When I was a boy I had a Red Wagon.
I don’t think that they make them any more. Mine was a little something like this…
It was multi-functional and I used it to ride in, store stuff in, and carry stuff with. Many times I would hod the painted steel handle and try to ride the wagon down town roads and hit bumps and smash into trees.
Sheech!
If my kids did that I’d kill them. But back in the day, ah. It was another time. I’ll tell you what.
Now, my little brother didn’t have a red wagon. No. He had something called a “Big Wheel”. This was a plastic tricycle that had a big front wheel and he would be a terror on that thing. He was practicing, I think, to be another Evil Kineval.
LOL.
It was simpler time. I’ll tell you what.
Later on, I got a bicycle with training wheels… then advanced to an orange Schwin banana seat bike. Oh, I took that bike and rode it everywhere.
Followed by my family GTO. A fine orange beast that fit the 1970s like a charm.
I well remember the eight-track player, and the FM converter in it.
I had added shag carpeting to the interior and mood lighting for rolling joints to while we listened to Led Zeppelin, BTO, Robin Trower and Boston.
Different times. Different experiences.
Life.
Today…
Motorcycling in China.
As a Chinese individual, I intend to discuss a niche topic: the “motorcycle lifestyle in China.” It’s well-known globally that the Chinese government has been heavily promoting clean energy, leading to the rapid replacement of conventional vehicles with EVs in the Chinese automotive market.
However, another significant fact has gone unnoticed: China has been vigorously pushing for the electrification of motorcycles and bicycles for at least the past 15 years.
In fact, I purchased my first electric bicycle in 2004. From then until 2019, my family bought six e-bikes, each priced between $200 and $400. These e-bikes are affordable, have a top speed of 40 km/h, and are cheap to run, costing only about 20 yuan ($3) per month in electricity. Of course, they have drawbacks: each charge only lasts 30-50 km, the range decreases by 30% in cold winters, and the battery lifespan is about five years, with noticeable performance degradation after three years. Replacing the battery costs about a third of the price of a new e-bike, so most people opt to buy a new one instead.
Despite these drawbacks, e-bikes have become incredibly popular in China. According to official statistics, there were about 350 million e-bikes in China in 2023. This number is likely an underestimate because many small e-bike assembly factories in smaller cities supply the local market but are not recorded in official statistics.
China was once known as the kingdom of bicycles. However, if you visit China today, you’ll hardly see any bicycles, only a variety of e-bikes. Bicycles have transitioned from being the primary mode of transportation to a niche market, mainly targeted at cycling enthusiasts and children.
Even middle-class Chinese families, who may own two or more cars, almost always have at least one e-bike. They are cheap, can be parked anywhere, and are convenient for trips to places like the market. For example, my wealthy cousin, who owns a Porsche Cayenne and whose husband drives a BMW X5, still has two e-bikes for school runs and market trips.
China has almost entirely transitioned from fossil-fuel-powered vehicles to new energy vehicles for personal transportation. During rush hours, you’ll see congested car lanes and endless streams of e-bikes in the non-motorized lanes.
Interestingly, as China’s electric vehicle industry rapidly develops, some e-bike manufacturers are also engaging in innovative technologies, such as:
- Self-parking e-bikes (two wheels, but they won’t tip over)
- Real-time location monitoring with remote vehicle repair capabilities
- Large onboard computers
- Dump truck-style e-bikes
- Four-wheeled e-bikes designed for the elderly
- E-bikes designed for young speed enthusiasts, with top speeds of 60 km/h
A year ago, my wife bought her father a $330 e-bike equipped with a specially designed app. It offers remote start and locking functions and sends alerts if the bike is moved unexpectedly. Most remarkably, it can repair itself.
One day in June, my father-in-law found his e-bike wouldn’t start after his workout in the park. The technician at a nearby repair shop said he couldn’t fix it due to the integrated circuitry. So, my father-in-law called me. I opened the app on my phone, saw a “vehicle malfunction” message, and followed the prompts to “attempt remote repair.” After about a minute, the app said, “Repair successful!” It felt almost surreal, but I had no other option. I called my father-in-law and told him, “I’ve fixed your e-bike; try riding it now.” He thought I was joking, but seconds later, he exclaimed, “It’s working! What did you do?”
These changes in China’s e-bike market make it seem like e-bike manufacturers are competing with EV producers.
Just when it seemed e-bikes had monopolized China’s personal transport market, an unexpected trend emerged: gasoline motorcycles are becoming popular again in my city, and I am part of this trend. Besides a car, my household owns two e-bikes and two gasoline motorcycles.
Why are gasoline motorcycles gaining popularity?
One major reason is the range anxiety with e-bikes. High-end e-bikes now offer up to 100 km per charge, but winter range reductions remain an issue, especially for commuters who travel 30 km each way. For them, gasoline motorcycles are ideal, providing at least 160 km on a $5 tank of gas, and refueling takes just minutes instead of hours.
Another reason is the rising cost of gasoline. In 2019, #92 gasoline was $1/L; now it’s nearly $1.5/L. This price hike encourages families with gasoline cars to opt for motorcycles on sunny days. Even riding a motorcycle 30 km daily costs only $20-$30 per month, far less than a car.
Another reason, albeit controversial among Chinese men, is the perception that middle-aged men take up motorcycling, fishing, or antique collecting as they lose interest in women with age. They seek other hobbies.
However, the most compelling reason is that most e-bike riders in China have not passed a driving safety test. Teenagers and seniors often ride e-bikes recklessly, causing many accidents. To address this, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security started a nationwide e-bike safety initiative last year. This project aims to reduce e-bike accidents by:
1. Requiring manufacturers to limit e-bikes’ top speed to 20 km/h or classify them as illegal.
2. Treating high-end e-bikes (up to 60 km/h) as motor vehicles, requiring drivers to pass a two-week course, including four subjects and a practical exam, to obtain a “D/E/F class” license. Unlicensed riders face fines of around $200 and up to two weeks of detention, during which they must study traffic laws daily.
I own a Japanese Suzuki UY125 motorcycle, which cost $1,500. Japanese brands have long been popular in China and remain so. I bought it to save on fuel costs. My wife bought a Honda TAPA100 for the same reason, admiring my daily rides. Her beautiful scooter, which cost nearly $2,000, always turns heads. She spent a month practicing and taking exams to get her “D-class” motorcycle license.
Today, motorcycles are a common sight on Chinese city roads. Various foreign and domestic brands showcase their stylish designs, and motorcycle shops and customization services are booming. Young women in fashionable outfits zoom past, often leaving a striking impression even from behind.
Over the past few years, I’ve taken my family on car trips to famous Chinese mountain ranges like the Dabie, Taihang, Qilian, and Qinling mountains. On those winding mountain roads, we often encounter motorcycle travelers from all over the country.
This is a diverse and fascinating China.
Arguing over standards
Why don’t we build more factories so that we won’t have to depend on China for goods? It can provide jobs.
Absolutely
The point is
- Can you create a supply Chain?
- Can you beat China in Quality?
- Can you beat China in Price?
- Can you make a market?
Take India
India has been trying to MAKE IN INDIA for almost 4 years now
Yet there is no product that is actually MADE IN INDIA. They are all assembled or finished in India.
This means India is utterly dependent on China for a Supply Chain
Polymer Resins, Plastics, Circuitry, Small Machines, High Grade Equipment, Rotary Motors etc
These are made in India too but are simply TOO EXPENSIVE
Why would I pay ₹80,000/- for a Ton of Polymer Resin when I can Import from China for ₹ 46,000/- including duties
So today only GOI buys Indian intermediate products by paying 45%–60% higher costs
Next do you have a workforce
China has a trained workforce
Next can you match the price?
Finally – where do you sell your products? Exporting is fine but you need a local market too
Bottom line – It’s not that easy
The bully made a mistake
Caprese Macaroni and Cheese
An easy to prepare caprese mac and cheese recipe is made entirely in the oven and topped with tomatoes, basil pesto and crispy crumbs.
Yield: 10 servings | Prep: 20 min
Ingredients
- Pam® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray (or try PAM® Organic Olive Oil)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can Hunt’s® Diced Tomatoes, drained (or try Hunt’s® Organic)
- 1/3 cup refrigerated basil pesto
- 1 (16 ounce) package dry elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 4 ounces (1 cup) fontina cheese, shredded
- 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 4 cups whole milk
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 13 x 9 inch or shallow 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- Stir together drained tomatoes and pesto in small bowl; set aside.
- Combine uncooked macaroni, fontina cheese and 1 cup mozzarella cheese in large bowl. Place in dish in an even layer.
- Microwave 4 tablespoons butter in large microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 30 seconds or until melted.
- Whisk in milk, flour, salt and pepper until blended. Pour over macaroni mixture. Spoon tomato mixture evenly over macaroni.
- Cover dish with aluminum foil; bake for 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, microwave remaining 2 tablespoons butter in small microwave-safe bowl on HIGH 20 seconds or until melted. Stir in bread crumbs. Top macaroni with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese and bread crumb mixture.
- Bake uncovered 10 to 15 minutes more or until golden brown on top.
- Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
BLACK GUY CRAZY Arrival in Shanghai, China
Have you ever witnessed anyone throw away their life?
Sure.
I threw away my own life.
