – Chicago IL
    Higgins, Mcloud & Martin – Troy NY
    Highland Foundry Co. – Boston MA
    Hill Whitney Co. – Boston MA
    Hinckley & Rollins – Bangor ME
    Hollands Mfg. Co. – Erie PA
    Home Comfort – The Malleable Iron Range Co. – Beaver Dam WI
    The Home Griddle Mfg. Co. – Buffalo NY
    Hunger Mfg. Co. – Erie PA
    The Hunter Sifter Mfg. Co. – Cincinnati OH

    I.A.S. & Co. – Philidelphia PA
    “Ideal” –
    Illinois Griddle Co. – Morris IL
    Indiana Stove Co. –  IN
    Indianapolis Stove Co. – Indianapolis IN
    A. Ingraham & Co. – Troy NY
    “I.O.A.” –
    Iowa Griddle Co. – Sioux City IA
    Iron Age –
    Iron Craft – Freedom NH
    Ironwood Cookware – Otter Lake MI
    Irwin Mfg Co. – Louisville KY

    Jagger, Treadwell & Perry – Albany NY
    E. A. Jeffrey – New York NY
    Jesup & Sterling – NY
    Sherman S. Jewett & Co. – Buffalo NY
    Jewett & Root –
    J J C & R –
    J.K. Jr. & Co. – Baltimore MD
    John C. Johnson Co. – Birmingham AL
    Jones –

    The Keeley Stove Co. – Columbia PA
    Keen & Hagerty – Baltimore MD
    Kenton Brand – Kenton Harware Company – Kenton OH
    Kentucky Griddle Co. – Lexington KY
    Kentucky Stove Co. – Louisville KY
    J. Kern Jr. & Co. – Baltimore MD
    Keystone Food Chopper – Boyertown PA
    C. Kieffer – Lancaster PA
    King Stove & Range Co. – Sheffield AL
    Kingery Mfg. Co. – Cincinnati OH
    A. Klauer – Dubuque IA
    Klyne – Knoxville TN
    Knox Stove Works –
    Knoxville – B & I – Foundry – Knoxville TN
    S S Kresge Company –

    Landers Frary and Clark – New Britain CT
    Langdon –
    Lanier & Driesbach – Cincinnati OH
    Lawler Machine & Foundry Co. – Birmingham AL
    Lee Hardware – Salina KS
    Lehigh Stove Co. – Lehighton PA
    Leibrandt & McDowell Stove Mfg. Co. –
    L H & F Co. – New York NY
    J.S. Lithgow – Louisville KY
    Lithgow Mfg Co – Louisville KY
    Littlestown Hdwe & Fdry Co Inc. – New York NY
    Lodge Mfg Co. – South Pittsburg TN
    The W.J. Loth Stove Co. – Waynesboro VA
    Lutton, Bradley & Co. – Cincinnati OH

    MacDonald –
    Magee Furnace Co. – Boston MA
    Majestic Mfg. Co. – St. Louis MO
    Makomb –
    March, Sisler, & Co – Lawrenceville PA
    Marietta C. Co. –  PA
    Marion Stove Co.(or Works) – Marion IN
    Martin Stove & Range Co. – Florence AL
    The Master Bake Pot Co. – Bloomfield NJ
    Matthai, Ingram & Co. – Baltimore MD
    McClure Bean Soup –
    Medina –
    Menard Mfg. Co. – Menard IL
    M H & E Co. – Marietta PA
    A. G. Miller – Minneapolis MN
    M.J. Miller & Co. – Oneonta NY
    Mission Foundry & Stove Works – San Francisco CA
    Modern Fdy. & Mfg. Co. – Mascoutah IL
    W.W. Montague & Co. – San Francisco CA
    Montgomery Ward & Co. – Chicago IL
    Morgan M F G. Co. – Kalamazoo MI
    Mound City Foundry – St. Louis MO
    Mt. Penn Stove Works – Reading PA
    Mountain City Stove Co. – Chattanooga TN

    NAC & Co. –
    Nashville Casting Co. Inc. – Nashville TN
    L.E. Nelson –
    N. Nelson – Lacrosse WI
    New England Butt Co. – Providence RI
    New Era –
    N & N Mfg Co – Bangor ME
    Cha s Noble & Co. – Philadelphia PA
    Nordic Ware – Minneapolis MN
    North, Chase & North – Philadelphia PA
    Norths, Harrison & Chase – Philadelphia PA
    Noyes & Hutton – Troy NY
    Noyes & Nutter Mfg. Co. – Bangor ME
    W.J. Noyes – Albany NY
    “NUYDEA” –
    N.Y. Holloware Co. – NY
    M.L. Nyberg & Co – Erie PA
    A.T. Nye & Son – Marietta OH

    Oberman s Perfection –
    O Brien & O Brien – Chicago IL
    Ohio Stove Co. – Portsmouth OH
    Olde Ironsides –
    O.P.& Co. – Orr Painter & Co. – Reading PA
    J.F. Osborn & Bro. – Clarksburg WV
    Otter River Foundry – Otter River MA
    A. Overbagh – Hudson NY
    “Ozark” – St. Louis MO

    Pagoma – Omaha NE
    Daniel E. Paris & Co. – Troy NY
    Parisian L & D M.F.G. & IN. O. –
    N. Patterson & Co. – Cincinnati 0H
    Patterson & Co. – Gervais OR
    Patton Mfg. Co. – Columbus OH
    P&B Mf g Co. – Nashville TN
    H.S. Pease – Cincinnati OH
    J.S.&M. Peckham – Utica NY
    Peerless –
    Penn Mfg. Co. – Hulton PA
    Perfection Waffle Baker –
    Perin & Gaff Mfg. Co. – Cincinnati OH
    C.P. Peterson – Richmond IN
    G.H. Phillip s & Co. – Troy NY
    Phillips & Buttorff – Nashville TN
    Pitty Pat s Porch – Atlanta GA
    Plymouth Iron Foundry – Plymouth MA
    P&M Self Cooker – NY
    Pocasset Iron Works – NY
    Pomeroy, Peckover & Co. – Cincinnati OH
    Portland Stove Foundry Co. – Portland ME
    Portsmouth – Portsmouth OH
    PPP –
    PPS –
    Prairie Flower –
    Premium Hollow Ware – Richmond VA
    Preston – Lowell MA
    Primus –
    Prizer-Painter Stove Works – Reading PA
    P.S.F. Co. – Portland ME
    P&W –
    Pyne Hacket & Co. – Louisville KY

    Q.M. Broiler –

    R & Co. – Marrietta PA
    Rainbow & Co. – Pittsburgh PA
    S.H. Ransom & Co. – Albany NY
    J.F. Rathbone & Co. – Albany NY
    Raymond & Campbell – Middletown PA
    R&E Mfg. Co. – New Britain CT
    J.M. Read – Boston MA
    W. Reed & Co. – Cincinnati OH
    Reid s –
    Renfrow Ware – Los Angeles CA
    W. Resor & Co. – Cincinnati OH
    “REV-O-NOC” – Chicago IL
    Rex Mfg. Co. –
    Richmond Stove Co. – Richmond VA
    Ripley Cake Griddle Co. – Ripley OH
    E. Ripley s – Troy NY
    Ritch & Pidge Mfg. Co. – Fultonville NY
    J. C. Roberts – Bedford PA
    W.F. Robertson & Co. – Beverly OH
    J.H. Roelker & Company – Evansville IN
    Roelker Blount & Co. – Evansville IN
    L.H. Rogan & Co. – Knoxville TN
    Rome Hollow Ware & Stove Mfg. Co. – Rome GA
    Rome Industries – Peoria IL
    Rome Stove Works –
    D. Root & Co. – Indianapolis IN
    Roper – Rockford IL
    Rosenbaum & Co. – Cincinnati OH
    Roys & Wilcox Co. – Astberlin CT
    RS Co –

    S. Mfg. Co. – New York NY
    Sampson & Tisdale – New York NY
    J.A. Sandstrum – Portland OR
    D.E. Sanford Co. – Los Angeles CA
    Sanford & Clute – Schenectady NY
    San Francisco Stove Works – San Francisco CA
    Savery & Co. – Philadelphia PA
    B.M. Savery – New York NY
    Savery, Shaw & Co. – Albany NY
    J. Savery s Son & Co. – New York NY
    S.B. & Co. –
    Scandinavian Importing Co. – Boston MA
    SCF Co –
    Schofield s – Macon GA
    S.C.T. CO. –
    H. Seabury – Albany NY
    Selden & Griswold Mfg. Co. – Erie PA
    Shaeffer Griddle Co. – Canton OH
    Shantz & Keeley – Spring City PA
    Shapleigh Hardware Co. – St. Louis MO
    Shepard Hardware Co. – Buffalo NY
    Sheppard – Philadelphia PA
    Shinnick, Hatton & Co. – Zanesville OH
    Shinnick & Co. – Zanesville OH
    Shinnick, Woodside & Gibbons – Zanesville OH
    Fred. L. Shoch – Philadelphia PA
    “Sidney” – Sidney OH
    Sidney Hollow Ware Co. – Sidney OH
    Sidney M f g. Co. – Sidney OH
    Silver & Co. –
    E.C. Simmons – Simmons Hardware Co. – St. Louis MO
    Jos Simpson – Columbus OH
    Skinner Safety Kettle Co. – Erie PA
    S M Co. – Pittsburgh PA
    Smith, Francis & Wells – Springville (Chester Co.) PA
    Smith & Seltzer – Philadelphia PA
    W.B. Smith s –
    So-Co-Op F dy Co. – Rome GA
    South Pittsburg Hollow Ware Works – South Pittsburg TN
    Southard, Robertson & Co. – New York NY
    Southard & Co. – New York NY
    S.P. & Co. –
    S-P Co. –
    S & P Co. – Philadelphia PA
    D.R. Sperry & Co – Batavia IL
    E. Spoors – New York NY
    Springville Stove & Hollow Ware Works – Springville PA
    “S.R. & Co.” – Chicago IL
    S & T Co. –
    Standard –
    Standard Gas Equipment Corp. – New York NY
    Standard Mfg. Co. – Monongahelia PA
    Star Foundry – Wheeling VA
    E. C. Stearns & Co. – Syracuse NY
    Stewart –
    F. M. Still – NY
    Stove Co. – Scranton PA
    Stover Mfg. Co. – Freeport IL
    H. Strickland & Co –
    Butler N. Strong – Chatham CT
    Stuart Peterson & Co. – Philidelphia PA
    J.A. Studabaker Hardware – Bluffton IN
    Sullivan & Herdman – Zanesville OH
    Superior Cleveland – Cleveland OH
    Supreme Fdry-Mfg Co. – Belleville IL
    Susquehanna Iron Works – Middletown PA
    S.W. Co. – Philadelphia PA
    Sweeney’s –

    J.A. Talbo – Cassopoli MI
    F L Tarbell Mfg Co – Chicago IL
    Taunton Iron Works – Taunton MA
    Tecumseh – Techmseh MI
    Tennessee Agricultural Works – Nashville TN
    Terstegge, Gohmann & Co. – New Albany IN
    Texaloy Foundry – Floresville TX
    Thomas, Roberts, Stevenson & Co. – Quakertown PA
    Thompson & Parkins – Philadelphia PA
    T.I.W. Co. –
    Tremen & Bros – Ithaca NY
    Triumph –
    TRS & Co – Philadelphia PA
    Trumbore Hromsco –
    Tuthill & Avery – Easton MD