I was always top of the class. Top sets at school. The smartest kids. Chess team. Good at all sports. It just came naturally. Consequently my school reports were peppered with “must try harder”. I could do it. I just didn’t enjoy it. My parents were very education focused. Neither of them had been to university and they were determined that their boys would have the chances that hadn’t had. Not my sister though. They were old fashioned in that respect in the 80’s in the UK. She was not allowed, despite the fact that she was probably the brightest of the three of us. Instead she ran a pub when she was 18 and now she runs companies.
I was supposed to be the golden one. My older brother was smart as well. He did everything right. Worked hard at school. Studied. Went to university. Had a fantastic career. Is doing very well. I was supposed to do that. I didn’t want to.
I didn’t know what I wanted. I was told I could be anything. If only I would study. Do the work. I read. I have always been a voracious reader. From Enid Blyton and A.A. Milne and Roald Dahl to Jules Verne and John Wyndam. I discovered Steinbeck and Hemmingway as a 15 year old boy growing up in a small town in Devon and felt a dawning realisation over the next few years.
I didn’t want to be the things that people wanted me to be.
I bought a battered old acoustic guitar off a friend and learnt to play a few chords. Once I got to 6th form college and there was a looser leash regarding class attendance I quickly stopped going. My parents were fraught. “What are you doing with your life?” became a constant refrain for the next few years as I moved further and further away from the person I was supposed to be have been. Even then I still landed a plum trainee management job at 19 with then retail giant WHSmith. I remember one of the suits who regularly turned up from Head Office say to me that if I worked hard I could be in his position in 10 years.
I quit within a year and went back to college. I didn’t want that.
And then I just bummed about. I was thrown out of uni for non attendance. I did a lot of drugs. I played in bands. Had sex. Lived on the breadline. Squatted. Worked here and there in crap jobs. The ones I liked best were the boring ones when you could spend your shifts reading. By then I was onto the big Russians and the big French authors. I kind of thought I might write a book one day but other than some dodgy poetry and song lyrics I didn’t really write. I thought maybe I could be a successful musician but I knew I didn’t have the drive for that. It was just fun.
Family visits were often tense. I was the classic drop out pot smoking black sheep. My mother would cry and my father would lecture. I would try to explain that I sort of knew what I was doing and that despite what they thought I was happy and having an adventure, but they didn’t really want to hear that. By the time I was 25 I was washing pots in a kitchen at a university 10 years before my parents had dreamed of me attending as a student.
And that is where it all changed. I liked that job. It was busy and chaotic. The food was amazing. My first experience with fine dining. I loved the drama and madness of a busy service. I was hooked from the start. I am a creative person. I need to making things or I’m not happy. That’s why I couldn’t study. I just couldn’t. I don’t function like that. I have always been playing guitar, writing songs, making pictures and art. I knew I didn’t want the path that had been mapped out for me but for a long time I didn’t know what I wanted instead. And then there it was. A month or so after I started they employed a new young head chef who I very quickly hit it off with over a shared interest in similar music and movies. He encouraged my burgeoning interest in food and food preparation. I was the guy doing longer and longer hours. Soon I was in whites and going to college on my day off. I just wanted to learn everything. I would study the menus for upcoming events and look up the dishes in my now growing library of second hand cookery books (pre internet, this was the 90s). I volunteered to do the late nights. The big dinners. I learnt from the ground up. I have done every job in a kitchen. And I did them well. I listened and did what I was told. The head chef continued to mentor me and even told me when it was time to move on to further my career.
That was about 20 years ago. I have a had a damn fine last 20 years. I have been very successful. The last 10 of them I have run my own kitchens and I still love it. Still want to learn. They have not been without their heartache and trials but there have been far more good times. A few years ago my parents came to visit me and I showed them round my then new kitchen. My first head chef job at the same university where I first found my passion for food. They were very proud.
So, yeah. I threw my own life away. And then I forged a new one. One that I truly wanted to live.
Thanks for reading.
Elon Musk Promises to DESTROY Woke Insanity in EPIC VIDEO – Hollywood Goes CRAZY!
What are the major reasons for the poverty in India? What should be done to reduce it?
In 2003, a Company called Sachdeva Power entered into an agreement with 2040 Villager Families having around 7500+ Acres of Farmland (Albeit low quality) through State Govt of Maharashtra to develop the land and pay the villagers Rs. 3.5 Lakhs per Acre
They paid Rs. 35,000/- and the Villagers left their village homes and lands in expectation of money.
Today 18 years later, they havent got the second installment or third or fourth. The Company is defunct / Purchased by a big power company but still no compensation.
Matter is Sub Judice since 2006.
Hardworking farmers now dead, working as Security Guards, Construction foremen, Pimping their wives in Autos and street corners
Exploitation!!!!
Greedy Capitalists – Governments have acted together and destroyed the homes over 45 Lakh People in UP and MH alone
Mayawati, Akilesh, Yogi none of them redressed this issue.
A Man who owned 27 Acres of Farmland worth 4 Cr today works in a Restaurant as a waiter. Land is now with a Corporate and he is owed Rs. 60 Lakhs or so. He himself has forgotten.
How can they fight? Law is a tool.of the rich? Courts are too slow? Govt changes every 5 years and all try to do the same thing.
Do you know who saved many of these people – The Churches!!!!!!
The Churches paid money to these people who happily converted. They were the lucky ones.
These are the People who if they take up arms are called Naxals or Maoists but if they dont, they are called Parasites and are ignored by all.
These are the Exploited Poor
Then you have the Parasites
They get so many freebies that they simply refuse to work hard.
In TN, many people are happy enough with free ration rice, sugar, money from time to time, tv, tabket etc that they do bare minimum work to pay rent and become parasites
They demand more and more
Why do they get freebies? Because they are the Vote Bank.
Not just TN, many States do the same.
These are the Parasitic Poor
Simple Solution – Protect the Exploited Poor and De Subsidize the Parasitic Power or force them into a NLF, ensuring that they are forced to work from 18–58 years of age.
Will it happen? No
Why?
Cesspit Democracy!!
Why people lie
Some fun memey pictures
Leave The USA Before It’s Too Late
What is the smartest comment that you have heard a child make?
Unfortunately, it was my 5 year old daughter and it was at my expense. I took my daughter to a local park with a small lake. There were lots of geese at this park. My daughter, who had been to the park recently with her aunt, pointed to one goose that was standing by itself, and said, “ Daddy, that goose is really mean “. I said, “
None of them are mean. They will pretend to be mean but really, they are way more afraid of you than you are of them “. My daughter insisted. “ Not that one. He’s mean”. I told her watch this.
l ran toward the goose waving my arms and yelling. The goose didn’t even flinch. That is until l got about three feet from it. It lunged at me as my momentum was carrying me toward it. Only out of pure terror was l able to recall athleticism l had not had for years, as l barely avoided biting on to my family jewels. I hurled myself into to air doing a summersault over Ian’s landed on my back. Before l knew what happened, thidamn goose was on me biting away at me. I jumped up and started running as fast as l could and this goose was running right behind me, nipping at my butt with every step.
Meanwhile I could hear my daughter laughing loudly and she yelled, “ Don’t worry daddy! He’s not mean!” She’s 30 years old now and still a wise ass.
RFK Jr. Made HUGE Announcement
People in China, Japan and Korea do not consider people born there who are not Asian to be Chinese, Japanese or Korean. So why do non-whites born in Ireland or England are regarded by the public there to be Irish or English?
People in China, Japan and Korea do not consider people born there who are not Asian to be Chinese, Japanese or Korean. So why do non-whites born in Ireland or England are regarded by the public there to be Irish or English?
😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 how would you know?
Oh you don’t, you’re guessing and you’re projecting white supremacy of ONE DROP RULE onto us.
To be Chinese is more about your attitude and heart.
This is Uncle Petrov.
He’s ethnically Russian, his grandparents migrated to China around the (edit) 1920s. He considers himself Chinese. Chinese consider him Chinese.
He eats like us, he talks like us (he can’t speak much Russian or English), he celebrates the stuff we do… he holds PRC citizenship. He is essentially Chinese.
In my own village there’s mixed children (black mothers, Indian mothers) and they’re as Chinese as everyone else.
Similarly there’s some Indians who were born here from Indian parents. Yet again they eat what we eat, they talk our language they have full citizenship.
Meanwhile it’s a widespread view in the UK anybody who was born in the UK who isn’t white is considered an immigrant. We saw this with Shamina Begum most british were she’s a p*ki, she’s an immigrant! Only WHITES can be british.
China Sell 68% of its US Treasury: What’s next?
Spicy Pasta Crudo with Fresh Mozzarella
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (about 6) firm, ripe tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup kalamata or Gaeta olives, pitted and halved
- 11 very large basil leaves, cut in ribbons
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup garlic-infused olive oil*, divided
- 6 ounces Wisconsin fresh mozzarella cheese, diced*
- 1 pound short ribbed pasta, such as penne rigate or conchiglie
Instructions
- Bring pot of water to boil. Gently drop in tomatoes and remove pot from heat. Let stand a minute or so and then remove and peel tomatoes. Discard seeds and dice. Place in large bowl that will accommodate pasta later.
- To tomatoes, add capers, olives, basil leaves, red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup olive oil. Mix.
- Stir in fresh mozzarella**.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the sun for 2-3 hours (or let sit at room temperature for 4 hours.)
- Just, before serving, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with remaining 1/4 cup olive oil.
- Add pasta to sauce and mix again.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
* Or use unflavored oil and add 1 garlic clove, crushed along with other sauce ingredients. Remove garlic before serving.
** If you prefer, add mozzarella to the sauce just before serving, along with the pasta.
This sauce is also very good with grilled tuna.
Practice makes perfect
What was the highest acute radiation dose ever survived? Who was exposed to it?
About 300,000 rads.
For context, 400 rads is normally enough to kill 50% of humans. 1,000 rads kills pretty much everybody. So how did Russian physicist Anatoli Bugorski manage to survive such an enormous dose of proton radiation?
At the time of its completion in 1967, the U-70 synchrotron in Protvino, Russia was one of the most advanced particle accelerators on Earth. It held the world record for beam energy at 76 billion electron volts per proton, a number that neither the Soviet Union nor its successor states have ever surpassed. But as with many large-scale Soviet engineering projects, its impressive exterior concealed shoddy construction and a number of major design flaws, including a dangerous lack of attention to safety.
One rainy day in July of 1978, our unfortunate “hero” spotted yet another malfunctioning piece of equipment. To make the necessary repairs, Bugorski would need to step inside the main beam tunnel, so he called the control room and asked for the accelerator to be turned off temporarily. He added that he’d be at the tunnel in five minutes. The operator agreed.
The control room for the U-70 synchrotron.
Nobody seems to know why the operator did not actually deactivate the accelerator. Perhaps he was hoping to gain an extra four minutes of experiment time. Perhaps he didn’t like Bugorski. Or maybe he was just overly fond of death rays. In any case, a beam of highly energetic particles continued to circulate inside the tunnel.
Bugorski reached the beam tunnel in slightly less than five minutes. He correctly followed all the official safety procedures.
He checked the indicator light to make sure the accelerator was off. (The light bulb was burned out.)
The door to the tunnel was not locked, as it normally was during operation. (The operator had unlocked it, apparently because the beam wasn’t at its highest possible intensity.)
The main beam tunnel at U-70.
So Bugorski stepped inside, bent over, and began to inspect the faulty detector. Since the particle beam was invisible, he had no idea what was about to hit him until it was too late.
In a fraction of a second, billions of ultrarelativistic protons ripped through his head, shredding one cell after another in a 2×3 millimeter swath of destruction through his left eye and brain. The scientist saw a bright flash and realized immediately what had happened.
Had the beam passed a little lower or a little to Bugorski’s right, it would have hit his brain stem, probably killing him instantly. A little to his left and it could have punched a hole in one of the large blood vessels in his left temporal cortex, resulting in a fatal stroke. There were hundreds of ways one could die from radiation damage to the brain. And even if he made it through the coming weeks, he still faced severe cell damage and a high risk of developing cancer.
For the time being, though, there was nothing to do but wait. Bugorski calmly completed his repairs and made a record of the accident in his lab notebook. Then, he reported to an intensive care unit in Moscow.
Some of the country’s best radiologists were assigned to the case, but there was little they could do. Over the next few days, Bugorski’s face swelled to a hideous size, and the skin on his head began to peel off. The damage to his nervous system was extensive enough to completely paralyze the left side of his face. He began to experience seizures. The doctors resigned themselves to watching him die.
Then, astonishingly, a miracle happened: Bugorski began to recover. Only a small part of his brain was harmed, and as it happened, this area was destroyed so completely that tumors could not form. Meanwhile, the rest of his brain simply worked around the injury. His neurons reconnected along new pathways. Eventually, he regained almost all of his previous intellectual capacity.
In a year and a half, Bugorski was back to work at the accelerator. He’s still alive today. “I am being tested,” he says. “The human capacity for survival is being tested.”
Sadly, the radiation Bugorski was exposed to did not give him superpowers. (In Soviet Russia, man gives radiation superpowers.) But he did receive one small benefit: there are no wrinkles on the left side of his face.
“Honorable” mentions:
In 1986 and 1987, a software bug in a radiotherapy machine called the Therac-25 resulted in six patients being exposed to as much as 20,000 rads of electrons. As in Bugorski’s case, the damage was confined to a narrow beam, and several of the victims survived.
When the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, hundreds of people survived whole-body radiation doses of several hundred rads. As is now well-known, many of them eventually died of cancer. Statistics are available here: Longevity of atomic-bomb survivors
Trek
These might come in handy (but I hope not)…
- If a head on collision is inevitable always swerve right. (In countries that drive on the right side of the road) Even if that’s means you will still crash anything is better than head on.
- In case of a deep wound with lots of bleeding try direct pressure first, but if that’s not doing anything any nontoxic powder will help. Flour, cornstarch, banning soda.. a tourniquet should be you last resort.
- Most snakebites are dry bites, and the bigger the snake the better chance of it being dry (no venom) so try to stay calm. The last thing you need is your heart pumping poison through your body IF there is poison. If possible stay put and call for help. But keep the bitten part low, at least below your heart so it’s harder for blood to move out of your arm keeping and poison in a smaller area.
- When you get stabbed LEAVE the knife (or whatever) in. Much better chance of survival if it’s taken out in a medical facility.
- If you get too high on weed and start freaking out, chew up some whole black peppercorns. Nobody every died from smoking too much pot but people have died from panicking and doing dumbshit.
- If you are alone and start to have a heart attack try coughing hard, if that doesn’t work pound on your chest. In the very worst case scenario (hunting miles from no civilization with no one around and no cell service) pour some gunpowder under your tongue. The nitro in there can save you. “ not medical advice, just a suggestion in case you forgot your meds and have no aspirin, or you never had a history of heart problems and have no meds”
- Fight dirty. Use your keys for weapons and aim for the eyes. If you are being attacked by more than one person DONT try to take the biggest one out first. Go for the runt. Even the playing field.
- If you are a woman and know you are about to get abducted or raped, fight. Every single time. Be as loud as possible, no matter that the bastard says. If he takes you somewhere your chances of coming back alive are about zero Do any fucking thing you can to avoid that. Scratch them to get as much DNA as possible. Piss and shit yourself if you can.
- When the little snowflake light shows up on your instrument panel slow your ass down.
- When you are working with car batteries or any other acid keep a box of baking soda with you and have it open and ready in case you get acid on yourself. It can save your eyesight or even your life.
- Don’t ever trust anyone but yourself when you are working with electricity. They say the breakers off? Check anyway. If you are changing a light out don’t think turning the switch off is enough, a lot of old places switch through the neutral instead of the hot… and have no grounds. YOU are the ground.
- if you have major allergic reactions and can afford or don’t have an epipen at the bare minimum keep real sudafed and Benadryl close by.
Passport Bro Moves To Thailand and Explains Why He’s Never Coming Back
What is the worst potluck dish that someone brought to an event?
My family is Jewish, so when a neighbor invited us to celebrate Christmas Eve with them, along with some other families we knew, we were very excited to go.
The problem was, we were returning from a cruise that morning. Our ship docked in NYC, and we hightailed it back to Philadelphia. Time was short, so I just whipped up a huge Caesar Salad, and brought a few bottles of wine.
When we arrived there were several people already there. It was a potluck event. The kids went off to play with the others, and we were ushered over to the bar to get some drinks. Someone had made mini-dogs and there was some cheese and crackers, and veggies and dip. A huge table was set beautifully with a landscape of twigs, bird nests, pine cones, and lots of tea candles.
The host pulled out some pizza and chicken fingers for the kids. My salad was ceremoniously placed in the center of the table, along with some other sides like green beans and potatoes. The host served us some soup… and that was it. There was nothing else. No ham or turkey or roast beef. Nada.
I leaned over to my husband and asked… where the hell was dinner. Apparently, no one had brought a “main course.” We were starving! There were about 12 adults all looking at each other, when the twigs on the table caught on fire.
We all scrambled to put out the fire. Then, after finally settling down again, the guy siting next to me decided to steal some of the chicken fingers from the kids. “You want one,” he said pointing to his plate. “No thanks,“ I said. Things were getting very desperate and very awkward.
As we are not big drinkers, and exhausted to boot, we were the first to say our goodbyes and “go home.“
After we got into the car, I turned to my husband and said, “Is that what most people do on Christmas Eve? Why didn’t they have food for us?” He said, “Honey, we’re Jewish… That’s all we do, shove food into people’s faces. It looks like they were more interested in the eggnog, extended beer selection, and exotic cocktails. Maybe there was a miscommunication or something?”
I shrugged. “That was some fire, huh? I told you those tea candles were going to go up in flames sitting in kindling like that, right on the table!” I said.
“I’m drunk, and starving,” he replied. The kids started to complain too. “Mom! Please, can we get something to eat! We’re hungry!”
So we ended up doing what we usually do on Christmas Eve… We went out for some Chinese food!
Stop asking
Shorpy
Indianapolis, Indiana, circa 1904. “Imperial Hotel.” Whose architectural style might be described as Romanesque Rococo Curlicue Baroque, and whose slogan could be “every exterior surface embellished.”
What was the largest Native American defeat of the United States Army?
The answer is the Battle of the Wabash, also called St Clair’s Defeat and “The Battle of a Thousand Slain.”
The Battle of the Wabash (link to source)
It happened in western Ohio in 1791. Not quite a thousand, but around 900 US soldiers were killed that day. That’s three times the number killed at Little Bighorn in 1876.
The Shawnee and Miami warriors, led by Little Turtle, Tecumseh, and others, had retreated northward, drawing St Clair’s American army farther and farther from its Ohio river base of supply and deeper and deeper into the forest. When they finally sprang their ambush, they fought with the same quality of rifles the Americans had and much better battlefield tactics.