    F.M. Van Etten – Chicago IL
    Victor –
    Vitantonia Mfg. Co. – Cleveland OH
    Vollrath Mfg. Co. – Sheboygan WI
    Vose & Co – Albany NY

    Waffledog Corp. – Washington DC
    Wagner Mfg. Co. – Sidney OH
    Walker –
    Geo. W. Walker & Co. – Boston MA
    Wapak Hollow Ware Co. – Wapakoneta OH
    Montgomery Ward –
    Warnick & Leibrandt – Philadelphia PA
    N. Waterman – Boston MA
    W.B. Co. – Bangor ME
    House Of Webster – Rogers AR
    Weed & Cornwell – Savanna GA
    H. Wells & Bro. – Martinsferry OH
    Western Foundry – Leavenworth KS
    The Western Foundry Co. – Chicago IL
    Western Importing Co. – Minneapolis MN
    Western Stove Mfg. Co. – St. Louis MO
    Mrs. Wheelock s Wafer Irons – St. Paul MN
    Thomas White – Quincy IL
    Wilton –
    W.I.R.CO. – Wrought Iron Range Co. – St. Louis MO
    Witte Hardware Co. – St. Louis MO
    W.M.C. Co. – William M. Crane Company – New York NY
    Wolters & Bergerman – Pueblo CO
    Wood, Bishop & Co. – Bangor ME
    Wright & Bridgeford – Louisville KY
    Wrightsville Hardware Co. –
    W. S. & Co. Arcole Iron Works –

    Canadian Sources
    Provinces: NB=New Brunswick, NS=Nova Scotia, ON=Ontario, QC=Quebec
    Amherst Foundry Co. – Amherst NS
    A. Belanger Limitee – Montmagny QC
    “Bhouka Grill” – Granby QC
    Clement & Co. – Toronto ON
    Coral – Granby QC
    Eaton’s Housewares –
    Eatonia Housewares –
    Enamel & Heating Products Limited – Sackville NB
    Fawcett’s Stove Works – Sackville NB
    Findlay – Carleton Place ON
    General Steel Wares – Toronto ON
    Javelin – Joliette QC
    L’Islet – L’Islet QC
    Lisser –
    Mayfair Housewares –
    McClary’s – London ON
    Menard & Cie – Montreal QC
    James Smart Mfg. Co. Limited – Brockville ON
    Taylor Forbes – Guelph ON

    If the London Hammer was contemporaneous as the statists state, then one of the factories listed above would have a record of making it. They would have [1] a record and a [2] manufacturing procedure, as well [3] as the tooling to infuse chlorine into purified iron. This isn’t just paper records, boys and girls, this is hard equipment that you can walk up to and touch with your own hands. If the London Hammer is contemporaneous with 1933, then the equipment that made it would be available for all to see.

    The reader must recognize that the hammers that you see in stores today, and the irons used during the American civil war are two completely different “animals”. They have decidedly different qualities. Not only in material composition, but in grain form, shape and density.

    "All of the existing companies in Birmingham produced "pig iron," which was formed in molds laid out in a pattern resembling piglets nursing at the belly of a sow, hence the name. Pig iron has a very high carbon content and as a result is very brittle and difficult to work with and therefore has limited use in manufacturing. Steel is an alloy, or mixture, of iron and a small but crucial amount of carbon that (depending on the quality of the iron used) produces a highly workable metal that was more suitable for shaping into rails for the expanding railroad industry. Birmingham's local iron ore was high in phosphorus, which produced inferior steel."
    
    -Encyclopedia of Alabama

    So, even if any of the mills were able to produce (by some miracle) chlorine infused white iron, the quality would be poor. There would be high percentages of carbon and phosphorous in the metals. Something that is not seen nor found in the London Hammer.

    This tells us something significant. Any iron or steel produced prior to (say) 1900 would contain impurities. These impurities would be a “fingerprint” that could identify where the iron or material came from. The problem is that this London Hammer does NOT contain impurities, it has a fixed and homogenous composition.

    It has no forensic “fingerprint”!

    To really appreciate this discovery, one really needs to understand what iron and steel actually is, as well as to understand the difficulties in manufacturing the hammerhead that is found in the London Hammer. With that in mind, let’s cover this subject briefly…

    Iron Alloys

    Most utility tools in the world are made out of steel. Obviously there are variations in the types of steels. There are specialty materials that will prevent spark formation, and resist corrosion. Never the less, it is quite rare for a tool to be made out of a utility grade iron.

    The alloy used in this hammer is known as “Alloyed Iron”. What is so darn confusing about the hammer is the material selection used. Why use such a hard alloy to manufacture, and one that has properties that don’t seem to fit the narrative of a simple “Mining hammer”? A mining tool made out of white iron instead of steel is unheard of. It really is!

    "Not only was iron cheaper and easier to get than bronze, it also made better tools. With an iron sword, you could slice as well as stabbing with the point. Iron armor was lighter and stronger than bronze. Iron knives and scissors were sharper than bronze ones and stayed sharp longer. Iron fish-hooks were stronger and lighter and sharper than bronze or bone hooks. Iron cooking pots weighed less, got hot faster, and held heat better than clay pots. Iron bars were stronger and could hold more weight. In India, by the 1000s AD architects were even making iron beams to hold up the roofs of big temples."
    
    -History of Iron

    Let’s take a moment to investigate this alloy.

    In general, the term “cast Iron “ is a generic term that is used to define any iron alloy that does not have the presence of carbon in it. The six types of “cast iron” are [1] gray iron, [2] ductile iron, [3] compacted graphite iron (CGI), [4] malleable iron, [5] white iron and [6] alloyed iron. The “London Hammer” has a hammerhead that is made out of “alloyed iron”.

    Basics

    The basic strength and hardness of all iron alloys is provided by the metallic structures containing a crystalline allotropic form of carbon.  Which is what makes it really difficult to track from whence this material came from. Almost all irons have some graphite inside of it. The carbon graphite gives the iron the properties that we so know and love about steel.

    By controlling the type of carbon, and how it is added, one can significantly improve and enhance the properties of the metal. It can range from those of soft, low-carbon steel (18 ksi/124 MPa) to those of hardened, high-carbon steel (230 ksi/1,586 MPa). Indeed, the modulus of elasticity varies with the class of iron, the shape of the cast part (sphericity) and volume fraction of carbon inside of it. All of which is a knowledge base that helped to greatly expand the steel industry in Pittsburgh and the Ohio valley.

    Other minerals can be added to iron to add other properties as well…

    "Huge amounts of iron are used to make steel, an alloy of iron and carbon. Steel typically contains between 0.3% and 1.5% carbon, depending on the desired characteristics. The addition of other elements can give steel other useful properties. Small amounts of chromium improves durability and prevents rust (stainless steel); nickel increases durability and resistance to heat and acids; manganese increases strength and resistance to wear; molybdenum increases strength and resistance to heat; tungsten retains hardness at high temperatures; and vanadium increases strength and springiness. Steel is used to make paper clips, skyscrapers and everything in between."
    
    -It's elemental (Iron)

    Now all this excitement about the hammer not corroding is really “much a do about nothing”. So what? It is precisely because of their relatively high silicon content, cast irons inherently resist oxidation and corrosion. Until you add carbon…then it starts to rust. So that is why Stainless Steels were such a big thing back in the day. It was a method by which carbon could be added to the steel, to make it hard, and a process put in place to reduce corrosion.

    Heat Treatment

    Properties of the cast iron family can be adjusted over a wide range of various alloys and can be further enhanced by heat treatment. This heat treatment is done in different ways, though I am most familiar with oil quenching under pressure. You cart the iron in to a huge pressure cooker filled with oil. Clamp it down, and raise the temperature and pressure. Let it “cook” for a while and then control the cool-down process.

    Here are the various types of commercially available irons. Note that they all utilize carbon in one way or the other. While we all like to call them “cast iron”, the truth is that they are quite different from each other.

    Gray iron – Engine blocks

    When you add graphite in the form of flakes to molten iron, you get “Grey Iron”. This iron has a microstructure with a very strong grey color to the microfractures. While you can’t see it using the naked eye, you can see it under a microscope. That is how it got it’s name.

    The flake graphite (carbon) provides gray iron with some very desirable properties For instance, there is the all important machinability, and signifigant hardness levels. It is the hardness that produces superior wear-resistant characteristics. This includes the ability to resist galling and excellent vibration damping.

    This makes it ideally suited for machine bases and supports, engine cylinder blocks and brake components. This type of iron is often classified in accordance to its tensile strength. If ou want to find out more, you can reference ASTM Standard A48 and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Standard J431 .

    Ductile iron – Decorative, Castings & Pipes

    Ductile iron is very useful for pipe fittings and decorative pieces. An unusual combination of properties is obtained in ductile iron because the carbon graphite occurs as spheroids rather than as flakes. The factory can produce different grades by controlling the matrix structure around the graphite. They can do this either as to how it is cast or by how it is heat treated.

    Five grades of ductile iron are classified by their tensile properties in ASTM Standard A536. SAE Standard J434c (for automotive castings and similar applications) identifies these five grades of ductile iron only by Brinell hardness.

    Ductile iron has the ability to be used as-cast. That means that it is really easy to make simple cast parts and have them last for a long time. It might not be the toughest iron, but it is often good enough. It has a tensile strength comparable to many steel alloys and a modulus of elasticity between that of gray iron and steel. As its name implies, it has a high degree of ductility. It can be cast in a wide range of casting sizes and section thickness.

    Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) – Modern Engines

    In CGI, the carbon graphite locally occurs as interconnected blunt flakes. It is all about the shape and form of the carbon. The compacted graphite shape also is called quasi-flake, aggregated flake, semi-nodular and vermicular graphite. CGI is an alternative to both gray iron and light metals in heavily loaded applications. It combines much of the strength and stiffness of ductile iron with the thermal conductivity and castability of gray cast iron.

    The microstructure definition of CGI is formally specified by ASTM Standard A842 as a cast iron containing a minimum of 80% of the graphite particles in compacted form. The grades of CGI are 250, 300, 350, 400 and 450, based on their tensile strength. The lowest strength is ferritic, and the highest strength is pearlitic.

    White iron – Brakes, bearings

    This is an iron without any carbon.

    The phase changes of iron as a function of percentage of carbon.
    Phase diagram of iron and steel. This is a very great chart that shows (obviously) how the material changes when you add carbon to the molten iron. (Image Source.)

    White iron is hard and essentially free of graphite. The metal solidifies with a compound called cementite, which is a phase that dominates the microstructure and properties of white iron. The carbides are in a matrix that may be pearlitic, ferritic, austenitic, martensitic or any combination thereof.

    “White cast irons are usually made by limiting the silicon content to a maximum of 1.3 percent, so that no graphite is present and all of the carbon exists as cementite (Fe3C). The name white refers to the bright appearance of the fracture…”
    
    - https://www.britannica.com/technology/white-iron

    High-chromium white irons are used for elevated-temperature service.  High-chromium white irons and nickel-chromium white irons (Ni-Hard) are used for abrasion-resistant service. Other alloyed irons are used for corrosion resistance or elevated-temperature service. This iron is unique in that it is the only member of the cast iron family in which carbon is present only as a carbide. The presence of different carbides, depending on the alloy content, makes white iron hard and abrasion-resistant but also very brittle.

    Malleable iron – Cast Iron Fittings, Brackets, Clamps

    In malleable iron, the graphite occurs as irregularly shaped nodules called temper carbon because it is formed in the solid state during heat treatment. The iron is cast as a white iron of a suitable chemical composition to respond to the malleabilizing heat treatment. ASTM Specification A220 defines eight grades of pearlitic malleable iron with increasing strength and decreasing ductility. Specification A47 is for ferritic malleable iron, which has the lowest strength and highest ductility. Malleable iron is ideal for thin-sectioned components that require ductility. Ferritic malleable iron is produced to a lower strength range than pearlitic malleable iron but with higher ductility. It is the most machinable of cast irons, and it can be die-strengthened or coined to bring key dimensions to close tolerance limits.

    Alloyed iron – The London Hammer

    This classification includes gray irons, ductile irons and white irons that have more than 3% alloying elements (nickel, chromium, molybdenum, silicon or copper) but no carbon.

    Malleable irons are not heavily alloyed because many of the alloying elements interfere with the graphite-forming process that occurs during heat treatment.

    These irons are classified as two types: corrosion-resistant and elevated-temperature service.

    • Corrosion-resistant alloyed cast iron is used to produce parts for engineering applications that operate in an environment such as sea water, sour well oils, commercial organic and inorganic acids and alkalis.
    • Elevated-temperature service alloyed iron resists formation and fracture under service loads, oxidation by the ambient atmosphere, growth and instability in structure up to 1,100F (600C). The ability to cast complex shapes and machine alloyed irons makes them an attractive material for the production of components in chemical processing plants, petroleum refining, food handling and marine service.

    The only thing that would benefit a tool being corrosion-resistant is if it were to be utilized in a marine or otherwise wet environment. Obvious, if the selection of the material was intentional, as it most certainly was, then the hammer was intended for use in areas where corrosion would be an issue. That implies that the hammer was designed for use in marine environments.

    This hammer was designed for use in a marine environment.

    Hammer Head Density

    Density tests indicated that the casting was of exceptional quality. The density of the iron in a central, cross-sectional plane shows the interior metal to be very pure, with no bubbles. Obvious this object was cast from a mold and was done so in a facility of great metallurgical capacity. This must be the case as it is not easy adding chlorine gas to molten iron. Think about the problem. How would YOU add dangerous and corrosive chlorine gas to a cauldron of molten iron?

    The people that made this hammerhead did so with many years of experience with this particular alloy. If this is a contemporaneous material in a contemporaneous hammerhead, then there would be other products, not necessarily hammerheads that would use this exact formulation of metal alloy. Are there?

    I ask the reader to try to identify other examples of this particular alloy so that we can close out this matter.

    Processing & Fabrication Concerns

    It is not just that the material composition is odd, well it is VERY odd, but that it needed very specialized equipment to fabricate the part.  It’s not that it was cast, but it had post machining processing as well. It is obvious that this part was not made in some crude backyard factory, or blacksmith shop. It was made in a well-equipped processing facility.

    The london hammer was found encased within a stone.
    The London Hammer as found before the section was section was broken off. Handle showing the section of the rock that was broken off. (Image Source)

    The part needed to be cast. That was easy; sand casting has been around for a long, long time. The problem is that there is an unusual quantity of Chlorine involved.

    Chlorine is not an everyday material that you just add to the molten material in the ladle. Chlorine is dangerous and very corrosive. Exposure to chlorine is irritating to the eyes, nose, throat, and mucous membranes. At high enough levels, exposure could cause serious injury or death. It is highly corrosive and reacts violently (think explosion) with petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, oil, solvents, and turpentine.

    Chlorine can also react with carbon monoxide and other combustion products to make highly toxic and corrosive gases. You DO NOT smoke around chlorine, nor do you have any kind of smoke, soot or petroleum vapors near it.

    Thus, any manufacturing process that adds chlorine to the steel must do so in a very safe and cautious manner. No leakages of the gas can be tolerated. There needs to be extensive quality controls, and the insertion of the deadly gas into the molten iron must be carefully conducted.

    The reader is reminded that the “London Hammer” was found in the early 1930’s.

    Technology was very simple and primitive in the early 1930's. It was too primitive to be able to add the toxic and corrosive gas chlorine to molten iron.
    When the London Hammer was discovered, the world was entering a period of great technology. Wireless was invented. People started to drive Model A automobiles, and ice-boxes were just starting to be replaced with huge refrigeration units. High Technology in the 1930’s (image Source)

    .

    Iron and steel factories in the 1930’s were dark, dim and smoky places. Gas fumes were everywhere as you had large locomotives carting ore and ash. You had internal combustion engines motoring about, and dusty working conditions. Carbon monoxide was everywhere. (Not to mention smoking workers on their cigarette breaks.) These kinds of gasses react explosively with chlorine gas. This was in the 1930’s remember. If this hammer was made before then, as the statists presuppose, then the conditions were much, much worse. I guess that the statists have never been to a steel factory, eh?

    The environment within a steel factory is a very dirty and dangerous one.
    The environment inside a steel factory up to the last decade or so, has been far too dirty, and dangerous for injection of chlorine into the ladle of molten iron. When chlorine gets near most gasses and smoke, the chlorine undergoes a serious change and typically explodes violently. To control this, the insertion of chlorine must be in a sterile, clean and controlled environment. (Image source.)

    .

    In short, in 1933 the production environment was too dangerous to even attempt to add chlorine gas to molten iron. It is highly unlikely that there was a safe, sterile, clean environment to infuse iron ingots with the deadly, toxic and dangerous chlorine gas during the American civil war.

    Stainless Steel

    Steel that would not rust was unheard of until 1913.

    If there was some factory producing any kind of iron objects that would not rust, they would have been well known. Obviously there weren’t any, as the hunt to find non-corrosive steel continued in earnest until the invention of stainless steel.

    It is reported that the first true stainless steel, a 0.24% Carbon, 12.8% Chromium ferrous alloy, was produced by Brearley in an electric furnace on 13 August 1913. He was subsequently awarded the Iron and Steel Institute’s Bessemer Gold Medal in 1920. In 1924, Hatfield patented the 18-8 stainless steel, 18% chromium and 8% nickel. This austenitic stainless would soon rise to become the most popular and widely used type of stainless steel. Adding titanium to the 18-8, Hatfield is also credited with the invention of 321 stainless.

    The material in the head of this hammer is a “stainless” steel, but it is NOT any known alloy of steel. The Chlorine and Sulfur in it prevents corrosion. However, that is not the way stainless steel is made anywhere in the world today.  It is a “stainless” iron alloy.

    The dimensions of the london hammer are quite small.
    The London hammer as viewed from the “top”. Notice the size of the thumb of the person holding the hammer. The hammerhead is about the thickness of a thumb and the length of the striking surface (the face) along the “neck” is quite short. Top view of the hammer. (Image Source.)

    Wood in the Handle Grip

    The handle eye is partially fossilized and coalified with quartz and calcite crystalline inclusions, oval shaped, and roughly 1″ x 1/2”.

    The wood has not been identified.

    There hasn’t been any kind of studies that I am aware of on composition or radiocarbon analysis. However, I caution the reader on this. The accuracy of radiocarbon analysis decreases with age and is only good for 50 thousand years or so.

    "Despite its usefulness, radiocarbon dating has a number of limitations. First, the older the object, the less carbon-14 there is to measure. Radiocarbon dating is therefore limited to objects that are younger than 50,000 to 60,000 years or so."
    
    -Carbon Dating

    While I know that anything is possible in this world, I find it difficult to believe that a piece of wood can become fossilized and coalified within a few years. For after all, that is the statist argument. The argument is that this object of metal was [1] of recent manufacture (to the 1930’s), and [2] local conditions somehow fossilized the wood and [3] turned the material surrounding it into rock.

    Wood petrifies when it is buried in silt deposited by flooding rivers or seas and silicates, such as are found in volcanic ash, dissolve and impregnate it. These substances replace the hydrogen and oxygen portions in the wood and begin the petrifaction process by silicification. This may produce very solid opal or quartz minerals. The final product is approximately 5 times as heavy as common pine wood.

    It is difficult to radio carbon date a stone.
    Fossilized wood can be found all over the world. Obviously they are very difficult to radio carbon date, being stone and all. Not to mention, the fact that there is no carbon left in the mineralized structure left to date! (Image source.)

    .

    It is difficult to determine which kind of wood was used. The wood is fossilized, and the photographs available do not permit the kind of study that is necessary for full investigation of the wood. However, we can make some general determinations. Based on the photographs, the “tree rings” shown at the eye of the hammer appear to be near to each other (less than 1mm from each other) and thus, resemble a hardwood.

    Today, tree rings that are close together are typically suggestive of hard woods. While tree rings that are far apart are typically suggestive of soft woods. This is interesting, but it doesn’t tell us much, except to say that the wood could have been similar to a modern softwood. Also, from what is observable, there are no knots in the wood.

    Yet, even this tells us something…

    History of Wood 101

    Let’s take a look at the wood used in the handle. Well, back in 2011 discovery in the Canadian province of New Brunswick yielded the earliest known plants to have grown wood, approximately 395 to 400 million years ago. So we do know that there were wood trees long before the time of the formation of the local strata. This is refreshing in that it puts a “new face” on what the plant life was at that time.

    At the beginning of the Permian, plant life consisted of various ferns, mossess and similar plants. Eventually the swamps and low areas full of huge ferns and similar plants were replaced by new types of plant life. In many Permian forests the tree canopy became dominated by cordaites, tree ferns like Psaronius and horsetails like Calamites. Back then, most of the plant life still looked much like ferns and mosses. However, they began to evolve.

    The plant life during the Permian was very primitive.
    Typical plant life during the early Permian.(Image source.)

    .

    Seed ferns (Pteridosperms) like Medullosa also accounted for a good percentage of the plant life while the role of lycopsids decreased. The best-known seed plants alive today are the conifer trees such as pine, spruce and larch. Indeed, these seed plants, such as conifers became more diverse and more abundant towards the end of the Permian. In some locations Dadoxylon, are among the largest and most numerous of tree trunks found in this time period. I have read that Arizona’s “petrified forest” was a forest of the first conifers, or gymnosperms. And, all those exposed fossilized logs are the crystallized remains of the tree species Araucarioxylon arizonicum.

    In my mind, I like to think of the Permian (300 to 250 million years ago) to be when the first softwoods began to replace all the tall ferns and grasses. They quickly began to dominate the forests. Within a few million years, many softwoods populated the forests all over the world. This continued until the evolution of the hardwoods came about.

    The advent of the hardwood (angiosperm) began about 150 million years ago in the early Cretaceous. That was a 100 million years after softwoods. They appeared at about the same time geologists believe that the earth started to break apart from the single continent called the Pangaea.  Early into that Tertiary period, hardwoods exploded and diversified themselves on each new continent.

    If the London Hammer was made and lost in the Eocene, then it is very possible that the handle could have been made out of some sort of hardwood.

    • Those claiming earlier dates older than 150 million years cannot support the contention that the handle is made out of hardwood.
    • Those claiming dates older than 300 million years cannot support the contention that the handle was made out of either hardwood or softwood, as before that time, all plant life consisted of ferns and fern like plants.

    Dating of the Wood

    I, of course, would absolutely welcome the dating of the wood. Though, it would be pretty fucking difficult noting that it is a fossilized stone, and there are limits to radio-carbon dating.

    You fucking cannot perform radio-carbon dating on a God-damn stone. For Pete’s sake! So, imagine my interest when I read this;

    “A recent radiocarbon-dating test was performed on a sample of wood removed from the interior of the handle. The results showed inconclusive dates ranging from the present to 700 years ago.”
    
    -Ancient-Wisdom.com

    I followed their link for proof, and poof! It dead ends. Bummer!