It was an astonishing defeat. We tend to think of D-Day or Gettysburg or Antietam as being shockingly deadly. But at the end of those battles, the great majority of soldiers were unscathed. At the end of this day, St. Clair was fleeing with a few dozen fugitives while almost his whole army lay dead in the snow.
Nearly half the entire US army was killed that single day. (I don’t mean just the detachment of the army that was under St Clair’s command, but the ENTIRE US army that existed at the time.) It was the greatest defeat in numerical terms by any Indian force, and in proportional terms the greatest blow dealt to US arms ever, by any enemy.
ADD: The fighting prowess of the Miami and Shawnee should not have been a surprise. Less than a year earlier and not far away, American soldiers had suffered 350 casualties in a running battle near Kekionga (modern Ft Wayne, Indiana) against the same Shawnee and Miami warriors. That one was called Harmar’s Defeat, and was probably the third largest Indian victory over Americans, behind St Clair’s Defeat and Little Bighorn.
Do people in actual gun fights miss as many shots as shown in movies? What is a realistic gun fight like?
Yes they do.
In Iraq, I was amazed at how many tracers were flying past me, and mortars landing, and RPGs flying, and that I never got hit by anything. I am also amazed at how hard it was to hit “bad guys” while in combat. in the scenarios I was in, It was super hard just to LOCATE a bad guy to shoot at. I found combat to be very frustrating for these reasons….maddening actually.
Let me try to paint the picture a bit…to answer your second question
Imagine you’ve been running, shooting, and being shot at for more than a couple HOURS…you’re tired, you’re scared, you’re breathing heavily, your ears are ringing, the world is spinning with confusion. You are pinned down behind a low stone wall by a seemingly endless flow of tracers, and bullets smack into the stones harder than you thought anything could smack anything and you imagine one hitting your soft flesh and bone. You crawl back and forth popping your head up to try and locate a target. You may see some fleeting movement through your confused tunnel vision, or not, but within seconds the fire on you increases and you need to put your head back down and crawl a few feet along the wall to pop up again. Over and over you struggle and you can’t even see where any of the bazillion rounds are coming from. Then on one pop-up you see a bearded psycho firing at your Kurdish buddies to your left and you try to put a bead on him, but he’s moving, you’re breathing hard, bullets are still smacking the stone. You pull the trigger and miss, maybe twice, and then he’s gone because he was moving in the first place. You can’t imagine how you missed since you are a highly trained Green Beret…but somehow you did. Frustrated and taking even more fire since you exposed yourself and fired, you are forced to get back down and then crawl again … and when you pop back up a few feet away, the entire situation has completely changed and you start over…failing over and over to locate, acquire, and engage. This can go on for hours and hours, or sometimes days…
As Washington Threatens To Shutdown China Banks, Beijing Sells Record $79.7B In US Debt & Stocks
What was the biggest lie you caught in an interview?
Take your damned pick!
As I write this, I’m trying to staff up a software department. I need quality candidates who can write good code and work well with others.
I’ve interviewed about 90 candidates in the past month.
Here is a selection of some of the false claims I’ve been told over the past month:
- They’ve written code on GitHub, when it was actually generated from a template.
- They’ve written code on GitHub, when they copy/pasted it from some other author and replaced the names to make it look like they wrote it.
- They’ve got advanced computer science degrees — yet, when I Google them, Course Hero shows that they cheated their way through the last nine years of college.
- They know C and C++ at an “expert” level, but they are unable to write any type of function in that language.
- They know Python at an “expert” level, but they are unable to write any type of function in that language.
- They are “completely legal” to work in the United States, but they are not a US citizen and have no visa or other work authorization.
- They submit code in a screener, which just magically happens to match code generated by ChatGPT exactly. And then they lie about using ChatGPT, when it is incredibly obvious that they are using ChatGPT.
- They submit a perfect cover letter — clearly written by ChatGPT — and can’t answer questions about its contents.
So yeah, I’m drowning in a sea of job applicant bullshit as I write this.
Is there reason to believe Chinese investment firms are using Hollywood studios for propaganda?
Originally Answered: Is there reason any reason to believe Chinese investment firms are using Hollywood studios for propaganda?
The funny thing is that it is the Hollywood studios who are practicing self-censorship in order to break into the PRC market, which is now the world’s number 2 market, and is likely to overtake the US in the very near future.
But this is a different kind of censorship: this is not Americans going to AMC theaters, and then chanting “Long live President Xi!” when they come out of the movie theater. It is Hollywood studios making sure that their movie scripts don’t say anything which will upset the Chinese government authorities. Under current rules, China imports 34 US movies annually. This year, “Ghostbusters” was not allowed into China because it depicts ghosts, which according to the Chinese government, are superstitions and promote superstitious beliefs. For this reason, any movie about the supernatural is not officially allowed in for import. (Sure, you can buy videos and watch them online, but the studios don’t make money from them.)
Hollywood goes where the money goes, and if the money says “No superstitious genre for the China market”, then Hollywood is more than happy to accommodate.
For Hollywood, this is not censorship; it’s business.
UK IS TERRIFIED! BRITISH S.A.S. Soldiers Were Destroyed In ODESSA
What, according to you, is the highest form of self control?
You set an alarm for 6am. The alarm rings at 6am.
You don’t snooze. You don’t turn it off and go back to sleep. You don’t set another alarm for 6.30am.
You actually wake up at 6am.
Self control level: High.
You start making breakfast. You realize you’re out of coffee.
You don’t start crying. You don’t have a nervous breakdown. You don’t skip breakfast.
Instead, you persevere and drink shitty cocoa, while trying to ignore your coffee withdrawal symptoms.
Self control level: Very High.
You’re now in school. In the middle of class, you realize you have to poop.
You don’t use the school toilets. You don’t use your enemy’s bag as a portable toilet. You don’t even shit yourself so you can be forcefully excused indefinitely.
Instead, you hold it in until you get home, so that you can take all the time you need.
Self control level: Higher than Very high.
It’s now at night. Your best friend calls.
“Dude, it’s Friday! Come to my place. We’re only two guys but there are 10 girls here. Come and improve the ratio.”
You don’t go. Instead you say,
“Sorry fam. I don’t feel like coming. I want to rest today. Plus I’m saving up money. I can’t afford to buy booze.”
Self control level: Veteran.
(And you wonder how you’re still single)
Now you open Quora. You open your notifications. You see that a popular Quoran has upvoted your answer/ started following you.
You don’t scream. You don’t throw a party. You don’t write an answer about it.
Instead, you go on with your life.
Self control level: God Mode.
Anyone can control things. But only legends can control themselves.
Yours unfaithfully,
Elvin.
PS: In all those examples I mentioned, I’m the complete opposite. It was just wishful thinking 🙁
How often were female slaves punished?
They were punished twice over, in a sense. On the one hand, the slave literally belonged to the master, who could therefore have his way with her any time he pleased. On the other hand, the master’s wife was aware of this — and would at times be particularly cruel or unkind to the female slaves, in particular the pretty ones.
Today, about 19.6 percent of African Americans are of at least 25% European ancestry — roughly the equivalent of one fully white grandparent. These statistics reveal a rather harrowing fact… the majority of enslaved women were subject to systematic rape and sexual abuse. As a result, in virtually every single African American family tree, we find a white ancestor. A foreman, a plantation owner, some passerby who fancied her. She couldn’t resist. Not even if she was already married to an enslaved man on the plantation. And yet in spite of the fact it wasn’t her choice, the mistress of the plantation would still blame her. And punish her for merely existing and being attractive.
The fact that one-in-five African Americans today is at least a quarter white, is a statistic that tells a frightening tale. You cannot overstate the degree to which slaves utterly lost their dignity. Interracial marriages being illegal for most of US history until only about fifty years ago, virtually all of this white ancestry is the direct result of brutal rape.
Which country has better anti-ship ballistic missile systems: USA or Russia?
Neither.
China has the only ASBM (anti-ship ballistic missile) in the world. US Pentagon report to Congress state that it is a game changer because current anti-missile defense can NOT intercept it.
No other nation has this capability because it is new technology. It requires that the plasma sheath be cleaned up in front of the radar window so that the radar can see through it.
While the US and Russia has missiles that can go hypersonic. Hypersonic only means anything that travels above Mach 5. There is a huge difference between Mach 5 and Mach 8. At Mach 8 a plasma sheath forms causing radar ghosts and the radar to be unable to exactly determine where the missile is.
Also the speed makes it almost impossible to shoot down. Chinese YJ-21 and DF-21 terminal velocity is Mach 10. Ironically, even the Chinese currently can NOT shoot their own missile down. Everyone is doing research on how to track and destroy these things before they hit a critical target.
A joint US Air Force/MIT study conclusion was that currently there is no defense against these things.
Blinken talks escalation with Iran
Bioluminescence in the Interstellar
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
Brittany Gillen
“You can’t just toss things all over the capsule,” Jerrie complained. “This isn’t your childhood bedroom.”
“Or my college dorm room, or a bachelor pad, or a trash yard. I know,” Charlie replied rolling her eyes. “Just tell me what you want already. I’m not in the mood for another lecture on cleanliness being next to godliness.”
Jerrie took a deep breath and centered herself. “My readings are unusual today,” she said calmly, pulling them up on the screen.
“Uh, huh,” Charlie said looking at the monitor while scratching her tummy vigorously. “In what way?”
“In what way?” Jerrie wanted to scream even louder than the readings. “Charlie, you just don’t understand my work at all.”