    Well, that wasn’t helpful. So I went a looking elsewhere.

    The current owner of the hammer is Mr. Carl Baugh at the Creation Evidence Museum. He has NEVER authorized any testing of the wood in the handle. Nor has there EVER been any testing on the wood. Anyone who makes claims that the wood has gone through testing is lying.

    No one has ever tested the wood. So…

    I guess that if the scientific statists can’t convince anyone of their narrative, they must resort to lying.

    Sheath around the Hammer Head

    The portion of stone surrounding the hammerhead also seems to present abnormalities.  There seems to be a cavity of sorts that suggest that there might have been some sort of sheath covering the hammer. The sheath has since disappeared for one reason or the other. We are unable to determine anything about the sheath other than it might have been some sort of wrapping.

    Shellfish

    Surrounding, connecting, and attached to the rock containing the hammer are a number of shellfish.

    These are bivalves that clearly have the same appearance and shape as bivalves of the Eocene. For those readers that don’t know the difference, bivalves evolved over time. Creatures all evolve over time, and general appearance can be helpful to identify a specific point in time.

    A seashell from 50,000,000 years ago looks quite different from one found on the beach outside your house today.

    By looking at the shells that are embedded in the rock surrounding the hammer, we can date the evolution of those creatures. And low and behold! They match the strata of the rock that the hammer was found in.

    Imagine that!

    In any event, shellfish no longer thrive in the London, Texas region. They only thrive in open water, not in hot and dry desert regions.  Unless someone carted this rock from the ocean in the Gulf of Mexico and placed it on the rock ledge, the shellfish that covered the rock of the London Hammer were from the Eocene.

    The shell type, configuration and shape can tell us a lot about the objects thta they attach themselves to.
    Shellfish evolve over time. Those that study these creatures can easily determine the age of the shells that attached themselves to the hammerhead. Photo from a museum showing shellfish from different time periods. (Image Source & Permissions.)

    Protective Coating

    "research continues into the unusually shiny transparent layer which surrounded the hammer when it was discovered and why it did not corrode for several months."
    
    - Mackay, John (ed). "Ordovician Hammer Report". Creation Ex Nihilo Feb. 1984. Vol. 2, No. 3. 

    I know nothing about this. What I do know is that surface treatments of the early 1930’s did not include thin transparent or clear surfaces.

    The Eye of the Hammer

    All hammers need a mechanism that holds the wooden handle in place near the hammerhead.  This device or mechanism is called the “wedge”. It is typically a metal sliver or wedge shaped piece of metal that is hammered into the top end of the wooden handle near the hammerhead. This particular area is known as the “eye”.

    Typically, it is a cast metal part, though it can actually be just about any kind of material as long as the material is harder than the wood handle. Typically, it is hammered or more often, pressed into place. The material conventionally is often steel or a cast iron part.

    Looking at the eye of the hammer tells us that the wedge had a width around 10mm to 15mm. We do not know the depth of the wedge, nor the thickness. We can guess proportionally based on contemporaneous conventional wedges. That doesn’t help us much.

    A study of the eye of the London hammer also shows clearly that only one wedge was used. It was located in the center of the handle end within the “eye”. However, it has since disappeared. We can only assume that the wedge disappeared after the time the London Hammer was lost. Otherwise, the hammerhead would have detached from the hammer, and the two parts would not have been found together in the state that it was discovered in.

    Therefore, there is a high probability that the wedge was encapsulated along with the entire handle at the same time. As such, and because the wedge was not found when the rock was cracked open, it is highly reasonable to expect that the wedge corroded into dust while encapsulated within the rock.

    This fact tells us some important things;

    • The wedge was made of a different material than the hammerhead.
    • The wedge had a different negative electropotential than the hammerhead, and thus possibly acted as a Sacrificial Anode comparatively. This is much like the way zinc is used on steel ocean vessels.
    • The galvanic series table clearly shows that corrosion resistant metals have a cathodic (or more noble) role in the comparative chart. This tells us that when two metals are placed in close proximity to each other, the metal that is anodic (or less noble) will corrode first. From established tables we can see that there are many materials that are less noble than corrosion free materials.
    • Thus, it is probable that the material that the wedge was made of was possibly made of plain carbon steel, aluminum, zinc, or magnesium. (Though other materials are also a possibility.)

    If the London Hammer was contemporaneous, as the scientific statist’s state, then we know…

    • Production quantities of aluminum were available as early as April 2, 1889, when Charles Martin Hall patented an inexpensive method for the production of aluminum.
    • It was extremely expensive, and not used in any kinds of mass produced products.
    • It was considered a precious metal until 1914.
    • Limited applications for aluminum filtered into specialized products beginning in the middle 1920’s.
    • Since the London Hammer was discovered in the middle of the 1930’s, it is highly unlikely that production quantities of utility-grade aluminum wedges were used in a utility hammer, and that aluminum completely corroded into dust within a ten-year span of time.

    Which leaves us with magnesium. Magnesium would need to be in some form of alloy and given it’s cost and material properties it is highly unlikely that it would ever be considered as a wedge in a hammer. it is decidedly NOT a utility grade material.

    Thus, it is reasonable to assume that the wedge was made either out of simple low carbon steel, or aluminum. If it was made out of aluminum, it is unlikely that it is a contemporaneous object. My bet is on a different alloy iron (either as a low carbon steel, or something else), or barring that as an aluminum. In any event the metal or material in the wedge was more anodic than the hammerhead.

    The metal or material in the wedge of the London Hammer was more anodic than the hammerhead.

    Conventional Hammerhead Design

    Today, and for the last one hundred years, hammerheads have been made of high carbon, heat-treated steel. This is for strength and durability. They are also heat treated. The heat treatment helps prevent chipping or cracking caused by repeated blows against other metal objects. Certain specialty hammers may have heads made of copper, brass, babbet metal, bronze and even rubber.

    The steel hammerhead is conventionally made by a process called hot forging. A length of steel bar is heated to about 2,200-2,350° F (1,200-1,300° C) and then die cut in the shape of the hammerhead. Once cut, the hammerhead is heat treated to harden the steel.

    The problem with this particular hammerhead is that the apparent manufacturing process was completely different. The hammerhead is not made of steel, it was apparently not hot forged, and it was not heat-treated. Instead, it was cast out of a mold using an unusual metal compound, allowed to cool and then machined to shape. After machining, it was apparently coated with some kind of clear coating. It is an unconventional manufacturing process for metal parts.

    The hammerhead on the London Hammer was fabricated using a very unusual and unorthodox manufacturing process.

    I would welcome a metallurgical study on this hammerhead to help us identify the process involved. As I am sure that it would tell us much more than I can presuppose.

    18th Century Miner’s Hammer

    There are those (scientific statists)  who claim that this is just your ordinary hammer used by miners in the 18th century. If so, then it was an awfully tiny mining hammer. If I would have used this hammer when I worked the mines, I would have been relentlessly  mocked.

    I am sorry to use coarse vernacular, but this isn’t a fucking mining hammer.

    At best, it’s a jeweler’s hammer. It’s way, way, WAY too tiny. Maybe it was designed for the seven dwarves to mine gold with.

    “The hammer in question was probably dropped or discarded by a local miner or craftsman within the last few hundred years, after which dissolved limy sediment hardened into a nodule around it.”
    
    - Glen J. Kuban

    And,

    “Cole also concluded that, judging by its style, the artifact is a 19th century miner's hammer.”
    
    -John Cole as reported in rationalwiki

    And,

    “The Hammer is identical to commonly used 19th century miners hammers, of American provenance.”
    
    - http://www.ancient-wisdom.com/ooparts.htm

    Apparently, the intellectuals have made their “official” pronouncements.

    I guess that they figured all this out while they were drinking a latte in Starbucks. I’m sure they might have gotten a second opinion from the pretty girl behind the counter with the nose piercing large enough to drive a truck through. Or maybe they simply yelled upstairs and asked their mother what her opinion was.

    "What I learned is that it's arrogant to be certain of anything. The world is a complex place and only idiots or assholes think they know it all."
    
     -Lisa Gardner

    Yessur.

    That’s a “mining hammer” said the young’un who wouldn’t know the difference between a dragline, a break line, Gunite or a tipple maul. Probably never worked a good lick of work in their life.

    No dirt between the God-damn fingernails, I’d guess.

    Hey, I’m just being “real”.

    How about doing this; get a “Jewelers Hammer” (which is approximately the same dimensional size and hammerhead weight) and try to break a chunk of granite,  basalt, or limestone with it. I am serious. Do it. Every single one of these statists who claim that this is a friggin’ mining hammer has NEVER picked up a hammer and even tried to break up a rock with it. Yet, here they are. Professing their knowledge to the world when they haven’t even doing the physical work that they so profess to know.

    This reminds me of an instance when I lived in Mississippi.

    One of the projects that I was working on was designing a new coffeemaker. It was intended to revolutionize the coffee industry. (it, like so many other design projects, eventually gets canned or canceled. In this case Sunbeam-Oster bought a large company up North called Mr. Coffee, and the project was shelved.) Anyways, I had hired an Industrial Design firm to help us brain-storm some ingenuous solutions in packaging (external design) of the new coffee maker.

    After paying them around $50,000 they came back two months later with a great presentation. They had all kinds of ideas. They had a very nice presentation. They had nice slides, and a great brochures.

    However, they had not even bothered to try any experimenting with coffee beans. They did not bother to cook the coffee, or roast their own coffee beans. Not one single person had ever had coffee made from raw coffee beans, or a “French Press”, or anything other than “drip coffee”. Only one had ever had “Percolated coffee”.

    They were “book smart” but had no physical “hands on” experience. They did not go out of their way and actually experiment. They just sat behind their computers and spewed out ideas. It was useless. It was worthless. We couldn’t use any of their ideas. Have you, the reader, ever had a similar experience?

    To understand something you need to be able to touch it, taste it, feel it, smell it. You need to see it with every one of your senses.

    To understand the size of 1 mm, you need to look at the thickness of a dime. To understand what the length of one inch is you need to look at your thumb. To fully appreciate how heavy one hundred pounds is, you need to lift it and carry it across the room.

    Typing meaningless words on a university campus is worthless and helps no one.

    Hey guys! This is what a real and actual “mining hammer” looks like…

    Mining hammer.
    This is what a real mining hammer looks like. It is not called a hammer. It is called a maul. Most modern-day mauls have replaced the wood with a steel bar (the wood breaks, and cracks). This is the real-deal folks. The tiny hammer found inside the inclusions doesn’t look anything like this. It just doesn’t.

    Stylistically Similar Hammers

    In almost all of the scientific statist articles, they lay claim that the London Hammer is “similar in style” to contemporaneous mining hammers. Yet, they don’t provide any examples to go by. You would think that it would be an easy thing to do, now wouldn’t you?

    • For something to be “identical” to something else, ALL the major characteristics must be the same.
    • For something to be “similar” to something else, MOST of the major characteristics must be the same.

    The defining major characteristics of the London Hammer, as best as we can determine, are;

    1. The hammerhead dimensional relationships. (The proportions of the length x width x height x cross sectional area of the face x thickness of the bell/poll x eye width within the hammerhead.)
    2. The length of the hammerhead.
    3. The width of the hammerhead.
    4. The hammerhead weight.
    5. The shape, dimensions and the unique features of the hammerhead cheeks.
    6. The hammerhead material composition.
    7. The face and poll construction.

    As far as I can determine NONE of these characteristics match those on any contemporaneous mining hammers. Which, of course, is one of the reasons why I rant on so much about the scientific statists. Their claims are like saying that a cement-mixer is the same as a Porsche 911 simply because they both have wheels.

    Mining Maul.
    Here is another mining maul. This was taken at a work bench near the primary lift. The maul was sitting on the table with other tools. Again, the handle was replaced with a welded bar. Yet the maul head is similar.

    My Search

    If these statements are true then there should be records of similar hammers in catalogs from that period. It goes without saying. Yes? If it is typical…

    So, I went a looking. My first stop was Sears & Roebucks.  Which was, and continued for nearly a hundred years, the first stop in outfitting mining expeditions.  I found nothing. I then searched Montgomery Ward & Company. Also, no luck. Then Bloomingdales. I couldn’t find anything. While I did find hammers, and I did find small mining hammers, none of the pictures illustrated shown a hammer in the same style and shape as the London Artifact. I also tried to locate vintage or antique hammers for sale on eBay. Nothing at all resembled this hammer. Which is odd as there are Scientific Statists who note,

    “That the hammer is stylistically consistent with typical American tools manufactured in the region in the late 1800s.”

    If so, then there should be some examples of “stylistically consistent tools” that the “experts” are referring to. I myself could not find any. I would most certainly welcome some examples.

    (As an aside, what is an “expert” in this particular matter? Is it someone who has actually used a mining hammer? If so, then I actually am an expert. For I have actually used a mining hammer to mine with, and got paid for using it…not much, mind you, but yes, I am an expert in mining hammers.)

    Remember boys and girls, termites look like ants to most people. However, they are not ants. They are completely different. We should never make snap judgments based on appearance alone. We should look at all aspects of a given mystery. We should not devote the bulk of our efforts to disprove the conclusions of another. Instead, we should study the mysterious object alone and not encumber ourselves with the opinions and thoughts of others.

    "The less people know, the more stubbornly they know it."
    
     -Rajneesh 

    In the interests of science, perhaps there is someone out there that can find this object advertised in a vintage catalog so that we can put this matter to rest. It would be a welcome relief.

    You have to give the statists some credit. Maybe they have seen examples of this particular tool lying about. So, I just had to do some investigation. So, I fired up the old internet search engine and went a looking. Here is what I found;

    Photos of Vintage Hammers

    I went on the internet and started to look for vintage or antique hammers used in mining. I tried numerous key words to this end, and I used different search engines. In almost all of the results that I have managed to compile, the hammers are substantially larger than the London Hammer is. Typically, the London Hammer is tiny, it is half the size of almost every single (single handheld) mining hammer or mining pick that I found.

    There are no stylistically similiar hammers to the London Hammer.
    Stylistically similar hammers to the London Hammer that can be found throughout the world. In each and every case, the only stylistically similar feature is that the objects have a handle, and a head made out of metal. In all cases the metal hammerhead is a low carbon steel. None are made out of chlorine infused, high sulfur white iron. This includes, hammers, mawls and picks.

    Why is this? If this is actually a hammer used in mining, then the people who used it were either dwarfs, children or tiny people of small stature.

    Hammer 2
    This is what miners look like to scientific statist and the liberal idiots that inhabit the “Ivory Towers” in our universities today. They are all way, way out of touch with reality. They live a life of sipping overpriced soy-latte coffee with their pinky up and checking the internet for the latest news out of Salon, and the Washington Post, all along eating their (100% all natural) avocado on gluten-free whole-wheat toast listening to some trendy jazz. Woo woo!

    Vintage Catalogs

    As stated previously, I also looked into some vintage catalogs to see if there were any hammers that were similar to the London Hammer. I was a bit disappointed. As the catalogs were line drawings, with no comparative scales shown. They had some rough drawings that could possibly look something like the London Hammer, but they could also resemble any of the above hammers just as easily.

    Vintage mining tools catalog illustration.
    Vintage catalog illustration showing mining tools of the last century. Note that none of them resemble the London Hamer. At best, you have a hand mawl. However the hammerhead is significantly larger than the head on the London Hammer. Mining Tools (Image Source). Item #h appears to be similar to the London Hammer, except that the hammerhead design is all wrong. Item #g is a heavy hand-sledge, which indicates a mass six to four times the weight of the London Hammer’s hammerhead.

    Man, for something that “easily resembles local mining hammers”, I sure as heck couldn’t find any examples anywhere.

    I guess that my definition of “easy” differs from that of the arm-chair statists.

    "Keep learning; don't be arrogant by assuming that you know it all, that you have a monopoly on the truth; always assume that you can learn something from someone else."
     -Jack Welch

    Photos of Miners

    I also went looking at vintage photos of miners. In every case, I was unable to find a miner holding a hammer that looked like the London Hammer. Most miners used large sledgehammers and picks to break the rock up. The smaller hammers were used in tight spaces and confined areas.

    Vintage photo of miners taken underground.
    When you mine, you need strong, heavy and robust tools. That is because you need to break up the rock and stone into gravel sized bits that can be shoveled away into carts. The London Hammer is far too small for this work. It is designed for hitting objects that are already small in size. Perhaps the objects are about the size of a handful or smaller. Coal Miners (Image Source)

    Of course, if you have never worked in the mines, or used a hammer to break rocks up you wouldn’t have any idea of their utility. After all, unless you tried to smash two stones together, you just couldn’t appreciate the importance of a hammer.

    The only way that you could get an idea of what a hammer was or how it is used is from your friends or family who work in the mines. You might listen to their stories and try to imagine what a mining hammer might look like. Barring that, your only window to mining might be through the lens of Hollywood.

    I pretty much believe that this is where they got the idea that this was a mining hammer…

    Hollywood idea of a miner with hammer.
    Most people who have never worked with their hands have severely retarded ideas of what labor is like. This is true about everything, especially about mining. People who’s idea about work is limited to pushing keys on a computer keyboard might get their impressions of what mining is like from Hollywood movies. Here is a typical Hollywood example of a miner. Note that he too has a hammer on his belt. Notice how tiny it is. Why it is almost the exact size and shape as the London Hammer. Imagine that! I just cannot help but think that this is where all the statist experts got their ideas of “stylistically similar” mining hammers from. Hollywood (and scientific statist) idea of a miner, from Hollywood.

    The internet has made the opinions of everyone available to the world. As a result the internet is flooded with ideas and opinions, of which most are based on a fantasy. That is ok. There is nothing wrong with living a fantasy. that is, of course, up until your fantasy hits the “brick wall” of reality.

    Dudes, if you want to believe in evil shape-changing reptilians, and enlightened spiritual beings from Sirius, just go ahead. If it helps you through your day, I say go for it. But if you really want to understand our reality, and YOUR role in it, then you had best broaden your horizons a tad bit.

    The world is NOT at all what most people think it is.

    Mines

    You would think that a scientific statist would do their “due diligence”, right? That they would do their homework. If you are going to say something is a particular item, you would present examples. You would discuss where it was made and how. You would show how it was used and where.

    However, NOT ONE SINGLE scientific statist did that. They just pull out some passages out of context, and arrange it in jargon filled treatise.

    Texas is full of mines.

    So, it should also be full of hammers.

    It should be full of photos of people using hammers. It should be full of old used hammers. It should be full of abandoned mines with “stylistically similar” hammers discarded and lying about for anyone to pick up.

    That is not the case.

    You would think that the difficulty in finding exact duplicates of an obviously mass produced object would be easy to do. Especially in Texas.

    Well, let’s not waste any time. Get your gloves, sturdy working trousers, a GPS and get started searching. Here is a link to a map of every mine in Texas. Go for it. Let’s find duplicates of the mystery OOPART London Hammer; Let’s go!

    Hand Sledge

    One of the most common things that occur in the mines is to use an ordinary sledgehammer, and cut the wood down to one-fourth the length. (You saw it down with a wood saw. One knee holding the handle down on the ground.) It becomes a “handsledge” or “hand mawl”. 

    In Pennsylvania and West Virginia, we simply referred to it as a “mawl” or the “handsledge”. This makes it easier to knock out the rocks and debris in tight locations where a normal sledgehammer could not fit.

    A handsledge has the exact same style and type of a hammerhead as a normal sledgehammer has. The only difference is the length of the handle is much shorter. Of course, the hammerhead for both types of hammers is quite heavy and robust.

    I can see where a village idiot might think that the London Hammer was a handsledge. Maybe for a dwarf or a midget, it is. However, seriously the proportional variances from the hammerhead length, to width and cross section are not stylistically compatible with anything.

    The “face” of a handmawl is around four to six times (4x to 6x) that of the face of the London Hammer. The “head” of a handmawl is around two to three times (2x to 3x) as large as the face of the London Hammer. Dimensionally the London Hammer has no business inside a mine or part of any kind of mining operation. At best, it is suitable as a jewelers hammer inside of an office space in downtown Cairo.

    My Opinions

    This artifact has collected the opinions of everyone who has encountered it. There are those who discount it as “just an old mining hammer”, yet they fail to provide even the simplest examples of what they are referring to. You would think that they would dredge up a picture of a vintage mining hammer to illustrate their point. (Like they did with the Dorchester Pot.) Now, wouldn’t you?

    I would. But, then again, I actually WORKED for a living.

    Well, as you can see. I did all the “heavy lifting” in this regard.

    There are others who state that this artifact exists as evidence to support their claims for their own narrative.  This narrative can be prior civilizations of great technology, pre-flood Biblical environments, and extraterrestrial visitations in the deep past. As much as I truly enjoy these alternative speculations, I am afraid that there isn’t much that the hammer can used to support these assertions. All that it can do is point to a time outside of the accepted norm where there was someone who designed, made, and used a hammer. I am sorry guys.

    Here are my opinions.

    The hammer does NOT look like a mining hammer (a “Prospector’s Hammer “ or “Brick hammer”) at all.

    The closest hammer that it looks like is a “tack hammer”.

    The size and configuration is not suitable for looking for rocks and chipping away at them.  If the hammerhead were thinner, it might resemble a miniature “Railroad-spike maul Hammer”.  However, it is obvious that it is not any of these known hammer types.

    The hammer is small. It is tiny.

    It is substantially smaller than most of the single-hand hammers that have ever been used for mining. This also goes for hand-held picks. It is too small. That in itself should mean one of two things. Either [1] it is not a mining hammer, and instead used for some time of specialized work, or [2] it is a hammer, but the people who used it was of small size.

    The hammerhead has a small dome on one end, and what appears to be a kind of concave end at the other. The presence of these features clearly states that the object had a specialized purpose.

    This was not a general utility hammer.

    But what was the purpose?

    The closest thing that I can think of is as a hammer to knock off shellfish (such as clams, mussels and oysters) off of rocks at low tide.

    Here, in China, we commonly see locals using small hammers such as these to collect and gather shellfish. They go down into the water at low tide. Then with the water up to their knees, they stand by the rock. Using a hand to brace themselves, they use the other with a hammer to solidly tap the shellfish loose from the rock. Sometimes they also use a small screwdriver (with a bent end like a tiny claw) to pry the shellfish off. Which, if you think about it, looks a little similar to the concave end of the artifact hammerhead.

    The problem with this possibility is the mystery of how a shellfish hammer ended up in the middle of a Texas desert in the 1930’s. The last time this area was near shellfish was during the Tertiary period around 40 million years ago.

    This is curious. It is curious because this happens to be not only the age of the rocks in that area, but also indicative of the shellfish found attached to the stone that the hammer was found in.

    At this time, the area was covered in a low shallow sea. The tides would rise and fall, and the rocks in the area would support all kinds of shellfish.