“Then what did you call me in here for?” Charlie complained. “My job is not to interpret your results. I’m your pilot. Now, if you want me to move the capsule, I would LOVE to do it for you. Can I, can I, please?”
“No,” Jerrie groaned, rubbing her eyes.
“Just a few feet?” Charlie tried sweetly, rubbing the back of Jerrie’s shoulders. “Maybe I’ll just do a few donuts and bring us right back to the exact same spot. Churn up the space matter a little. Maybe that will fix your readings.”
Jerrie just sighed, tired of arguing.
A timer started quietly beeping. “I’ll get the lights,” Charlie said, pushing off Jerrie’s shoulders towards the opposite wall.
“Give me two seconds, to prep the sensors and save the previous measurements.” Jerrie’s hands flew across the computer.
“Is it hot in here?” she heard Charlie ask. Jerrie just ignored her until Charlie’s shirt floated in front of her face.
“Charlie, what are you…” She turned around to find Charlie almost completely undressed. Her black bra, “Wednesday” day-of-the-week underpants and Velcro shoes her only attire. “Seriously! Can you put your clothes back on? It makes me uncomfortable.”
“Yeah, well, being hot makes me more uncomfortable,” Charlie said, continuing to scratch her bare chest. “Besides, I’m in the best shape of my life, someone should enjoy the view.”
Jerrie groaned.
“I think I may be running a fever,” Charlie complained. “My eyes feel hot.”
“Don’t you dare take off any more clothes,” Jerrie warned keeping her eyes permanently fixed on her monitor. “Alright, I’m ready. Shut off the lights in three, two, one.”
The capsule went dark and Jerrie hit the button to begin the image and measurement captures. Then Jerrie noticed a reflection on her monitor.
“Darn it, Charlie, turn off that flashlight.” Jerrie turned around ready to jettison Charlie out the nearest porthole, but then jerked herself back towards the console in fright. “What did you do?”
Charlie, her eyes bulging, floated in front of Jerrie, running her fingers all over her brightly lit torso. Vibrant green veins crisscrossed Charlie’s entire body. They glowed with a bioluminescence that Jerrie had never seen on a human before. It reminded her of the small deep-water fish she had visited at the aquarium in her childhood.
Recovering from her initial shock, Jerrie floated closer and traced one of the lines with her finger. “How are you glowing like that?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Charlie responded, flicking Jerrie’s cold hand of her belly and shivering.
“Well, you did something,” Jerrie told her.
“Why, do you always assume everything is my fault?” Charlie complained, reaching for her pants and pouting her lip.
“Because, I don’t look like that!” Jerrie said pointing.
“How do you know?” Charlie said wriggling her pants up over her bottom. “Prove it.”
Unable to resist proving Charlie wrong, Jerry quickly pulled up her own shirt. Then she smugly smiled at Charlie. “See.”
“That still doesn’t prove it’s my fault,” Charlie said reaching for her shirt.
“Just let me think for a minute,” Jerrie said, rubbing her temples and staring at the green glow emanating from Charlie’s chest. She reached forward to touch it again, but Charlie twitched away. “I’ll be gentle,” Jerrie told her and leaned in even closer. Jerrie could have sworn the veins moved across Charlie like worms in a mud puddle.
Pulling back, Jerrie took a deep breath and pulled at her lip as Charlie put her shirt back on. Then something caught her eye in the eerie glow. Charlie’s soda floated nearby. Jerrie wanted to mention again why it was important to not throw trash helter-skelter in the capsule when she noticed a drop float out of the neck of the container. It also glowed a luminescent green. Jerrie looked at Charlie and noticed that she had seen the droplet as well.
“You don’t think…” Charlie began.
“This was caused by your soda,” Jerrie finished. “The evidence points that way.”
“But you drink the soda too.”
“No, actually, I don’t,” Jerrie said turning back to her monitor and cancelling the contaminated readings.
“What do I do?” Charlie asked beginning to panic.
“Stop drinking the soda,” Jerrie said, deleting the files and making notes in her journal.
“Jerrie, focus here for just a second, please,” Charlie pleaded. “I look like a glow bug!”
“You’ll be fine,” Jerrie threw over her shoulder, bending her head down and trying not to laugh.
“I’m not fine,” Charlie complained. “I itch. I feel like my skin is going to burn off me, and I’m lit like a neon sign.”
Jerrie shook of her giggles and turned around attempting to be solemn. Charlie was scratching all over now and writhing like she had ants in her pants. It was more than Jerrie could take. She burst out laughing.
“Stop it,” Charlie complained. “it’s not funny.”
Eventually, Jerrie calmed down enough to help Charlie rub olive oil lotion on her itchy skin and got her some cold compresses to help with the heat. With Charlie’s permission, she took pictures of the “rash” as they started calling it, though Charlie wanted to call it the infestation.
“Nothing is living inside you,” Jerrie reassured her.
“Then I’ve been poisoned. You’ve poisoned me!” Charlie cried, thrusting out an accusatory finger.
“You poisoned yourself,” Jerrie said with a snicker. “I told you not to drink so much of that candy-water.”
“Hey, it keeps me awake,” Charlie said petulantly. “Otherwise, I’d spend all day sleeping.”
“Would that be so bad?” Jerrie whispered to herself.
“I heard that,” Charlie said glowering. “I wish I could go into cryo sleep while you did your work, but someone has to keep you company.” Charlie made air quotes with her fingers on the word company.
Jerrie sighed. She knew she wasn’t very good company for Charlie. Her entire focus was on her research. She had one shot to gather meaningful data before they traveled back to the main station. She wanted to make her time in the interstellar medium count for something.
“I’m sorry,” Jerrie said. “I tried to teach you about my work.”
“It is as interesting as watching paint dry,” Charlie grumbled.
Jerrie felt hurt, but she knew to most people Charlie was right on target. “You could read a book, watch a movie, exercise,” she offered.
“This is my sixteenth mission,” Charlie told her. “I exhausted my interest in all those things long ago.”
Jerrie had never really thought about Charlie’s past experience before. “Sixteen, really?”
“Lucky number sixteen,” Charlie said, rummaging through the snack box. “And no one ever lets me move the ship,” she grumbled while shoving a granola bar in her mouth.
“Never?” Jerrie asked feeling guilty.
“Never,” Charlie replied emphatically.
The two floated in the galley in silence. Charlie chewed on her granola bar and read the wrapper and Jerrie twisted her ring while biting her lip. She felt horrible. To be honest, there wasn’t any solid reason why they couldn’t move the ship. Sure, it would be more consistent to take all the readings from the same spot to minimize any undesired variables. However, she already had two months of solid data without one single deviation in readings. Not one deviation until this morning.
“Maybe a change in location wouldn’t hurt,” Jerrie offered.
Charlie’s eyes lit up a bright as her bioluminescent belly. “You mean it?”
“Yeah,” Jerrie said with a shrug. “We could move the ship every day for the last thirty days and see if the readings from multiple locations are consistent with those we have already obtained. If they are, then it would mean…”
“You are the best!” Charlie squealed while bear hugging Jerrie until she couldn’t breathe.
Jerrie just patted her on the back. “I know.”
Charlie threw her granola bar wrapper over her shoulder and swam for the control center.
Jerrie grabbed the wrapper and shoved it into a trash receptacle. “But only on one condition,” she called out, following Charlie and settling into the passenger seat.
“Anything,” Charlie said.
“No more of that wickedly green soda,” Jerrie told her.
“Deal,” Charlie said quickly. “I guess they don’t call it Aberration for nothing!” she said with a wink.
“Do they really call it that?” Jerrie asked wide eyed.
Charlie just winked at her.
For the next week, Charlie moved the ship every morning, and Jerrie waited patiently while Charlie added a few flips and donuts to the maneuvers. Charlie’s fluorescent color had faded overnight with the administration of several large glasses of water. Jerrie’s readings returned to the predictable, and she cheerfully noted that the change in location was having zero effect on her results.
Until day five.
“Charlie!” Jerrie called from her lab.
Charlie’s snake-like hair proceeded her around the corner again, but this time Jerrie kept her commentary to herself. When the rest of Charlie appeared, she had a puzzle cube in hand, something Jerrie had dug out of her personal luggage.
“I’ve almost got it,” Charlie said focused on the cube with one eye closed and biting her lip.
“You’ve started drinking that Aberration stuff again, haven’t you,” Jerrie accused her.
“No, I haven’t,” Charlie said looking wounded.
“Charlie,” Jerrie said sternly. “It messes up my readings.”
“Honest, I haven’t. Look.” Charlie threw the light switch and tugged up her shirt. To her surprise, her belly glowed again with a bright red luminescence. Although startled by the color, Jerrie still gave Charlie her best I told-you-so-look.
“Oh, man,” Charlie said groaning and pulling her shirt back down. “It must be the Tongue of Fire.”
“What fire?” Jerrie asked scrambling back in fear. “Something caught fire!”
Charlie cringed guiltily. “You told me not to drink Aberration, but water is just so blah.”
“So, you drank something called Tongue of Fire!” Jerrie said astounded. “I take it that it is a red color.”
“I wonder what color I would turn if I drank Void?” Charlie wondered, tracing the bright red highways along her arms.
“Charlie!” Jerrie said shocked.
“What?”
Jerrie was silently fuming. Her research was being messed with again, and Charlie did not even care. Just stab her with a needle and put her in cryo sleep, Jerrie thought to herself. She could feel every muscle in her body tightening.
“I also brought Everest,” Charlie mused. “Would that light me up white or have no effect, do you think?”