    Now, 40 Ma is a long, long time ago. It was when mammals just started to evolve. At that time they were mostly smaller and with longer legs. This was after the age of the dinosaurs, but before the time of the large mammals. Early humans did not exist though there were proto-primates at this time.

    Proto-primates looked a little like a cross between a monkey and a squirrel.

    What that means is that humans had yet to evolve from apes. This is because apes had yet to evolve from proto-primates. Yes, that was a really long time ago indeed.

    So thus, we have our mystery.

    How can a specialized (by the head design) marine-grade (by the composition of the hammerhead) hammer designed for dislodging shellfish (size, shape, and design) be designed, fabricated, used and lost in a shallow sea long before the progenitors of proto-humans ever existed? This is the question that should be asked when we study the material composition, fabrication concerns and style of the hammer.

    This OOPART is a specialized shellfish dislodging tool. The metallurgy of the object is very interesting and very telling. The head of the tool has a hardness generated by the unusual percentage of sulfur, and anti-corrosion properties due to the passivation of chlorine during the casting process. It was cast, forged, machined and possibly heat treated using an oil-quenching process under pressure. As the object was located encased in shellfish remains, at local geographic strata dated to 40 million years before humans walked the Earth, it is reasonable to conclude that it was lost during the harvesting of the local shellfish in the region. It is considered an OOPART because humans are arrogant and cannot believe that other tool-making creatures lived on the earth long before humans evolved.

    And, that is my opinion.

    Harvesting Shellfish
    Woman harvesting shellfish in China. She uses a short hammer. In this case the hammer is the exact same size as the mystery hammer, except that the head is pointed like a pick-axe.

    A final word

    This is pretty much what a 75 to 100 year old hammer looks like…

    Request for Help

    I have a tendency for sarcasm, I know that. However, I would like to know what the story is on this hammer. I tend to get sarcastic when someone just dismisses something away without at least addressing that there are some issues or mysteries that need to be resolved.

    • If you want to say it looks like something, then pull that object out so we all can compare.
    • If you want to say that it is stylistically similar to a certain design, then show us the designs and styles that you are referring to. Let us all see the stylistic elements that you are referring to. Enumerate them.
    • If you want to say that a ten or twenty year old piece of wood can be fossilized, then show us examples of a ten or twenty-year old section of fossilized wood. Don’t reference a journal discussing a 45,000 year old example.
    • If you say that the metal is common then, go ahead and [1] show everyone examples of the same metal being used elsewhere. Show us [2] the factories that used that process, and [3] what the process was. Then, of course, [4] show us the molds used, and [5] other examples of such an obviously mass-produced object.

    Don’t just make a statement, and run away like a coward or a five year old petulant child.

    Man up.

    Cowards spend all their time trying to disprove things. Only cowards do this. They are the people who sit in their “Ivory Towers” and figure out things for others to do. Meanwhile it is us workers that have to get our hands dirty. We’re the ones carrying the water. So don’t piss on our legs and tell us it is raining.

    I worked in the mines. This is not a fucking hand sledge. I’m not a God damned idiot. Neither is anyone else. If you don’t know, then shut the fuck up. It is the leaders; the makers, and the shakers that open up doors, and show us the truth. Be a leader.

    Let’s see [1] how chlorine was added to molten iron around the days of the American Civil War. Let’s see [2] photographs of the process used to add chlorine to the molten iron. These process are documented, you know. Pull them out. Do your homework goddammit.

    Let’s see [3] photographs of miners using this ridiculously small hammer at the mines. Or, barring that, [4] ANY type of tiny tool in a mine. And, please pictures of the seven dwarfs from Walt Disney does not count. Let’s [5] identify the species of the shellfish that was found clinging to the metal hammerhead.

    To this end, I would hope that others help all of us out here.

    • Can someone find a photo, and advertisement showing the contemporaneous “mining hammer” that this is supposed to be kin to?
    • Can someone provide examples that show that this hammer fits a regional style or shape common at one time in this area? Then can you point out and enumerate the stylistic similarities for us? (For instance, the [1] hammerhead dimensional relationships, the [2] hammerhead weight, the [3] unique features of the hammerhead cheeks, [4] the hammerhead material composition, and the [5] face and poll construction. All five characteristics must be identical in “stylistically similar” hammers.)
    • Can someone assist in the determination of the wood composition and history?
    • Can someone please help in the heat treating and secondary operations of the metal?
    • Can someone point out the local mining operations in the London, Texas region so that we can investigate the sites directly?

    I am not a God. I cannot do this alone. I welcome any and all assistance in solving this mystery.

    Maybe it is contemporaneous. Maybe it is from a time before the Biblical flood. Maybe it is from an extraterrestrial visitor. I don’t know. However, there are people out there (in internet-land) who do know some of these answers. I humbly request your help.

    Conclusion

    This object has a very unique material composition that is uncommon and difficult to manufacture. This object shows aging, and a presence within a rock that is suggestive of great age. While it has a general contemporaneous appearance, that alone should not be a reason to ignore the other curious aspects of this object. Those willing to discount this object as a modern object do so without proper study of the materials used in the object. The study would include not only the materials, but also how the materials and objects were manufactured and fabricated.

    This object can tell us quite a bit about our reality and our world. All we need to do is listen to what it is trying to say to us with an open mind.

    Thus…

    A hammer designed to dislodge shellfish in marine environments was found encased in shellfish within rock that dated to when the area was a shoreline. It’s millions of years older than mankind.

    The people or creatures that used this hammer were smaller, and had a smaller grip, but they knew their metallurgy, and possessed a very sophisticated method of iron alloy manufacture. This tool is specifically designed for the task of dislodging shellfish, particularity the types present on the shoreline 40 million years ago. Which would be mostly bivalves, and Cerith. We know this by the shape of the hammer bell/poll and face.

    Take Aways

    • The metal in the hammer is uncommon.
    • The material in the hammerhead is not the same as what has been used in American-made hammers ever.
    • The process used to make the hammerhead intentionally added sulfur to ease in machining.
    • The material in this hammer does not contain enough carbon to consider it steel.
    • Chlorine was added to the hammerhead, and that required a very elaborate and advanced production facility. That level of complexity was unlikely prior to the 1940’s.
    • The combination of Sulfur and chlorine in iron suppresses the oxidation of the hammerhead. That is why it will not corrode like a low-carbon steel.
    • The hammer was cast in a mold, and the metal alloy head was machined afterwards.
    • The corrosive-less hammer was found approximately ten years after stainless steel was patented. It is not made of stainless steel but of a different composition that was not patented.
    • The hammer was found in a hard mineral deposit resembling rock.
    • The metal in the hammerhead is suggestive of an intended marine working environment.
    • The rock contained bivalve fossils from the Eocene time period.
    • The handle was partially fossilized and coalified.
    • The handle appears to be made of a hardwood.
    • The eye of the hammer possessed a wedge of a different material than the hammerhead.
    • There are no similar hammers sold in any vintage catalogs that I have been able to research.
    • This object is not easily explained away as a contemporaneous relic as its composition is suggestive of unique and comprehensive technologies not available in the 1930’s.
    • The object appears to be a specialized “Shellfish Hammer” and appears to be quite ancient.
    • All of this is speculative.
    • It would be interesting to see if someone skilled in Psychometry or Retrocognition would have to say when holding this object.

    FAQ

    Q: What is the London Hammer?
    A: It is an OOPART (Out Of Place ARTifact) that cannot be explained by conventional knowledge and understanding. It is a hammer that was found within a rock. The rock is much older than humanity is.

    Q: Where is the London Hammer?
    A: The object has been donated to Baugh’s Creation Evidence Museum where it is now on display.

    Q: Who made the London Hammer?
    A: No one knows. Evidence is suggestive of a great age for the object. We (officially) have no knowledge of any civilizations older than humanity. Thus who made it is speculative. It comes from a time long before human history.

    Q: How old is the London Hammer?
    A: The hammer was located in strata that have been dated around 40 million years. Scientific statists refuse to accept this, and argue that the object is contemporaneous. They have even gone as far as to make up stores that it has been tested and that the dates are contemporaneous.

    Q: How big is the London Hammer?
    A: The metal hammerhead is approximately 6 inches (15 centimeters) long and has a diameter of 1 in (25 mm). The wooden handle is broken so it is difficult to determine what its original length was.

    Q: What is the London Hammer made out of?
    A: The hammer has two components. The hammerhead is an iron alloy consisting of 96.6% iron, 2.6% chlorine, and 0.74% sulfur. The wooden handle material has not been identified, but appears to be a hardwood.

    Q: How was the London Hammer dated?
    A: It was never dated. There were no tests on the hammer that could be used to obtain a date. The rock from whence it was extracted from appears to be 40 million years old.

    Q: Does the hammer prove that there was a Biblical flood?
    A: No. It does not prove anything.

    Q: What should we do if it is discovered that this hammer was contemporaneous and lost in the 1930’s?
    A: Well, we should find the owner. They would be old, but might still be alive. They could tell us how they lost the hammer and what they did to it to make it look so old. Maybe they pissed on it after eating saltpeter and that fossilized the handle.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my OOPART index here…

    Mysteries Explained

     

    Articles & Links

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge

    The mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge is a very interesting subject. Indeed, our world is filled with all kinds of interesting things going on. Some can even possibly be considered an extraterrestrial riddle. Even if it is wholly terrestrial in nature. All we need to do is take a good look at what surrounds us. Because, if we look at things with open eyes, and with an open mind, we will see new things, and come to new understandings on our world, and what is just going on within it.

    With the advent of new technology, we are able to peer into regions and places that used to be denied us. Today, using such technologies as Google Earth, we are able to peer into the shroud and explore all kinds of things that we didn’t even know existed. Some of it is amazing. Some of it is frightening. Some of what we see can be curious, while others can tell us just a little bit more about ourselves. All we need do is listen to what we find.

    Today I would like to discuss a very odd thing that is going on at the Lapulapu Ridge.

    For those of you who don’t know, the Lapulapu Ridge is an undersea formation that lies outside of Saipan. Saipan is a small group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is terribly isolated and remote. It’s also part of the United States. (I’ll bet that you all didn’t know that.) The point of interest here is not the abundance of coconuts on the Saipan island, or the history of the island during World War II. What is so interesting about this place is that someone, or something, has been busily mining that area for some time. Most certainly for years, probably for decades, and maybe even for a century or longer!  What is so odd about this is that it is impossible to do so. At least, using known conventional technologies, that we humans possess.

    Let’s have a look at this curious situation…

    Introduction

    "We still haven't explored the deep oceans or the inner crusts of Earth."
    
    -Dr. Wolf statement in regards to the extraterrestrial presence on the earth and their activities.

    Let’s take a moment to look at what is going on in our planet.  We humans like to believe that we are the “owners” of the planet, and that we are in full control and knowledge of “our” planet.  We like to believe that we are at the top of the food chain. We like to believe that we are in full control of technology and have the power and dominion over this planet.

    That is wrong.  We have no power, we know very little, and we know “jack shit” about the history of this planet. In fact, we actually know very little of the planets past and whom actually “owns” the planet that we reside upon.  Yet the evidence of the real “owners” of the planet are everywhere, we need just search for the evidence and study it with an open mind.

    I would like to take a look at some such “object” or area of evidence.  It can be considered a terrestrial or even an extraterrestrial mystery. I would like to look at the Lapulapu Ridge Mining efforts near and around Saipan.  I refer to it as a “mining” effort only because the tracks suggest displacement of soil. The only reason for the displacement of soil that I am aware of is part of either mining or construction efforts. (Constructions that are suggestive of long linear lines are more akin to roads then they are for buildings.)

    Therefore, let’s look at what is hidden deep under the ocean under the waves.  Let’s look at evidence of large-scale (possibly) robotic automated mining operations under the surface of “our” oceans.

    The Lapulapu Ridge Formations

    The following are filtered images from Google Earth.

    The filters remove the reflective waveform obfuscation layer characteristics of the oceans from the Google images.  I want to give Google the benefit of doubt and attribute the reflective quality of the ocean surface to be a truly natural obfuscation.

    However, once the images are filtered to remove this sort of waveform obfuscation layer a series of patterns emerge.  This is truly puzzling, as one would expect to see resolved undersea details.  You would expect natural features to parallel that of the native landmasses.  Such things as mountains, rivers and other natural geologic structures would be expected to be shown, or more accurately, their undersea equivalents.  But instead, one can clearly see enormous scaled undersea (apparent) surface mining evidence.  Once removed, one can clearly see the presence of unusual tracks and movement.

    There is absolutely no way that this can be considered to be natural geologic evidence at all.

    There are secrets that lie hidden from human eyes and observation. an
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge is one of a city-sized mining operation under the ocean. A 388 mile long underwater site showing extensive geologic mining activity by large (huge) vehicles on the Lapulapu ridge near the Saipan islands.

    Undersea mining operations NE of Saipan. (Image Source.)

    These features shown are near the Saipan islands.  Of which the specific coordinates are 16°27’31.55”N 147°14’19.51”E.  I provide just a mere handful of images to illustrate my point here.  The reader is encouraged to pursue their own investigative activity to whatever conclusion it leads to.

    These are NOT natural geologic formations.  Nature does not follow straight lines unless they go through fissures or regions of internal stress.  Nor do they make 90° bends, and 180° bends.  Nor do they repeatedly follow parallel paths of operation.  There is absolutely no way that these features are natural.

    Non-Natural Features

    I was never briefed on these features, nor was I introduced to them through any kind of program or manual. These constructions were discovered as a natural bout of investigative journalism. Indeed, it is characteristic of obtaining supportive documentation for my own contentions.  All that one needs to do is look around themselves to the world about us.  In so doing, one can see the hidden secrets that lie submerged and hidden.

    I do not who or what formed these features.

    They might, remotely, be naturally made.  They could be constructed by some surreptitious government project of great secrecy and complexity.  They could be all that remains of some great underwater public works project.  I don’t know at all.  But to me, these structures are clearly intelligent driven.  They seem to suggest large-scale underwater mining efforts.  That is the basis of my discussion here.  That these apparent features are but part of large-scale construction made by a race with the capability to do so.

    These features are not limited to the Saipan region, but exist in other undersea locations.  For instance, they can be found at 47°47’46.16”S 107°15’00.93”E as well.  Of course, the form and shape is different.  But whom would expect large scale mining west of southern Tasmania?

    If human, then we really need to take a good hard look at what our fabrication abilities are. Because if we can mine or perform these kinds of undersea activities, then we can most certainly create a facility on another planet. If these formations are not human, then we need to reconsider who is making them and why. Remember, boys and girls, extraterrestrial activity, of huge extent, can be found throughout our solar system.  We only need look below the surface and take a hard look at what is presented to us.

    Statists say these features are just normal

    After the initial discovery by a poorly named group known as “SecureTeam10”, the scientific statists came out with their pronouncements and statements.

    “Large parallel lines = tectonic fissures, naturally occurring sorry. The curvy line is likely the pathway of a underwater current and deposition field of said current.”
    
    - YouTube Mikitan Fox

    Now of course, the Scientific Statists have to crawl out from under a rock and “explain” to us that all of this is of no concern.  They hurriedly hopped up upon their great white horses and began to beat the drums loudly.  They shout, “This is just an ordinary fault line. Anything else is incorrect. Everything else is nonsense.”

    My definition of scientific statism;

    A concentration of a set scientific theory in the hands of a closed elite group of people. Often they have direct ties to a highly centralized government. To alter or change that theory to revise it to meet new discoveries or data often requires government derived politics and peer-group approvals.

    Tectonic Fissures

    Well, it’s just like those pesky statists to make a pronouncement and run away to hide in their mother’s basement.

    The fracture mechanics model of the tectonic fissures do not permit the kinds of fractures and behaviors that are clearly observed in this instance. I suggest anyone interested in the formation of faults and their behaviors read “Formation and Development of Fissures at the East Pacific Rise: Implications for Faulting and Magmatism at Mid-Ocean Ridges“. It can be read on line at Department of Geosciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA.

    By understanding the fracture mechanics involved in geothermal processes (especially those in the Pacific rim) one can clearly see that these “tracks” are absolutely not tectonic fissures. Tectonic fissures? What a laugh! Compare these images with the fault lines found in California here.

    From the paper;

    "The Griffith theory assumes that crack initiation occurs from the points of highest tensile stress on the surfaces of these microscopic flaws or "Griffith's cracks" in brittle material (in a biaxial stress field), and this has since been elucidated by the theoretical and laboratory studies of Bieniawski [1967] and Huang et al. [1993]. Joints, lava flow contacts, and tension cracks may be regarded as the macroscopic analogy to "Griffith's cracks" [Gudmundsson and Bäckström, 1991]."

    Our understanding of crack formulation in brittle and ductile materials is quite mature. In fact it is one of the most common mechanical and civil engineering undergraduate courses that engineering students take. Oh, I surely remember the days during my classes in the”Mechanics of Deformable Bodies” class. LOL. In the case of the formation of cracks in the Pacific rim, it is obvious that the formation is absolutely straight forward for compressive fissure formulation.

    Now, stress lines and their associated fractures for geologic features in the Pacific Rim are influenced by the elastic moduli, tensile stress and  tensile strength of the host rock. As such, we know that hosted stresses, are in turn, a function of the grain structure of the materials.

    Stress lines follow straight or angular paths.
    Lattice structures on steel showing the relationship of the various phases of state as a function of impurity composition / percentage for alloyed iron.

    I well remember the days as a young engineering student. We studied the material properties of various materials and how the grain and lattice structures influenced the lines of stress inherent in them. One day we went to the lab and we observed the clean and cut fractures of sample steels.

    The professor took numerous samples of SAE 1045 and SAE 1018 and placed them in a machine that pulled them apart. The deformation of the parts were at a nice clean 45 degree angle. This was quite along the lines of the crystal grain structure of the materials themselves. No matter what material, and no matter how fast or how slow, the fracture was always identical. It ALWAYS followed the lines of stress inherent inside the material.

    We can see this everywhere. We can see this on the earth, and we can see this on other planets such as the moons of Jupiter. Here is a NASA slide showing the tectonic stress lines on Europia.

    tectonic lines of stress on the moon of jupiter do not match those of the lines found under the sea near saipan.
    Tectonic activity on Europia, one of the moons of Jupiter. Notice how the lines match the lattice formation of the grains of the material that is under stress.

    Fractures form along the principle lines of stress inherent in the material grain composition of the materials that make up the undersea mountain ranges of the Pacific Rim. This, in turn, is a function of the grain structure of the surrounding rocks. Thus the reason for straight lines,and precise angles of exact (and repeatable) angular measurement.

    fault lines in metals take on the same behaviors as the fault lines in geology.
    When a material undergoes stress, especially tensile stress, the fracture is along a line of least resistance; or stress line. This line follows the grain pattern of the material. This is also known as the direction of slip, or slip direction. Prior to fracture, there is a period when the base rock goes through a period of plastic behavior. During this time the twinning direction also follows the slip direction as a function of crystal structure.

    However, while many of the track lines observed in and around the undersea formation known as the Lapulapu ridge are straight, they do NOT follow material stress lines. Just having straight lines, and angular fractures alone does not qualify an observation to be that of a tectonic stress line. As NOWHERE in the world do tectonic lines of stress manifest as 90 degree bends, followed by another 90 degree bend. No do they manifest as pure radii that rounds a straight 90 degree bend at tangential points. These are clear VIOLATIONS of the laws of deformable bodies.

    The tails under the sea do not match stress lines.
    Tectonic plates follow the lines of stress. They do not make nice round circular features that follow an inner radius to correct to a 90 degree bend. That is something a tractor trailer rig does, not what a stress line does. Note also the displacement of material during the bend; it overlaps previous material. In fact, through a study of the overlap we can easily see that the object make a turn left to displace previous material as opposed to a turn right.

    Ha, that pretty much rules out the kinds of behaviors observed in these tracks now doesn’t it?

    About the Environment

    These features and the corresponding events are taking place at a mind-boggling depth. At that depth the water is pitch black and the pressure is devastating. At the depth of 11,300 feet the water pressure would be a crushing 5000 psi.

    To put this into perspective, most unclassified information place “safe” submarine depths at under 800 feet. We do know that submarines can dive deeper. However there is a difference between maximum dive depth and crush depth. World War II German U-boats generally had collapse depths in the range of 200 to 280 meters (660 to 920 feet). While modern nuclear attack submarines like the American Seawolf class are estimated to have a test depth of 490 m (1,600 ft.), which would imply a collapse depth of 730 m (2,400 ft.).

    The depth of these tracks are at twice that depth.

    It is as if it was on the surface of another planet. For instance, the crushing atmosphere of Venus is at 93 bar or around 1350 psi. Good golly, this is four times that!

    Mysteries are all around us. Many of which lie deep down in the depths of the ocean.
    German U-Boat washed ashore and amusing those enjoying the beach.

    Anyone or anything that can manufacture such a structure and place it where it is, can do so in just about any rocky planet in our solar system. (Of course, gas giants are another animal all together, so let’s not consider them.) The technology to make such a device is far advanced, and beyond anything that we humans can construct.

    Track Behaviors

    One of the first things that you can note from these images is the paths or trails that are constructed. The tracks go up entire sides of undersea mountains.. When the mountain is steep, the device that creates these tracks continues to try to go upwards, even if the vehicle slides down the hill sideways. It tries to jockey up the side.

    The trails indicate complete U-turns that make a 180-degree turn, and then follows alongside the initial path or track.

    The trails indicate intelligent decision. Ninety-degree turns are made, seemingly at random points. Obviously there was some sort of decision tree and direction that was provided to the engine that creates these tracks.

    A study of the tracks clearly shows inteliigent guided movement vectors.
    Mining evidence of the mining of the Lapulapu undersea ridge near the Saipan islands. Here one can clearly see the movement of the object creating these tracks had trouble going up and down steep underwater cliff faces. The device or vehicle that made the tracks had to jocky back and forth .

    Southern end of the Saipan evidence site.(Image Source.)

    Track Characteristics

    The tracks are all the same. Aside from areas where they seem to go through mountains, the tracks are a uniform width. They create a line of debris that runs perpendicular to the track direction, and that line of debris is uniform with other lines with it. In the center of the track are a set of “inner tracks” that follow the main track line.

    Goes Through Mountains

    Apparently it, whatever it is, has the ability to go through mountains. This is very interesting.

    Does it actually go through the mountain, or does it dematerialize before it, and rematerialize after it? It seems that it actually went through the mountain and the tunnel has since collapsed leaving a shallows and separation of one island into two.

    Note that the tracks are also different. The tracks start to narrow down like an arrow. This is suggestive of a process that is unknown to us.

    The movement and behaviors of the undersea tracks around the Lapulapu ridge are very interesting.
    A study of the tracks and the paths lead some interesting findings. For instance the tracks as they relate to the Saipan and Tinian islands is very interesting. It suggests that perhaps the engine went under the island, created a kind of tunnel, that eventually collapsed. Thus forming a shallow area and two separate islands instead of one large island.