Jerrie’s eye began to twitch, and her hands fisted as she contemplated how to handle her reluctant companion.
“Hey,” Charlie said enthusiastically. “I just found something to do. I can study the effect that different sodas have on body chemistry in the interstellar medium. I mean, seriously, there is definitely something interesting going on here. I have never turned colors before back in the Milky Way, and I’ve been guzzling soda for years.”
At the word study, all of Jerrie’s tension melted away. Charlie was right. There was a seriously interesting phenomenon happening right in front of her eyes, and she was missing it. PAH molecules might help her understand the creation of the universe, but the implications from studying dietary consumption in the interstellar medium would be much more applicable to the progress of humankind in space.
“I bet we could get a huge grant to study it,” Jerrie said warming up to the idea.
“A grant, really?” Charlie asked.
“And, while we studied, you could move the ship anywhere you wanted and explore anywhere you wanted in the interstellar medium,” Jerrie said with a huge grin.
“There are plenty of other flavors like Fireball and Formidable,” Charlie said tossing the forgotten puzzle cube over her shoulder. “I could make a list. Ooooh, don’t forget Ebony. I wonder what that would do!”
“Only one way to find out,” Jerrie told her. As Charlie scrambled back into the supply room, Jerrie turned the lights back on and pulled up a clean notebook on her screen.
She’d contact the soda company first. It was a pretty good bet they’d love the publicity and increase in revenue a glow-soda would create. Proposal, she typed. Bioluminescence in the Interstellar. Who could resist a title like that?
The difference between men and women
What is it like to be in a relationship with someone born rich?
Originally Answered: what is it like to be in a relationship with someone born rich?
I briefly dated someone who came from a very affluent family. She had the best clothes money could buy, awesome sports cars, and she could just wake up one day and say: I want to spend the next two days in Rio, books the next available flight and away she goes (in business class).
It was great, she was spontaneous, adventurous, and she had traveled the world. It was super easy to travel with her, as she knew all the little tricks at the airport – what lounge to use, what type of services to get, etc.
Because of her travels, she had a great perspective on world affairs. Conversation with her was great, and we could talk about politics, economy, investment, you name it.
The end result? I couldn’t really keep up. I worked long hours for a financial company (I was like those Japanese salary men you see on the news, but better paid), and even though I made good money, it was pennies compare to her family fortune – too many zeroes missing. Although I could afford to travel spontaneously with her, I just didn’t have the time to do it without impacting my work. She eventually met a senior executive of a large public company (guy has a private jet!), and they fell in love and got married.
It was a beautiful memory while it lasted. She is a good person, and we had our adventures. I also had a glimpse into a world that is so different than mine, and I realized that what made her happy was freedom. Freedom to experience and feel. I have since changed my workaholic life and to focus on work-life balance. I am more free and happy now than before, and I have her to thank.
Have you ever had a co-worker who you worked closely with get fired for something truly shocking that you never saw coming?
Originally Answered: Have you ever had a coworker who you worked closely with get fired for something truly shocking that you never saw coming?
I had a co-worker, a UX designer, who was called “Ursula” around the office, because she both looked and acted like the villain from the Little Mermaid. She was generally rude and abrasive, and I don’t think there was a single person in the office who could tolerate her, much less like her. If she had eventually been let go due to conflict in the workplace, no one would have been surprised, and it probably would have been a lot better for her, too.
The company I worked for at the time had clients primarily in the Fortune 500 space: Lowes, Home Depot, Mariott, Delta, etc. All of these clients generally had their contractors (us) sign detailed Non-Disclosure Agreements, basically prohibiting us from sharing information about the work done in detail, leaking Intellectual Property, or in some cases even disclosing we worked for them for a set period of time after our contracts were terminated. These are taken very seriously in my industry, as Intellectual Property is the name of the game, after all.
There was one particular client at the time, though, who was FAR more strict. Any employee of the company not directly engaged on the project was not even told who the client was, what kind of work was being done, nothing. And one of the members of the team was Ursula.
About two months into the project, my team was shooting the breeze in our own area when someone decided to start looking people up on LinkedIn. Good way to pass the time, right? Well, we stumbled across Ursula’s profile and found that she has linked DETAILED information about the client and project in her profile. Screenshots of designs depicting unreleased new content, including the client’s logo, photographs of closed-door white-boarding sessions covering UX flows, a written description of the project goals and timelines.
We’d been laughing and joking with each other, but when we saw this, the whole room when dead quiet. I don’t think any of us had ever seen a NDA breach this bad before. So we walked over to the office of the Head of Delivery, laptop in hand, and showed him what we found. He just said, “Okay, I’ll take care of this,” and ushered us out of his office. Five minutes later, a secretary escorted Ursula into his office, and we heard muffled yelling for about an hour. When the door finally opened, she was escorted to the elevator and never seen again. Didn’t even stop by her desk to grab her things.
Will the USA empire lose its militaristic hegemony and overseas territories with military bases like the British empire did in the near future?
If my crystal ball is correct, today’s US empire is yesterday’s UK. That is, USA will fall like UK one day.
Yesterday’s UK was “beaten” behind the scene by USA though it was WW2 that sped up UK’s fall. But USA did a lot to UK behind the scene.
USA is not “beaten” up by foreign country(s) like China or Russia, though the rise of China does speed up the US fall. It is China’s rise that unites the Global South to form a force to dedollarise USD. When US monetary hegemony weakens, US military will weaken too.
It is the US internal problem – the ultra Jewish-American capitalists that “collapse” the US empire.
Trump said when he comes back to the White House, he will strengthen US oil/gas industry to compete with the world eg Mideast & Russia. Translation: he will become a oil hegemon to replace Saudi.
Who is behind Trump? The energy sector who rejects climate change. 20 years later, when the entire world has switched to clean energy eg electric car, USA will fall behind. … capitalist dont have the vision of climate change; they only care about their bank account in a short run.
Who sabotaged the Nord Stream pipeline? People pointed at USA.
On the other hand, those behind Biden such as MIC wants wars so as to make $$$.
It is the dog-fight of these 2 groups of ultra rich capitalists that will collapse US empire.
Interestingly, UK was controlled by ultra rich Jewish capitalists 300–400 years ago. Today’s USA is also controlled by ultra rich Jewish capitalists.
Today’s USA is yesterday’s UK.
Wooden Boats
Can to the head
If China were to Make a move against Taiwan would the USA and European Union be willing to defend it the way they are defending Ukraine in a war that could last up to a decade? In other words, will Taiwan be the next Ukraine?
If my crystal ball is correct, Taiwan will not be the next Ukraine. China will not let Taiwan to become a ruin like Ukraine.
Geographically, Taiwan cannot become Ukraine because Taiwan is an island. China will block any foreign aids to Taiwan. Taiwan has enough electricity for 1 week only. China will block all GPS signals to Taiwan also. … China will take Taiwan in a short time.
Just watch. China is to pass a law to put Lai officials on trial without their presence. Then issue an intl arrest warrant for Lai etc. Max sentence is death. … See how easy it is to take Taiwan back.
Why is it that easy? Because Taiwan is a province of China. It is China’s internal affairs, no matter how USA & the West in general propagated it. China is armed with the UN charter.
Now another question.
Will USA help Taiwan? No. Definitely no. USA is withdrawing its troops from the 1st island chain to Guam & Haweii, starting Dec 2024. USA already gives up Taiwan.
Will Europe help? They already were dragged into Ukraine war & plummet their economy. They are still that stupid to help Taiwan? Haha. In Ukraine, in a way they had no choice because they are in the US-led NATO. But they have no obligation for Taiwan. As I said earlier, Taiwan will be blocked anyway.
Japan? Again, no. Because it will be blocked too.
S Korean already said they wont help Taiwan.
He’s dead now
Was Quentin Tarantino right in vowing not to give his mom a ‘penny’ of his fortune after she belittled his writing as a child?
When it comes to parents, Quentin Tarantino was shit out of luck. From what I have heard about them, from the man himself and various other sources, neither his father nor his mother were particularly kind, or pleasant, not to mention involved with their son’s life as he was growing up.
His father was a deadbeat, who never really showed up — his main contribution to his son was his DNA, the ambition and frustration of a failed actor and that wonderful last name. His mother gave him life, and that’s… about it. When Quentin did make it, his father suddenly showed interest in him he never showed before, trying to make money out of what was now a very famous last name they shared.
Quentin’s father, Tony Tarantino, even joined forces with yet another renowned celebrity dead-beat — Al Pacino’s father, Sal Pacino. They briefly ran a production company together, using their last names, made famous only by the efforts of their famous sons, whom they cared little for prior to their success in Hollywood.
Meanwhile, Tarantino’s mother kept him more or less clothed, provided him with some basic necessities but belittled his artistic merits. His childhood was not particularly loving, or particularly fun. He wasn’t very wanted, his parents both very young and rather clueless when they had him, and remaining every bit as clueless even as they aged.
So when Quentin Tarantino made it big, he made it big. And he enjoyed his fame, and thanked his lucky stars. Not his parents, his parents had little to do with it. All they did was drive him to misery and force him to hide away in the magical realm of movies… which is, ironically, how he became the brilliant director he is today. Their neglect drove him to greatness. It was their greatest contribution to the world of cinema, and to their son.
A few years ago, after decades of being one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors, Quentin Tarantino got married. He had a son of his own. And vowed to be truly involved, and supportive, in ways his own family never was. Not a heartless man, Tarantino did help his mother out when she got in trouble with the IRS a few years back. But aside from calamities, they know better than to expect a penny from the son they neglected throughout his formative years and whose own son they never even met.
Is China powerful enough to invade the Philippines? How long would it take for the Chinese to land their feet in Manila?
In the ideal situation, a PLAN 052D destroyer is enough to wipe out the whole Philipino navy.
A 052D has 64 VLS, which can be equipped with HHQ-9 (air defense) or YJ-18 (anti-ship) missiles.
YJ-18’s warhead is around 300KG, which is enough to paralyze or even sink any ship of Philippines navy.
Above is the flag ship of Philippine navy, the BRP Jose Rizal, a 2,600 tonnes frigate.
It’s one of the newest (built in 2016) and biggest ship of Philippine navy, and they have 2 of them.
Then, they have:
- 1x 1,200 tonnes corvette, built in 1986
- 3x 2,500 tonnes offshore patrol vessel, built in 1965, 1966, and 1967
- 3x 712 tonnes offshore patrol vessel, built in 1982 and 1983
- 1x 914 tonnes offshore patrol vessel, built in 1943 (yes, during WWII)
- 3x 357 tonnes littoral patrol vessel, built in 1992 and 1994
- 1x 160 tonnes littoral patrol craft, commissioned in 1983
That’s about all the combat ships Philippine navy has.
It does have some smaller ships (boats?), like 33 different sorts of coastal patrol craft under 100 tonnes.
There are also some other ships for landing and logistics, 17 of them.
So 14 combat ships+33 combat boats+17 backup ships=64
Like I said, in ideal situation, 1x 052D is enough to wipe out the whole Philippine navy.
South Sea Fleet of PLAN has 18 destroyers, including 4x 055 and 9x 052D. I think it would be enough to wipe out the 7th fleet of US Navy.
China’s naval force is far far far stronger than Philippines, like Mike Tyson VS Kinder Garten kid.
It would be unnecessary and unethical for China to use any serious force against Philippines.
It’s also why Chinese Coast Guard used selfie stick when facing Philippine Special Force instead of any firepower.
To not escalate the situation to a level which Philippines cannot handle.
China has zero interest in conquering Philippines, because never in history China was a colonizer. Yes, China didn’t become so large by acting all peace, but there is no sense of colonizing in Chinese history.
The nine or eleven dash line was drawn by Chiang Kai-Shek in 1947.
The government of People’s Republic of China simply carried it on in 1949.
Nothing more, nothing less.
In addition, China doesn’t claim the whole South China Sea as it’s territorial sea but only the islands within the lines.
It’s OK for China that countries within the region disagree with China’s claim. China propose to put the disputes aside and have a joint development in SCS region.
If I had to say, China isn’t acting totally fair to the countries in SCS region, but it’s fairly self-controlled already, comparing to every other world power in human history.
The US has been trying to use Philippines to provoke China, and try to make China attacking Philippines. So that it could tell other ASEAN countries about how evil and aggressive China is, and how the US could protect them.
What China has been doing is to demonstrate it’s self-control, to convince ASEAN countries that even if one day China became another super power, they wouldn’t be bullied.
Judging by the recent SCS conflict, Indonesia and Vietnam are more likely to believe in China’s claim instead of the US’s. They both kept silent after a Philippino special force soldier lost his thumb due to boat collision and friction during the conflict.
Even the US navy left the region before Chinese Coast Guard intercepted Philippine boats.
I mean, if they were there, if would be ackward. Because if they interfered, it could lead to WWIII; if they didn’t interfere, the world would know the US cannot protect anyone.
So US navy left. Since they were not in the region when the conflict happened, there was nothing they could do.
China is not going to invade Philippines.
China is not going to invade any country.
China is very busy achieving world peace.
Stuffed Jumbo Shells
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, diced
- 1 can peas, drained
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 can cream of chicken soup mixed with 1/2 cup water
- 12 ounces jumbo shells
Instructions
- Cook shells until barely soft.
- Mix all other ingredients.
- Stuff shells with filling mixture and put into casserole.
- Sprinkle lots of grated cheese over the top.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes.
Smart boy
Do you think China is being singled out by the level of tariff increases on Chinese electric vehicles as a result of the EU’s anti-subsidy probes?
It’s simple
I am a European Customer
I want to buy a Car
I see a BYD Car of excellent quality costing me € 34,500
I see a Volkswagen of a little lower quality costing me € 48,200
Why would I buy a Volkswagen?
I see a top end BYD for € 47,000 which I would buy instead of spending € 61,000 on a BMW
So BMW and Volkswagen go crying to Ursula Von Der Leyen and their Politicians in the EU
They say “Look. We can’t sell at such low prices. This is unfair”
Ursula who is corrupt to the core on donations from these companies immediately demands to know why Chinese EVs are so affordable
China says “We have a Vertically Integrated Supply Chain, a Large population and we target FAIR PROFITS”
Nopes the Neocons say
They can’t ask BMW or Volkswagen or Tesla to shave off their profits
They can’t demand their distributors who charge 26% to lower their costs
They cant subsidise R&D to help them build better integrated supply chains
They can’t acknowledge Chinese superiority and offer ground breaking subsidies to the Chinese to the build in Europe that Hungary and Turkey are offering
Solution?
Accuse the Chinese of subsidies and impose tariffs
Though they are doing the same things with Chips and many other products
Its plain old PROTECTIONISM
The reason is because typically you either dominate in manufacturing OR technology
This way a manufacturer can partner with a nation owning core technology and sell products globally
Japan became the first manufacturer to own core technology but US always had an edge over Japan
Sure Toyota had their own technology but US Engines were better
This is the first time a Nation (CHINA) dominates in both Manufacturing and Technology
And their technology is better than the US and it’s allies
And getting better and better by the day
It’s the beginning of the end for Europe and US unless someone decides to kill 23,000 crazy politicians and Political Science Students in Europe and UK and US
Rus missile hits 50 western Instructors. Ukr massive drone 75 attack Rus. Kuleba visits China.
China Brokers Unity In Palestine
This is an interesting development:
Palestinian factions agree to end division in pact brokered by China – SCMP
Rival Palestinian factions including Fatah and Hamas have signed an agreement aimed at ending their division and building unity following talks in Beijing, marking a diplomatic win for China.
Over the years Fatah and Hamas had already signed several agreements to build some unity government. All however have failed.
What gives hope is that this agreement might be sustained is the participation of all other Palestinian groups as well as the significance of China as the guarantee power behind this:
Senior representatives of 14 Palestinian factions reached the agreement – called the Beijing Declaration – after reconciliation talks that began on Sunday.The pact aims to unite Palestinians in their conflict with Israel, which launched a war on militant group Hamas in Gaza in October.
The Chinese foreign ministry said the agreement was a first step to promote a “comprehensive, durable and sustainable ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip that would eventually lead to Palestine being admitted to the United Nations as a fully fledged member and becoming an independent state.
“The declaration reaffirms [the] commitment to establishing an independent state of Palestine with Jerusalem as the capital city based on relevant UN resolutions and ensuring the integrity of Palestinian territory including the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza,” ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
This implies that Hamas, as well as all other groups, have agreed to a two-state solution – the aim the United Nations has agreed upon. (Just last week the current Israeli parliament rejected such a solution.)
Also important is the envisioning of a unity government for Gaza:
Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday said the signing of the agreement was “an important, historic moment in the Palestinian cause”.He said that under the deal the rival groups had agreed to set up an “interim national reconciliation government” to govern post-war Gaza.
The west will of course at first reject the whole process and result because it had no part in creating it.
But last year’s agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, also brokered by China, has held far beyond the low expectations put into it.
The Palestinian agreement may, via the UN, give a new impetus towards a ceasefire and a new situation in Gaza that is mostly free of Israeli interference.
I trust that China can sustain the global soft-power necessary to lead this development towards success.
.
The USA is crazy town
Why is China travel so popular recently?
Chinese tourism has always been very strong. For years, tens of millions of foreign tourists came to China annually. The pandemic interrupted this.
Gradually, tourism is returning to China. I believe it isn’t quite back to pre-pandemic levels but it’s getting there.
Chinese tourism has much to offer. The country is magnificent and rich in cultural heritage and diversity. The cities are beautiful, clean, safe and modern. The infrastructure (roads, bridges, high-speed rail, airports, etc.) is breathtaking. Your tourist dollars will go a long way because the cost of food, transportation, etc. is so low.
China is definitely one of the top 5 tourist destination countries in the world.
What is the most manipulative thing you have seen anyone do to get what they want?
A French school girl, aged 13, didn’t like her teacher. So she went home and told to her parents about how her teacher had given all Muslim pupils the option to “leave the class”, before showing everyone a series of drawings of the prophet Muhammad in less-than-flattering positions… all she wanted was to “get him in trouble”.
The girl’s father, outraged, went online and started a hate campaign against his daughter’s teacher, Samuel Paty. The plot twist? She had skipped class that day, and hadn’t been there. She later admitted the story was entirely made up out of some perceived slight — Paty never showed drawings of the prophet, as all her classmates testified.
The damage had been done, however. A Chechen Islamist, aged 18, went to the school. Followed Paty when he left work, and butchered him in the streets. The teacher left a widow and a now fatherless five-year-old son.
Samuel Paty had his head cut off as “revenge” for something he didn’t even do. All because one girl made up a nonsense story and her father got carried away with it, asking for “retribution”. Lies, even the lies of children, can destroy loves.