    Going through mountains and islands. (Image Source.)

    Intelligent Control

    It is obvious that there is some degree of intelligent control over the vehicle or thing that creates these tracks. It makes 45-degree turns, 90-degree turns, and 180 degree U-turns. It is as if it is searching for something.

    The track behavior is suggestive of mining efforts of one type rather than natural large-scale geologic processes.
    Closeup of the southern evidence of tacks on the Lapulapu ridge near the Saipan island chain. The tracks make 45 degree turns, 180 degree turns and 120 degree turns. These are not natural processes.

    Intelligent Control over the undersea vehicle. (Image Source.)

    The undersea tracks show evidence of search efforts and collection and gathering behaviors.
    Tracks show clear evidence of turns and reversals, as well as search efforts that comprise 90 degree bends and turns.

    Evidence of exact 90° turns. (Image Source.)

    Large Scale Formations and Paths

    The device operates over enormous regions. Here is the overall general appearance of the most visible tracks around Saipan.

    The tracks show obvious patterns of intelligent effort.
    The tracks involved in the mining of the Lapulapu ridge show a pattern of obvious mining efforts. In fact, they almost look a map of the type of tunnels that one would make in an underground mining operation.

    Obvious mining of the Lapulapu Ridge around Saipan.

    Whomever or whatever is mining this area, they most certainly are focusing on the Lapulapu Ridge. The tracks clearly indicate an interest on the top of the ridge. While there are forays off the ridge, the tracks indicate an abrupt series of ninety-degree bends to return back to the ridge. I wonder what is so valuable on the ridge that requires such extensive mining at such a deep depth.

    The tracks clearly show measured and direct angles. THere are slight variance of only a few degrees which again show that the features are not natural, as natural features always show pure geometric angular relationships.
    A study of the angular relationships of the tracks and the associated features of the tracks.

    The angles associated with the large undersea tracks along the Lapulapu Ridge near the Saipan islands. They are certainly curious Large-scale formations. With accurate and exact 90 degree bends. The spent debris mounds are formed at a curious angle. The angles are similar but differ. The image above indicates a 76-degree and a 79-degree debris mound.

    Evidence of Mining in a Grid-Like Formation

    There is evidence that seems to point to the idea that the device operates following a grid or similar map.

    The exploration patterns of the undersea tracks are suggestive of search and collect behaviors.
    Undersea mining operation near the Saipan islands showing rectangular exploratory behaviors.

    Rectangular features forming perfect squares. (Image Source.)

    A study of the undersea tracks is very interesting as it indicates intention and intelligent navigation.
    As the mining vehicle moved away from the Lapulapu ridge, it discovered fewer minerals of interest and thus was forced to make a 360 degree turn and followed a parallel path back toward the ridge.

    Large scale, large distance, grid-like mining.(Image Source.)

    Possible vehicle

    It’s pretty difficult to track down a vehicle actually making these tracks. However, if you are careful you can find one. I like to call it the roving orb under the ocean.

    A large object has been observed crawling along the undersea surface at a depth of over 3000 feet off the California coast.  Unlike the “official” explanation for the Lapulapu Ridge Mining operations, this movement is more “organic” and seemingly random. The object, which observers say looks man-made rather than natural, is estimated to measure more than 2.86 miles in diameter. It is a dome shaped structure (as it must be to sustain the enormous pressures on the ocean floor). It moves along the floor and displaces dirt and debris as it moves.

    The object was brought to the attention of (UFO, strange event, and alien) investigators known as “SecureTeam10”. Tyler, who helps run the internet investigations site, said:

    “There are certain areas of the ocean that are obviously blurred out. But what better place would there be for another race or another group of beings to hide than in the deep of our own oceans? … While we are up staring at the sky all day and worrying about what’s up there we have 90 per cent of our oceans unchartered.”
    
    -Tyler at SecureTeam10

    Other comments include;

    “We see a large circular object and an obvious path or trail created by it – and it disappears into a blurred out area – how convenient.”
    There are huge undersea domes that migrate along and associated with the undersea tracks.
    Large undersea object that is ambulatory that seems to be associated with the undersea tracks.

    What is this object?(Image Source.)

    The orb under the sea can be found off the coast of California and near the Saipan islands.
    Diagram of the mysterious roving orb that tracks the mysterious mining tracks at enormous depths in the ocean.

    It is pretty big. At 4.61 Km.

    To put this into perspective, imagine that an American football field is 100 yards long (roughly 100 meters). You could fit 46 football fields end to end inside this object. It is huge. In fact, it is the size of a small city. It is around 66.5 square kilometers in surface area. It is one half the size of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (151.1 square kilometers.)

    What we can learn from this orb is rather simple. It is associated with the linear tracks, but does not follow the tracks. It makes its own tracks, which seemingly appear to be of random movements. It is also smaller than the width of the linear tracks.

    The movement of the orb is unusual and does not match the undersea movement near the Lapulapu ridge near Saipan.
    The mystery orb creates it’s own tracks which differ from the more linear and wide tracks found alongside it. This movement is odd and apparently directionless.

    There is no question that it is moving about and leaving tracks.(Image Source.)

    Abandoned Orb at the base of Lapulapu Ridge

    THis orb seems to be abandoned and damaged.
    An abandoned orb at the base of an undersea mountain near the Lapulapu ridge.

    Another orb “parked” on one of the Lapulapu mining lines? This one looks like it is collapsed somehow. (Image Source.)

    Close up of an abandoned orb that seems to be parked next to an undersea mountain. It looks like it has been there for a while. Notice that the top of the orb is open and suggests an interior with some type of complex layout. It is too bad that it is so deep, it would be really interesting to go and visit. I wonder what stories it could tell us.

    Closeup of the abandoned orb suggesting a complex interior inside.
    The abandoned orb. The top appears to be open and there is something inside.

    Uh oh. The Orb frustratingly disappears into an obscured area.

    These orbs are tricky things to find as they move about and come and go at will.
    The orb disappears into deep darkness.

    Curses! Foiled Again! (Image Source.)

    Conclusions

    There are features under the ocean that defy known geologic processes. They are suggestive of undersea mining by an enormous undersea orb. Attempts to describe this away as a natural process are laughable. I don’t know what it is, nor do I know why it is there.

    The only thing that I know is that the reality that we think of, is just an illusion.

    It is entirely possible that this observed structure is something piloted by an intelligence for purposes that have no bearing or relationship to humans at all. As such, it is offered to the reader as nothing more, nor nothing less, than an intelligently piloted object that apparently defies the limits of human engineering.

    Take Aways

    What can we learn from this;

    • There are mysteries that exist under the ocean.
    • Not everything can be explained away as normal geologic processes.
    • There are huge mobile constructions that can move about under intense water pressure.
    • They create paths that appear to be searching or looking for something.

    Other Opinions

    I received this comment off-line by an influencer.

    I think those “machines tracks” are an artifact of the SONAR scan, it’s called Phase Shadowing in the RADAR world. Check out Google Earth ocean bottom off the east coast of the US, say between NYC and Bermuda, it’s all over the place. I’d bet money it’s just an artifact of the signal processing but I’m only 95% sure.

    I think that this is a valid observation. However…

    • It wouldn’t explain the roving orb phenomenon.
    • It wouldn’t explain why the sonar doesn’t influence the orb.
    • It wouldn’t explain the jockeying back and forth on the sides of the undersea cliffs.
    • It wouldn’t explain how some right angles are crisp, while others have a radius.
    • It wouldn’t explain how the tracks go under the Saipan islands and then collapse them into the sea.
    • It wouldn’t explain how dust and debris can obscure the tracks in certain areas.

    This type of searching for answers is an important part of our role in understanding the world around us. While I have mentioned numerous “objections” to this solution, my ignorance in the way the sonar scan works should be obvious.

    That being said, in my mind, it could very well be very possible that these are somehow associated with a sonar scan. I just do not know.

    RFH

    How about a Request For Help? I tire of busybodies and statists who poke fun at the ideas and theories of others. They offer no constructive dialog. Rather they just make fun, ridicule, and then scurry under a rock.

    I use this forum as a way to disseminate some of the things that I learned though my thirty years of involvement in MAJestic. However, I am forbidden to posit my knowledge directly. I cannot tell the interested, the “secrets of the universe”. The best that I can do is share my opinions about things that interest me, and flavor it indirectly with my forbidden understandings.

    To help put this in perspective, put yourself in my shoes…

    Imagine that you are working at a company with a brutal NDR. You cannot divulge anything about what you are involved in for any reason.
    
    Now, let’s suppose that for thirty years you were involved in training unicorns to dance with bigfoot. To help with your training, the Lock Ness Monster would gather “magical beans” that you would award the unicorns when they did a particularly impressive dance move; like the cha cha or a nice rendition of the samba.
    
    Now, there is no way that you can talk about unicorns, bigfoot, or the Lock Ness Monster. But, the NDR doesn’t cover “magic beans”. So in the best interests of society, you might want to posit your thoughts about growing “magic beans” and how they might be of interest to imaginary creatures.
    
    That is the situation that I find myself in.

    So, if you, the reader, were so interested, I would welcome your thoughts on this matter. What do you think about the plausibility that the orb and the tracks are natural geologic events? What are your thoughts about the idea that the US Navy already studied the orb with the open top? What are your thoughts on the levels of technology that must be achieved to perform these kinds of operations? Please, you are welcome to contribute.

    This is my callout, to you the reader, to assist all of us in solving these mysteries. After all, this is a far better use of the internet than for looking at Justin Bieber videos.

    FAQ

    Q: What is causing the lines or “tracks” under the sea?
    A: I do not know. There are geologic processes that can create lines around stress faults, however these lines do not look like any that we know if. If they are part of a geologic process then it would be a new and interesting geologic process. One that deserves study and investigation. To me, as a layman, they appear to be tracks with nice linear debris trails. However, human technology has not advanced to the stage where we can mine at such deep depths. We just do not have that ability. Thus we have ourselves a mystery that perplexes us.

    Q: What is the orb?
    A: No one knows, of if they do know, they are keeping it secret. It is a large, no huge, structure that is roving about on the ocean floor. It seemingly follow or retraces the linear tracks made earlier, but instead of following the path already made, it just seemingly moves randomly.

    Q: What can we learn about this odd event?
    A: Someone or something thinks that the Lapulapu Ridge holds some valuable items or minerals. They have devoted time (obviously), and effort (certainly) to mine these elements. It is unlikely that they are human, because known human technology cannot reach the working environment that the objects operate in.

    Q: Why isn’t someone investigating this?
    A: What makes you think that no one is investigating this? Just because CNN, WaPo, Salon and the Huffington Puffington Post thinks that there is nothing here, doesn’t mean that is actually the case. From a technical point of view, the suggestion of technologies that would enable us to mine the ocean deeps, as well as to provide military advantage for naval submarines is reason alone to investigate this mystery. Remember, boys and girls, real investigations are never publicized. They are kept secret and the work is collected and accomplished in silence.

    MAJestic Related Posts – Training

    These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    How to tell...
    How to tell -2
    Top Secrets
    Sales Pitch
    Feducial Training
    Implantation
    Probe Calibration - 1
    Probe Calibration - 2
    Leaving the USA

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Secrets of the universe
    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The Hammer inside the rock.
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    Mystery of the bronze bell.
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe
    Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
    The mysterious flying contraptions.

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    How MWI allows world-line travel.
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel
    Soul is not consciousness.

    John Titor Related Posts

    Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

    They are;

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.