Parasite
The most heartless, the most shocking and callous I’ve ever seen
by Justin Glawe
The white cop with the skull tattoos on his arm shot the unarmed Black woman in the face at point-blank range then told his partner not to bother trying to help her, she’s already gone. Then he walked outside and told his radio dispatcher that the woman had killed herself. Police then told her family the same lie, which is all they knew until attorneys got involved and the local press started digging.
This is as near to the true version of events as I can gather after a day and a half in Springfield, Illinois, where authorities yesterday released bodycam footage of Deputy Sean Grayson killing 36 year old Sonya Massey. How deep the initial cover up went isn’t currently known to the public, but Grayson has since been charged with first-degree murder in Massey’s killing — an exceedingly rare thing in this country when a police officer kills someone.
At a press conference on Monday afternoon at Springfield’s NAACP headquarters — an organization founded after race riots ravaged the city in 1908, claiming 17 Black lives, including a distant relative of Massey herself — Massey’s family revealed that police initially told them their loved one had killed herself. Indeed, police radio traffic I obtained shows someone, presumably Grayson, when he leaves the house to grab medical equipment, saying Massey’s wound was “self-inflicted” and asking dispatch if the call had been recorded as a 10-76 — code for a psychiatric emergency.
The implication is clear: Grayson planned to portray Massey as a crazed threat who he had to defend himself from. Luckily, just barely, Grayson’s partner had turned on his body camera which shows the complete opposite.
The two deputies were called to Massey’s house early on the morning of July 6 because Massey thought someone was trying to break in. When Grayson and his partner arrived they searched outside the house and shone their flashlights inside. Once in the living room, the pair can be seen talking to Massey for 10 minutes or so before Grayson tells her to turn off a pot on the stove filled with boiling water.
She does, pulling the pot from the stove on the other side of a counter from Grayson as he and his partner move back a few steps. She laughs and asks why they’re moving. Grayson says he’s getting farther away from the “pot of steaming water.”
“Away from the hot steaming water? Oh, I’ll rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey says, most likely a baptism joke. That’s when Grayson pulls out his gun.“You better fucking not, I swear to God I’ll fucking shoot you right in your fucking face,” he yells.
She says she’s sorry and begins to kneel. Again he demands she put the pot down and she says she’s sorry again. Then three shots. “Fuck!” Grayson says, then goes into action, thinking of ways to protect himself from what he had done.
He complains about how close she was with the pot of water. Now it’s touching his shoe, he notes. We should get the medical kit, Grayson’s partner says. What’s the point? he replies. “That’s a head shot. She’s gone.”
But she wasn’t. Massey was gurgling and gasping for air as the other officer began applying pressure to a bullet wound in her eye with a kitchen towel. Grayson went outside to get the medical kit.
This is apparently when he told a dispatcher the wound was self-inflicted.
When other deputies arrived they asked where the gun was. Grayson says there was no gun, but adds “she came at me with boiling water. She said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus and came at me with boiling water.”
Massey never came toward Grayson.
For 10 years I have been driving and flying into cities where police have just killed a Black person, and it’s always as awful and heartbreaking as you might imagine. Springfield felt a bit different for me this time because it’s only an hour away from my hometown of Peoria, where my parents still live. It isn’t Baltimore or Charlotte or hilly Cincinnati, where I dropped in to cover the killings of Freddie Gray, Keith Lamont Scott and Samuel DuBose. Frankly, ever since I began covering police violence back in 2014 in Ferguson, I’ve always thought that it was only a matter of time before I ended up reporting on a bad police shooting in Peoria.
The city of Springfield is not much different: it’s an economically depressed rust belt town with about a 70/20 white to Black population compared to Peoria’s 60/30, and the Black part of town is one of the oldest and least cared for. In both places, what are called “best” homes — post-war, manufactured, one-story shoeboxes that all look mostly the same with the exception of window dressing — line streets that were once well-paved and where the American dream was once in reach thanks to good-paying manufacturing jobs. Now, most of those jobs are gone but the best homes remain, rented out for cheap and often falling apart.
The big difference between Peoria and Springfield is that in the latter, you can turn the corner on a crumbling street and see the shining dome of the state capitol.
Throughout all this madness over the last decade I have seen, read about, and reported on a lot of police killings, but this one is the worst, the dumbest, the most heartless, the most shocking and callous I’ve ever seen. Grayson — over six feet, 200-something pounds — was on the other side of a counter from a woman who weighed about half what he does.
“What else can we do?” Grayson asked his partner after killing Massey. “I’m not taking hot boiling water to the face.”
Nevermind, for a second, that Massey at no point appears to threaten Grayson with the water, and think about that statement. Think about all the Blue Lives Matter and Don’t Tread on Me flags you see around the country, flown by men who look a lot like Grayson. Think about what those people say — how they’re tough, how they’re patriots, how they’re badasses who aren’t afraid of anything — and now imagine them all freaking out over a 100-pound unarmed woman with a small pot of boiling water at least five feet away.
That’s one way to think about this — that men like Grayson, men who become cops to act tough and push people around — are actually just cowards. The other way to think about it is that Grayson is simply a racist with complete disregard for the sanctity of Black life.
Attorney Ben Crump said nearly as much on Monday with Massey’s family standing behind him. “Black women aren’t given the respect and consideration” that they deserve he told a small gathering of local press. I couldn’t help but note that as he was saying this the entire national political media apparatus was going bananas over the massive fundraising haul pulled off by Kamala Harris, the first Black female presidential candidate since Carol Moseley Braun, who like Massey is also from Illinois.
Massey’s killing cannot be disentangled from the national political climate, especially as the prospect of another, likely more draconian Trump administration looms. (Not that things have been much better under Biden. 1,232 people were killed by police in 2023). This is what the beginning of authoritarianism feels like. How quickly our rights, and our lives, especially those of the traditionally disenfranchised can be taken away.
Massey’s own father apparently feels that way, too. Yesterday he said that he now thinks God helped him survive a recent major heart procedure for a purpose.
“Maybe it was to tell this whole country that in order to honor my daughter, we must pass the George Floyd Act, we must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act,” James Wilburn said.
However you think of Massey’s killing, men like Grayson reflect a significant portion of this country — supposedly tough, big guys who are the exact type of people Donald Trump talks about when he says he wants to preserve law and order. That is, of course, code for punishing non-white Americans for crimes real and perceived, and if you don’t believe me just give it a couple weeks or maybe even days and see what the dregs of the American right start saying on the internet about Sonya Massey.
I remember walking through an airport in May 2020 on my way to Minneapolis. Even white people who I’d never expect were talking about George Floyd’s killing with disgust and anger. It was heinous and unacceptable, a complete abuse of power and a clear example of murder. Everyone agreed. Until they didn’t.
Now, like so many things in this increasingly doomed country, Floyd is a Rorschach test for one’s political beliefs. If you are on the left you believe he was murdered (which is correct). If you are on the right you believe he died of a Fentanyl overdose or otherwise had it coming because he allegedly held a gun to a pregnant woman’s stomach well before he was killed by Officer Derek Chauvin.
Maybe Massey’s killing will be different. Maybe the American right won’t be able to twist this one into another example of the War on Police. But I bet they’ll find a way — that pot of water, for instance, could have really hurt poor Grayson. Maybe they’ll find a way to blame her for her own death. To rebuke her in the name of America.
I just got fired. Now my former boss (the one who let me go) is asking me where some important documents are. How should I respond?
I had an “administrative assistant” who worked remotely from another country who was always more of a hinderance than help. About a week after I was laid off, I got a call from this guy. He wanted to know about something I had tried to train him on. I asked if he knew I no longer worked for the company, he said he did. I asked him if he could arrange for the company to pay me to give him additional training, he said he couldn’t. I advised that he try to figure it out on his own since I don’t work for free. He unfriended me on Facebook immediately following the call. I can assure you; I was not heartbroken.
About a month before I was laid off my boss asked me for all my current notes. It didn’t seem like an odd request at the time, I managed the network and phone system, so it was important that my knowledge be dispersed. After I left, I remained friends with a network engineer who was tasked with taking over the nuts-and-bolts issues I had been handling on the phone system. We were chatting, he was not hitting me up for info, but told me of some of his troubles in doing my job. I told him about giving my notes to the boss. He said they had not made it to him. Since he was a good friend, I offered to send him the notes. He said, “no, the boss has them, he should give them to me. He can cope with the time it takes me to struggle through the work. It was the boss’s stupid idea to fire you, he can suffer the consequences.” Now that’s a good friend!
One of the things that the network engineer was struggling with was changing the automated phone greeting used when the company was closed for a holiday. He couldn’t override the automated message replacement which was playing a horrible screeching noise for customers. I used to call in on holidays just to give myself a laugh. It was three or four years before they got that fixed.
Hopefully my experiences give you some idea of how to respond.
The undisputed leader in terms of the number of killed fighters is Poland (2,960 arrived, 1,497 eliminated).
to use drones to transport and disperse substances are particularly interesting."
— Pipers Creek (@piperscreekway) 
Men’s adventure magazines were the bastard child of the popular pulp magazines of the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, and many of the artists who worked for the pulps also put paint to canvas for this next evolution, most famous among them being Norm Saunders. Numerous publishers saw an easy buck in the men’s adventure magazines, but none more so than Martin Goodman’s Magazine Management, whose titles included Male, Stag, Action For Men, Battlefield, Complete Man, For Men Only, Man’s World, and many others.
